The Coastal Guide 2023

TheCoastalGuide

FREE guide to sailing & other activities on the East Coast & its rivers

• Richard & the Team

Wealways smile when we see this statue – a tribute to the RNLI –beside Lowestoft’s busy Harbour; it means we’re nearing the end of another East Coast passage and is a reminder of the town’s rich seafaring history. Some consider Lowestoft only a brief port of call but the town is – just like the Lifeboatman – forward-looking and has much to offer visitors both on and off the water... read our guide (p36) and put it on your list of places to go in 2023! Also in this edition we highlight some of the clubs, businesses and boat owners that make sailing, watersports and spending time on the water available to all; from the Wash to the Medway, the opportunities are plentiful.

The Coastal Guide remains a free-to-read resource thanks to the support of advertisers and the organisations that allow us to distribute copies to their members and customers. As always, a huge thanks to all!

Tim & Gill

Destination Dover

Dover’s new Outer Marina opened this spring, following more than four years of delays. Taking pride of place on the town’s revitalised waterfront, the Outer Marina opened at the start of April, providing berths for more than 160 yachts and small leisure boats within the protective reach of the harbour arms.

First installed as part of a £250m docks redevelopment, the pontoons remained deserted due to fears that vessels could be damaged if they use them – in January 2022 the port authority applied to build a second wave barrier after it emerged that the pontoons became unstable when the seas were rough.

With the famous white cliffs and Dover Castle as a backdrop, and some of the most prestigious cruise ships sitting alongside, the marina sits at the heart of Dover’s revived waterfront.

After fears of vessel damage left them deserted, pontoons at the Port of Dover’s new Outer Marina are finally open…

Surrounded by the Marina Curve and only a short walk from Dover Priory station, facilities for berth holders and visitors include a dedicated fuelling station, a hard standing and level boatyard with large capacity, laundry rooms and shower facilities, as well as a new marina office. The local merchant chandler, Sharp and Enright, is a stone’s throw away and a programme of weekly entertainment will take place on the waterfront through to Christmas, including live music, outdoor screenings of major sporting events and a regatta.

The new marina’s location is ultra-convenient for cross-Channel sailing, with the French ports of Boulogne, Calais, Gravelines and Dunkerque all within easy reach; if you’re sailing around the UK coast, it’s a day sail to popular English marinas too.

If you’re planning to visit Dover – Britain’s busiest port – by sea, permission and instructions from Port Control must be sought when two miles off and a careful watch must be maintained at all times as other vessels may be hidden by the harbour walls – permission to enter the Outer Harbour is not usually granted until you’re 200m from either the Western or Eastern entrance. Dover Port Control maintains a 24-hour listening watch on VHF Ch74, 12 and 16 (call sign ‘Dover Port Control’). Both entrances are frequently busy with commercial traffic and susceptible to strong currents, so entry under sail should not be attempted; craft unable to use their engines should inform Port Control and the Harbour Patrol Launch will assist if necessary.

•www.doverport.co.uk

ESCAPE THE EVERYDAY WITH A NORFOLK OR SUFFOLK HOLIDAY HOME

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Spend the weekends with your loved ones and enjoy your time the way you want to. We have a range of lodges and caravans for sale for you to choose from.

The beauty of having a second home is keeping it just the way you want it, so you can go back whenever you want, hassle free.

• Enjoy discounts at a range of businesses with an Owners Elect Privilege Card

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WAVENEY RIVER CENTRE, BECCLES BROADLANDS PARK & MARINA, OULTON BROAD

CALDECOTT HALL COUNTRY PARK, FRITTON NORTH DENES CARAVAN PARK, LOWESTOFT

Welcome aboard!

Thevaried waterways of the East Coast – from North Sea to rivers, lakes to Broads – mean there’s plenty of opportunity for everyone to step off dry land and try something different. Getting outside and among others is still one of the best routes to both physical and mental wellbeing… and when you learn a new skill too, the rewards rise exponentially.

If you fancy sailing, windsurfing or another watersport there are some 2,000 RYA-affiliated clubs and centres across the UK where you can find a way to get afloat. Each summer many host Discover Sailing events where newcomers can ‘have a go’ with a no-commitment, low- or no-cost session. To find a taster session near you, log on to www.rya.org.uk/start-boating/discover-sailing – you’ll also find useful suggestions here on what to expect, what to wear, and how to follow-up

after a successful introduction to your watersport of choice.

A knowledge of the sailing basics will stand you in good stead for pretty much all watersports – understanding how wind and tide affects a boat or board will always improve safety on the water and help you stay calm if a problem occurs. If you’re not sure what type of boating you’re most keen on, perhaps start with one of the RYA courses in dinghy sailing; generally easy to handle and light to launch, if you can master dinghy sailing you’ll have a sound foundation for further adventures on the water – again, see the RYA website for information on accredited courses in dinghy, multihull and keelboat sailing, plus other shore-based classes that will help you develop important navigation, safety and seamanship skills.

With the basics under your belt, you’ll be of value to those boat owners who want crew for their sailing dinghies and racing yachts; if you have a competitive streak this is a great way to hone your skills and get on the water regularly. Contact a few local sailing or yacht clubs (our listing starts on p93) to ask whether they have a crew register, then go along to some events to see what might be involved. Signing up to a crew register is also a good introduction to yacht cruising – visit any marina and you’ll find boats that rarely leave their berths because their owners don’t have enough hands on deck, so make contact and enquire about crew clubs or berth holder groups that might be able to put you in touch with the right people – our marina directory starts on p83.

If you’re minded to do something to help others while pursuing your own sailing ambitions, there are many charitable organisations that need people to support their work; the website for the Association of Sail Training Organisations (www. uksailtraining.org) is a good source of volunteer opportunities. Locally, the Excelsior Trust (above, see www.theexcelsiortrust.co.uk), Pioneer Sailing Trust (www.pioneerck18.org) and Sea Change Sailing Trust (www.seachangesailingtrust.org. uk) all operate with volunteer crew and on-shore support – in a new development for the latter, its sailing barge Blue Mermaid has been issued with an official permit to carry cargo under sail, which means goods can be collected and delivered anywhere between Lowestoft in Suffolk

and Sandwich in Kent as part of its Sail Training voyages.

Volunteers are also at the heart of the RYA’s Sailability scheme – more than 200 locations across the UK and beyond provide activities for disabled people and others with long-term conditions. As well as helming and crewing opportunities on Sailability boats, there are also roles for race officers, safety boat crew and onshore maintenance, communications and event management – see www.rya.org.uk/start-boating/ sailability/volunteers for ideas on how you could get involved.

OnBoard is the RYA’s children’s sailing and windsurfing scheme, offering youngsters the opportunity to try watersports in a safe, fun and structured environment. A beginner programme that gets people on the water for their first time, no experience or equipment is needed – OnBoard is suitable for anyone aged 8-18 and all activities are run at RYA-accredited training centres, so they’re safe even for non-swimmers.

•www.rya.org.uk/start-boating/get-onboard-childrens-sailing

Plain sailing

A favourite with well-heeled holidaymakers, Brancaster has a historic harbour that’s a hive of activity in summer. Ensuring safety and harmony among those on the water is all in a day’s work for Harbour Master Mike Parker…

Brancaster Harbour – a busy cargo port until trade declined in the 1800s – is home to a small but thriving fishing fleet that shares its tidal waters with recreational pleasure craft. It’s part of the wider Brancaster Estate which, famous for its wide expanse of golden sands, is one of North Norfolk’s coastal holiday hot spots.

In summer the harbour, Mow, Norton Creek, its navigation buoys and the bay between Brancaster Golf Club and Scolt Head Island are all in the care of Mike Parker, the peak-season Harbour Master here. An RYA Powerboat and Senior Dinghy Instructor and a keen canoe and SUP paddler, he’s a member of a sailing club in Derbyshire, which is home from November to March each year. “The rest of the year I am based in Brancaster, where my

caravan is a holiday home,” he explains. “My partner Monique and I have been in Brancaster in the summer for six years now, both of us working for Holkham Hall first, then I joined the National Trust as Harbour Master three years ago. We really enjoy being in North Norfolk – this is just such a beautiful part of the coast with a large range of wildlife on the doorstep.”

The Harbour Master’s office is in Dial House »

along Harbour Way, and there’s a bosun store by the end of the road where the hard starts. Mike (above) can usually be found there, on the slipway or out on the water when on duty – his working hours are based around the tide and usually include the two hours either side of high water in the daylight hours.

“I have a 5m RIB which is used for maintenance and to maintain a profile during busy periods, ensuring boaters are following our conditions of launch and providing advice and guidance on the water. We occasionally tow boats back into the hard if they have had an issue and provide support in incidents involving the coastguard or other emergency services,” Mike says.

In summer’s busiest weeks there can be more than 200 craft on the water at any one time here, with users including Brancaster’s busy sailing club, a small fishing fleet, ski boat club, sailing boats, kayaks, paddleboarders and swimmers. “I engage with all these groups to ensure that we do not have any incidents or conflicts, and also so that everyone enjoys their time on the water,”

Brancaster beach played a vital role in the Second World War: Combined Operations Assault Pilotage Parties (COPP) discovered that the sand here was almost identical to that on the proposed landing beaches, so the 79th Armoured Brigade came to Brancaster to practise – successfully demonstrating that tanks could be deployed on D-Day. The area around Brancaster was also used as a practise bombing range for the RAF and one of the targets can still be seen from the beach today: the wreck of SS Vina, a cargo ship that operated on the Baltic trade routes before being requisitioned for the war. She was later dragged to a sand bank at the entrance to Brancaster Staithe Harbour where, full of shell holes, she sank. Each year the RNLI is called out to rescue people who are stranded after crossing the deep, fast-flowing channel of water in an attempt to reach the vessel’s centre pole.

says Mike. “We try to keep paddle craft away from the main sailing and skiing areas at busy times by offering advice to follow the tide up the creek and return when it is on the ebb.”

A typical day sees Mike arrive by bike –parking is at a premium! – and start work by checking on the sailing club’s plan for the day. “Then it’s a case of preparing my briefing board down at the slipway,” he explains. “I’ll check in with the paddleboard and kayak hire business, get the RIB kit ready, then I’ll then be based near the slipway letting the powerboat users know where the sailing club will be and engaging with new visitors to ensure they know where they are safe. Hopefully I’ll get out onto the water and moor up, just to be a presence and so I can engage with any boats that aren’t following the rules.”

National Trust images/Hanne Siebers

It’s essential that everyone on the water at Brancaster Harbour understands the tidal window – to avoid what Mike calls ‘the walk of shame’ that anyone caught out by it might have to make! – along with the local weather conditions and the suggested course of action should anything go wrong.

“It is really helpful to know where the channel is in and out of the creek so we recommend people walk it at low tide first,” he says. And, of course, safety is paramount. “I am still amazed that some users will not wear personal safety equipment and during launching I’ll be reminding people to wear their kill cord and put their buoyancy aid on,” Mike says. “We work with the local RNLI team to promote water safety and we suggest phone cases for all users.”

When he’s not at Brancaster Harbour, Mike is a volunteer with the Wheelyboat based at nearby Blakeney Quay, working as a Skipper and Chief Instructor. Launched last year, Poppy (above) is Norfolk’s first wheelchair-accessible powerboat, allowing people with disabilities to enjoy an area that comprises part of two National Nature Reserves and is famous for being home to one of the country’s most important seal colonies. The product of a collaboration between the Royal British Legion’s Blakeney, Cley and District branch, the Norfolk Charitable Trust and the Wheelyboat Trust, Poppy is powered by electricity and petrol.

“We take various groups and individuals that would not normally be able to enjoy a boat trip out into the harbour,” explains Mike. “The craft has a drop front that allows wheelchair access and also aids those that have some mobility issues. It is amazing the response you get when you take folk out and I love to see the enjoyment that they get from being on the water –something that we, perhaps, take for granted.”

Passengers can be accompanied by carers, friends and family on board Poppy, which is one of more than 20 Coulam V20 boats built for projects across the UK since 2014. Trips usually last around 1.5 hours and their timings are governed by the tides at Blakeney Quay; 14 days’ notice is required for a booking and trips are currently free of charge, with donations towards running costs gratefully accepted.

•www.wheelyboatpoppy.org

RYA-certified Brancaster Staithe Sailing Club, first formed in 1933, overlooks the harbour and has a busy racing schedule, with events held 2-3 hours either side of high tide. Marquee events include a Junior Sail Training Week in late July and a Regatta Week in August. There’s also a full programme of social sailing, training and development and the club’s own ‘Round the Island’ race which takes competitors around Scolt Head and past Burnham Overy Staithe.

•bssc.net

National Trust images/Hanne Siebers

National Trust images/Kezia Everson

Coastal events

Nore Race

Benfleet Yacht Club once again hosts this year’s Nore Race – a combined open cruiser and dinghy event held over a 20-mile circuit of the Thames Estuary, starting and finishing at Southend Pier. The club has organised the Nore Race since the 1930s and it’s the only race that many of its skippers and crews compete in each year. Together with the Round Canvey Race (see p25), now in its 12th year, the Nore Race makes Benfleet Yacht Club a must-visit for sailors and watersports enthusiasts from as far away as Yorkshire and Devon, as well as clubs closer to home along the East Coast. The Nore Race includes all classes of sailing dinghies and cruising yachts, both multiand monohull. This year’s event takes place on June 11, when there’ll be split start times for the dinghy and cruiser classes, with the ‘fast multihull’ dinghies completing two laps. Prizegiving takes place at Benfleet Yacht Club on June 16.

