Ahh, the Crouch is lovely!

ChattingLil

ChattingLil

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We had a bloomin' lovely sail up to Brandy Hole on Sunday morning. LOADS of water, so made the most of it on long tacks using up the whole river - tacking with .5 under us :)

Nearly smashed up a boat :( at Brandy Hole when we picked up a mooring that must have had a veeeeeery long chain because as the tide turned we went within a few inches of a neighbour. (either that or all the boats there are much small than Black Magic) Good job it was sunny and I was in the cockpit watching out :):)

Gently back to Bridgemarsh on the ebb and back in by 3.30pm with time for a little maintenance and the first of my East Coast Sunsets. It was pretty perfick.

Very happy in the new home.

I must remember to take the camera!
 
dylanwinter said:
I went up to the top of both rivers while on my little trip around the Uk lovely


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbhHqZlu7PA

dylan
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Hate to say it, but I can't get past the anti mobo comments on any of the videos and just close the window. Thought the ECF was above that sort of thing myself, and as I also have some very good freinds who own and use a mobo, I find the comments a total turn off. Pity really as I'm sure the rest is as worth watching as the part before the comments. Might be worth coming along to a get together or two so you can meet some mobo's face to face, and get to know them, but I don't think I'll be watching any more of the films. Sorry
 
death threats

I have had some pretty strong anonymous threats sent to me in the wake of the films
as my email is on the end of every one

I got a load from Ramsgate

and even more from mobo defenders

I am sure that some of them are lovely. lovely people

but all I can say is that a bloke who decides that a ski zone is an area where he can let rip with his 40 footer is being alsightly inconsiderate

on a sunny summer weekend they make the top end of the crouch a pretty tough place to sail a smallish boat

and if you look at the film some of them were behaving in a thoughly irresponsible way



Dylan
 
In order to make an unbiased opinion I've just watched the film all the way through, and asked my good lady wife to do the same. The mobo clips seem to me to be just that, short clips, which may or may not reflect what happened in reality. One boat did seem to come a little close but without more film of the incident I'm afraid it's not possible to form an accurate opinion on the reality. The clips seemed to be trying to make them out to be something they weren't, but then, that's just the way we see it.
I would hate to think we were heading the way of anti mobo or anti sail in the ECF, but I'm afraid your bias is obvious, so for that reason I stand by what I said and will not be watching any further films
Of course, I would not and could not condone any abuse you may have had, but I'm very much of the live and let live camp, and although we have come up against the odd mobo or jet ski that was a little less than considerate, the vast majority behave like I do, and act with consideration to other boaters regardless of what they may or may not think to the other boat
Oh, and I thought the thirty five footer with the ugly bow was quite a nice looking boat, and if I could afford one I might even think about having one, but then I enjoy boats regardless of type.
No point falling out over this one, but I'll not be watching another video with the same bias reflected in it. Just my two penny worth and I'm probably alone in thinking it, but I'm afraid I prefer the ECF without the anti this and that, don't even think we've even had an argument over which anchor is best in here yet, long may it remain so, everyone knows the Danforth is best anyway
 
Can I just add that the Danforth is rubbish!!.......................

:D

I can't back that up. I was just being inflamatory! :D
 
:D
A very good mate has a picture of one of the most respected boats on the water, with a fishermans on the bow :eek:
But then the RNLI do use mobo's :D
 
The Crouch

It would be a shame to turn your back on a film of a slow journey around our varied and delightful coast that has been put together by a small boat owner as I intend to take my boat up every river that seems worth visiting.

We English do have some wonderful Rivers - particularly those of the East Coast. The East Coast is blessed with the most wonderful rivers anywhere in the UK - and that combined with a low rainfall makes it the best place I have ever sailed. But then I am biased having started my sailing at Brightlingsea.

It has been a real delight to silently follow the tide up some classic rivers.

The aim of the film series is to give people an idea of what to expect on a river - what is phyiscially there - but it sems to me that you can get that from a well written almanac such as Reeds or a more detailed pilot - such as the excellent East Coast Pilot

But I also wanted to remember how the river made me feel as I sailed up it for the first time - or the tenth or twentieth if I can saty for long enough.


The Medway was a real revelation to me. The south bank so wild and undeveloped, the north bank industrialised. Shipping coming and going all night. Towards the top Chatham Dockyards with the bridges and the listing submarine.

The top of the medway is an entirely different river - especially if you go up beyond the first set of lock gates right to the top of the navigation.

then there is the Thames - with its mighty currents and back eddies - chancy wind which has to navigate around warehouses and canary wharf before reaching my sails down at water level. Then ther are the barges and the working boats - which create massive washes - the speeding cats which can appear out of nowhere.

To take your own boat to Tower Bridge, the heart of our capital city is an emotional experience - well if it isn't then I don't really know why such people would go sailing.

These things I tried to portray in the films.

To travel up a river without developing a feeling, an emotional response to it, or with it, would be a shame. It why I feel genuine sadness for the depth challenged owneres of deep keelers who can but watch as other boats penetrate miles further inland than they would ever be prepared to go.

But if its just facts of the geography that are of interest then google earth does a brilliant job.


I came up to the roach and the crouch from the bustle of the Thames.

What a relief it was.

I went to the very top of the Roach - and a lovely tranquil river it is too.

