Whitson: Four day eventr at SANDWICH, KENT

16th May Dance (fundraising)

6th June Private event on Godwin Sands,  Memorial service at sea.

17th, 18th July at Henley on Thames

Bank Holiday, four day event in three towns, East Kent with reception each evening.

John Cook

 

(stopping overnight at Windsor) for the TTBR 17 18 July 2010.

Returning to Teddington on evening of 20th.  John Cook

Tomorrow we go back across the Pegwell Bay to Deal to show the flag.  It occurs to me that Capt. Cook made his first landing at Deal having taken a most circuitous route and tomorrow we hope to meet up with the 79yr old RAF 206, again taking a circuitous route from Southampton to her final resting place at the RAF Museum at Hendon. Does that mean that the only freeborne major WW2 asset left is the 'go anywhere' MTB102?  J.Cook

Tomorrow we move a mile or so to attend a Yacht Club Open Day, then we are fully booked till we return from Henley. J.Cook

If the Stour River was clean then we might take 102 back up there but she is at her limit for the size of the river.

local boatmen say they used to take the driftwood out of the river to be carted away by the Council, now they have been told to leave it where it is.

I should be sorry to see the MTB back at Sandwich... half of our interest comes from visitors who ask what ''happened to the torpedo tubes mate''? or ''did you repair the hole in the bow''? '' Funny I remember it as longer!'' and of course the perennial ''does she still have

Merlins in her?''

Every day I look at Garth she seems to grow in stature+++++++++J.Cook

 

Garth enroute to Teddington.

Hit by Wash from  large vessel.

Put into Millenium Dome Basin to pump out.

Visit and help from PLA Harbour Master

Proceeding at first light tomorrow to Teddington (Ferry Road) where she will Moor for three days for mopping out, then to Hammerton Ferry until 14th July.

Henley with special crew returning 20th July.

Any voluneers reading this forum WILL BE WELCOME

 J.Cook 02380 440075

Garth left Teddington this morning and travelled the three miles to the Hammerton's Ferry

(opposite Ham House Richmond).  She will stay here 'till 14th July when her special crew will take her to Henley, returning 20th July.

Garth will be available for short trips on the upper Thames (Teddington to Windsor Castle)

Members and non Members of the Coastal Motorboat Heritage Trust will be welcome.

22nd to 31st July available.

J. Cook

The First is 20yr old Andrew Spencer, in the fourth year of his Waterman Apprentiship,

already licenced to carry 120 passengers on the non tidal Thames, he will have to wait until he 'gets the key of the door' to carry that number in the tidal Thames.

Our Second Helmsman is Cecil Bannister RN Retired, the Wartime Helmsman of

HMS Fury (one of Lord Louis Mountbatten's Destroyers).

Both are Members of our Trust.

Other Members and friends were on board taking advntage of our offer of a ride on Garth.

John Cook

She will stay until August Bank Holiday (Sandwich Maritime Festival).

 

The team which took her to Henley TTBR have made a Log of the event. Copies of the log

seven pages are on sale from our Trust for £2.  The planning maps dossier twenty one pages of map planning of the route, £5. Coastal Motorboat Heritage Trust. 

Back at Sandwich for the Maritime Festival.

Preparing the foredeck to receive the Two Pounder 37mm Vickers type pom pom,

the two Lewis Guns having attracted great interest.

 

The journey back down the Thames from Hammerton's Ferry was not a pleasant one...

taking stock today, the Port Engine (left) is 'hunting' badly so will test the 'lift pump' to see if this helps.... the Starboard Engine is fine but the Deep Sea Seal is dribbling water, have looked at the situation carefully and am of the opinion that the fault will right itself in due course.

My dear fellow Royal Navy shipmate Peter Seaman (one of the last living sailors from the Pearl River incident) has died, his funeral being held on 12th August at Ipswich...I would dearly like to take the boat along, but the engines may make me forgo the sea crossing this time.

J.Cook

 

If you have a "deep sea seal" leaking you have got a problem. I rather suspect Garth has ordinary stern glands that either need adjusting or repacking. Leaky stern glands have been resposible for more sinkings alongside than anything else. In your berth you can repack the glands between tides.

 

Richard.

There is always a place for you on Garth, should you ever find yourself with nothing to do.

J.Cook

 

What engines are they?

 

The engine room is in need of a friendly mechanic, who knows his spark plug from his

carburetor.

Stoker Cook

 

I have been running a pair of these for the last 8 years.

 

Are they hunting under load? One peculiarity of these is that when the injection pump cant get enough fuel the revs appear to rise, then fall back then rise.  Its something to do with the level of fuel in the injection pump affecting the govenor.

 

I'd guess that maybe they dont exhibit this when not under load, right up to max revs?

 

Next time she's doing it, look very carefully at the bleed off that is mounted on top of no.6 injector, hopefully its a clear nylon fuel line, check for bubbles travelling along the line, its a sure sign that the injection pump is not getting enough fuel.

 

How long since the filters on the engine up top next to the header tank and the pre filters were last changed?  I'd reccomend changing the filters as a complete set prior to fitting a lift pump.

 

 

Thank you Sir,

I shall be at Sandwich tomorrow and will convey your message word for word to our Skipper  Mr. Peter Lash who will then carry out the test you suggest.

For your information, the vessel has covered about six or seven hundred sea miles since I checked or changed the filters.

I will do my best to locate a Napier Sea Lion for you, J.Cook

Thank you again Sir,

Following your lead, a local mechanic removed the Lift Pump and found that one of the valves of this apparatus was dislodged from its place, this was put right and the engine

runs very nicely again.

 

Activity seems to bring its own reward!  This evening readers of our website passed the

Ten Thousand mark, http://www.coastalmotorboat.org - www.coastalmotorboat.org

 

There is still time to come to our little party by the boat, 7pm August Bank Holiday

MONDAY, the Quay, Sandwich Kent.   John Cook  phone 07907 895281

I believe that member of our Trust and prolific writer on this Forum, has been elevated to

TV personality.

All credit to our member for his authoritive piece to camera about that grand Dunkirk craft.

J. Cook

Garth (34), passing Margate on a heading for Canvey Island and home.

Skipper today; Peter Lash, the Quay Master at Sandwich with engineman Jerry.

So after more than four months at sea and journying some six hundred miles, we return to

our mooring and clubhouse at the Smallgains Marina. To all of those thousands of visitors who spoke to us and to the hundreds of children who "fired" our Lewis Guns:  one leaky tired old boat says thank you.

Next year, with a full order book already, we may need to increase our time away to five or six months.

And from this tired leaky old man, goodbye 'till next year. J.Cook

ps we will have our Vickers mark 8 single barrel pom pom lowered onto our fordeck and ready for the thousands in 2011