The volunteer crew of the Sheerness inshore lifeboat ‘Eleanor’ were called at 4.15pm on Monday 3 August to the assistance of the 23 foot craft ‘Serendipity’ with one man on board, reportedly aground off Bartlett Creek, which is in the Lower Rainham area of the River Medway. The ILB arrived at the reported area but could find no trace of the casualty. A search of the area up to Kingsnorth was made, again with no result. The search was then expanded to the areas of Stangate and Sharfleet Creeks. The casualty was eventually found ‘hard aground’ on Slayhill Marsh, a remote area between Lower Halstow and the Sheppey Crossing – a long way from the first reported position.
The crew of the ILB secured an anchor to the craft and the owner was then brought ashore to the safety of the lifeboat station at Sheerness. Lifeboat coxswain Robin Castle said, “the craft was left high and dry on a mud bank and will be very difficult to re-float. The Medway mud gets everywhere.” After a thorough clean, the ILB and crew were ready for service again at 6.30pm.
The Slayhills Marsh sits between Ham Oaze (Upchurch Saltings as was), where Sharfleet Creek curls south, and Milfordhope Creek. This is some distance from either the foot of Stangate or even remotely near the Sheppey Crossing – think some local geography lessons is needed by ‘services’ perhaps! The marsh sits within the parish of Upchurch … grounds (mud n marsh) I knew intimately as a boy and now more fondly as an ‘old codger’!
Yes Nick, Slayhills Marsh is only 1.5 miles E of Bartlett Creek, so not so far really. Vic Booth does the press releases for the Sheerness lifeboat station and these sometimes contain geographic inexactitudes, but let’s cut the guy some slack as he is doing a great job by telling us what the volunteers have been up to in a timely manner.