What would travellers from the days of sail make of Harwich Harbour in the 21st century? Daniel Defoe takes to[…]
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Category: English East Coast
Tales in this category have some connection with the East Coast of England, roughly from the north Kent coast, River Thames and estuary north as far as the Wash. It is a popular sailing area for leisure cruising today and has a rich maritime heritage with many classic craft still plying the coasts.
Albion, the oldest remaining Norfolk wherry
‘Albion’ was built as a Norfolk wherry and carried cargo on the inland waterways of eastern England. Jack Powley was[…]
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The British trawler fleet: 1940 – 1949
This ‘Instructional film’ from the Pathé Archive provides a clearly-presented overview of trawling in the 1940s, as steam began to[…]
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Sailing on the Norfolk Broads: 1948
Norfolk wherry, ‘Albion’ is one of just two survivors of the 300 ‘black-sailed traders’ which once carried cargo on the[…]
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Michaelmas fishing fair at Yarmouth, 1726
Daniel Defoe describes the fishing fair and other trading activity in Yarmouth, during his travels in Norfolk. He is most[…]
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Waldringfield Dragonfly One Design celebrates 70 years: 2019
Waldringfield, a small village on the River Deben in Suffolk has had sailing clubs since 1921 and September 2019 saw[…]
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Girls of the yacht brigade: 1931
This silent movie from the Pathé archive opens with two girls standing on the deck of a small yacht before the[…]
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Botters in English hands: part 1
Fritz van der Mark shares his research into the demise of a Dutch botter, which ended her days on the[…]
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Botters in English hands: part 2
We bring the second part of Fritz van der Mark’s research into the demise of a Dutch botter. The article[…]
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Storm off Winterton Ness, 1692
Daniel Defoe describes a terrible disaster when 200 sailing colliers were lost off the east coast of England in 1692.[…]
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