I spent the night at the bottom end of the Roach. In the morning I followed the last of the tide down to where it meets the crouch and took the flood right through Burnhamn just as it was starting to wake up.

It was a wonderful experience.

I relished the sail back down with the tide - and expressed my joy at seeing the other users of the water - as it slowly came alove with small dinghies and yachts - there were a few small motor boats around - mostly pram dinghies with 2hp jobs on the back.



Then as the tide picked up I came on through to the that de-restricted section of the Crouch.

Users of the River will know what the place is like on a sunny weekend with a good afternoon high tide.

It is quite a busy place

I could have decided that this was not worth filming

- I think it was worth filming


and I also expressed my emotional response to the hitting that section after two quiet days.


Not everybody will react in the same way - but I suspect that most local sailors know that it is not a place to hang around on just such a day.


It was all filmed in that one passge through the de-restricted zone. No trickery, no making the camera run faster.

I think it would be a shame to turn your back on the whole series because you disagreed with one three minute section.

Although there may be other things I have said in the programmes that have made you think badly of me and the whole series - for offending you I apologise.



Dylan
 
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Dylan, I can fully understand what you're trying to say, and I do understand that sometimes it is a little chaotic out there, but surely no worse than suddenly finding a whole racing fleet coming charging at you. By our nature as sailors, we might have a quick grumble but swiftly move on, or in my case not so swiftly.
In my very very humble opinion the films would be so very much better without the anti comments, and personally, I think you are much better than that anyway. May I suggest you try ignoring the people that get on your nerves, or at least try not to record any comments. They're just people out there trying to enjoy boating like the rest of us, just different, and sometimes, most likely without realising, we all do something daft
Let he who has not sinned ....

This is where the mother in law steps in and throws a stone

Hope this makes sense, and look forward to meeting some time this year, I'll be moving to the Deben soon and hope to do some of those shallow creek trips for a while, so much more enjoyable when you don't get wound up by others

Oh, and the top of the Crouch, near Battlesbridge, is what it's like here where I'm moored, only down there it looks a lot nicer. Width of river is very similar though
 
The Wash

I am really looking forward to it.

I had hoped to get up there before the birds started to thin out - but in reality I will not be there until May - which will probably be a bit late

I was also hoping to go down into the fens to explore the drainage a little

But before that I am planning to keep the boat on the broads for a month - april if the weather behaves

Thanks for your interest

Dylan
 
better with or without comments -

Sixpence said:
In my very very humble opinion the films would be so very much better without the anti comments, and personally, I think you are much better than that anyway. May I suggest you try ignoring the people that get on your nerves, or at least try not to record any comments. They're just people out there trying to enjoy boating like the rest of us, just different, and sometimes, most likely without realising, we all do something daft
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on the assumption that anyone is still following this thread it would be interesting to know if the films would be all the better for less comment and more pictures

so I could have filmed the mobos and not made any comments

or perhaps I should not have included the pictures of the mobos at all

It would be good to know.

I will watch the thrread with interest

Dylan
 
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Oh I know that at least one mobo' is reading it, just hasn't said anything yet :rolleyes:
Try a tolerant approach and see how it feels, so comment as much or as little as you like, but being positive.
Too much with the negative waves can cause more problems than it solves, at least I think so :cool:
I would be interested in how others feel too though, maybe I'm alone after all :eek:
 
Personally, from someone who has owned MOBOs for over 10 years and currently has a sailing boat, strangely I like the Video clips as they are because they are honest.

I don't agree with Dylan's perspective on his generalisation of MOBO's though I certainly agree there are enough out there to tarnish the general reputation.

I have to be honest in saying 'Raggies' get off the hook more often IMO because the annoyance an inconsiderate or impolite Yacht owner creates is far less dramatic than a MOBO that can do great speed and create alot of 'look at me' syndrome. If you get my point.

I wouldn't like to see Dylan sensor his videos or opinion so as not to upset anyone. I'd rather it be for others to try and change his opinion or perhaps try and show the better side of MOBOs.

So for me i'd rather watch them as they are, whilst shaking my head for 10-15 seconds somewhere in the middle. :)

rgds,

Nick
 
I have not watched the clips and after your review Sixpence I won't bother personally as long as its a boat at sea or on the river I'll give 'em a wave ;)
 
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Joe, watch the film and listen to what Dylan says. Watch the few minutes where mobo's are in it, and listen, then decide. Only fair to do that, he has put a lot of effort into it after all, and I enjoy every bit of it, apart from the anti mobo bit. To be fair I could be completely wrong, it has been known :eek:
 
please watch more than that

Sixpence said:
Joe, watch the film and listen to what Dylan says. Watch the few minutes where mobo's are in it, and listen, then decide. Only fair to do that, he has put a lot of effort into it after all, and I enjoy every bit of it, apart from the anti mobo bit. To be fair I could be completely wrong, it has been known :eek:
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I think just watching the one film which contains a section which is almost gauranteed to offend the owners of large, fast, motorbpowered recreational vessels and then using that as a way of judging what amounts to 3 hours of travelogue might be a bit unfair....

but if those are the rules... then so bit it

Dylan
 
Dylan, to be fair, I don't have time at the moment to watch all of the films, but then others are very much the same, so tend to do as I have and formed an opinion on one. A bit unfair I grant you, but I'm afraid that can be all it takes sometimes
I don't do arguments these days, just trying to be helpful, so hope I haven't caused any offence
 
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