" Pin Mill and the Boats " at EveryTrail
 

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After Saturday's formal proceedings, Sunday and Monday were more relaxed

and we were able to enjoy the local area and the comings and goings of the local folk . . . and of the tides.

Being by the sea, the view changes with the hour as the waters rise and fall and the boats come and go.

Harry King's Boatyard, always a delight for the camera.

Competition . . . Webb's Boatyard next door.

Together they maintain the reputation of the village as a haven for boats and a place for boat maintenance and repairs.

On my early morning walk (pre-breakfast I'll have you know)  I met up with Jean, Richard's mum walking Boris.

She must have got up and set off from the house just before me.

She was heading up towards the village for a walk . . . I was heading towards the sea.

One of the river-side properties just up from the yacht club.

In recent years they have renewed the "Scrubbing Up" posts and decking.

If they moor a boat here it will dry out clear of the mud and allow the underside to be scrubbed before the tide once again floats the boat.

I think these two will probably need scrubbing up before we return home too !

What a nice place to stand and take in the view for a while.

With the tide out the Shell Duck are searching for their breakfast.

Overnight two barges have arrived at the moorings,

having quietly raced round from the Thames Estuary, taking about eighteen hours for the trip.

Back up the slipway (yes it was slippery) towards the Butt and Oyster Pub.

I take a stroll down the elevated walkway just to get a close-up view.

However my tea and toast will be enjoyed back at Cathy and Richard's house.

Well and truly anchored.

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Later in the day everyone wanted a slightly longer walk

so we headed out across the green and through the village, heading downstream this time.

Pin Mill Green . . . a popular place for a picnic on a nice day.

The boats at the rear of any boatyard are always the ones that receive the least attention.

The blue and white one could have been someone's "madcap idea" gone astray . . . but I hope they will restore it to sailing trim once again.

We took the path away from the boatyards, the same one as Jean took earlier.

We follow the higher ground from the village which enters an old mixed woodland alongside the river.

Alexander enjoys playing "throw the stick" with Harry.

Rose Bay Willow Herb, with lovely pink blooms, as we skirt the southern edge of the woodland.

Over the fence there's a field of Barley almost ready to harvest.

An open pond serves as a reservoir for irrigation should it be needed.

The rest of the year it provides a small haven for water birds and plants that appreciate the moist ground.

In the long grass alongside the pond the Blue Damselflies are coupled in mating.

Down at the building known as The Clamp, we stop to enjoy the view.

Alexander is almost getting too large to sit on his mum's lap !

That's better . . . and growing up fast !

Time for young lads (and old ones) to explore while the ladies sit, enjoy the view and no-doubt have a chat.

Zooming in on the boats on the river and the Levington Marina opposite.

Looking up river past the white Thames Barge moored at Pin Mill,

to the multitude of masts in the Wolverstone Marina in the distance.

Back now to the houseboat moorings close to the village.

The vast quantities of rubbish have been tidied up in recent years and the place look a whole lot better.

The tide is on the way in too.

I thought this guy was sitting in his canoe but it turns out he's standing in the water and bailing out the canoe ready for the family to use.

We'll pass on lunch as there's plenty in the fridge at home

but we'll return this evening as we have an six o'clock booking for diner.

This lovely old vintage car was visiting the boatyard and drove off as we arrived back.

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After lunch it started to rain but I popped my head out of the house to catch a few photos at high tide.

The pennants are flying straight out at the head of the three masts.

The white boat has taken advantage of the tide to moor closer in,

but the blustery weather is giving that day-cruiser extra work gathering sails before they can leave their boat on the moorings.

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Matthew had been out Saturday night at an "end of term party".  He seems to have swapped one uniform for a slightly less formal one.

The cup was presented as a memento of his year as Head Boy at the School.  

Two grandmothers complete the picture.

Later the sun had returned and the tide disappeared and I returned to the slipway to catch a few closer pictures of the new arrival.

The three classic barges moored up together make a fine sight.

The barges are flat bottomed to navigate the shallows and allow them to dry out on the river banks without falling over.

To maintain steerage whilst under sail they have hinged lee-boards that drop down in place of deep central keels.

The Helm.

The brown sails of the others . . . as a backdrop to the hold covers and ships bucket of this one.

The NIAGARA.

Built in 1898 of steel by Forrest of Wivenhoe, 86.7 ft long by 20.6 ft. beam, very active participant in the barge racing world.

With a view of the mooring at was time for that meal at the Butt and Oyster that we had promised ourselves.

Afterwards it was time for bed . . . . it had been a full on day !

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