•www.benfleetyachtclub.org

The Thames Traditional Boat Festival takes place on July 14-16, promising three days of family fun in the company of dozens of classic river craft and Dunkirk Little Ships. Taking place opposite the Royal Regatta course at Henley-on-Thames, this celebration of all that’s best in British boatbuilding and craftsmanship evokes the nostalgia of boating from a bygone era. The event owes its origins to concerns in the 1970s over the demise of many unpowered craft, seen neglected and rotting along the River Thames. The idea of a rally, to be held annually and open to anyone, was taken up by the River Thames Society which agreed to organise an event in 1978. Over the years the festival has welcomed the involvement of many boat clubs and societies, but the emphasis has always been on the preservation of beautiful craft, and its awards are still keenly fought for.

•www.tradboatfestival.com

Thames Traditional Boat Festival Burnham Week

The region’s ‘most challenging and friendly’ regatta, Burnham Week attracts a full range of sailors, from national champions and beginners with cruisers, one designs, multihulls and dinghies. The sheltered waters of the Rivers Crouch and Roach and all-tide access to the Thames Estuary are the setting for a variety of courses and there’s plenty of action off the water too. This year’s event is from August 26 to September 2, when prizegiving is followed by a firework display that draws crowds all along the quayside.

•www.burnhamweek.com

Mersea Week

Thesheltered River Blackwater provides a fitting setting for the ‘family and friendsoriented’ Mersea Week, due to be held on August 13-18 this year. Organised by a committee of volunteers from the Dabchicks Sailing Club and the West Mersea Yacht Club – which means that competitors are welcome to use the facilities of both throughout the week – this event is one of the Essex island’s premier fixtures. Under separate organisation, the West Mersea Town Regatta is scheduled for August 19.

•www.merseaweek.org

Three Rivers Race

Knownas ‘Europe’s toughest inland sailing race’, the Three Rivers Race takes place on June 3-4 this year. The course of this Horning Sailing Club event covers over 50 miles and three different rivers – the Bure, Ant and Thurne– and sees competitors having to lower masts to navigate the three bridges at Potter Heigham and Acle. Each has up to 24 hours to complete the course. The start of the race is the best time for spectators to view the fleet in one concentrated mass, waiting in groups of around 10 boats upstream of the start line at Horning Sailing Club.

•www.3rr.uk

IOSSC Round the Island Race

TheEast Coast’s own Round the Island Race is due to take place on September 2-3 when the Isle of Sheppey Sailing Club hosts its endurance event – at 40 miles it’s the UK’s longest annual dinghy, catamaran and board race and not to be confused with other ‘24-hour’ races which allow for a change of helm and crew. Sailed clockwise around the island, the race was established in 1959 and starts and finishes at Sheerness. It includes tidal sea, river and estuary sailing – larger dinghies and multihulls have to be stopped, heeled over and walked under the inner span of the lifting road bridge at Kingsferry. The race is open to all classes of dinghy, catamaran and sailboard. Typical passage times are between three and 10 hours – current course records are one hour 52 minutes for multihulls, two hours 17 minutes for monohulls and two hours 34 minutes for sailboards.

•www.iossc.org.uk

SwimAlton

Suffolk’s

Alton Water is the setting for an open water swimming event on June 11, a season-opener for Pacesetter Events. The course is an adventure around the heart of the reservoir near Ipswich, full of features and points of interest and with a beach start and finish. Entrants can challenge themselves on pace or distance, with the options ranging from a half-mile confidence-building swim to a more challenging one- or twomile lap of the course and a 5km swim that’s considered a huge benchmark in open water swimming. Swim floats are compulsory and can be borrowed for the event; wetsuits will be required if the water temperature dips below 16c. Sister events take place later in the summer at the Rutland Water and Grafham Water in Cambridgeshire reservoirs, both popular inland watersports sites with plenty of attractions for supporters and spectators once the swimming is done.

•www.swimrutland.com

The Festival of Chatham Reach

Withall the atmosphere of ‘a country fayre by the water’, The Festival of Chatham Reach focuses on the heritage of the River Medway and its historic vessels. First developed two years ago by Tiller & Wheel (see p48), activities are located on Sun Pier and alongside at Sun Pier House in Chatham – a once-empty office building now turned into a vibrant gallery, studios, workshop space, venue and tearoom – this year’s event takes place on September 16 and will include sailing trips on board the Sailing Barges Edith May and Repertor, and on the Steam Tug Barking. Those with a need for speed can enjoy a faster-paced RIB tour, and Sailing Barge Blue Mermaid will offer tours and demonstrations. Ashore, there’ll be

history walks covering the old theatres, great fire of Chatham and river industries. Drop-in family art workshops, an art market and food stalls add to the off-the-water programme, and there’ll be live music throughout the day.

The festival is largely free to the public thanks to funding from Tiller & Wheel’s patrons, Medway Council and the Chatham Maritime Trust. The 80-minute sailing experiences aboard Edith May and Repertor require a £10 deposit (refunded at the end of the trip) and will take in the historic sights of the upriver Medway – there’ll be plenty to see as the barge sails between Sun Pier, Upnor Castle and Chatham Historic Dockyard. •www.tillerandwheel.com

A traditional family run boatyard on the River Deben, in the heart of Woodbridge. Contact us for all your boating needs, including:

Full repair and fitting out service

Rigging supplied and fitted

Hardstanding and Lay-up packages

Painting and varnishing

14 tonne travel hoist

Large winched slipway

The Crow’s Nest

Come and stay at our wonderful holiday apartment overlooking the boatyard and River Deben, accommodating 6, with 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. The open-plan living room, dining room and fully fitted kitchen open onto a large balcony with river views.

Tel: 01394 382305

info@robertsons-boatyard.co.uk www.robertsons-boatyard.co.uk

crowsnest@robertsons-boatyard.co.uk www.thecrowsnestwoodbridge.co.uk

Round Canvey Race

Benfleet Yacht Club’s Coastal Rowers are an active group of enthusiasts – the club has a number and variety of fixed- and sliding-seat coastal rowing craft available for all members to use, and many compete in major events in other parts of the UK as well as the near continent. Keeping the action close to home, Benfleet Yacht Club organises the annual Round Canvey Race, a rowing, row/sail or paddle event that covers a 14.5-mile circuit of the entire coast of Canvey Island. This annual open event was established in 2010 and an eclectic mix of vessels have competed to date: fixed-seat and sliding-seat row boats, surf skis, kayaks, outrigger canoes and a variety of sailing dinghies. The current time record is one hour 44 minutes – an average speed of 7.2 knots. This year’s Round Canvey Race is due to take place on July 22. The course includes four tidal barrages, there are bridges to pass under – so masts will come down – and all craft must be suitable for deep water and potentially rough conditions. Free overnight camping is available at Benfleet Yacht Club, which is on the northern shore of Canvey Island – an evening BBQ and bar add to the fun ashore. •www.benfleetyachtclub.org

Suffolk Yacht Harbour Classic Regatta

The River Orwell’s Suffolk Yacht Harbour hosts its annual Classic Regatta on June 9-11. Founded in 2002, the SYH Classic Regatta welcomes both sailing and motor yachts – entry criteria requires vessels to be pre-1970 design of traditional construction. Sailing yachts should have a Bermuda or gaff rig and be built of wood or steel. Modern classic yachts with wooden or steel hulls are also welcome. IRC points racing for fast, slow and Stella classes takes place in Dovercourt Bay, Harwich Harbour, and the Orwell and Stour estuaries. Hosted by Haven Ports Yacht Club (HPYC), a varied social programme ashore centres around the renovated LV87 lightship in the centre of the SYH marina, in front of which the majority of regatta yachts are berthed to create a busy, social atmosphere. •www.syhclassicregatta.co.uk

Medway Marathon

The Medway Marathon has been an annual endurance challenge for sailors for over almost 60 years. Organised by Medway Yacht Club, the race is open to all classes of monohull dinghies and day keelboats with a RYA PY number. The 26-mile course runs between Upnor in the west and Queenborough spit to the east and is in a tidal area that sets strategic problems and demands high levels of boat handling skills. It tests every part of the angles of sail, which doesn’t give a huge advantage to any particular boat and presents a great tactical challenge as the tide plays a big part in a sailor’s success. A sister halfmarathon event is open to helms who were under 23 at the start of this year. •www.medwayyachtclub.com

Estuary Vessel Management

Providing a comprehensive range of marine services for yachts and powered craft berthed on and around the Shotley Peninsula, Suffolk

We provide a friendly, reliable maintenance/ management service including:

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Brightlingsea Regatta & Carnival

Brightlingsea buzzes when its Regatta, Carnival and Fairground weekend takes place on July 22-23. On the Saturday visitors will line the carnival route while the waterfront – where the procession terminates – will be a hive of activity with local sailing and watersports clubs provide varied programmes of entertainment. Popular clubs – including Colne Yacht Club, Brightlingsea Coastal Rowing Club and the Brightlingsea Sailing Club – will offer people the chance to get out on the water to try sailing, gig rowing and powerboating. Each will also have programmes of onshore and water-based entertainments, food, drinks and somewhere to sit and enjoy the day. ‘Movies’ is the theme for a Best Dressed Beach Hut competition along the promenade and, starting from the beach in front of Brightlingsea Sailing Club, the Brightlingsea Regatta Paddle Board Race raises funds for St Helena Hospice. A spectacular free firework display rounds off the day’s events. •www.brightlingsearegatta.com

Barge Matches

Barge Matches have taken place on the East Coast for more than 150 years, the vessels sailed just as competitively now as they were in their heyday. Barges and smacks compete in a series of races throughout the summer, with points, prizes and cups awarded. At the end of the season, the vessel securing the most points across the year is declared Champion Barge – in 2022 the accolade went to Repertor, a barge built in 1924 in Mistley, Essex and whose home ports are Faversham and Whitstable in Kent (www.repertor.com). Races are held on the Orwell, Colne, Blackwater, Thames, Medway and Swale; alongside the official races there is also a Passage Rally from the Medway to the Orwell, and an unofficial match at Whitstable every year. Match dates confirmed for 2023 (at the time of going to press) are:

• Medway (Gillingham) – 27 May

• Blackwater (Maldon) – 10 June

• Pin Mill (Ipswich) – 24 June

• Thames (Gravesend)– 8 July

• Swale (Faversham)– 29 July

• Southend – 2 September

• Colne (Brightlingsea) – 9 September

The Sailing Barge Association is a superb source of information on the history of these evocative vessels and – if you’re keen to get on board some – has a comprehensive list of the boats available for charter.

•www.sailingbargeassociation.co.uk

GO YOUR OWN WAY

Reach the open sea or inland waterways from our east coast marinas at Broadlands, Brundall Bay and Waveney.

All of our marinas provide nothing less than fantastic facilities and together with these unique Broads locations close to the coast, berthing with us gives you the best of both worlds.

We are members of the TransEurope Marinas group, so as a berth holder at Brundall Bay Marina, you will receive 50% discount when berthing at 75+ associated marinas across Europe for up to five days a year at each marina. This covers 12 countries and close to 45,000 berths!

Make your summer one to remember with limitless adventures and more time on the water.

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North West Norfolk Week

Organised by the North West Norfolk Sailing Association and known colloquially as Norfolk Week, this event offers close racing at a different location every day. Run every year since 1949 – except for 2020 when Covid restrictions prevented it – this family-friendly event is due to take place in 2023 on July 29-5 August. Sailed at all the clubs in the area, a near-unique feature is the variety of sailing on offer. Snettisham Beach SC (see p89) is on the Wash and offers large open sea courses, while the Ouse Amateur Sailing Club offers non-tidal river racing. The largest coastal salt marshes in the world stretch between Brancaster and Blakeney with sailing at Brancaster Staithe, Overy Staithe, Wells and Blakeney SCs. Daily, weekly and sometimes random prizes and trophies mean that there is something for everyone, and the facilities offered by the host clubs are as varied as the sailing itself. •www.norfolkweek.co.uk

First-class facilities for all

Woolverstone Marina and Lodge Park is set in 22 acres of glorious parkland overlooking the picturesque River Orwell. It is part of MDL Marinas, Europe’s leading marina operator, which has 18 sites across the UK.

The site at Woolverstone comprises of a first-class marina along with a luxury lodge park, specially designed as a destination for both on-water and land leisure pursuits, as well as attracting new visitors seeking a family-friendly retreat.

Shane Cheshire, Marina Manager, says: “The lodges are ideal for those looking for a taste of the outdoors with a touch of luxury. With their clean, modern aesthetic and open plan living space, they provide accommodation for up to eight guests. All our lodges have spacious living and dining areas and woodland balconies.

“We also have a wide variety of pet-friendly accommodation and are currently expanding this year due to popular demand.”

The marina has 235 pontoon berths, numerous swinging moorings, a first-class facilities block, a diesel pontoon and electric vehicle charging points. There is an active events calendar planned by the Woolverstone Marina Berth Holders Association and the Marina team will also be hosting a variety of events with various culinary offerings throughout the season.

Woolverstone Marina and Lodge Park offers pontoon berths, swinging moorings, easy-access slipway and

The luxury lodges accommodate up to eight guests along with pets and can be booked via the MDL Holidays website: www.mdlmarinas.co.uk/holiday-parks.

Woolverstone Marina features a luxury lodge park amid a glorious riverside setting

trailer sailing packages as annual, monthly and overnight options giving you the ultimate flexibility to enjoy your boat. There is also Volspec, a main Volvo Penta dealer on-site, as well as Seapower, an electronics and engineering specialist, Suffolk Yacht Services, a brokerage, Aqua Detail, a boat detailing specialist and Sail & Cover, a sail repair and cover manufacturer.

“Visitors can enjoy a great range of watersport activities, including an RYA-accredited sailing school for both sail and powerboat courses,” adds Shane.

“For those who like to keep their feet firmly on dry land there is a children’s play area, and beautiful walks and cycling trails nearby that are suitable for all ages.”

