Tag: Faversham

A pleasant trip to Whitstable and Faversham

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Smack, late afternoon at Hollowshore

A smack, in the late afternoon light at Hollowshore

We took ourselves to Whitstable and Oare Creek just outside Faversham today to see and meet some Morris dancing friends, to mooch around Whitstable and to check on our little boat. As usual, I couldn’t stay out of the second-hand bookshops, and among other things found a copy of The Last Stronghold of Sail by Hervey Benham – a book I’ve been hoping to find for a while. It’s splendid stuff!

We also stopped by at Macnade’s amazing Faversham delicatessen and foodstore, and vowed never to miss an opportunity to buy provisions there, particularly if we’re setting off for a trip.

To celebrate both a nice day out after some weeks of rather hard work, and buying Benham’s book about the bygone world of working smacks and barges , I thought I should post the photo above taken this afternoon – a typical shot of a smack apparently waiting to take its turn in the dry dock at Hollowshore.

Lena Reekie’s Nautibits shop is back in business

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Lena Reekie’s Nautibits back in business

Lena Reekie’s Nautibits back in business Lena Reekie’s Nautibits back in business Lena Reekie’s Nautibits back in business

Back on line, finally, I have good news to share. Bob Telford has been in touch to say that Lena Reekie’s little shop at Iron Wharf has been refurbished and is back in business. So now there’s another reason to visit Faversham – in addition to the attractive old town, sheltered creeks, legendary boatyards, brilliant pubs and great beer, there’s now a cracking little shop selling second-hand bits and pieces of interest to classic boat nuts and low-budget sailers generally. You can bet I’ll be there as soon as I can make it.

If you are planning a visit, Iron Wharf is on the eastern side of Faversham Creek. While you’re there, check out John Copper’s bookshop, and the boats for sale at Cardinal Brokerage. From the Cardinal site, I can see there are some interesting boats on their books, including lifeboat conversion RNLI 47, a Belgian barge, an Alan Buchanan-designed 27ft East Anglian Sloop and a fiberglass-hulled Vertue II. Anyone out there drooling yet?

If you have local news to share, please tell us now at gmatkin@gmail.com.

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A great find at the Eventide Owners Group website

Here’s a link I’ve been looking forward to putting up about another Maurice Griffiths favourite, Idle Duck, which by chance spent much of the summer sitting on a barge bottom a few feet from our own little boat.

When she arrived we experienced one of those amazing coincidences that sometimes arise, for it turned out that one of the crew was a musician and boating pal of ours. Anyway, through him we met Bob Telford, Idle Duck’s new owner.

The pictures tell the first part of the story, from when Bob found her through to her arrival at Alan Staley’s yard at Faversham for restoration and refitting work. Idle Duck, I should explain, is an astonishing boat, big and comfortable in every way, as the shots at the EOG site clearly show. She’s a 34ft long Bermudian cutter rigged cruising yacht, with a long keel and centreboard.

For the pictures of Idle Duck’s rescue:
http://www.eventides.org.uk/builders.htm