Medway and Swale Boating Association
The voice of boating on the tidal Medway and Swale
Medway/Swale clubs are invited to join a rally to West India Dock (in the heart of London’s Docklands) on the August bank holiday weekend. The event is organised by the Dockland Scout Project on behalf of the Association of Thames Yacht Clubs. Apart from being a very inexpensive way to visit London there are lots of fun events to watch or join in. For full details click below to download the invitation letter…
For additional info, see reply by Fred Trice.
Now that the warships and tall ships have gone, a fleet of nearly a hundred Dutch yachts were led up the Medway past Upnor Castle this afternoon by the SS George Stephenson blowing her steam whistle. The MSBA has coordinated the task of finding temporary moorings for the vessels.
The Dutch are well underway with the registration of the 200 or so yachts and ships coming to the Medway for the historic event. The really good news is that the bulk of the Dutch visitors will be split into two fleets.
Fleet 1, consisting of; tall ships, including the HNLMS Urania, the brigs; Merganster and Aphrodite; many yachts from the Royal Maas Yacht Club from Rotterdam, and; historic steam and motor vessels, will gather at Queenborough on Wednesday. 7 June 2017 and sail, in company, up the Medway, on the morning of Thursday, 8 June 2017, with the Dutch royal prince taking the salute at Upnor castle. Fleet 1 will leave the Medway on 12 / 13 June 2017.
Fleet 2, up to 90 yachts, largely from the Dutch Offshore Sailing Club, will gather at Stangate Creek and sail up the Medway on 14 June 2017, leaving on 18 June 2017.
Many of the historic ships will be open to the public as well as the visiting Dutch and British naval vessel, which will be berthed in Chatham Docks, Basin 2.
The event grand finale takes place on Saturday, 17 June 2017. The day includes entertainment on the river; a parade of sail with Dutch and local yachts and ships, including a modern steam vessel and many of the Fleet 2 yachts. The day culminates with the ‘Medway in Flames’, a son-et-lumiere and firework display with Upnor Castle as the backdrop, with magnificent views from MYC.
The Medway and Swale Boating Association (MSBA) and member clubs and marinas, including Medway YC and Upnor SC, are providing moorings for our Dutch visitors and arranging river activities.
Our Medway and Upnor clubs are working together to provide breakfast and evening meal galley facilities, and; to arrange Hog Roast evenings with a sea shanty band, at MYC, on Saturday 10 June and Friday 16 June 2017. There will also be a ‘Pub Night’ meal, served from the counter, with Upnor SC running a Quiz, on Thursday 15 June.
Hoo Ness YC, together with Medway Cruising Club and Segas SC are providing moorings and hospitality for a small fleet of ‘Gaffers’ from Holland and the east coast.
Websites providing further information can be found at www.deruyter.org and www.visitmedway.org
Brian Corbett, MSBA Chairman
The Gathering of Boats, which has replaced the Maidstone River Festival, will take place on Saturday, 25 July. Some 150 boats are expected to arrive in Maidstone town centre. Read more…
The Medway River Users Association, which represents boaters on the non-tidal Medway, is a partner of the MSBA.
Westerly Owners (and there are quite a few of us) are invited to join the rally, mustering at Harty Ferry on Friday 1 August then proceeding to Medway YC for dinner on Saturday. Contact John Elliot (Water Gypsy) at johnrelliot (at) btinternet.com
More details at http://www.westerly-owners.co.uk/ev_thames_events.php
The 2014 Commemorative Cruise will see the Little Ships visiting Chatham on the River Medway. Over 20 Little Ships are expected to attend from the Medway, Thames, South and East Coast.
Little Ships will be mooring on the Home & Communities agency (HCA) pontoon which is located in Basin 1 by the HMS Chatham Bridge, access to the pontoon will be through MDL Chatham Maritime Marina lock on River Medway.
For more information see http://www.adls.org.uk/t1/content/commemorative-cruise-2014-chatham-kent
Following the success of the first ever rally for Finesse class clinker yachts in 2013 another has been booked for 2014. The rally will be at Chatham Marina over the late May Bank Holiday weekend, Saturday 24 May to Monday 26 May.
If you are an owner of one of these clinker classics, help to make this bigger than the first: last year the marina was very pleased to see us and loved all the gleaming varnish. As an added attraction, this year the craft of the Dunkirk Little Ship Club will be in the dock too.
For owners that can make it, we will meet up in Stangate Creek on the River Medway on the Friday afternoon or evening, and then sail upriver in company to lock in on Saturday – it’ll be a splendid sight.
The event pontoon and marquee has been booked. The party will kick off with a meet and greet on arrival, with a BBQ in the evening. As before, it is likely we will have a group meal within the marina complex on the Sunday evening after a gathering for pontoon drinks and nibbles. For recreation, there are riverside walks, the Chatham Dockyard Experience, and the historic city of Rochester close by.
A rally information pack will be sent out prior to the event. Contact Nick Ardley at: www.nickardley.com – email: nick_ardley@yahoo.com for details and booking.