Woolverstone is an excellent base for cruising as well as enjoying the local rivers. Beyond the Orwell and the Stour there are numerous creeks in the Walton Backwaters to explore. To the south, the Colne and Blackwater estuaries offer varied sailing, while turning north takes you along the coast to the River Deben, where leisure sailors can cruise upriver past Ramsholt to the pretty town of Woodbridge. A little further up the coast is the Ore/Alde River, Havergate Island and on to picturesque Orford and then to Aldeburgh.

If you’d like to go further afield, Ostend in Belgium is only 92 miles from Woolverstone, whilst Holland and France are also within easy reach.

www.woolverstonemarina.co.uk

Wake up to Lowestoft

The UK’s most easterly town has rightful claim to the title of ‘the new jewel in Suffolk’s coastal crown’. Alexandra George discovers why it’s a must-do destination...

Calling it the county’s ‘best-kept secret’ and a worthy rival to the more rarefied Southwold and Aldeburgh, a travel article in The Telegraph last summer proclaimed that ‘Lowestoft’s day in the sun is dawning’. An eyebrow-raising statement maybe, but a fair one too… because for all its real-life grittiness, Lowestoft is a multi-faceted town with much to commend and, finally, the funds and drive required to restore its reputation as a prime East Coast destination. Visit as a sailor and you might only know the harbour or, inland, Oulton Broad. But explore just a little further and you’ll find elegant terraced homes, pristine sands, designer beach huts, cultural hot spots, culinary delights and countless reminders of the town’s maritime, naval and

fishing heritage… plus a warm welcome from those proud to call it home.

History abounds: some of the earliest signs of settlement in Britain were confirmed when flint tools discovered in Pakefield cliffs, on the southern edge of town, traced human habitation back some 700,000 years. In the Middle Ages, Lowestoft became an important fishing town with the trade, particularly for herring, continuing into the 20th century.

The arrival of the railway boosted this and other local industries, while also allowing Lowestoft to grow as a seaside resort; the Grade II-listed terraces of Kirkley Cliff and Wellington Esplanade are among the architectural reminders of this golden age. Heavily targeted during WWI

and WWII, as its fishing fleet declined in the 1960s oil and gas exploitation in the North Sea provided significant employment; today Lowestoft is at the forefront of the renewable energy industry (see p62).

The harbour and, just upriver, Lake Lothing – the tidal reach of the River Waveney – create a natural north/south divide; along the water’s edge are parcels of derelict land and delapidated buildings ripe for redevelopment. Plans for a new waterfront and ‘sustainable urban neighbourhood’ on the southern side of Lake Lothing would open up this area with bars and restaurants as a focal point, plus pedestrian and cycle routes – there could possibly even be a water taxi connecting

Lowestoft’s South Beach to Oulton Broad. More immediate transformation of the town will come courtesy of a £24.9m investment after Lowestoft was named one of 100 UK places to benefit from the government’s £3.6bn Towns Fund. Five projects proposed – due to be completed by March 2026 – include enhancements to the historic Scores (see p43) on the north-side, while on the southern seafront Royal Green and Royal Plain will be updated to complement the recently refurbished East Point Pavilion.

With all this, and an inherent aptitude for reinvention, Lowestoft’s future certainly looks sunny! »

THE SEAFRONT

On the southern side of the harbour, Lowestoft’s beach is utterly glorious – a mile-long stretch of soft golden sand with almost 300ft between the promenade and low-water shoreline. The landmark Claremont and South Piers provide food, drinks and family entertainments while, on the upper promenade, there are more refreshment stops and shops, plus the Hatfield and Victoria hotels which each have bars and restaurants open to non-residents.

Plucky open-water swimmers meet early mornings, dogs dash around and walkers stride out across the well-kept sands whatever the weather… and in summer there’s a real sense of old-fashioned family fun as visitors join generations of locals with buckets, spades and

beach balls. All the essentials for a day out are here, and a number of beach huts are available for hire (www.hirebeachhuts.co.uk) – opt for something traditional or one of the new Eastern Edge boltholes (below left); at a cost of £2.6m they’ve been controversial, but the bold design definitely brings the lower promenade bang up to date. Above them, Kensington Gardens evoke the elegance of the past with tennis courts, bowling greens, tearooms, toilets and a boating lake.

These lush gardens and the entirety of South Beach are the setting for the First Light Festival (www.firstlightlowestoft.com), a celebratory weekend of performances and events under the solstice sun. Taking place this year on June 17-18, the festival’s outdoor programme is free, while a series of ticketed Sundown Events from dusk on the Saturday take place in venues across the town. First Light Festival is organised by a Community Interest Company which hopes that ‘by 2030 Lowestoft and its hinterland will be bursting with innovation and creative energy’. A sister project is East Point Pavilion (www. eastpointpavilion.com), a stunning Victorianastyle glass pavilion (above right) close to the harbour which opened in June 2022 and is a key venue, with street-style food vendors and yearround events including live music, artisan markets and community workshops.

Some very fine properties line the seafront as you stroll south of the harbour, through the suburbs of Kirkley and then Pakefield. The former was the birthplace of composer Benjamin Britten; the magnificent Grade II-listed Victorian town house that was his family home for 21 years now offers B&B-style accommodation with uninterrupted sea views from selected rooms (www.brittenhouse.co.uk). A campaign currently under way (www.brittenasaboy.com) aims to raise £100,000 to fund a statue to commemorate the composer. To be made by Ian Rank-Broadley –who created the one of Diana, Princess of Wales, at Kensington Palace – the statue will represent Britten as a 14-year-old boy and is to be sited near his former home.

Slightly more self-contained and with a strong sense of identity, Pakefield has a pretty church on its cliff-top, an unspoilt beach, and is home to the Seagull Theatre (www.theseagull.co.uk), plus number of friendly local pubs – including Lowestoft’s oldest, the Trowel & Hammer – and the Ferini Art Gallery (www.pakefieldartgallery. com).

ROYAL NORFOLK & SUFFOLK YACHT CLUB

Steeped in tradition and housed in a striking Grade II*-listed building overlooking its own marina, RN&SYC offers access at all states of the tide and a sheltered haven in all weathers. Founded in 1859, it’s just inside the Outer Harbour so permission to enter must be given via VHF Ch14 on approach; visiting sailors qualify as temporary members and can take advantage of fully-serviced marina facilities as well as a fabulous restaurant and bar. Call on VHF Ch80 for berthing instructions. Squibs and Broads One Design yachts are among the keelboats and dinghies raced at the club and its team of experienced Race Officers have organised many successful regatta and championship events over the years for classes such as Dragons, Squibs, Javelins, 420s, Lasers and Toppers. This year is the 120th anniversary of the RN&SYC clubhouse, which has stunning original features, period fireplaces, an elegant snooker room and an impressive art collection. There are also nine comfortable bedrooms upstairs as well as a quiet seating area with views of the marina. Outside, recent flood defence works have enabled the creation of a new marina quay, awning and entrance gates; an air of exclusivity remains, but RN&SYC is keen to welcome visitors and – with even a toybox to keep the youngest visitors entertained! – recruit the next generation of East Coast sailors to its roll-call of members and berth holders.

•www.rnsyc.net

LIFEBOAT STATION

Lowestoft is home to one of the oldest lifeboat stations in the British Isles. Founded in 1801 – 23 years before the lifeboat service itself was established – it’s been part of many notable rescues, including the evacuation of British forces from Dunkirk, and its crews have received 45 awards for gallantry. Located close to the RN&SYC, pedestrian access to view the Lowestoft Lifeboat from the quayside is available; there’s an RNLI shop within the building here too. Just upriver, on the other side of the harbour’s Bascule Bridge, a statue (pictured on p41) pays tribute to Lowestoft’s Lifeboatmen.

•www.rnli.org

THE PORT OF LOWESTOFT

Situated directly opposite major continental ports, the Port of Lowestoft serves the busy sea routes between the UK, Europe, Scandinavia, and the Baltic States, and handles around 30,000 tonnes of cargo per year. Together with ABP’s other two East Anglian ports – in King’s Lynn and Ipswich – it contributes £360m to the economy and supports 5,300 jobs.

At the heart of the UK’s offshore wind industry, the port is currently benefitting from huge investment with new berthing, offices and quayside access for the organisations, vessels (lower far right) and technicians that keep the turbines turning.

Leisure cruisers and sailing craft are catered for too, via ABP’s marina which this year – along

with its sister marinas in Ipswich and Fleetwood – loses its ‘Haven’ name as part of a rebranding to ‘The Beacon Marina Collection’. With the promise of an upgrade to facilities and services, Lowestoft Beacon Marina (www.beaconmarinas. co.uk) is around 20 minutes upriver, tucked into Lake Lothing at the entrance to Oulton Broad; navigation to it requires contact with the Lowestoft Harbour Control on VHF Ch14 and the lifting of the harbour’s Bascule Bridge – a waiting pontoon is available. Between this bridge and the marina, the Gull Wing is due to open late this year, providing a much-needed third road crossing for traffic over Lake Lothing. Gull Wing is due to have a clearance distance of 12m from water level at high tide – a Notice to Mariners will be issued before it’s operational.

During a December 2013 tidal surge over

160 homes and businesses in Lowestoft were flooded, and road and rail networks significantly disrupted, prompting the launch of a £76m initiative: the Lowestoft Flood Risk Management Project. With funding from local authorities, organisations and the government, construction of new tidal floodwalls officially began in May 2021 and will be completed later this year – they stretch around the harbour, the Royal Norfolk & Suffolk Yacht Club and South Pier.

Contrasting with current and future harbour developments, two evocative vessels are berthed on its Heritage Quay: Excelsior (inset top left) and Mincarlo (inset lower left).

One of the few remaining Lowestoft fishing smacks in the UK, Excelsior LT472 is an East Coast icon – an award-winning traditional wooden sailing vessel, authentically maintained

and operated by a charitable trust (www. theexcelsiortrust.co.uk) to provide sailing opportunities for everyone. Trips range from classic sailing days to voyages across the North Sea and English Channel, and passengers are actively encouraged to get hands-on with this historic vessel (see p10).

Berthing neighbour Mincarlo LT412 is the last surviving fishing vessel built in Lowestoft with an engine made in the town. A sidewinder fishing trawler, she’s now a floating tribute to the men who braved the North Sea and is open to visitors from April to October (www.lydiaevamincarlo. com).

Also operating from the Heritage Quay, Jet Adventures (www.jetadventures.co.uk) offers harbour, coastal sightseeing and seal-watching tours aboard its jet-driven boat, Shearwater

THE NESS

Head north of the harbour and – alongside light industry, warehousing and small businesses –you’ll find Ness Park. With cycling, wheelchair and pedestrian access to the sea wall, Ness Point here is the most easterly point in the UK and the reason that this part of Suffolk is known as ‘the sunrise coast’ – the sun appears above the horizon here first each morning!

Set into the ground a marker, or Euroscope (above), displays the direction and distance of various European cities. Close by, wind turbine Gulliver was, when built, officially the tallest on the UK mainland; capable of producing enough electricity to supply over 1,500 homes, it began generating early in 2005.

There’s ambition locally to make Ness Point a Cardinal Point destination in line with Land’s End and John O’Groats. Aside from its sunrise credentials, it’s certainly worth visiting to see A Lowestoft Man (left), an art installation by awardwinning Suffolk photographer Gillian Allard which shows former seafarer Malcolm Wright –

Lowestoft born and bred – facing out to sea from the surface of a concrete structure.

A thriving ‘beach village’ once existed here – stroll further along The Ness and you’ll reach the drying racks (right) which were used by fishermen in the heyday of the herring trade. Just across the road, Lowestoft Maritime Museum offers a wealth of information relating to the local fishing and shipbuilding industry. The museum sits within Sparrows Nest Gardens – a lovely green space with a children’s play park, restaurant and café – which is located just below Belle Vue Park and the lighthouse (top right), which still operates today. Two other museums are in Sparrows Nest Gardens: Lowestoft War Memorial Museum and the RNPS Museum which focuses on the Navy during WWII.

Steep narrow paths known as Scores lead uphill from The Ness to Lowestoft’s medieval high street, where merchants’ houses and shops – many now vacant – sit within the so-called North Lowestoft Heritage Quarter. The Scores were cut into the cliff by locals going between the village and the town – wander them at will

or test your fitness by taking part in the Scores Race this August Bank Holiday. This year is the race’s 25th anniversary; the route comprises 13 stepped and sloped Scores over a course of around 4.75 miles and 401 steps for Senior participants, with a shorter route of 1.4 miles and 254 steps for Juniors (www.waveneyvalley.org).

If you’d prefer a more leisurely trip to the historic high street, enjoy a meal and drinks at Mark G (www.markgee.uk), which specialises in fish and seafood and is located next to an old herring store.

Back at sea level, North Beach and Gunton Denes is a sand and shingle stretch backed by dunes – a good spot for birdwatching and walks. Keep heading up the coast and you’ll reach Corton – there’s a designated naturist beach en route!

BROAD APPEAL

Forming the southern gateway to the Broads National Park, Oulton Broad is a busy tourist and sporting centre upriver of the harbour. Nicholas Everitt Park here is home to the Lowestoft Museum; best-known for its collection of 18thcentury Lowestoft Porcelain, it also displays objects from Roman and Anglo-Saxon sites.

An extensive water frontage is the setting for scenic strolls and a calendar of on-the-water events, from dinghy and yacht racing to kayaking and canoeing. Shore-based activities include tennis courts, a bowling green, a children’s play area and boating lake. There’s a great choice of cafés, restaurants and bars when you need a rest; buy food for the park’s resident ducks and squirrels while you’re here and don’t miss the chance to see Lowestoft’s very own Banksy – the painting of three children (top) is on a wall by the Bridge Road entrance.

