Tag: Faversham Nautical Festival

Medway Match and Faversham Nautical Festival

May 15, 2013 / / 0 Comments

aI am trusting that you have the following dates firmly written into diaries.

First up, THIS SATURDAY the 18th, the 2013 Medway Barge Match. There are some more details on the website http://www.repertor.com/match-dates.php but for now,

MEDWAY BARGE MATCH — from and to Chatham
· Sail 0800 · Start at Gillingham Pier, downriver to Garrison Point, out into the Estuary, to the Medway Buoy and back · Return 1600

There is loads more now on this within Facebook, if you are that way inclined as Dave Brooks has started a group / community called Medway Barge Sailing Match. Go look.

Says Dave,

“Confirmed entries so far (expected entries in brackets):

Staysail Class – Edith May, (Repertor, Niagara)

Coasting – Ardwina, Cambria, (Orinoco, Lady of the Lea)

Bowsprit – Xylonite, Decima, Adieu, (Marjorie)

Shaping up to be a good turn out”.

Also, Restored lightship LV21 will be open to the public throughout the day at Gillingham Pier, perfect for those who wish to view the start and then have a mooch about until the barges return and also HELP REQUIRED – do you know anyone who will be on Gillingham Pier on the morning of the match? We are looking for someone to sell barge match programmes on behalf of the Committee. Greatly appreciate any budding salesman or woman.

Faversham Nautical Festival Poster 2013. Supplied by Nathalie Banaigs.

THE FOLLOWING WEEKEND (25th and 26th May) is the Faversham Nautical Festival. Come down to the Creekside and see plenty of boat/sailing based activities, plus please come and visit our CAMBRIA STAND on Sunday 26th manned by our volunteer’s selling our merchandise.

Up the Creek

July 24, 2012 / / 0 Comments

As promised, a report from Boss of Volunteers, Basil on our involvement in the Faversham Nautical Festival last weekend.

Faversham Nautical Festival, Pic by Dave Brooks. Cambria Stand is green tent above bowsprit.

Says Basil, “This weekend just gone, we were at the Faversham Basin Festival of Sail, where Faversham
Creek Trust were the main fundraisers – There were a couple of visitors to Cambria
corner who were remembering (Mr Volunteer Views) fondly, and regretting your move to Ireland,
but very delighted when they knew that you sort out the website from afar (didn’t know them, and too slow to get names). The musical accompaniment to
proceedings was fantastic and much enjoyed by all comers. SB Lady of the Lea
was visited by a constant stream of people in all age groups, the Creek
Trust appeared to collect many new members which must have made their
efforts all worthwhile. Bangers and burgers were available along with a flow
of beers. We were there to sort of join up the Apprenticeship scheme since
it started via Cambria, and should continue in the Purifier Building,
hopefully. We were very cordially treated. Dave Walsh and
Catherine de Bont were around. She had brought her boat up to join many
others in the Creek.
It was mentioned to me by several people how Medway Ports has become
involved with the Lock Gate, and I pointed out to them that it was project
manager William Collard who initiated this action.”

Basil reminds us that “next week we’re on the pontoon at Gravesend.”

Thanks for that, Basil and thanks to the people who remembered me. The picture is by Dave Brooks. The Cambria stand is the green gazebo behind the bowsprit.

A Clean Bow

July 23, 2012 / / 0 Comments

Cambria’s bow looking very clean after her painting by Sea Change; Photo by Dave Brooks

While we are still “on the blocks” at Pinmill I thought it would be nice to share another photo with you taken by Dave Brooks. This really just to show you how nice, clean and grey she looks in her new paint. This bow area, particularly has been a problem to keep looking neat due to the bleeding of tar (bitumen?) through between planks outwards, leaving us with a horizontal version of zebra striping. This is not a problem in ‘soundness terms’ (better tar leaking out than water leaking in!) and is seen as a good thing and common in brand new barges, especially where the bow and sides are double skin, like ours, overlapping but stepped like brick-work, with a layer of bitumen-soaked tar felt between the 1 and a half inch (I think?) planks. The spiking down of the outer skin puts such pressure on the tar felt layer that it bleeds out between planks (inwards and outwards).

Even when we were first painting the hull, before she was launched we would faithfully roller on a layer of the silver-grey only to find it ‘spoiled’ (in the eyes of we volunteer, beginner-ish painters) by the next morning, especially in warm weather. We’d let it ‘dry’ (of course it never really did), try to clean it off and then repaint, only for the bleeds to come back again. Eventually she was launched like this and we just had to explain to everyone that this was OK and she might do it for 5 years or so before she eventually settled down.

Well, now the Sea Change Sailing Trust have had a go at painting her again. We’ll see whether they get the same issue as the “Summer” progresses.

Tomorrow, a nice report by Boss of Volunteers, Basil Brambleby from the Faversham Nautical Festival which took place last weekend and at which the Cambria Trust had a stand.