by Julia Jones

In my ‘day job’ as a yachting writer I’m often lucky enough to listen to people talking about their ideas and experiences. I thought I’d just collect a few together in case they resonate with anyone else on the Deben. If you have comments you’d like to make, please send to [email protected] or we could get a Facebook discussion going on the RDA page.

Disability access

Woolverstone Project

I write a regular page for Yachting Monthly magazine and hear from many charities across the UK about ways in which they try to enable people with disabilities (not only physical) to find freedom on the water. One of the charities I visited this year was the Woolverstone Project which many Deben people support. I posted an extended article on the RDA Journal page. There is also East Anglian Sail Trust at Levington. If you know of others, please say.

I ask two questions:

If a physically disabled sailor arrived in the River Deben by boat where would they be able to get ashore? Is there step free access at the Tide Mill? I can’t think of anywhere else.

I see a significant number of people in wheelchairs, on mobility scoters and otherwise physically dependent on mobility aids or human carers walking by the river at Woodbridge. I am glad the river is there for them. If they wanted to get on it, to go for a river trip for instance, could they? What about Jahan at Waldringfield, is she much used by people with disabilities. I don’t think there are any boats on the Deben that are adapted for disabled sailors. Please correct me if I’m wrong.

As I get older these are questions I care about more personally, especially as I remember what a struggle it used to be to help my 90-year-old mother with dementia get on and off the water. But there are many people of all ages who could benefit from ‘river therapy’. I wonder what is available to encourage them? Please let me know.

Cleaner water

Preparing bags of native oysters

I had a really interesting conversation with a CIC called Harbour Oysters who operate on the South Coast, mainly in the Chichester Harbour area, but may soon be implementing a project in Burnham-on-Crouch. Essentially they look for suitable sites, such as pontoons, to install bags of native oysters who have an amazing capacity to filter water and also improve the sea bed beneath them encouraging biodiversity. The oysters are NOT for eating but will breed and release spat which have the capacity to replenish other sites, especially on a river which has a previous history of oyster population, which I believe the Deben has. Harbour Oysters maintain the initial deposits of oysters with, for instance, bi-annual scrubbing which requires volunteer involvement. They will only consider a site where there is strong community interest and also some willingness to use the oysters educationally to improve awareness of environment issues. I’ve written my YM article but it’s not been published yet so I will just direct people to the Harbour Oysters website.

This project would need funding but perhaps there are organisations with sufficient interest in improving Deben water quality for community partnerships to be formed?

Community involvement and awareness

You might think this is a bit ill-directed, coming from someone who lives in Essex but I was born in Woodbridge and remember what fun regattas used to be as a child (though for me that was mainly Waldringfield). Now I don’t suppose anyone is going to join me in trying to bring back the greasy pole but I was recently at the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival in Washington State USA – and also at the Wooden Boat Stage at the Southampton International Boat Festival – and came home feeling inspired in various directions.  Also feeling nostalgic for the few years of Maritime Woodbridge, almost unrepeatable now as there is nowhere to display boats and welcome people on board. However, the intense community spirit of Port Townsend did trigger some ideas – in no particular order:

Historic boats visit Port Townsend –
This is Felicity Ann, first boat across the Atlantic sailed by a woman alone 

1. The boats! When we did a survey last year we were able to list 66 boats of all sizes built before 1950 https://www.riverdeben.org/rda-journal/so-whos-the-oldest-boat-on-the-river-a-report-from-the-boats-still-floating-2025-project/ Could we have done more with this information? Made details more publicly available? For instance, new RDA Committee member Tina Johnson, who lives on board a centenarian Dutch barge on Ferry Quay, describes how often she hears people strolling by, stopping, looking, wondering about the history of her boat. Should Tina put up a sign – as in the Maritime Woodbridge days – or distribute a leaflet? What about the other historic boats not just in Ferry Quay but elsewhere on the river. Should they be offered a plaque or a flag? Should there be better on-line visibility – perhaps like an I Spy game? How far does one go before this might be felt as intrusive by the boatowners? And what about those in private space?

Master Knot Tyer Sue Pennistone from the UK was a guest at the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival, demonstrating rope making

2. Port Townsend was proud of its businesses and craftsmen and we should be proud of ours. What about a list of river businesses on the RDA website?  Which businesses should we include, just marine trades or art galleries and pubs?

Getting children on the water at Port Townsend

3. The Festival itself had plenty of hands-on activity for both adults and children as well as ways to get on the water. Can we put more of this into the regattas?  Who’s got the energy? Is the RDA monthly Bits & Bobs newsletter and event guide helping to foster involvement? Are we clear enough about volunteer opportunities and river clubs? Another list for the website?
4. Should we be looking again at enrolling the Deben in the Historic Harbour scheme, as Ipswich has done?
5. And finally I’ve just had a message from a magazine reader suggesting that the RDA should have an annual dinner at Felixstowe Ferry SC. Who’s up for this?

Safety of swimmers and paddlers – the tides

Soon after the Deben Forum meeting in July where Waldringfield harbourmaster, Tony Lyon, once again expressed his anxiety about the safety of visitors who do not understand about either large boat dangers or the effect of the tides, I was sailing with family off the Essex coast and picked up a Mayday relay. It was the day three members of a family from Barking were caught by the tide off Mersea Island and died, with three others hospitalised.

How to make information simple – that’s the challenge…

I am so glad we have our volunteer rescue services at the Deben river entrance. We must continue to support them. But I also wondered whether we could construct some simple system of indicating tidal speed and direction, for Waldringfield (and perhaps elsewhere) in addition to the information as to tide times already posted by the harbour master. Do we have people out there with design imagination and skills?

Thank you for indulging me so far. My email address is [email protected] or there’s Facebook and I will undertake to share ideas round the RDA committee and follow up. Time and energy is always limited but volunteers are correspondingly welcome.

Julia Jones