East Coast Cruising Companion out now
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Notes & News May 2009
Navigational Updates May 2009
Late Extra Updates
June blog
Jan's Blog
September Blog
Barges at Snape; Orfordness Lighthouse under threat from the North Sea; smacks and classic yachts at West Mersea; and upper reaches of the Deben
During August the quay at Snape Maltings had two Thames sailing barge visitors: Ethel Ada (built 1903 by Shuttlewoods at Paglesham and named after their respective wives) and Adieu (79 tons steel-built in 1929 by Horlocks at Mistley) both from the London River. Two such large barges have not been seen at the navigable head of the River Alde in Suffolk for some years, although the little barge Cygnet is based at Snape and two yacht barges, Dinah and Blackthorn, are currently moored further down the river at Iken.
I was lucky enough to be invited aboard the 90ft Adieu when her owner, Iolo Brooks, took her down river to Orford and here she is (below) passing Blackthorn, moored just by Iken Cliff.
And a few minutes later we were passing Richard Johnson´s Dinah, the yacht barge built on the Medway in 1887.
Although we left Snape Bridge very early on the tide, we had a few encounters with the mud and reeds early on which delayed us a little so that by the time we had navigated Troublesome Reach near Iken Church, it was getting near the top of the tide. This made spotting the withies rather difficult as many by now had only a few inches showing above the water and the mud flats were well covered giving the misleading impression that there was plenty of water everywhere you looked.
Our experience reinforces the advice, whether you are heading up or down the Alde above Aldeburgh, to be as early on the tide as possible so that the mud is not yet covered and the withies are easier to spot.
The pictures of Orfordness Lighthouse was taken a week ago when Trinity House allowed visitors to the Ness to tour the lighthouse. We took the opportunity to go on this combined National Trust and Trinity House trip as we have heard that the light house is scheduled to fall into the North Sea at some time within the next five years. There are various schemes afoot to erect another structure as well as possibly moving the existing building lock stock and barrel further inshore on the Ness. The various bodies involved in what happens next include the National Trust, English Heritage and English Nature. It would seem that they have conflicting views on what to do about the impending demise of an historic navigation aid. As can be seen from the photographs, the North Sea is getting very near the lighthouse.
Playing a starring role at the recent West Mersea Week was Kismet, the elegant Fife-designed Edwardian yacht (built in Scotland before the First World War) which has recently been rebuilt and restored to her former glory by Richard Matthews. A couple of years ago Matthews rescued her from the saltings at West Mersea where she had been languishing as a houseboat. She was launched on the Saturday at Fox’s in Ipswich, brought down The Wallet on the Sunday to race for the first time at West Mersea on the Monday. She came second overall in the Classic Yacht class.
Reuben Frost's Boadicea CK213 was originally built in 1808, and is looking as good as ever in 1909 – an East Coast icon if ever there was one. R. Titchener’s highly competitive smack Sallie, CK224, was second overall in the Smack class at Mersea Week.
My nephew, Nicholas, has recently delivered a Hallberg Rassey 38 back to Woodbridge from Antigua. I shipped aboard for the, very short, last leg from the Tidemill Yacht Harbour in Woodbridge up to Mel Skeet’s Granary yard at Melton on the top of the tide. The upper reaches of the Deben towards Wilford Bridge are a revelation at high water. Here are a couple of pictures to show you what I mean.
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GALAXY GATHERING AT SUFFOLK YACHT HARBOUR
There was a fine collection of classic yachts to be seen on the River Orwell over the weekend of June 13 and 14, including a large number of Stellas taking part in the East Coast Classics Regatta hosted by Suffolk Yacht Harbour at Levington.
The Kim Holman-designed Stella class celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, and the strongest present-day fleet is still at Burnham-on-Crouch (where most of them were built in the 1960s by Tucker Brown). They are also keenly raced still at West Mersea and these distinctive clinker-built stars can be seen at several other places up and down the East Coast and beyond.
Round from Aldeburgh, was Peter Wilson’s restored Eight Metre, the eyecatching red hulled “If”, designed and built in 1930 by Bjarne Aas (designer of that other classic yacht, the Dragon). At nearly 50ft overall, “If” was possibly also the longest boat in the regatta.
Also from Aldeburgh (below with red sail bag) was an example of the graceful double-ended Tumlaren class designed in 1933 by Knud Reimers, and described by Uffa Fox as “the most advanced type of cruiser in the world.” The 32ft “Cohoe” which won the 1950 Transatlantic Race with Adlard Coles, was a ‘stor’ (big) Tumlaren.
Two more striking yachts from the 30s were the sister ships “Mystery II of Meon” and “Cereste” both
38ft Mystery class designed by Robert Clark. “Mystery II” was built by Moody & Son in 1936. “Cereste”, thought to have been originally called “Melody”, was built by Sussex Yacht Works at Shoreham in 1938 and has been extensively restored in recent years by Jonathan Dyke, MD of Suffolk Yacht Harbour.
Back in the early 1960s my father, Jack Coote, went East Anglian Offshore Racing in another Mystery class built at Shoreham in 1937. She was “‘Mystico”, then owned by George Farmer, and I remember being told that she was “very wet” – not surprising considering her low freeboard. There was no engine and they had some hair raising times including towing home a dismasted fellow competitor, under sail, from a Harwich-Hook race.
The Maurice Griffiths-designed “Malwen” was built in 1949 at West Mersea where her distinctive red hull and beautifully varnished brightwork still catch the eye, as they did alongside the pontoons at the weekend.