Every summer Lowestoft & Oulton Broad Motor Boat Club hosts an exhilarating programme

of powerboat races (www.lobmbc.online) which can be watched from the water’s edge. If you prefer something a little slower, Waveney and Oulton Broad Yacht Club hosts many events through the year (www.wobyc.com) and also offers RYA-accredited courses for members.

Tempted to get on the water yourself?

Oulton Broad Watersports Centre (www. oultonbroadwatersportscentre.co.uk) offers a range of activities and courses, including those with RYA certification, and also hires out

Canadian canoes, sit-on kayaks and paddleboards. Next door, Lowestoft Rowing Club (www. lowestoftrowingclub.org.uk) has an excellent selection of boats from beginners’ single sculls to fine racing fours. Alternatively, hire a selfdrive day boat or take a trip on the Broads with Waveney River Tours (www.waveneyrivertours. com), which offers boat trips from Mutford Lock (centre of main photo, above), an unusual piece of 19th-century engineering that allows transit between Lake Lothing and the Broads.

A short walk from Nicholas Everitt Park, Broadlands Marina (above) is part of the Tingdene group (www.tingdeneboating.com). With moorings at the edge of Oulton Broad for berth holders and visitors, it has a quayside restaurant and bar, swimming pool and gym plus an on-site holiday park with a selection of selfcatering properties for sale and hire.

To the seaward side of Mutford Lock, on the northern side of Lake Lothing, the International Boatbuilding Training College (www.ibtc.co.uk) offers courses for those hoping for a career in the maritime industry as well as those who simply want to develop existing or new skills. With courses from one day to almost a year, there is something for everyone from boat owners and enthusiasts to prospective trades people – see p67 for more.

Riverside favourite reopens at North Fambridge

One of Essex’s best-loved and oldest riverside inns is open for business again following extensive restoration works

There are six comfortable bedrooms in an annexe at The Ferry Boat Inn, available for bed and breakfast all-year-round.

The picturesque Ferry Boat Inn at North Fambridge has been documented as ‘a very good, substantial Public House’ since 1807, though there are records of a building having been on-site since the 16th century. Nestled beside the River Crouch and the popular local marina of Fambridge Yacht Haven, the timber-clad inn boasts a colourful and sometimes comical cast of former landlords and patrons. Now a Grade II listed building, it has welcomed travellers on foot, by horse and cart, more recently by car, bike, yacht, and – until the late 1990s – by ferry.

The Ferry Boat Inn, Ferry Road, North Fambridge, Essex CM3 6LR

Book your table or room online at www.ferryboatinnessex.com

01621 738844

After major renovations in 2021, the inn opened its doors once more to the public as lockdown restrictions lifted. Major interior and exterior refurbishments have added extra space and 21st-century comfort. The weather-boarded inn is open seven days a week for lunch, dinner and drinks, and there are also six refurbished bedrooms in an annexe, available for bed and breakfast all-year-round. Most importantly, the 16th-century character and charm remains within this much-loved inn.

Visitors will find ample free car parking, electric vehicle charging and visitor berthing for those arriving by boat. The scenic riverside footpath provides the perfect pre-curser to a visit to the inn with views of mudflats and salt marshes which are home to a variety

of wildlife. The neighbouring Blue House Farm Nature Reserve is an area internationally important for wildlife and a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

Visitors arriving by boat can enjoy one of Essex’s most comprehensive boating facilities. It is not hard to see why Fambridge Yacht Haven is commonly referred to as ‘the jewel of the River Crouch’.

The marina is split across two sites: on the riverside is the Yacht Station with access to the marina’s 120 river moorings, visitor pontoon, boatyard and The Ferry Boat Inn; within Stow Creek is the Yacht Haven and the 200berth marina, indoor and outdoor boat storage, 40 ton boat hoist and marina café.

Suitable for boats up to 16m in length and up to 18 tons, owners get complimentary use of a floating tender pontoon and seven-day ferry service. There’s even a handy pontoon for easy pick up/drop off of crew and belongings.

The friendly nature of Fambridge Yacht Haven is likely owing to the fact that most berth holders have been here for many years and have had the time to get to know each other and the staff. Its location means that it’s far more rural than many other marinas, allowing boaters to sit onboard in peace and quiet, rather than being disturbed by the slamming of gates and hum of machinery. It also means that if you need assistance then you don’t have to wait.

Fambridge Yacht Haven is suitable for boats up to 16m in length and up to 18 tons. Owners get complimentary use of a floating tender pontoon and seven-day ferry service. There’s even a handy pontoon for easy pick up and drop off of crew and belongings.

Fambridge Yacht Haven, Church Road, North Fambridge, Essex CM3 6LU

www.yachthavens.com

01621 740370

Slow travel

Step aboard a historic sailing barge for a trip along the East Coast waters… and back in time

The red-coloured canvas of sailing barges and fishing smacks has long been a familiar sight on the Thames Estuary and its tributaries. Unpretentious and excellently adapted to their purpose, these unwieldy-looking workhorses once carried heavy cargoes with a skilled crew – often of just two people – navigating their trusty vessels using only wind and tide.

Today only a few surviving craft ply a commercial trade, but thanks to an enthusiastic group of owners a number continue to voyage up and down the East Coast, competing in an annual series of races – called Matches – and allowing passengers to get a taste for travel under sail.

In Kent, Tiller & Wheel is custodian of two historic vessels – the Sailing Barge Edith May and the Whitstable Oyster Smack Thistle F86. The Community Interest Company was formed in 2019 by husband and wife Ed Gransden and

Heather Burgess who are passionate about developing an arts and educational programme to support the unique history and opportunities these boats offer. The enterprise makes full use of the couple’s individual expertise and passions – Ed’s in sailing and the historic vessels of the East Coast, Heather’s in arts, events and cultural engagement; the two also run a unique arts venue in Chatham, Sun Pier House CIC, which has a panoramic view of the River Medway.

Tiller & Wheel’s home port is Lower Halstow, but Edith May and Thistle also sail from Chatham and Queenborough – tide and schedule permitting – and offer a range of days on the water, with the maximum time possible spent under sail and passengers encouraged to be involved in setting sails and steering the ship.

Ed and Heather’s driving ambition is to create a sustainable future for the East Coast’s last few surviving smacks and barges. They recognise there’s a need to introduce these vessels to a new audience and remove the cost barrier that prevents many people getting afloat – and in a bid to achieve both, Tiller & Wheel offers a series of free-of-charge sailing trips for the public. “Our hope is that people will fall in love with sailing and barges as much as we have, and will want to support our goals by becoming a Patron – but there is no obligation,” they say. “We simply request a £10 deposit per space to confirm attendance, and this is refunded after the trip.”

Sailing experiences vary from short-trip to fullday excursions, and private charters are available for up to 12 people; those who’ve signed up to the Patron crowdfunding initiative get access to further exclusive experiences such as Barge Match events.

•www.tillerandwheel.com

Sailing from locations in Essex, Suffolk and London, Topsail Charters was established in 1987 by Stephanie Valentine and Paul Jeffries, who believe that the best way to preserve sailing barges is to keep them working. “Carrying passengers rather than coal, grain or straw has ushered in a new era for barges and has helped ensure their survival. When they were built, few would have thought they would still be sailing into the 21st century,” they say.

With its HQ in Maldon, Topsail Charters has three beautiful barges: Thistle, Reminder and Hydrogen. Launched in 1895, Thistle was first owned by a coal merchant from Battersea. A regular passage was collecting coal from the Humber and delivering it to the Thames; she continued in trade as a motor barge until the mid-1970s and after a spell as a houseboat,

was converted back to sail in 1987. Built in 1906, Hydrogen is a Coaster whose fine lines and sturdy construction are a great example of the shipwright’s craft. During WWII Hydrogen was sent to the Clyde to work as a supply ship and around that time her engine was fitted. In the early 1980s she was bought by Bells Whisky and converted back to sail; annual UK circumnavigations to promote Bells’ brands meant she becamse known as the ‘Whisky Barge’. She joined the Topsail Charters fleet in 1992 and in 2012 took part in the Queen’s Jubilee »

Take a Thames cruise with Topsail Charters

celebrations, representing Essex for the day. One of the last barges built, Reminder was launched at Mistley in 1929; a Champion in Thames and Medway Barge Matches, she mainly sailed the rivers of Essex and Suffolk, finishing working life as a ballast barge.

All three vessels are available for private hire and public cruises, with the most popular trips including a two-island trip from Maldon, an Orwell River cruise from Ipswich – with an extended version venturing towards Mistley on the Stour – and a Thames cruise which transports passengers beneath Tower Bridge downriver towards the Thames Barrier. •www.top-sail.co.uk

Registered Charity the Thames Sailing Barge Trust celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2023 – its vessels are 1922-built Pudge (right) and Centaur, first launched in 1895, each of which offers public and private charter cruises. The barges are based in Maldon, Essex; both are on the National Historic Ships Register and are recognised as Dunkirk Little Ships – Pudge helped save the lives of 160 French and British soldiers and has recently been the subject of a five-year Heritage Lottery Fund restoration and refitting project.

Earlier in 2023 the Trust was awarded a grant from Trinity House for its training scheme, and it also works with both adult and children’s groups to teach them about these historic vessels and

their part in maritime history. You can find out more about sailing and volunteering opportunities at www.bargetrust.org.

Barges and smacks compete in a series of races – known as Matches – each summer on the Orwell, Colne, Blackwater, Thames, Medway and Swale rivers. Ultra-photogenic, the Matches offer a great opportunity to see vessels competing at close quarters under full sail (see p30). The Sailing Barge Association is a superb source of information on the history of these evocative vessels and – if you’re keen to get on board some – has a comprehensive list of the boats available for charter.

•www.sailingbargeassociation.co.uk

Topsail Charters’ Hydrogen once promoted whisky brands on UK circumnavigations Nick Ardley

Nestled on the River Medway in Kent, Chatham Maritime Marina is a perfect base for exploring, with many secluded anchorages perfect for lazy lunch stops. You’re spoilt for choice on land too, with a multiscreen cinema, an outlet shopping complex and a variety of restaurants and bars nearby.

• Range of annual berthing and short-term packages

• Accessible at all states of the tide through a lock entrance**

• Next to the Historic Dockyard Chatham

• Within easy reach of London and Bluewater shopping centre

• Otium Reward points every time you buy MDL services

GET BACK up to 5% on your berthing fees

GET BACK up to 15% on fuel

GET BACK up to 20% on visitor berthing

GET BACK up to 22% on boatyard services

* Based on a 10m boat. Price correct at time of print.

** Some restrictions may apply to vessels exceeding 1.5m draft

Situated at the mouth of the River Blackwater, Essex, TSL’s natural marina provides yacht moorings, boat & mast lifts, winter storage and local access to associated services. Great for sailing too!

Benefits include;

● Hardstanding area

● Hauling & Launching

● Access to our maintenance posts

● Access to water and electricity

● Located just 15 minutes from the A12

● Coded Toilet and shower block for customer use only

● Private parking

● Recycling, rubbish and chemical wash out facilities

● Local chandlery, tea room and other amenities

Offshore racing at its best

EAORA has a fine tradition of hotly-contested events complemented by great camaraderie ashore

Celebrating its 74th year in 2023, East Anglian Offshore Racing Association brings more than 20 East Coast yacht clubs from Ramsgate to Lowestoft together for a series of challenges, most of them 40-50 miles long. The EAORA also works with the Royal Ocean RAcing Club to run the 150mile North Sea Race and the 120-mile East Coast Race, both crossing the North Sea.

EAORA’s 2023 season began on Coronation weekend with the Royal Burnham YC’s Ralph Herring Trophy Race from West Mersea to Burnham on May 7, followed by West Mersea YC’s Pattinson Cup race from Burnham to Merseanext day – allowing racers to make the most of the Bank Holiday while not missing the Coronation of King Charles III.

For those aiming to qualify for this year’s Rolex Fastnet race, the 180-mile RORC North Sea Race from Harwich to Scheveningen on May 19 was a key event, followed by the 120-mile RORC East Coast Race from Harwich to Ostend on June 15. This event also acts as feeder to the ever-popular Offshore Regatta, a highly sociable as well as competitive long weekend which continues with the Cannonball Trophy (Ostend to Ramsgate) on June 17 and Graham Wallis Trophy (Ramsgate to Harwich) on June 18. There will also be a shorter Haven Combined Clubs passage race from Harwich to Ostend on June 15, to encourage those who do not need RORC qualifying miles to join in the fun of the regatta.

EAORA Chairman Claire Scott says: “The Walker Challenge Cup (Harwich to Lowestoft) on July 1 also sees EAORA combining with HCC – potentially resulting in the biggest and most competitive offshore fleet on the East Coast this year. Then on August 5 the Amazon Cup (Harwich to Ramsgate) provides a feeder for Ramsgate Week and the EAORA programme continues with the Round the Goodwins Race on August 6.

“On August 19 we race from Burnham to Upnor for Medway YC’s historic Jane’s Cup, and back the following day for the Royal Corinthian YC’s Thames Estuary Shield. On September 2 EAORA joins forces with Burnham Week for the Royal Burnham YC’s Houghton Cup, combined with Burnham Week’s Town Cup, the highlight of the week. The final event in the 2023 programme will be West Mersea YC’s Buckley Goblets on September 22. The 80-mile race from Mersea to Ostend is always a highlight of the season.”

The entire EAORA season is backed by DXB Pumps while its Youth programme, sponsored by Fox’s Chandlery, offers prizes to encourage younger racers.

“The ethos of EAORA combines demanding offshore racing and equally enjoyable social get-togethers pre- or postrace,” says Claire. “We value the support of our member clubs and their enthusiasm for entertaining us, and we hope our offshore crews will support the clubs and swell their bar takings.”

•www.eaora.org.uk

Celebration on the sands

Join in with a free weekend of fun where the sun rises first

Aftera triumphant weekend of events in 2022, First Light Festival returns to Lowestoft’s glorious South Beach on June 17-18 this year.

