Author Archives: Alan Comber
RDA Journal Update
Journal articles are usually published around 5pm on the day. Here are the most recent:
- 30 May 25 – Conservation and Climate Change: The National Trust on the Suffolk and Essex Coast
- 13 June 25 – Woodbridge Regatta – an intergenerational event
- 27 June 25 – Nancy Blackett goes VI Sailing
The published articles can be found here.
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Where next for Nirvana of Arklow?
By Julia Jones, Jamie Clay, Carolyn Gibbins, Samantha Simpson, Russell Read, Hugh Browton, Nancy Clay
Julia Jones – tribute to a soon-to-be centenarian
Nirvana – (courtesy Gill Moon)
The loveliest boat on the Deben – or one of the prettiest yachts ever built anywhere? Nirvana will reach her 100th birthday next year but needs a new home and owner. When I used her as the model for Snow Goose in my ‘Strong Winds’ series of adventure stories, her fictional owner described her as having been designed ‘by the hand of God’. In fact, her lines were drawn in 1915 by the artist Albert Strange (1855-1917). Strange sailed from the Humber, so was comfortable with the idea of mud flats and shallow waters, but Nirvana herself was built in Ireland and cruised extensively on the west coasts of both Ireland and Scotland. Then, for many years she was based in Holyhead, Wales. In her most recent ownership (from 1989) she has also made extensive trips to Scandinavian waters with owners Peter and Nancy Clay and their friends. It’s here, in Suffolk, however, that so many of us, who have never sailed Nirvana, have come to love her and have felt our spirits lift when we have seen her beating easily down river or lying serenely on her mooring.
Since Peter died in 2023, Nirvana has been carefully laid up, looking for a new owner to bring her back to life and activity. Now, on the eve of her 100th year, some of her East Coast friends have produced this tribute.
Continue readingLord Deben – Patron of the River Deben Association
The River Deben Association (RDA) is delighted to announce that Lord Deben to become its patron from October 2024, supporting the association in its efforts to understand and protect the River Deben and conserve it for all users.
The RDA invited Lord Deben to support the association as patron following a very successful talk last autumn titled ‘Net Zero – where are we now?’ on climate change and why it matters, and we are honoured that he has accepted the invitation. Many of our more than 900 members attended Lord Deben’s thought-provoking talk and for those who missed it a report is available on the RDA website.
Continue readingArtist and printmaker Angela Harding finds inspiration on the Deben
By Catherine Larner
The intricate, stylised linocut designs of wildlife, rivers and landscapes created by the artist and printmaker Angela Harding are instantly recognisable.
First used widely in greetings cards and magazine illustrations, the images have also featured as distinctive book covers. There was the iconic image for ‘The Salt Path’ by Raynor Winn, the series of PD James crime novels and recently the cover for ‘Blossomise, the new book by poet laureate Simon Armitage, and the illustrated version of ‘Wilding’ by Isabella Tree.
Continue readingRiver Deben Association Autumn Talk – Confessions of a Serial Litter Picker
River Deben Association Autumn Talk
Confessions of a Serial Litter Picker
How litter and plastic impacts our environment
Master litter picker Jason Alexander explains
Tuesday November 5th, Quay Church, Woodbridge IP12 1BX
(doors open at 7 pm, talk at 7.30)
Deben Forum Report July 2024
by Colin Nicholson
24 organisations from across the Deben Estuary were represented with 27 attendees discussing issues and suggesting solutions. On this occasion speed was seen as a major focus. 
Following a Covid-related hiatus, The Deben Forum was again convened by the River Deben Association (RDA). The Deben Forum took place at The Quay Church, Woodbridge with costs borne by the RDA membership. With the Deben Forum falling within the busy holiday period, it is hoped that even more organisations can be present next time.
The Deben Forum acts as a useful body to get all the Estuary’s Fairways Committees (amongst other organisations) together in one place to coordinate policy, share experience, increase awareness of other parts of river and share best practice. An example would be the co-ordination of views on speed limits and an agreement on a buoy scheme to promote low wash which was achieved in just 20 mins at the Deben Forum after months of inactivity.
Colin and Matt
Led by Colin Nicholson (RDA Co-Chair) and Matt Lis (RDA Business Interests) representatives introduced themselves, their organisation and items of interest/seen as issues leading to a ranking for the subjects of most interest. Ben Grundy, Chair of the Kyson Fairways Committee and RDA Committee member would also have led discussions but work commitments forced his absence.
Continue readingA truly eclectic mix: the OGA on the Deben, May 2024
By Beverley Yates
On Bank Holiday Friday evening, 24 May, 2024, a total of 36 boats arrived by road, sea and river at Waldringfield on the River Deben. Why were they all converging on this quiet village to moor up and sleep aboard or set up camp in the ‘top field’ above the Boatyard?
A cleaner future for the River Deben
By Tristan McConnell
The River Deben Association (RDA) in late April brought together officials from Anglian Water and citizen scientists from the Deben Climate Centre for a frank discussion about river pollution during which facts about the often-poor quality of the Deben’s waters were presented, and solutions offered.
Dicotyledonous Plants of the local Shingle Seashore
By Peter Jones
Background to this article
In 2022 Julia Jones took photos of some plants growing on the beach on the Bawdsey Side of the river deben and asked members of the RDA to help with identification [Plants of the Deben – a plea for help – River Deben Association].
Bawdsey Beach, July 2022
One of the problems of doing so was because some of the photos were not very sharp. The usual reason for this if they were taken on a smartphone is not the quality of the camera but because smartphones are very light, have to be held away from the body in order to see the screen, are difficult to keep absolutely still, particularly if it is windy (which it usually is at the seaside), so move very slightly during the exposure (the problem varies slightly with the lighting conditions – exposures are longer in lower light conditions, so even very slight movement can cause slight blurring).
I therefore offered to try to obtain clearer photos using my DSLR camera which is heavier and held against the face in use. I did not make special visits to take photos and it happened that I was never there when the few and sparsely scattered grasses were in flower, so they have not, so far, been included. There are also some patches of lichen to be found here and there and I have neither expertise nor reference books to enable accurate identification of these (I suspect this is a group of organisms, like some larger fungi, where amateurs make quick confident identifications but experts are more guarded.).
Below are photographs of 14 species of dicotyledonous plants but there are certainly more, including a vetch (or perhaps two) photographed along with other plants but unidentifiable because they were not in flower and some other plants which were either before or after flowering at the times of my visits. To compile a comprehensive list would require systematic searching of the area on visits at reasonably close intervals over an entire growing season or more.
Editors note: Dicotyledonous plants are one of the two main groups of all flowering plants. They typically have two embryonic leaves either side on the seed head Continue reading