A pleasant episode on the Swale

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From the top – three photos of Steve Taylor’s 1923 Hillyard,
Dorma, followed by one of Alan Thorne’s double-ender,
Nissa. As usual, click on the photos for larger images

After posting about a seriously long voyage a moment ago, I thought I’d share some photos from a remarkably short one. On a nearly windless morning, Bob Telford, Steve Taylor and I motored Steve’s Dorma down the creek and tried to sail for an hour or so before the tide got too low to allow her back.

It was a delightful short trip, and I think we would all have happily sailed like that all day – going nowhere very much, but far from anything remotely like work or the trials of everyday life.

We almost had the sea to ourselves – but not quite, for Alan Thorne and his partner and kids followed us out in his Swedish double-ender Nissa. Naturally, we took the opportunity to take a few shots, and here they are.

I’m the geezer in the fetching yellow bouyancy aid, by the way, and Steve is the chap at the tiller with a sailing barge in the background. I’m not very clear why Bob’s nowhere to be seen but I think he may have been wrestling with the Primus stove at the time. I remember a welcome cup of coffee arrived some considerable time later.

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A junk and some Ozzie sunsets from Jeff Cole

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Jeff Cole's junk painting

Jeff Cole’s been busy moving house, and turned up this splendid painting of a junk. Here’s what he said about it:

‘Hi Gavin, my house move(s) are going along, a very exhausting process mate! Here’s a pic that might interest the viewers of your site.

‘My maternal great grandfather was an officer in the British Merchant Marine and had learnt Japanese which he taught to my grandmother. In the early 1920s she taught english to Japanese naval officers training at Portsmouth and some embassy officials. One of those men, Takeo Fukuda, became Foreign Minister and Prime Minister in post war Japan. One day in the 1950s he turned up at my grandparents house in the Australian bush (they had migrated in 1928) with gifts including needlework from his mother and this painting of a junk. The artist’s signature symbol is under the mask. It’s one of the family heirlooms now.’

Inspired by some of my shots of the Swale recently, Jeff also sent over some photos of some local sunsets in his part of Australia.

Jeff Cole\'s sunset 1 Jeff Cole\'s sunset 1

Swale photos… I’ve got to get them off my chest so here they are!

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Smacks in Faversham Creek

Rather like the way a bundle of unexpected money can burn a hole in one’s pocket, for several days these photos have been nagging me to put them up. They’re scenes from a day’s sailing around the Swale, as locals will immediately know, and I hope they provide some interest and entertainment before we get back to the usual intheboatshed.net menu!

Thames barge Repertor

Homes at Shellness, Isle of Sheppey

North shore of the Isle of Sheppey

‘Receptive’ buoy at the southern end of Horse Sand

A fisherman in the Swale

Jetskis playing in the wake of an enormous
powerboat.
Forgive them, Oh Lord, for they
know not what they do… I guess they were
having fun, but their noise and disturbance
shook my teacup and rattled the teeth I was
trying to use to eat cake!