A free-to-attend summer solstice celebration, the festival is inspired by the cycles of the sun and runs from 12noon to sundown on the Saturday and from 10am-4pm on the Sunday. A highlight of the festival, dawn on the Sunday is a reflective experience where participants gather by the water’s edge as the first sunlight peeps over the horizon to enjoy a programme of newly commissioned performance, music and feasting that marks the shifting seasons.

New for 2023 is Sundown Events – a series of ticketed experiences from dusk on the Saturday that invite audiences to explore new festival venues off the beach and across the town; they include comedy, clubbing and a silent disco, plus an intimate contemporary jazz performance at

the Royal Norfolk & Suffolk Yacht Club. There are also add-ons, such the chance to pitch a tent under the stars and set up camp among the sandy dunes a stone’s-throw from the festival site – a pop-up campsite will be open for two nights, with prices from £40 per pitch per night for a fourperson tent and parking an additional £5.

Despite extreme bad weather curtailing some performances, last year’s First Light Festival attracted a record-breaking crowd of more

than 35,000 people, an increase of 20% on the inaugural event in 2019.

Genevieve Christie, CEO of First Light Festival CIC, says: “We’re delighted that First Light Festival is returning to the glorious golden sands of Lowestoft’s South Beach for a celebration of creativity, culture and the midsummer solstice this June. Since we began in 2019 our unique, free festival has really captured the imagination of audiences from across the country, with First Light

becoming a highpoint of the East of England’s cultural calendar. With an incredibly diverse line-up that features international musicians, world-renown thinkers, wild beach camping, more zones than ever before and an abundance of hands-on experiences, we’re inviting visitors from the UK and beyond to join us on the beach for what will be a truly special midsummer weekend by the sea.”

•www.firstlightlowestoft.com

Photography: First Light Festival & Mykola Romanovsky

Iconic club has much to offer on and off the water

There’s a warm welcome for all at the Royal Norfolk & Suffolk Yacht Club

Lowestoft’s seafront has many landmarks, but none is more elegant than the Edwardian clubhouse of the Royal Norfolk & Suffolk Yacht Club. Tucked inside the town’s busy Outer Harbour, this striking Grade II*-listed building is an all-weather haven for sailors at all states of the tide, organises racing at sea for a number of competitive classes, and offers a unique setting for dining, drinks and overnight stays.

Almost-instant access to the uncluttered waters of the southern North Sea make RN&SYC – one of Britain’s oldest yacht clubs – a fabulous location for regattas; Squibs, Merlin Rockets, Toppers, Lasers and the highly competitive Broads One

Design keelboats all take part in racing here and in early August this year the club will host its own Sea Week Open event. After a day of fierce competition, the excellent social facilities within the clubhouse are ideal for post-race catch-ups – private function rooms can be booked for more formal events and presentations.

Leisure sailors receive an equally warm welcome; RN&SYC has its own marina with pontoon berths for members’ and visiting vessels. Facilities include water, electricity, fuel, pump-out and waste disposal, plus 24-hour access to toilets, showers and laundry facilities. New glass-fronted floodwalls for 2023 enhance the view across the marina. All vessels must call VHF Ch14 for permission to enter and leave Lowestoft’s busy working harbour, and call VHF Ch80 for

instructions on berthing in the RN&SYC marina.

The RN&SYC was founded in 1859 and this year is the 120th anniversary of its iconic clubhouse. Visit and you’ll find stunning original features including period fireplaces, a snooker room and an impressive art collection. Generations of members have ensured that their Royal Club continues to preserve its traditions, while fully embracing the changes required to continue its future success – numbers have risen from 94 in the foundation year to more than 750 today – with Family and Junior categories among the memberships available. Visiting crews and competitors in any race sponsored or organised by the club have access to all the facilities too, and as an accredited RYA Training Centre RN&SYC offers courses for power boating and yachting as well as a range of shore-based tuition.

You don’t have to be a sailor or boat-owner to join the RN&SYC, however: an extensive schedule of social events appeals to adults and children both on and off the water. For many the opportunity to meet friends, enjoy a drink and dine in such a distinguished setting is appeal enough; the club has two well stocked bars –one for members only – alongside a traditional restaurant and an airy sun lounge for food and drinks with marina views.

•www.rnsyc.net

The RN&SYC has nine comfortable rooms for overnight guests, alongside a quiet seating area overlooking the marina. Members can book two complimentary nights’ accommodation each year, while for non-members B&B rates are highly competitive – prices for 2023 range from £32 for single occupancy of a room with shared facilities to £70 for an en-suite twin room.

Arrange a stay and you’re perfectly positioned to explore the Suffolk Heritage Coast, which stretches south from Lowestoft to Felixstowe. Upmarket Southwold, Aldeburgh, Orford and Woodbridge are all within driving distance, and for nature-lovers Dunwich Heath and the RSPB reserve at Minsmere are must-do destinations.

Upriver, Oulton Broad (below) is the southern gateway to the Broads National Park and a busy sporting centre with many places to shop, eat and drink. The extensive water frontage makes a walk around Nicholas Everitt Park unmissable; call into the Lowestoft Museum to see one of the best collections of Lowestoft Porcelain as well as other artefacts relating to the area’s history. Alternatively, stroll the promenade from RN&SYC and you’ll see the gorgeous sands of South Beach (above), the stunning Victoriana-style East Point Pavilion – a hub for street food vendors and year-round events – and the Claremont and South Piers. Some very fine properties and genteel Kensington Gardens sit above the prom as you reach the neighbourhoods of Kirkley and Pakefield; the former was the birthplace of composer Benjamin Britten while the latter has a pretty cliff-top church and is home to Lowestoft’s oldest pub.

Home to Deben Café on HMS Vale

Here at Melton Boatyard we pride ourselves on good, honest service. We are down to earth and, in a boating world increasingly full of shiny paint and expensive solutions, refreshingly straightforward. This is a traditional working boatyard, and we are proud of it.

Our 30-berth marina is modestly priced and our floating berths stay full all summer, although we can usually accommodate short-term requests by moving our own small fleet to free up a berth. Long-standing customers become our friends and many have been here for years. Customers tell us they appreciate our friendly service, relaxed attitude and open approach.

We are able to store 100 boats ashore, can offer mud berths on request, and offer membership to Deben Bar, our licensed club house located in The Engine Room of HMS Vale.

One to watch

Sixteen-year-old Angus Beale has a big sailing summer ahead. The Essex-based teen has moved quickly up the rankings since starting in the ILCA4 (previously Laser 4.7) Class in autumn 2020, reaching ninth after the spring qualifiers just two years later and travelling to Portugal in July 2022 to compete in his first ever World Championships. Starting off well with a couple of top 30 results, he ended up in the bronze fleet for the finals and managed third place in his final races – a disappointing result but a fantastic experience nevertheless.

The UK Nationals gave Angus his first ever big event wins, and he finished in sixth place overall. He then competed in the RYA Regional Champs and UKLA regional Champs –winning both events – and the Inlands where he picked up a bronze medal.

National squad and regional winter training was followed by the Autumn Qualifiers 2022 and Spring Qualifiers 2023 – after these events Angus

was ranked third in the country.

This is his last year in the ILCA4: after August’s Nationals Angus moves up to the ILCA (Radial) Class – the last stepping stone to a full rig, which is the men’s Olympic class.

He’s already competed in one ILCA6 ranking event – Angus held 10th place after the first day but a bad second day meant he dropped down to 25th out of 57 competitors overall for the weekend. More recently he’s travelled to Cadiz in Spain to compete in the European Championships – where he managed a few top15 results despite sustaining an injury during launching – and then over summer he goes to Volos, Greece to compete in the ILC4 Worlds, with his first big event appearance in the Nationals at Hayling Island in August.

With ambitions to make into the British Sailing Team, Angus hopes to get into the Youth Squad and stay with the ILCA6 rig until he can move into the full rig ILCA7 Class.

Essex teen Angus Beale is hoping to prove himself a class act in events home and abroad this summer…

A new generation

With the North Sea firmly established as the engine room of the UK’s green and resilient future, offshore wind technology is changing the landscape and economies of our coastal communities…

Offshore wind is one of the UK’s biggest growth industries, key to the country’s net-zero hopes, employing thousands of people and attracting billions in investment. The UK remains in the top spot globally for total offshore wind capacity and, thanks to its shallow waters and consistent winds, the East Coast is fuelling this green-powered future. Wind farms are already a familiar sight along our coastline and – in line with the government’s British Energy Security Strategy – more are to be added in the coming years. These include Ørsted’s Hornsea 3 – which will see up to 231

wind turbines located 75 miles off the Norfolk coast to cater to the clean energy needs of well over 3m households – and ScottishPower Renewables’ East Anglia THREE, 43 miles off the Suffolk coast, which is expected to have up to 120 offshore wind turbines and cater for 1.3m households.

The UK’s most eastern port, Lowestoft is at the heart of the burgeoning offshore wind industry, offering close proximity to key sites for construction, operations and maintenance. Visit this year and you’ll see that this is a location benefitting from huge offshore wind industry-

related investment; in the Outer Harbour, the Lowestoft Eastern Energy Facility (LEEF) is creating additional berthing space, new infill land, a deeper harbour approach, and office space with direct quayside access. A further development, expected to be operational from 2026, will add more quay space and berthing capacity, while retaining fish landing sites.

Further south, Five Estuaries Offshore Wind Farm is a proposed extension to the already-operational £1.5bn 353MW Galloper Offshore Wind Farm operated by German energy company RWE from a state-of-the-

art, purpose-built Operations & Maintenance facility in Harwich International Port. Covering approximately 149km2 across two seabed areas, the windfarm will be 23 miles offshore at its closest point to Suffolk and could generate enough energy each year to power hundreds of thousands of UK households.

This project is still in development stage, with a detailed Development Consent Order application expected to be submitted this winter and, if all goes to plan, construction starting in 2027 with the wind farm being operational by 2030. »

Inset: Five Estuaries

SAVING THE SEABIRDS

Themove towards a green future comes at a potential ecological cost: when Hornsea 3 received planning permission there was a requirement for compensation measures to help a vulnerable seabird species whose population could be affected – the black-legged kittiwake. And this year, in a first-of-its-kind project, Ørsted is providing artificial nesting structures for kittiwakes in the waters off the east coast – two around half a mile from the shoreline of South Beach, Lowestoft, and one just under a mile from the shoreline of the RSPB Minsmere Nature Reserve further south in Suffolk – each with approximately 500 nesting spaces.

Designed by a team of ornithologists, architects and engineers to ensure they are attractive to kittiwakes and sit with the landscape, these bespoke structures (concept illustration above) have narrow ledges and vertical sides to replicate the cliffs where the birds would naturally nest, along with eight sides to give them different options in case one side is too sunny or too windy.

The main structure is submarine grey to blend in with the sky and sea, while the yellow base and light at the top are essential navigational aids for

Named as vulnerable and at risk of extinction on the UK’s Red List for Birds of Conservation Concern, kittiwake are small and gentle, feed only on marine fish and small crustaceans and spend the winter at sea, returning to nest between March and August each year. With short black legs and wings that look like they have been dipped in ink, they’re not to be confused with the herring gulls and lesser black-backed gulls which can be found in towns all

seafarers and sailors. Each will be monitored to count the number of birds, occupied nests, and their productivity.

In a further bid to help these vulnerable birds and, at the same time, prevent them being a nuisance to townsfolk, green energy companies Vattenfall and ScottishPower Renewables unveiled the UK’s first kittiwake ‘hotels’ in Lowestoft this spring. Built in response to estimates that the global kittiwake population has fallen by around 40 per cent since the 1970s, the structures (above) create a safe nesting area for around 430 pairs on land at the Outer Harbour owned by the Port of Lowestoft.

Working with the Lowestoft Kittiwake Partnership – created by Suffolk Wildlife Trust and the RSPB – Vattenfall has also made a five-year, £50,000 funding commitment to help provide advice and support for businesses and residents living alongside nesting kittiwakes, as well as money for cleaning up after the birds and creating further alternative nesting sites.

year round, eat from open litter bins and attempt to pinch your fish and chips when you’re enjoying a day at the seaside. Lowestoft and Sizewell are the only locations between Kent and Humberside with thriving kittiwake colonies – they normally nest on steep cliffs with narrow ledges but, as East Anglia doesn’t offer many of these natural nesting locations, the birds have reverted to colonising urban areas – for example on the windowsills and ledges of buildings – where they cause a nuisance to the communities living close by.

Ørsted ScottishPower Renewables

Real-life learning

Whether you’re planning a career in the marine industry or simply want to boost your skills as a boat owner, the IBTC has a course worth considering…

Perched on the edge of the Broads National Park, the International Boatbuilding Training College (IBTC) is an ideal location in which to discover the craft of boatbuilding. The college sits on the northern shore of

Lake Lothing, the tidal reach of the River Waveney, and offers a variety of boatbuilding, woodworking and boat maintenance courses suitable for those looking for a career in the industry as well as anyone wanting to develop

new – or improve their existing – skills.

The main feature of the college’s curriculum is a full-time Boatbuilding course which takes place over 47 weeks and covers in comprehensive detail the skills required to build and maintain boats. In line with IBTC’s ethos that the most effective learning happens through practical application, students work on a wide range of boatbuilding projects under the expert supervision of knowledgeable instructors in the college’s working boatyard – such an approach is clearly proving effective, with a 100% employment rate for 2021 and 2022 Boatbuilding course graduates.

Students not able to make the commitment to a full-time course can choose from a range of shorter offerings in joinery, woodcarving and other essential skills that can be used at home or in the boatyard. The Introduction to Woodworking short course covers areas such as hand tool use and maintenance; timber preparation; sawing and chiselling; halving joints; mortise and tenons; and the use of adhesives. Upon completion, it’s common for students to then enrol on either a 12-week Woodworking and Joinery Skills course or the 47-week Boatbuilding course – the Introduction to Woodworking course fee can be used as a deposit for either.

