The sea
I may have been a crab in a previous life because if you put me down in the middle of the countryside and blindfold me then turn me round a few times, I will instinctively start walking towards the sea. It's the smell and the magnetism of the coast. I have rarely lived far from the beach and always enjoyed being around boats and ships and anything nautical. Can I swim? Not very well! I did swim very well once though but that's another story.
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One of my earliest memories of anything at all was the arrival in 1949 of the Viking Longship replica "Hugin" at the subsequently renamed Viking Bay, Broadstairs. This impressive 80 foot craft had been rowed across the North Sea by 53 strong Danes to commemorate the 1500th arrival of the legendary Hengist and his brother Horsa, two Saxon chieftains, who landed at nearby Ebbsfleet. At the age of 4 years, I got lost in the crowds on the beach to welcome this craft. I gave my name to the staff at the missing children tent as "Tony Rivers", unable to pronounce "Withers". A friendly policeman drove me home in a shiny black police car with a bell on the front, aided by my directions and stopping on the way to buy me an ice cream cornet. Cousin Jennifer may remember this event but younger cousin Angela may not.... The Viking Longship is now on permanent display at nearby Pegwell Bay, Kent.
My attraction to the sea and to boats may have started a year or so later when about 5 or 6 years of age. I would be taken to my local beach at Broadstairs and play in the picturesque harbour amongst the boats and the mud. Whenever possible, I would ride on the local pleasure craft "Perseverance" believed to be one of the 'little ships' that helped to bring back so many British soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk at the end of the second world war just a few years earlier. After my parents moved to Cliftonville, near Margate, I became familiar with the "Golden Spray" pleasure boat and subsequently the 70 foot "New Golden Spray". A favourite trip was to the North Goodwin lightvessel to take the crew newspapers and mail. Permanently anchored 10 miles off the Deal coast, this vessel, together with its partner the East Goodwin guarded the notorious Goodwin Sands. The "New Golden Spray" was specially built at Whitstable for its owner Bill Pocock but it frequently broke down and had to be towed back into harbour by the Margate lifeboat although to be fair, its safety record was quite good. Bill was a rugged, slightly sinister, pirate-looking chap whom I respected and daren't speak to. I believe that Bill or his brother was also the owner of the local speedboat "Jet Spray" which, together with the "New Golden Spray" provided the only sea recreation for holidaymakers at Margate for many years, apart from fishing. At the age of 11 or 12, I joined a group of lads known as "The Walpole Bay Ship Spotters Club" becoming their youngest member. The name was subsequently changed to "The Thanet Ship Recognition Society" to give it more credibility. I was fascinated with ships at this time and learned to recognise the funnel and hull markings of all the world's major shipping lines. Living next to the English Channel, the world's busiest shipping route, helped considerably. I bought my own brass telescope and diligently wrote down all the names of the ships seen. The group of lads would visit the London Docks, then thriving and bustling, and there we would be invited onboard some of the more interesting boats of the time. This was a unique club formed by an ex-Royal Naval Mine Watcher called Fred Shelley who was known by the boys as 'Unc'. Such was its uniqueness that it attracted the attention of the people who produced the news review films "Pathé Pictorial" which were then shown at local cinemas around England. We were featured and shot to fame for a few weeks as a result. In 2003, some 45 years after the event, the film has come to light in the ITN News Archives and I now have it on DVD! During this period, as my interest in printing began, I applied to the P & O Line as a ship's printer thus combining my two passions but discovered that the waiting list was a nautical mile long so gave this a miss and became a land-based printer instead. I did get to print on a ship though - during a two week voyage to Trinidad aboard the Caribea I used to help the ship's printer to produce the daily menus! From sailing model yachts as a youngster, as I grew older I took an interest in bigger boats and spent many a happy time crewing for people who were lucky and rich enough to have their own yachts, usually around the 27 foot mark.. My interest in photography was always close at hand and on one occasion, having anchored near a committee boat in order to take photos of the National Offshore Powerboat Championships, I found that we were a little too close to the oncoming powerboats, nevertheless, this made for some interesting photographs. I was delighted to be associated in a small way with the "Horace Clarkson" a Rother class RNLI lifeboat which was donated by my employer and visited the boatyard to photograph its construction and on a subsequent visit its self-righting trials. The craft is now out of service having been converted into a private live aboard boat. It is my ambition, before it is too late, to buy a seaworthy yacht and sail around the world. To this end, I attended a Yachtmasters course to learn all about navigation and seamanship in a bid to obtain some form of qualification. I did not finish the course due to other commitments but I still have my books, plotter and brass dividers! My ideal yacht would be a Northshore Fisher 37 ketch (or bigger!) But look at the price tag! Sponsors may send their cheques without delay! |
Broadstairs where I spent my early years
Taken on a mail and paper run
Margate Lifeboat launching from the pier
The New Golden Spray at Margate
The Resurgence on which I traveled to Denmark from Whitstable
The Ship Spotters with the Pathé man circa 1957
A visit from Margate's Mayor
A go anywhere life on the ocean waves onboard a Fisher 37 Ketch. Oh yes!
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Thames sailing barges on the Swale, Kent in the late 80's - my photo published by Yachting World
