Tag: Faversham

Whitstable smack Emeline repainted and looking wonderful

Faversham smack Emeline at Hollowshore bows

Faversham smack Emeline in the shed at Hollowshore stern Faversham smack Emeline in the shed at Hollowshore bilges Faversham smack Emeline in the shed at Hollowshore port bow

The Whitstable smack afloat, Emeline has just been repainted and I was lucky enough to take some photos for publication, with kind permission of the owners and the yard.

I guess two of the main points of interest here are her hard bilges, which enable her to sit up on sand and mud, unlike other smacks from further up the coast, and that wonderful finish, which is the talk of those local boaters who have seen it. Part of the secret, I gather, is using paint conditioners – but from what people tell me about how they’ve tried the same thing without success, I’d guess there’s more to know about achieving this kind of result than what kind of additives to mix with the paint.

The story of how this traditionally built wooden boat of 1904 was discovered near Malaga in 1992 and brought back to Kent for be restoration is fascinating, and can be read at the simplywhitstable.com website.

 

Retired skipper Captain H Morris describes how he started in Thames sailing barges

Carr and Mason on barges2

Thames sailing barge illustration fromVanishing Craft, written by FGG Carr and illustrated by Frank Mason

Reading Hervey Benham’s book Down Tops’l yesterday eveing, I was very struck by the contents of a letter from Captain H Morris to the author. Captain Morris’s career in Thames sailing barges began when he decided to spend a holiday on a sailing barge, well away from his usual job in town.

‘I said to myself, this is the job for me, not sitting on an office stool making out invoices all day long. Of course my parents were all much against it. “All beer and bad language,” they said. However, the call was too great and I went to Faversham and got a job for two more trips as third hand and then mate. Incidentally, there was no beer and no bad language with my first skipper, and he never got under way on a Sunday if he could help it. The two other skippers at Faversham never sailed on Sundays.

‘There were then 125 sailing barges and 14 coasters working to and from that little port.’

Of course, I do understand that all 139 vessels were unlikely to arrive and try to tie up at the same moment, but it’s still very difficult to imagine where all those craft put themselves – much more of the creek must have been in use as wharves than can be seen today.

And speaking of Faversham I have three items of news.

First, the new Faversham Creek Trust will be manning a stall in the town’s market square on Saturday. Do get along to chat with Trust officials and offer your support!

Second – the Westmoreland is afloat after years of being washed by each tide. Read all about it here.

Third – Giacomo de Stefano (Man on the River), who is rowing and sailing his Iain Oughtred-designed small open boat from London to Istanbul plans to leave Faversham’s Standartd Quay on the 1st May, in order to draw attention to efforts to save it. Naturally I plan to be there if I can find out what time he’s planning to go (the tides suggest it will be some time after 11am) and will share any information I get…

PS – Here’s a photo of Giacomo and pal rowing his Iain Oughtred-designed Ness Yawl named Clodia just after 12.30 on Sunday. The last I heard was that he had wisely decided to get a tow over to the River Stour however – the idea of sailing a small open boat round the North Foreland in yesterday’s winds didn’t appeal and I can’t blame him!

Giacomo rowing Clodia off Standard Quay, Faversham Creek Giacomo rowing Clodia off Standard Quay, Faversham Creek 2

Meeting a chance to save Standard Quay?

Save Standard Quay and Faversham Creek

Faversham Creek campaigners are calling on supporters to attend a public local engagement meeting at at Faversham’s Alexander Centre at 7pm on Tuesday 15th March in at attempt to persuade planners not to swamp the town  with new developments.

‘Come to the meeting and make sure the planners understand that developers are not wanted,’ says campaign spokesperson Sue Cooper of Standard Quay.

‘Faversham has the skills itself to regenerate the creek as has been amply shown at Standard Quay. It is no coincidence that during the past 20 years the only part of Faversham Creek that has seen regeneration, new employment creation and substantial silt removal is Standard Quay. We just need Swale to stand up to the developers.’

A petition to save maritime jobs and skills at the threatened boatyard at Standard Quay has already attracted local, national and international support with 1,200 signatures.

Supporters are now preparing to voice their concerns at Swale Borough Council’s Local Engagement Forum at Faversham’s Alexander Centre at 7pm on Tuesday.

‘It is time to say no more,’ says Sue Cooper.

Campaigners fear Faversham is in danger of being ‘sold down the river’ by a council hungry for developers’ cash. They fear pleas to save skilled jobs at the town’s last working traditional boatyard are being ignored, while Swale seeks ‘developer contributions’ towards plans likely to kill off creekside industry.

Cooper argues the council is looking to raise money through ‘developer contributions’ or ‘local infrastructure levies’, which she says are unlikely to benefit the town even half as much as the£500,000 the campaign says was generated on the Quay in the past year, and won’t replace the tourism and other spin-offs, such as photographs, postcards and paintings depicting Standard Quay that are sold all over the world.

The plans won’t regenerate the Creek she says, but will lead to ‘real mud and nails employment’ being lost to the town.

For more information, see www.standardquay.com

For more intheboatshed.net posts relating to Faversham, click here.