EC Cruising Books

ianc1200

ianc1200

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What’s your favourite books/authors re EC cruising?

My books would be

Magic of The Swatchways
Riddle of The Sands (I know it isn’t really EC, and it’s about a war, but it’s got the feel of EC cruising)
We Didn’t Mean to Go To Sea/Secret Water

Authors

Maurice Griffiths
Ransome
Alker Tripp (Particularly Under The Cabin Lamp)
FB Cooke (Particularly In Tidal Waters)
H L Jones
John Lewis (A Taste For Sailing)
C Stock
Ray Whitaker (Two and a Half Ton Dream)

I’m trying to find if there’s some EC cruising books I haven’t read, any suggestions?

IanC
 
For next year I am looking to buy a few books to chill out while waiting for the tide, I think Maurice Griffiths is going to be top the list, what other books would you recomend Ian?
 
Dave

If you haven't got Magic of The Swatchways, Riddle of The Sands, We Didn’t Mean to Go To Sea & Secret Water, I'ds start with those. There's also quite a few barge restoration/cruising/trading under sail books (Bob Roberts etc), fishing/smack type books by M Frost (two I can think of on Boudicea) & Hervey Benham, "An Old Gaffers Tale" by Martin Eve, about three barging fictional books by Graham Dent, "Building A Little Ship" by WH Johnson, So Many Tides by Jon Wainwright, etc etc. But start with Magic of The Swatchways!

IanC
 
ianc1200 said:
...
Ray Whitaker (Two and a Half Ton Dream)
...
IanC
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I read this when I was 6 or 7, a kid in landlocked Leicestershire obsessed with sailing and no idea how to go about doing it. No idea where the story took place either but it fired my imagination, I read it 4 times and drew my own copies of all the pictures by Fid Harnack.

Ironic that I bought my first cruiser nearly 40 years later at West Mersea. - and re-read the book when I found it in a library a year afterwards and discovered it was all set on the Blackwater.

I can't find it anywhere now, if anyone has one or knows where I can get one or comes across a copy in their travels I'd be very very grateful.
 
Kioni said:
I read this when I was 6 or 7, a kid in landlocked Leicestershire obsessed with sailing and no idea how to go about doing it. No idea where the story took place either but it fired my imagination, I read it 4 times and drew my own copies of all the pictures by Fid Harnack.

Ironic that I bought my first cruiser nearly 40 years later at West Mersea. - and re-read the book when I found it in a library a year afterwards and discovered it was all set on the Blackwater.

I can't find it anywhere now, if anyone has one or knows where I can get one or comes across a copy in their travels I'd be very very grateful.
Click to expand...

My experience with 'Two and a Half Ton Dream' almost mirrors yours Kioni. I read the book many times when I was probably slightly older at 11 or 12 and also obsessed with sailing. I at least could go and look over the Solent; not so crowded back in the sixties (we lived near Gosport). It also fired my imagination, so much so that finding a copy became an obsession in itself. (the original was a library book).

One Christmas only two or three years, I had a book shaped present under the tree and there it was 'Two and a Half Ton Dream'. My SWMBO, probably fed up with me dragging her around every old book shop we came across, had been into a bookseller in Chichester unbeknown to me and the shop owner had searched via the internet some sites only known to him and uncovered two copies. Christine bought one for me. I must confess after all those years searching I got quite emotional.

I still find it has the same effect, I wonder if there was a yard in Maldon run by Charlie (West) back in the Fifties?

Mine is a first Edition (there was probably only one) Published by Herbert Jenkins of London. The Copyright is with one John Davies.

I always thought the book was based on fact and Ghost Written by Whittaker, and I like to think John and Sue were real people....

Regards nostalgically
Russ (Boz)
 
Boz said:
My experience with 'Two and a Half Ton Dream' almost mirrors yours Kioni. I read the book many times when I was probably slightly older at 11 or 12 and also obsessed with sailing...

...Mine is a first Edition (there was probably only one) Published by Herbert Jenkins of London. The Copyright is with one John Davies.

I always thought the book was based on fact and Ghost Written by Whittaker, and I like to think John and Sue were real people....

Regards nostalgically
Russ (Boz)
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Funny isn't it? The sight of any small gaffer with a cabin with round portlights always reminds me of that book. When I read it again a few years back the bits I'd sort of skipped as a kid (the actual places, the reaction of his wife etc) all sprang into life. I recall the style was a bit late-fifties jolly-hocky-sticks which seems a bit dated these days but it thrilled me again nonetheless.

I had an Aunt in Hamble and when I was 6 I had a 2 week holiday there with my sister (my parents drove us down and left us there for a holiday). I took this book out of Loughborough library and had it with me while we were there. I can vividly remember where I found it in the library and standing there looking through it, sun coming through the windows. In Hamble we'd go down with my cousin and uncle and look at all the boats and I'd go back and read more of the book and draw my pencil drawings, wishing I could have a little sailing boat just like that (or that my Dad would buy one). Never happened though, but I think Rays book and that holiday cemented the whole idea in my mind even though it took another 20 odd years before I finally bought a dinghy and just went for it.