As the marine world becomes less maledominated, IBTC has seen an increase in female students – many talented women are currently studying at the college and a number of graduates

have gone on to build successful careers within the industry.

Lyn Tupper became Co-Director of IBTC in 2015 and says: “I’ve found it really encouraging to see more women realising that they want to be part of the boatbuilding industry, and that the support is there for them to do so.”

So what’s next for IBTC? Following completion of the Broads cruiser Welcome, students are putting the final touches on its sister boat Winsome. With a combined 21 years of work, the restoration project is rich with local and national history: the cruisers were previously hired by Arthur Ransome and sailed on the Broads by the author during the pre-war period. The Broads, of course, would go on to have a significant impact on Ransome’s writing, featuring in two books in his Swallows & Amazons series. With several generations of IBTC students having worked under supervision on both boats’ restoration, the end results are testament to the high quality of skills taught at the college.

Open Days give the public the chance to take a guided tour of the college and to meet its instructors and students – there’s one scheduled for the end of July this year; book and find other information about IBTC at www.ibtc.co.uk.

Brightlingsea Ferry and Harbour Tours

Explore the historic Harbour and its surrounds on board our family-friendly foot ferry and tour boats. Take a trip across the water to Mersea Island or Point Clear, or enjoy the stunning scenery alongside the River Colne on a cruise to the quaint village of Wivenhoe, where a delicious meal at the renowned Black Buoy inn awaits. Alternatively, book an exclusive charter and we’ll create the perfect private voyage for you, your family and friends. Bikes and dogs are welcome, so everyone can join in the fun!

For more on routes, fares, timetables and how to book, call into the Harbour Office, download the Brightlingsea Harbour App or see www.brightlingseaharbour.org

Woodbridge River Trips

Private trips on our 1937 ex RNLI Lifeboat ‘Sarah Ann Austin’ for groups of up to 12 passengers

Unique trips departing from the heart of Woodbridge 1 hour trip £150 inc VAT 2 hour trip £250 inc VAT (% of net fee will be donated to RNLI) We look forward to welcoming you aboard!

For further information and to make a booking email : info@robertsons-boatyard.co.uk or call 01394 382305 Visit our Instagram page here:

Fresh from the coast

A combined love of boating and cooking with the best local produce inspires Lily Benbow’s career as a private chef…

Thereare few better ways to end a day on the water than sharing dinner and drinks with fellow sailors. On board the challenge of limited space and ingredients can inspire creativity in even the most reluctant chef, while ashore the East Coast is rich in locally raised and freshly caught produce, plus a wealth of eateries to suit every taste

Beetroot hummus and

on blinis –served at a pontoon party in Zierikzee, Netherlands, 2022

and budget. Years of experience of all have provided the foundations for an exciting new addition to the area’s gourmet scene: Noble Prawn Ltd.

The business is the brainchild of Lily Benbow (left) who, with husband Mark, owns a 37ft Southerly 115 that’s berthed on the River Orwell.

The couple began their boating adventures with a 20ft Kingfisher, on which they enjoyed sailing the River »

crayfish

Crouch and anchoring on the Roach. On later vessels they’ve made regular crossings to France, Belgium and the Netherlands, but things haven’t always been plain sailing: while celebrating Lily’s birthday on their second yacht – a 28ft Colvic Countess – the mast broke through the hull while moored just off Tollesbury. “We made a rapid return to the marina – once there was enough water – then had her repaired,” explains Lily, “but we fell out of love with her and were boatless for a few years afterwards.”

Ironically for such a food-lover, during coastal

passages on that ill-fated vessel Lily started to get seasick and was unable to go below to do chart work or cook. “Food offerings on those trips were made ahead of time – soups, quiche and chilli –but water and Cuppa Soup were the only things I could keep down!” she says. “I now know it’s wind against tide that makes me seasick, so we wait for the weather window to improve or I take the ferry. I see no point in knowingly becoming ill – watching the horizon, eating, ginger tea... nothing works!”

Raised in Ireland, Lily studied at the Dublin College of Catering in 1986/7 then worked in the hotel trade before relocating to London where she worked front-of-house at a number of top-flight locations. “I remember serving Lady Diana at the Langham and Denis Thatcher at the House of Commons,” she recalls. “I was classically trained as a chef in Dublin, but never actually used those skills again until 2021, though every year I’d challenge myself to cook in an area that was a weakness: sourdough, butchery, pasta-making, you name it. It never mattered to me whether I

was on a boat or on land; the galley or kitchen was my relaxing space after a hectic week of work.”

Despite following a different professional path for more than 30 years, Lily’s love of cooking endured. “I trained as a fishmonger in Billingsgate about 14 years ago and cooked in Abruzzo, Italy and Ireland – though never paid for – while I worked,” she explains. “I started Noble Prawn Ltd in December 2021 but in truth I was probably planning it in my head for about 20 years.”

The business launch came after Lily had completed an intensive 12-week course at the renowned Ballymaloe Cookery School in her native Ireland. “I knew exactly the level at which I wanted to work,” she says. “Local, sustainable ingredients; minimal messing with the raw ingredients; letting the flavours sing… cooking

IMPROVE YOUR GALLEY SKILLS

• You can’t go wrong with a simple one-pot meal: for lunch try frittata and salad, or for dinner a chilli. A great dish on board is trout/salmon fillet with puy lentils. I stock up on puy lentils on our trips to France and this has been my one-pot supper at nearly every anchorage on the East Coast.

• The shade of the spray hood on a not-so-sunny-day is a great place to prove bread dough, especially focaccia – a 500g recipe should fit nicely in a boat oven tray. There’s nothing better than the smell of bread being baked on a boat; something to nibble on with a chilled glass of dry white as you discuss the day’s sailing.

• In Saint-Valery-sur-Somme I cooked a full roast dinner in one of those double-sided sauté pans where you can flip it and retain all the juices. This was an epic meal: lip-smacking rich gravy, I can still taste it now! I bought that pan at a boat show in Earl’s Court many moons ago – it’s a definite must-have in a galley.

• When we’re sailing I take a backpack on my morning run and buy whatever fresh ingredients I can find. I’ve been known to come back with fresh crab, oysters, various vegetables – roadside offerings from fishermen and farms I find along the run. I plan my menu as I run. I keep a diary of what I cook and where I shop – useful for next-time!

• Don’t compromise on the wine. One good bottle of wine to pair with your meal is better than a box of mediocre bargain bottles. And always drink wine from a glass – never plastic. Tom Cunliffe came on board with us a few years ago and was delighted to be served chilled wine in a proper glass as we made our way up the Deben. It really does make a difference!

• Every boat should have a shucking knife (if you’ve not got one a flat-head screwdriver will do) and a sharp knife.

• I always have a selection of fresh dried Middle Eastern, European and Indian spices on board (kept in sealed, separate storage boxes). Onions, carrots, eggs and puy lentils are a must, as is bread flour and dried yeast, organic vegetable stock cubes, tinned tomatoes, tomato purée. Even if I don’t have anything else, with low water and/or a tide against us I can still make breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Handy to keep on board: a new range of branded merchandise is available via email (lilybenbow@nobleprawn.com); the apron is £30 plus p&p.

Pan-fried langoustines

Below: Ver masala skate cheek curry

in beautiful homes up and down the country; creating bespoke menus and working with the seasons.”

Today, Lily specialises in dinner parties for between six and 40 guests, and has worked in holiday homes along the East Coast and in London, as well as abroad. “I was delighted to be asked to cook for clients in St Tropez for last year’s Les Voiles de St Tropez Regatta,” she says. “I cooked as a private chef on a beautiful Halberg Rassey in the Tidemill Yacht Harbour at Woodbridge for a special birthday celebration. I had to provide all the plates, cutlery, glasses etc – not a problem, but I should have checked the tide times as it was low water and I had to hike everything up and down very steep steps!

“I also deliver to yachts and homes within a 20-mile radius of my kitchen in Framlingham –suppers and picnics are especially popular, but I also adore cooking Middle Eastern and Indian dishes which lend themselves easily to sharing with family and friends.”

Lily’s local knowledge and contacts come to the fore in her sharing platter, which consists of ‘Sunday Charcuterie’ from Lowestoft, River Test trout home-smoked with rosemary, home-made hummus and labneh. Her bread flour comes from Marriage’s in Essex and green salad comes from

Maple Farm in Kelsale; fish is from A Passion for Seafood – owner Mike gets his haul from the boats that fish the coast from Felixstowe Ferry and other places.

Lily’s own dream dinner would be aboard, in warm weather with a light breeze and moored close to land so she could go for her usual morning run. On the menu? “Oysters from Butley Creek, ‘Nduja-buttered BBQ langoustines, fresh baked focaccia, green salad,” she says. “A sparkling pink from Tuffon Hall Winery in Suffolk to start and then perhaps an Albarino, spanish wine to enjoy with the ‘Nduja. To finish, a seaweed set panna cotta with seasonal berries (top). And, if I’m with friends, a sweet Tokaji wine to finish.”

Lily will be cooking at pop-up style summer events at Fire & Feast in Halesworth, serving a Middle Eastern and Indian menu cooked over fire (www.fireandfeastsuffolk.co.uk). She’s also collaborating with two other private chefs for a Suffolk Dining Club event – check her website for tickets. You’ll also find lots of mouth-watering images of Lily’s culinary creations on Instagram – search for @nobleprawnltd. To enquire about booking Lily as a private chef, or if you’d like supper delivered to your home or boat, log on to www.nobleprawn.com for details.

Seaweed set panna cotta with dried and fresh strawberries and blueberries

Sail Arthur Ransome’s Nancy Blackett

We do mean to take you to sea – or maybe just a trip down the River Orwell!

What better way to enjoy the beauty of the River Orwell than aboard the yacht so closely associated with it – Arthur Ransome’s own Nancy Blackett? Ransome lived here, sailed here, wrote here, and most famously set the opening of his classic chlldren’s story We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea here.

Nancy Blackett inspired the book and features in it as the Goblin. So sailing aboard her has that extra dimension of voyaging into the world of unforgettable fiction as well as discovering the peace and beauty of this real river, most of which has hardly changed since Ransome sailed it over 80 years ago.

He bought the 28ft four-berth cutter, which he renamed after one of his best-known characters, self-styled pirate Nancy Blackett of Swallows and Amazons fame, in 1935 when he and his Russian wife Evgenia were moving into the area, from the Lake District, in search of

some sea sailing. He found her in Poole Harbour and sailed her round to Pin Mill through some atrocious weather, which helped give him the idea for the book. “I felt very young and inexperienced,” he said of this reintroduction to yachting.

Nancy is now managed by the Nancy Blackett Trust, which was set up over 25 years ago to look after her, following her rediscovery – derelict in Scarborough Harbour in the 1980s – and an extensive restoration.

Our aim, still, is to make her available for anyone – old, young or in-between – to enjoy a sail and experience the feel of being aboard the Goblin. A short, skippered day trip down the Orwell is an ideal family introduction – children sail free.

If you’ve always wanted to feel the thrill of your sails harnessing the wind – or the peace of a quiet drift down the river on a warm summer’s

Respected sailor and writer Peter Willis is founder and President of the Nancy Blackett Trust, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. His book Good Little Ship explores the themes of Ransome’s rite-of-passage novel We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea, and how it came to be written. Part maritime history, part literary criticism – a joyous homage throughout– it’s an impeccably-researched tale of the life, near-death, rescue and restoration of the Nancy Blackett and a thoroughly engrossing read, whether you’re a lifelong lover of Ransome’s works, or discovering them for the first time. Photographs add life to the story, while Ransome’s drawings and own account of a voyage in her – as well as brief details of his other boats – mean this is a must-have for lovers of both boats and literature.

Good Little Ship is published in paperback by Lodestar Books, £14.

afternoon – this is a safe and accessible way to do it, enhanced by the magic of experiencing it aboard a piece of maritime and literary history. Enjoy an al fresco lunch at anchor, miles from civilisation, or the cosy atmosphere of dining in the mahogany-panelled cabin lit by oil lamps before turning into your bunk to be rocked gently to sleep.

For more adventurous sailors with some experience, overnights and weekends in the Walton Backwaters (made famous in Ransome’s Secret Water) or passages up the coast to the Deben, or down to London, and further (Holland, even!) are options.

All our sailing is under the charge of a qualified volunteer skipper; membership of the Trust is needed, but the modest annual subscription covers the whole family – and children sail free.

Ransome actually wrote two books featuring the Goblin while he lived here; the second is Secret Water, set in the Walton Backwaters. He loved the area, and would sail down there in Nancy to drop anchor for a bit of peace and quiet to work on his next book.

The Backwaters may be a little less ‘undiscovered’ now than they were in Ransome’s day, but they still have an air of mystery and isolation, with a silence punctuated only by birdsong. They’re a favourite destination for Nancy Blackett crews.

Nancy Blackett is 28ft 6in long, plus the 10ft bowsprit. She’s been painstakingly restored to make sure she is just as Ransome would have known her, and as the Goblin is described in the book:

“I say, just look down,” said Titty. They looked down into the cabin of the little ship, at blue mattresses on bunks on either side, at a little table with a chart tied down on it with string… a little white sink opposite the tiny galley where a saucepan of water was simmering on one of the two burners of a little cooking stove.

She welcomes visitors on various open days throughout the summer, at Woolverstone and elsewhere, so come and see her and find out more about how this humble Hillyard 7-tonner became one of the most famous boats in fiction. And if you’d like to sail her yourself, just join the Nancy Blackett Trust; it’s not expensive, and you can book a day-sail or a longer passage.

