Does the Medway have the finest maritime heritage in the world?

Yes, the Medway has one of the finest (if not THE finest) collections of heritage vessels in the world! MSBA Chairman Brian Corbett is passionate about the Medway being a leading centre for British, European and World Maritime Heritage. He has drafted a paper to encourage the agencies involved with the River Medway to meet, as an interested and integrated forum, to share in and mutually benefit from, the River Medway attaining its rightful status.

Read or download the document…

CA Winter Warmer talk: Medway Queen, Thu 11 Oct

Clifford Mickleburgh has announced the Cruising Association Kent Section’s 2018/19 programme of “Winter Warmer” talks:

  • 11 October: Pam & Mark Bathurst, Medway Queen Preservation Society
  • 8 November: Peter Norris, Clarke & Carter Kent
  • 13 December: James Collier, RATS (CA Regulations and Technical Services)
  • 10 January Des Crampton, trip to Svalbard
  • 14 February: Roy Brooks, Scotline
  • 14 March: Chris Jeckells, Jeckells the Sailmakers
  • 11 April: Dick Holness, East Coast Pilot

More information on the CA Kent Winter Warmer 2018 – 2019 programme…

We are all invited to these excellent talks, which are held at 8pm at the Dog and Bear, Lenham, near Maidstone. It’s a good idea to book a meal (by 5pm please) on 01622 858219 for 7pm before the talk. A special CA 7-choice menu is available for £9.95.

The first presentation on 11 October is by Pam & Mark Bathurst of the Medway Queen Preservation Society. The Medway Queen was launched in 1924 and entered service on Thames estuary routes in May of that year. She was used as a minesweeper in WWII. Few ships associated with Dunkirk have fought so hard and escaped destruction so tenaciously and for so long as the Medway Queen. After the war she returned to her old route until 1963. From 1966 until 1974 she was a nightclub in the Isle of Wight. The hull rebuild was undertaken in Bristol with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the European Regional Development Fund and completed in late 2013. Medway Queen was towed back home and is now moored at Gillingham Pier where she can be visited.

Wayfarer Southern Area Champs, 8+9 Sept

This weekend sees the Wayfarer fleet descend on Medway Yacht Club for their Southern Area Championships and event number 6 of the Craftinsure sponsored Travellers and National Circuit Series.

A mixed bag of weather is expected by the 20 or so boats expected to enter with south westerly winds of force 4-5 with showers and sunny intervals on the Saturday followed by a westerly force 4-5 veering to the north west and reducing slightly accompanied by sunny intervals on Sunday. Of course, this being England, it could, and probably will, all change by the weekend.

The Medway Yacht Club is experienced at putting up the Wayfarers, having successfully hosted several Area and National Championships for the Class over the past decade. It is also home to one of the largest and most active Wayfarer racing club fleets in the Country. Aside from the racing, competitors will enjoy supper in the clubhouse and suffer the Commodore’s slightly dodgy but very funny quiz on the Saturday evening.

The Craftinsure Travellers Series has been very well supported in 2018. After the fifth event, 62 boats from 24 clubs have competed in at least one of the regattas. The best represented Club to date has been Medway YC and this statistic is unlikely to change over the weekend with at least a dozen local boats due to take part. The Series itself is currently led by Andrew and Tom Wilson from Datchet SC, from Bill Whitney and Lisa Whitney/John Shelton from Shoreham SC and then Brian Lamb and Sam Pygall from Wilsonian SC. All of these are expected to attend and be at or near the front of the fleet; Brian and Sam will be especially keen, as usual, to do well and put one over their near neighbours at the MYC.

Abandoned yacht sinks on mooring

Photo Gavin Parson

The abandoned Westerly Centaur, Lady Mine, which was left on Sun Pier for months, and subsequently broke her mast on the Veetee jetty, was left on an RNSA mooring. Today she sank, probably because the broken rigging snagged on the ground chain. What a sad end to yet another once-cherished boat, and an expensive problem for someone else to sort out!

Revenge meets her end in Faversham Creek

A sad end to the Revenge. After occupying Sun Pier illegally for months the ill-fated “pirate ship” fetched up in Faversham Creek before being cut adrift, whereupon she went aground with her masts across the channel. Peel Ports cut the masts off to reduce the obstruction and now someone has put a torch to her. From the look of her frames she was a well-built vessel.