Not quite so old but still looking purposeful was the Alan Buchanan-designed “Vashti” built for Sir Maurice Laing by Priors at Burnham in 1958 and a crack ocean racer in her day. “Shantan”, a slightly later Buchanan designed racer, is also still going strong; she was built by Wm Wyatt at West Mersea in 1964.
The West Solent Restricted class is 85 this year and W1, the stunning “Arrow” was at Levington (below) looking as lovely as the day she was launched by the Berthon Boat Company at Lymington in 1924. Restored to the last detail, she even has customised leather spreader protectors.
Another West Solent, “Dinah”, was also at the Classic Regatta, she was built in 1927, has since been converted to a cruiser-racer and is currently based at Orford. “Benita”, based at Aldeburgh, was built in 1930 and there are several more examples of this class that have been beautifully restored in recent years on the East Coast.
It certainly gladdened the heart to see the elegant lines of these classic yachts, often with varnished wood spars, standing out among the sea of soul-less white plastic hulls and metal masts at Suffolk Yacht Harbour on the weekend.
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ORE ENTRANCE LATEST
The 2009 sketch maps of the Rivers Deben and Ore entrances (made available by www.eastcoastrivers.com) were put to good use today when helping friends to bring their boat round from Ramsholt to their mooring at Orford.
Leaving the Deben (above) about an hour or so before HW presented no problems, with the least water, as expected, found near the West Knoll red can buoy. Wind and tide being against us, we motored north, keeping fairly close to the Bawdsey shore to cheat the tide, and arrived at Orford Haven about an hour before HW Shingle Street.
Coming from the south it would appear that is not now necessary to enter the Ore via the red can buoy Oxley.
Therefore after leaving the green conical buoy Weir to starboard we headed for the bungalow (see photos above) and in no time the tide was hurrying us up the river towards the old beacon at Oxley marshes (photo below).
The least water was in the vicinity of Weir buoy where the echo sounder was reading about 2 metres. After that there was plenty of water although the readings fluctuated in the area between Barthorp’s Creek and North Weir Point - as indicated by the survey done on April 1st.
The mooring was picked up just as the tide finished flooding at Orford.
It is always much easier to cross these two bars for the first time in a season when you have a fair idea of what to expect. So many thanks to Chris Woods and the team at Marine Surveys for making the exit of the Deben and entry of the Ore relatively stress free.
EAST COAST RIVERS Cruising companion
Notes & News May 2009
The River Alde
It has been suggested to me that the details given on page 34 for the Sailors’ Path need some clarification. It is not usual to include detailed guides for ramblers in yachtsmen’s pilot books, but this one is a particularly fine walk so here goes:
After “...(at any state of the tide)” insert:
Leaving Aldeburgh, the starting point is from a parking place about half a mile beyond the Co-op on the A1094. The path runs west through Black Heath Wood with the River Alde to the south. In just under two miles you pass the Sailor’s Path Cottages and reach a metalled lane. Continue, more or less straight on, to reach Snape village, The Golden Key and The Crown inns. An alternative is to turn sharp left when you reach the metalled lane and follow this path in a southerly direction to the river. Turn right onto the seawall and continue along the wall past the reed beds to Snape Bridge and the Maltings.
The Alde & Ore Association has recently published a booklet entitled Walk the banks of the Alde and Ore giving details and sketch maps of eight walks in the area, including the above route.
The barge Dinah passing Iken Church, early morning - photo Jan Harber
Noel Dilley, an ECR reader, and I are considering putting together some descriptions of other East Coast river and creekside walks that can be accessed both from marinas and by going ashore in a dinghy:- Wolverstone to Pin Mill; Paglesham Pool to Church End; Bradwell Waterside to St Peter’s Chapel; and the Saxon Shore path from Hoo to Upnor come mind, to name but a few. So watch this space...
RIVER STOUR
Mistley
In 2008 a fence was erected along the outside wall of the quay at Mistley and as a result there is currently no access to the quayside from the river. For more information about the local campaign to have the fence removed see www.freethequay.org
RIVER BLACKWATER
West Mersea
The Mersea Island Museum is in the centre of West Mersea, just to the east of the Parish Church. The traditional local activities of fishing, oystering, wild fowling and boat building are represented and there is a reconstructed weather-boarded fisherman’s cottage, plus regular exhibitions of paintings, photographs, maps and charts.
RIVERS CROUCH AND ROACH
Wallasea Island
The Crouch Harbour Authority and the Roach Sailing Association are working with the RSPB and Crossrail to ensure that the creation of the proposed Wallasea Island Wild Coast Project does not cause long term hydrodynamic effects on the two rivers.
The project, which is still at the planning stage, will involve flooding the island, having first raised its level using tunnelled material transported by sea from the Crossrail Project on the Isle of Dogs. This will create a salt marsh, wildlife habitat.
The CHA will need to grant a Works Licence for the construction (at Ringwood Point near Fairway No 1 buoy) of an unloading facility for two ships, which will have to swing in the area between Horse Shoal and the start of the Burnham moorings. It is likely that, if granted, the works licence will have conditions attached to protect the interests of local people, yachtsman and other river users.
Construction of the unloading pontoon could begin in 2010, with shipments of Crossrail spoil beginning to arrive in the River Crouch by the summer 2010.
When the island (currently high class agricultural land) is eventually flooded, the breaches in the sea wall will be created on the south side, along the River Roach. The RSA has raised concerns “that the construction phase of the project will unduly affect the tranquillity of the river, particularly if work continues at night with the use of arc lights, and also at weekends. The construction will continue for several years, and if the noise, light and dust pollution are not sensitively managed, it could drive a whole generation of river users away.”
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