If you’d like to sail into ‘Secret Water’ aboard Nancy Blackett – or anywhere else on ‘Arthur Ransome’s East Coast’ for that matter – take a look at our website and get in touch. And don’t forget, children sail free!

•www.nancyblackett.org

Wildlife wonder

The Suffolk rivers are home to an abundance of wildlife – take a boat trip and you’ll see some of it up-close…

Husband and wife team Sarah and Alan Harmer offer wildlife-rich river trips from three of Suffolk’s loveliest locations: Snape Maltings Quay, Orford Town Quay and Woodbridge Town Steps.

“We have both always had a great love of the water and in particular sailing on the Suffolk rivers so we feel incredibly fortunate to now run these trips – we can share that love with others and help them learn more about areas that are abundant in both wildlife and history,” they say.

The couple launched Suffolk River Trips at Snape Maltings in spring 2019 with Sea Tradar, a 32ft timber boat from the South Coast. “We then added Tilly, a 26ft Starfish boat – which was built in Oulton Broad – in 2020 to operate from Orford Town Quay and »

bought a shallow draft launch Hagar, an ex-Royal Navy ship’s boat the same year as an additional boat to use at lower states of the tide at Snape, to cater for the keen birdwatchers. This year we have replaced Sea Tradar with a more modern boat, Tilly Too, another Starfish built in Suffolk,” explains Sarah.

“We are now also very excited to launch river trips from Woodbridge Town Steps for 2023. Gina, a 23ft Aldeburgh beach boat built at Slaughden Quay, is the perfect addition to our fleet.”

The three locations all offer something quite different. A voyage from Snape winds between the Suffolk reed beds on an unspoilt part of the River Alde, as well as being an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Ramsar (important wetlands) site. Passengers can expect to see

abundant wildlife in the form of wading birds, a small seal population and the occasional otter.

“At Orford we head downriver around the RSPB reserve at Havergate Island where there are many different species of wading birds –Curlew, Avocet, Godwit, Terns, Sandpiper included – past the entrance to Butley Creek with its population of about a dozen common seals and back up past Orfordness, passing close to the somewhat sinister-looking Atomic Weapons Research Establishment laboratories built in the 1950s and ‘60s to test parts of Britain’s nuclear weaponry,” says Sarah.

“The trip from Woodbridge Town Steps offers something else completely. While there are many species of wading birds – keep your eyes peeled for Curlew, Godwit, Turnstone, Tern, Kingfisher and many other species – and the occasional seal, we head downriver to begin with then back up through Loder’s Cut towards Melton and en route have a sailor’s view of the picturesque town of Woodbridge on one side of the river and the nationally important archaeological site of Sutton Hoo on the other.”

All the river trips are with commentary and last up to an hour, with the tides dictating some timetables.

•www.suffolkrivertrips.com

SEAL APPEAL

The creeks and rivers of the East Coast are home to a thriving population of harbour –also known as common – and grey seals. They’re a familiar sight to cruising sailors who often see these cheeky-looking carnivores surface during a swim, or basking on the mudflats close to favourite anchorages.

A number of boat trips offer the chance for everyone to get safely up-close to seals including, on the River Crouch, Seal Trips Essex which operates its boat Celtic Prince from the quayside at Burnham-on-Crouch (www.sealtripsessex.co.uk). Charter Discovery operates from here as well as Essex Marina, offering trips that explore the remote and deserted creeks and inlets of the Crouch and Roach – see www.charterdiscovery.co.uk for details. Further up the coast, where Essex meets Suffolk, Seal Watching Harwich (www.sealwatching.co.uk) takes passengers from Ha’penny Pier into the Walton backwaters and the Hamford Water Nature Reserve.

In Kent, the Medway and the Swale – the stretch of water separating the Isle of Sheppey from the mainland – are a haven for wildlife. Dentex Charters offers scheduled trips from Queenborough’s all-tides landing stage into both rivers (www.dentexcharters.com) and Whitstable Boat Trips also operates trips from the town’s harbour into the Swale – see www.whitstableboattrips.co.uk.

No trip to North Norfolk is complete without a visit to the National Trust’s Blakeney Point which, in recent years, has been home to England’s biggest colony of common and grey seals. Boat trips from Blakeney Harbour are operated by a number of local companies, including Beans Boats (www.beansboattrips. co.uk). In the Wash, Searles Sea Tours (www.seatours.co.uk) has two amphibious vessels, the Wash Monsters, which depart from Hunstanton and offer a fun way of discovering the local seal population.

Brightlingsea Harbour is a small mixed leisure and commercial port situated in Brightlingsea Creek, close to the mouth of the Colne where it meets the Blackwater and Thames Estuaries

Brightlingsea Harbour is a Trust Port managed by Brightlingsea Harbour Commissioners, who also run Waterside Marina.

Harbour facilities include:

Water Taxi • Fresh Water • Fuel

• Sewage Pump Out • Laundry

• Showers • Maintenance Posts

• Wifi and electric in the marina

• Waste Disposal

Brightlingsea has a great selection of hostelries, shops, clubs and services, and our Harbour boat trips and Foot Ferry make it easy for visitors to explore the area further... The marina has been dredged and now has 2m clearance.

Essex

Blackwater Marina

Maylandsea

blackwater-marina.co.uk

Bradwell Marina Bradwell bradwellmarina.com

Brightlingsea Harbour

Brightlingsea Morgan Marine

Burnham Yacht Harbour

Essex Marina

Fambridge Yacht Haven

Ha’penny Pier

Heybridge Basin

Leigh Marina

Leigh-On-Sea Sailing Club

Royal Corinthian Yacht Club

Stour Sailing Club

Titchmarsh Marina

Walton Yacht Basin

West Mersea Yacht Club

Wivenhoe Sailing Club

Brightlingsea brightlingseaharbour.org

Brightlingsea morganmarine.com

Burnham-on-Crouch

burnhamyachtharbour.co.uk

Wallasea Island essexmarina.co.uk

Fambridge yachthavens.com

Harwich hha.co.uk/leisure/mooring/

Heybridge waterways.org.uk

Leigh-on-Sea leighmarina.co.uk

Leigh-on-Sea leighsailingclub.org

Burnham-on-Crouch

Manningtree

Walton Backwaters

Walton on the Naze

West Mersea

Wivenhoe

royalcorinthian.co.uk

stoursailingclub.co.uk

titchmarshmarina.co.uk

waltonyachtbasin.co.uk

wmyc.org.uk

wivenhoesailingclub.org

Brightlingsea Harbour

Tollesbury Saltings

Titchmarsh Marina

Bradwell Marina

Burnham Yacht Harbour

Tollesbury Marina

Medway Bridge Marina

Family-owned Medway Bridge Marina, located beneath the Medway Bridge in Rochester, has an unrivalled reputation for service and professionalism. For more than 40 years we have catered for motor cruisers of all sizes, with services including lift-out, scrub-off and hard standing.

Our floating pontoon berths are accessible at all states of the tide – finger berths accommodate craft up to 9m (30ft) and alongside berths can cater for larger vessels. We also have a pontoon with berths that are accessible for half the tide – usually 4 hours either side of High Water. All berth holders are entitled to discounted fuel, free parking and have 24-hour access to their boat as well as the toilets and shower facilities.

We offer:

• Up to 25-ton boat hoist

• Storage ashore

• CCTV at entrance to site

• Security gate access to the pontoons

• Fresh water and electric at every berth

• Waste facility

• Toilet and shower facilities

• On-site engineers marine engineers and electricians

In addition, our Flexible Mooring Scheme allows annual berth holders, by prior arrangement, to take up to three months holiday with their craft and add the amount of time they are away to their 12-month agreement – this means you can enjoy up to 15 months mooring for the price of 12!

Medway Bridge Marina is also home to Medway Bridge Marina Car Sales, and has a storage compound for up to 90 caravans and motor homes. For any enquiries, please email Sam Dallas Marina Manager: sam@medwaybridgemarina.co.uk

Medway Bridge Marina Ltd, Manor Lane, Rochester, Kent ME1 3HS • 01634 843576

North Kent

Allington Lock

Allington allingtonlock.co.uk

Allington Marina Allington allingtonmarina.com

Chatham Maritime Marina Chatham chathammaritimemarina.co.uk

Conyer Creek Marina Sittingbourne conyercreekmarina.co.uk

Cuxton Marina Rochester cuxtonmarina.com

Elmhaven Marina Rochester elmhaven-marina.co.uk

Gillingham Marina Gillingham gillingham-marina.co.uk

Margate Harbour Margate portoframsgate.co.uk

Medway Bridge Marina Rochester medwaybridgemarina.co.uk

Medway Pier Marine Gillingham 01634 851113

Port Medway Marina Cuxton portmedwaymarina.co.uk

Queenborough Harbour Queenborough queenborough-harbour.co.uk

Royal Ramsgate Marina Ramsgate portoframsgate.co.uk

Swale Marina Conyer Creek swalemarina.co.uk

The Embankment Marina

London

Gallions Point Marina

Hermitage Community Moorings

Imperial Wharf Marina

Limehouse Marina

South Dock Marina

St Katharine Docks

Norfolk

Wells Harbour

Gravesend theembankmentmarina.co.uk

River Thames gallionspointmarina.co.uk

River Thames hermitagemoorings.org

River Thames imperialwharfmarina.co.uk

River Thames aquavista.com

River Thames 020 7252 2244/07950 805509

River Thames skdocks.co.uk

Wells-next-the-Sea portofwells.co.uk

Chatham Maritime Marina Wells Harbour

Suffolk

Broadlands Marina Oulton Broad tingdeneboating.com

Felixstowe Ferry Felixstowe 07803 476621/01394 270106

Fox’s Marina Ipswich foxsmarina.com

Ipswich Haven Marina Ipswich ipswichhavenmarina.co.uk

Lowestoft Beacon Marina Lowestoft beaconmarinas.co.uk

Neptune Marina Ipswich neptune-marina.com

Orford Quay Orford 01394 459950/07528 092635

Ramsholt Ramsholt 07930 304061

Royal Norfolk and Suffolk Yacht ClubLowestoft rnsyc.net

Shotley Marina Shotley shotleymarina.com

Slaughden Sailing Club Aldeburgh slaughdensailingclub.co.uk

Southwold Harbour Southwold 01502 724712

Suffolk Yacht Harbour Levington syharbour.co.uk

The Royal Harwich Yacht Club Woolverstone royalharwichyachtclub.co.uk

Tide Mill Yacht Harbour Woodbridge tidemillyachtharbour.co.uk

Waldringfield Moorings Waldringfield waldringfieldsc.com

Woolverstone Marina Woolverstone mdlmarinas.co.uk

Woolverstone Marina Broadlands Marina

Shotley Marina

Tidemill Yacht Harbour

Positive thinking

A can-do attitude is key to the success of Melton Boatyard

Founded by Mel and Jennifer Skeet in 1981, Melton Boatyard near Woodbridge, Suffolk, provides a complete marine service for boaters on the Deben and beyond. The couple and son Simon used their wealth of knowledge, experience and a love of everything nautical to build their business, establishing a workshop

Complementing the boatyard facilities is the Deben Café Bar on HMS Vale, a facility with licenced bar and a members’ club for boatyard customers located on the aft deck of a former Royal Navy attack craft (www.debencafe.co.uk). This unique vessel floats on every tide and offers enviable views across the Deben and the salting beyond to the protected grounds of Sutton Hoo.

Customers can enjoy a selection of draft beers, wines and spirits as well as a selection of low-alcohol options, in addition to a good choice of foods, much of it locally-bought.

Deben Café Bar – famous for its home-made sausage rolls and cream teas – offers a range of cakes and sandwiches for a fast getaway or, for those who have time to linger, sit-down breakfasts, snacks and main meals. “Meals are prepared on board by two galley chefs who fully embrace the challenges of working in a small ship’s galley,” says owner and Director Cate Meadows. “Fresh bakery emerges from the ovens throughout the day, making the ship smell amazing.”

for services and repairs, building a quay, and installing a 40-tonne travel hoist. Director Simon now runs the boatyard and says that this year things have been busier than ever. “At the start of the year the phone never stopped ringing with requests to lift boats, pressure wash, repair and antifoul,” he says. “Last year Melton Boatyard expanded its storage ashore, but these additional spaces have already filled up; further storage ashore will become available later this year and there is a waiting list for spaces. “

The 40-tonne hoist means larger vessels can be lifted out and repaired here. “Unlike some difficult-to-get-to boatyards, large lorries find our access easy so we frequently lift and load on and off transport,” Simon says. “Our two working cranes are always in action, lifting smaller vessels and raising and lowering masts. But every day is different – one minute I am blasting a huge Dutch barge, welding on plates, and another I am working on a GRP boat with the pox.”

Melton Boatyard has a huge mobile workshop that expands to take larger boats, as well as a traditional workshop for smaller craft. “Our workbench areas are well equipped, so we can create bespoke solutions when they can’t be bought off the shelf,” Simon explains. “My father always told me ‘nothing is impossible’ and that is the rule I live by; the skill is knowing whether something is worth fixing or when its time is up.” •www.meltonboatyard.co.uk

Snettisham Beach Sailing Club

History, heritage, and a unique location

Uniqueon the Norfolk Coast in that it has both an inland lake and open sea available, Snettisham Beach SC is a busy, friendly West Norfolk club with a great history, an unrivalled reputation for running top events and training, all on an exciting tidal stretch of The Wash.

The club is one of the leading watersports clubs on the East Coast, with family-friendly, multi-level dinghy fleets, wind and kite surfing, paddleboarding, kayaking and a busy social club. We also have a radio controlled model yacht section.

We are home to multiple National and European class champions and we run organised social sailing activities alongside a friendly but competitive racing programme. For racing the location is always exciting, with every day bringing new conditions from wind and tide.