Yes, the publisher is correct and the name John Davies I remember, I think there were a couple of reprints. I actually asked the library if I could buy their copy but they weren't interested. My internet searches are drawing a complete blank at the moment. I do recall finding one on the net just after I re-read it 7 years ago but they wanted 50 quid and I balked at that - that might have ben a mistake.

I shall keep searching - I'd like to see what my boys make of it (8 and 11). They at least have done a lot of sailing now (whereas I come from a completely non-sailing family) and know the area :)

Neil
 
Hey Ian, thanks and yes I did see it but only after bidding closed :(

Pretty annoyed about it actually - I've recently (again) searched every internet secondhand bookshop and there's nothing worldwide. The library search only brings up 5 in the British Isles - 1 each in Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Oxford and the British Library. Last time I read it Bristol library got it in for me specially.
 
From Ransome - The Big Six and Coot Club are both about the broads; Griffiths also wrote Swatchways and Little Ships about (amongst other things) his wartime exploits.
 
Kioni said:
Yes, the publisher is correct and the name John Davies I remember, I think there were a couple of reprints. I actually asked the library if I could buy
Neil
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It never occured to me that Ray Whitaker could be a pseudonym for John Davies. I can't turn up any other books by Ray Whitaker but there appear to be 3 books in the 'Sailing' genre by a John Davies:

Sailing
the Sailing Handbook
Fever in the Blood (although this may not a Sailing Book)

I wonder if 'Ray Whitaker' was derived from a couple of well known East Coast Marks? The Author was clearly an East Coast man....

Regards
Russ (Boz)
 
Two and half ton Dream

Well I guess the price of this book has just doubled! I had never heard of it but given the books it is mentioned alongside then I am sure I want to read it. My own suggestion might be "The Art of Coarse Sailing" which is set on the Broads. Not, as the name suggests, a serious sailing book but good for a few laughs. My favourite moment is when the crews are returning worse for wear from the pub in Beccles singing a Gilbert and Sullivan chorus. A window is thrown up and they wait for the abuse. "That was jolly nice, give us another". I do like Beccles says the author.

I've never been to Beccles, but I think I might like it too.

Michael
 
Gotty and the Guv'nor

Another EC cruising book is Gotty and the Guv'nor, by A E Copping. Copping was an established author, and Gotty was a Leigh on Sea fisherman (real name Alfred Boynton). Copping bought a bawley called Jane, and renamed her Betty. Much of the book concerns pre First World War Leigh, fishing etc, and then a voyage along the south coast as far as Penzance, but most of the book concerns Gotty (court appearances etc) and buying & fitting out the boat for a cruise. There was a sequel, Gotty in Furrin' Parts, but usually quoted as being impossible to find, although there are two copies for sale on ABE Books (one on UK ABE, the other on German ABE), both for near £100.
Gotty and the Guv'nor, being republished is fairly easy to get hold of.

IanC
 
The things you learn....

All this talk of being inspired by books read as a kid reminded me of the Childrens' Author KM Peyton. She's best known for her books about horses (Flambards, for example) but earlier in her career she wrote a number of books about the sea, mostly set on the East Coast, iirc. They're childrens' books, of course, but they were inspiring and evocative and I have happy memories of time spent reading them.

Reminded of her, I did a quick Google, found her website and discovered that the reason her surname is Peyton is because she's Mike Peyton's wife. I never knew that.....
 
Master_under_Dog said:
My favourite moment is when the crews are returning worse for wear from the pub in Beccles singing a Gilbert and Sullivan chorus. A window is thrown up and they wait for the abuse. "That was jolly nice, give us another". I do like Beccles says the author.

I've never been to Beccles, but I think I might like it too.

Michael
Click to expand...

:D Had a 're-enactment' of that last year - camping in a large field allowing fires. Ours was the last to go out, accompanied by whisky fuelled songs and two guitars. A car started up and approached after midnight. 'I guess we're keeping the (family) campsite awake' someone said as we anxously watched the lightless, dark vehicle pull up. The window went down and a shadowed figure said "Brilliant. Can you do any Clash songs?" and purred away again. "I suppose you could call that a 'drive-by compliment ' " said Carl.
 
EC books

No one seems to have mentioned H Alker Tripp. The most relevant to the east coast was ‘Shoal Water and Fairway’ but ‘Under the Cabin Lamp’ is also worth a read. He also wrote 'Suffolk Sea Borders' but I am not so keen on that.

I have always thought that the originator of Maurice Griffiths school of east coast writing was H L Jones who wrote ‘Swin, Swale and Swatchway’ in (I think) the 1880s. It is or was still available as a reprint from Goodchild Nautical Reprints in the US.

Two of my favourites are ‘Messing About in Boats’ by J R Muir and ‘Little Ship Wanderings’ by J B Kirkpatrick. Both are well out of print now but sometimes crop up for sale on the web.
 
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