14 knots on Cambria’s GPS navigation kit; Photo by Ryan Dale.
Cambria is currently in the capable hands of Skipper Ian Ruffles and Mates Denis Johnson and Ryan Dale (who is also one of ‘our’ Shipwrights) and is out on 4 short charters with the Rotary Club sponsored young carers. Ryan posted this photo of the GPS navigation kit recording a GPS speed (speed over the ground, i.e. including any help from the tide flow) of 14.2 knots which is fair pasting along. Ryan tells us they peaked at 15.9 knots not long after this shot was taken. You can see from the screen map that they are off Shelly Bay which is an industrial oil-terminal ‘inlet’ (a man made bay) on the north shore of the Thames estuary between Stanford-le-Hope and Coryton. Tricia Gurnett adds that this is “the end where Shell Haven was” so possibly explains the name. These speeds mean the sails must we well stretched and set up beautifully and the rigging tuned to perfection after the Summer spent at the hands of Richard Tichener and the Sea Change team and then more recently by the current crew. The hull will also be nicely scraped and smooth, free from barnacles after her visits to the blocks at Pin Mill. Well done and Thank you to all of you. We’ve got us a fast barge!
Hi All,
Shell Haven has nothing whatever to do with the fact that Shell Oil were based there. Shell Haven was a creek some way east of that now dismantled Shell refinery. It ran inland towards Fobbing, not quite meeting Fobbing Creek c200 years of that land’s history. The creek was dammed off some years ago, probably (until the sea has it back) after 1953. There was a wharf inland once used by Kynoch Explosives up to their demise and Cory’s taking over of their land for oil storage… The bed of the creek still runs through the Coyrton works and acts as a drain for the low land around. There was also plans to build a dock in those parts around a hundred years ago…
Shell Haven was mentioned as far back as the 1500s as a place of refuge for shipping awaiting a change of wind to proceed onwards…
Nick Ardley
Thanks for that clarification, Nick. I’ll be sure to pass it on to Trish’.