The club boasts excellent facilities including a concrete launching ramp, adjacent dinghy and car park, plus a large bar and galley and spacious changing rooms. Our west-facing terrace overlooks a beautiful sandy beach –enjoy spectacular evening sunsets as you sit on

the veranda with a drink or a meal. With events throughout the season, racing every weekend and bank holiday from March to October – plus social events throughout the year – we welcome visiting watersports enthusiasts and their families. Please check our calendar for details.

• The club hosts a number of Open Meetings throughout the year. In 2023 these include events for Streakers and Toppers, and an open Summer Regatta, plus two days of North West Norfolk Week (www.norfolkweek.co.uk) of which SBSC was a founding member.

The junior fleet enjoys its own programme of racing on the lake at weekends and a Wednesday Evening Club, plus sea racing for the more competent sailors. Our Cadet Weeks for beginners through to experienced sea sailors have always been very popular with our junior members. Bookings are now open for our two cadet weeks in 2023, however, due to demand, places are only open to club members. Still time to join if you want to book a place!

• www.snetbeach.co.uk

Facebook.com/Snetbeach

SBSC has a dedicated RYA-recognised Training Centre which runs courses for adults and children throughout the season, from April to October. Sailing is a fantastic sport and a great way to relax and unwind with friends and family, so why not make the most of your summer in England and book a course, or arrange some private tuition at a time to suit you? All our courses are bookable on our website www.snetbeach.co.uk or, if you’d like to know more, please email courses.sbsc@gmail.com.

On Sunday 14 May we are running a free club open day which is a great opportunity to visit the club, see our facilities, have a go on the water and make the most of some special offers on courses and membership.

Benfleet Yacht Club Open to new members

Founded in 1922, Benfleet Yacht Club is a large and friendly members-run club located alongside Benfleet Creek, on the northern shore of Canvey Island in Essex.

The club offers great opportunities for all craft – dinghy sailing and coastal rowing mainly take place in the sheltered waters of Benfleet Creek, while for cruising yachts, the Rivers Medway and Swale are just a few hours away, and slightly further afield are the superb cruising grounds of the East Coast rivers. For a great summer cruise, Benfleet is within striking distance of the northern coast of France and Belgium and the vast inland waterways of Holland.

Complementing the club’s busy sailing

Benfleet Yacht Club offers a large number of tidal moorings for yachts, along with second-to-none on-shore storage for both yachts and dinghies. A range of membership options and a one-off club joining fee are applicable £150), but the club is keen to be affordable for all: it’s possible to keep a 29ft yacht here for less than £688 a year – and that includes haul out, winter lay-up and relaunch!

programme and popular Cadet Sail Training Week, a superb clubhouse includes a bar that’s open lunchtime and evenings seven days a week, and there’s an active social and entertainments programme all year round.

Benfleet Yacht Club is well known for organising The Nore Race, a combined open cruiser and dinghy race that covers a 20-mile circuit of the Thames Estuary, starting and finishing at Southend Pier.

Since 2010 Benfleet Yacht Club’s Coastal Rowers have also organised the Round Canvey Race, an annual open event in which rowing, paddling and sailing vessels complete a 14.5 mile circuit of Canvey Island. An eclectic mix of craft have competed to date, with boats from as far as Whitby travelling to take part.

Details of both events can be found on the club website – we also have disabled facilities.

Low Cost Moorings and Winter Lay-Up available

Deben Café Bar on HMS Vale

Melton Boatyard, Dock Lane, Melton, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 1PE

Moored alongside Melton Boatyard, Deben Café Bar offers a unique eating and drinking experience. The only floating café on the Deben, it is p erfect for bird watchers and walkers alike, providing spectacular views over the river Deben , the saltings and protected grounds of Sutton Hoo beyond.

Open: Mon, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun (Closed Tue, Wed)

Licensed Bar with Draught Beer

Selection of Wine & Spirits

Hot and Cold Drinks, Barista Coffee

Wholesome Food, Fresh Bakes, Breakfast Rolls, Hot Pastries, Sandwiches, Snacks & Ice Creams

Food for the family: Meaty, Veggie, Vegan

Covered and Open Air Seating

Warm Welcome , Dog Friendly

Eat In or Take Away

debencafe@btinternet.com

www.debencafe.co.uk

Telephone: 01394 388643

Follow our Facebook Page: Deben Café Bar on HMS Vale

HMS Vale is a walking/cycling destination; there is no parking in Melton Boatyard.Trains stop at Woodbridge and Melton for a one-way river walk.

COASTAL CLUBS

Essex

Alexandra YC

Ardleigh SC

Benfleet YC

Blackwater SC

Bradwell Quay YC

Brightlingsea Coastal Rowing Club

Brightlingsea SC

Burnham on Crouch SC

Chelmsford Canoe Club

Clacton Canoe Club

Clacton-on-Sea SC

Colne YC

Crouch YC

Dabchicks SC

Essex YC

Eyott SC

Gunfleet SC

Harlow Blackwater SC

Harwich Town SC

Hostellers SC

Island YC

Leigh on Sea SC

Southend alexyachtclub.co.uk

Ardleigh ardleighsc.co.uk

Canvey Island benfleetyachtclub.org

Heybridge blackwatersailingclub.org.uk

Bradwell-on-Sea bqyc.org.uk

Brightlingsea brightlingseacoastalrowingclub.co.uk

Brightlingsea sailbrightlingsea.com

Burnham-on-Crouch burnhamsc.co.uk

Chelmsford chelmsfordcanoeclub.co.uk

Clacton-On-Sea clactoncanoeclub.co.uk

Clacton-on-Sea clactonsailingclub.org.uk

Brightlingsea colneyachtclub.org.uk

Burnham-on-Crouch cyc.org.uk

West Mersea dabchicks.org

Leigh-on-Sea essexyachtclub.co.uk

South Woodham Ferrers eyottsailingclub.org.uk

Holland-on-Sea gunfleetsailingclub.co.uk

Maylandsea harlow-blackwater-sailing-club.com

Harwich htsc.co.uk

Paglesham hostellerssailingclub.org.uk

Canvey Island islandyachtclub.org.uk

Leigh-on-Sea leighsailingclub.org

West Mersea Yacht Club

Brightlingsea Sailing Club

Eyott Sailing Club

COASTAL CLUBS

Essex

Maldon and Dengie Canoe Club

Maldon Gig Rowing Club

Maldon Little SC

Marconi SC

Maylandsea Bay SC

Mersea Island Rowing Club

North Fambridge YC

Rowhedge Coastal Rowing Club

Royal Burnham YC

Royal Corinthian YC

Southend Canoe Club

Stone SC

Stour SC

Thames Estuary YC

Thorpe Bay YC

Burnham-on-Crouch

madcanoeclub.co.uk

Maldon maldongigclub.org.uk

Maldon mlsc.org.uk

Southminster marconi-sc.org.uk

West Maylandsea

West Mersea

North Fambridge

Rowhedge

Burnham-on-Crouch

Burnham-on-Crouch

Southend-on-Sea

Southminster

Manningtree

Southend-on-Sea

Southend-on-Sea

Thurrock YC Grays

Tollesbury SC

The University Community SC

Up River YC

Wakering YC

Walton and Frinton YC

West Mersea YC

Wivenhoe SC

Tollesbury

Brightlingsea

Hullbridge

Rochford

Walton-on-the-Naze

West Mersea

Wivenhoe

maylandseabay-sc.org.uk

mersearowingclub.org.uk

nfyachtclub.co.uk

rowhedgecoastalrowingclub.teamapp.com

rbyc.org.uk

royalcorinthian.co.uk

southendcanoe.org.uk

stonesc.org.uk

stoursailingclub.co.uk

teyc.co.uk

tbyc.org

thurrockyachtclub.org.uk

tollesburysc.com

ucscbrightlingsea.com

upriver.org.uk

wakeringyachtclub.org.uk

wfyc.co.uk

wmyc.org.uk

wivenhoesailing.org.uk

Walton & Frinton Yacht Club

Harwich Town Sailing Club

Benfleet Yacht Club

Clacton-on-Sea Sailing Club

North Kent

All Hallows YC

Conyer Cruising Club

COASTAL CLUBS

Rochester allhallowsyachtclub.net

Whitstable conyercc.org.uk

Erith YC Erith erithyachtclub.org.uk

Gravesend SC

Hampton Pier YC

Hollow Shore Cruising Club

Herne Bay SC

Gravesend gravesendsailingclub.co.uk

Whitstable hpyc.org.uk

Whitstable hollowshorecc.org

Herne Bay hernebaysailingclub.co.uk

Hoo Ness SC Rochester hooness.org.uk

Hundred of Hoo SC

Isle of Sheppey SC

Lower Halstow YC

Medway Cruising Club

Medway Watersports Trust

Rochester hundredofhoosailingclub.org

Sheerness iossc.org.uk

Lower Halstow lhyc.org.uk

Gillingham medwaycruisingclub.org.uk

Gillingham medwaywatersports.co.uk

Medway YC Lower Upnor medwayyachtclub.com

Queenborough YC

Queenborough queenboroughyachtclub.co.uk

Rochester Cruising Club Rochester rochestercruisingclub.co.uk

Royal Temple YC

Ramsgate rtyc.com

Sandwich Sailing and Motor Boat ClubSandwich ssmbc.co.uk

Segas SC

Gillingham segassailingclub.co.uk

Strood YC Rochester stroodyachtclub.jimdo.com

Tonbridge Town SC

Whitstable YC

Tonbridge tonbridgesailing.org

Whitstable wyc.org.uk

Wilsonian SC Hoo wilsoniansc.org.uk

London

Docklands Sailing & Watersports Centre Isle of Dogs dswc.org

Greenwich YC Greenwich greenwichyachtclub.co.uk

Medway Yacht Club

Erith Yacht Club

COASTAL CLUBS

Norfolk

Blakeney SC

Brancaster Staithe SC

Coldham Hall SC

Dereham Canoe Group

Gt Yarmouth & Gorlestone SC

Hickling Broad SC

Hickling Windsurfing Club

Horning SC

Blakeney blakeneysailing.co.uk

Brancaster Staithe bssc.net

Surlingham coldhamhallsailingclub.co.uk

Swanton Morley derehamcanoegroup.co.uk

Gorleston-on-Sea gygsc.co.uk

Hickling hicklingbroad.com

Hickling hicklingbroad.co.uk

Horning horning-sailing.club

Hunstanton SC Hunstanton hunstantonsc.co.uk

King’s Lynn Coastal Rowing Club

King’s Lynn klcrc.club

Norfolk Broads School of Sailing Acle norfolksailingschool.co.uk

Norfolk Broads YC

Norfolk Punt Club

Norfolk School Sailing Association

Wroxham nbyc.co.uk

Barton Broad puntclub.co.uk

Filby Broad nssa.co.uk

Northern Rivers SC Acle nrscsailingclub.com

Ouse Amateur SC

Snettisham Beach SC

Snowflake SC

Wells SC

Wensum Ospreys Canoe Club

Whitlingham Adventure

Yare SC

King’s Lynn oasc.co.uk

King’s Lynn snetbeach.co.uk

Horning sfsc.co.uk

Wells-next-the-Sea wellssailingclub.co.uk

Fakenham wocc.org.uk

Norwich whitlinghamadventure.org.uk

Norfolk yaresailingclub.org.uk

Hunstanton Sailing Club

Snettisham Beach Sailing Club

Suffolk

Adastral Park SC

Ipswich adastralsailing.org.uk

Aldeburgh YC Aldeburgh aldeburghyc.org.uk

Alton Water Stutton altonwater.co.uk

Beccles Amateur SC

Deben Rowing Club

Beccles becclesasc.co.uk

Woodbridge debenrowingclub.co.uk

Deben YC Woodbridge debenyachtclub.co.uk

East Suffolk Wakeboard & Water Ski Club Felixstowe eswsc.co.uk

Felixstowe Ferry SC Felixstowe ffsc.co.uk

Fox’s Marina YC

Haven Ports YC

Iken Canoe Club

Ipswich Canoe Club

Ipswich Rowing Club

Kessingland Sea SC

Ipswich fmyc.org.uk

Levington hpyc.com

Aldeburgh ikencanoe.co.uk

Ipswich ipswichcanoeclub.org.uk

Ipswich ipswichrc.org.uk

Kessingland kessingland-seasailingclub.uk

Lowestoft Cruising Club Lowestoft lowestoftcruisingclub.org

Lowestoft Rowing Club

Oulton Broad lowestoftrowingclub.org.uk

Deben Yacht Club

Aldeburgh Yacht Club

Royal Harwich Yacht Club

Felixstowe Ferry Sailing Club

Suffolk

Orwell YC

COASTAL CLUBS

Ipswich

Oulton Broad Water Sports Centre Lowestoft

Pin Mill SC

Royal Harwich YC

Royal Norfolk and Suffolk YC

Shotley Point YC

orwellyachtclub.org.uk

oultonbroadwatersportscentre.co.uk

Pin Mill pmsc.org.uk

Woolverstone

royalharwichyachtclub.co.uk

Lowestoft rnsyc.net

Shotley shotleypointyc.org

Shotley SC Shotley Gate

Slaughden SC

Aldeburgh

shotleysailingclub.co.uk

slaughdensailingclub.co.uk

Southwold SC Southwold southwoldsc.org

St Edmundsbury Sailing & Canoeing AssBury St Edmunds

Waldringfield SC

Waveney & Oulton Broad YC

Waveney Sailability

Woodbridge Cruising Club

Woodbridge

Oulton Broad

Lowestoft

Woodbridge

westsuffolksailing.org.uk

waldringfieldsc.com

wobyc.com

waveneysailability.co.uk

woodbridgecruisingclub.org

Waldringfield Sailing Club

Royal Norfolk & Suffolk Yacht Club

Southwold Sailing Club

Woodbridge Cruising Club

High quality sails with service to match

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