Part 1
A copy free feature great sailing the North Kent Coast on S.B. Greta
Built in 1892 at Stones Yard Brightlingsea Essex by Barge sailmaker known as Hibbs: Length 80', Beam 20', Draft of 3' & 49 registered tons
Finished in Oak on Oak & fitted with a Perkins 6354 Perkins Diesel
Sold to Owen Parry a barge owner with a fleet of fine vessels noted for their smart turn out & race wins, as a working boat Greta carried grain, malt for the brewing industry & building materials
More unusually she carried the spars for the German Kaiser's racing schooner
In 1918 she was sold to the London Bridge Company, based at Strood
Greta above leaving her home berth of Standard Quay Faversham
Early on World War II she was chartered by the Ministry of Supplies to carry ammunitions from the Army Depot at Upnor near Rochester on the Medway in Kent to ships anchored off the Nore in the Thames Estuary
Greta took part in the evacuating of troops from Dunkirk in 1940 & continued her service as a lighter until discharged from the war by the Admiralty in 1946
She's now the oldest active Dunkirk Little Ship
After a thorough overhaul & refit she returned to normal trading carrying general cargo of grain, timber, animal feed & miscellaneous cargo from ships in London to the smaller Medway Wharves & sometimes Colchester in Essex
Greta became known on the beer run with a Master & mate teetotal the brewery Meux requested her as there was never any pilfering & "accidental damage". In turn HM Customs were confident what was loaded at Nine Elms Battersea was discharged at Chatham
In 1960's with work declining she was laid up in Whitehall Creek, she narrowly avoided being broken up as parts for another barge. Luckily she turned out to be in better condition & was restored
Re-rigged in the 1980'in private hands Greta's home & is maintained & worked by owner skipper Steve Norris & Penni
Through the winter she' berthed at Standard Quay Faversham & in the summer months on the South Quay at Whitstable Harbour
At the junction of Faversham & Oare Creeks the Shipwrights Arms
Decommissioned Whitstable fishing boats with Oyster Smack Gamecock & the distant Harty Ferry Inn across the Swale on the Isle-of-Sheppey
Bill Coleman attends F76 the last Whitstable Oyster Smack Gamecock built in Whitstable in 1909
Moored with Cardium Shellfish boats Ol' Ray & Cardium 2, Greta provides regular summer sailing trips from Whitstable Harbour
Brett's aggregate hopper on the East Quay
West Quay wood from the Baltic
Brixham registered BM116
Greta leaves the harbour
Young Ben at the wheel as Skipper Steve Norris counts his fingers also pictured Val', Sav', Chris, Old Ben, Chris & Peter of Coastwatch
Pleasure yachtsman on a Westerly heading
One of the regular haunts of Greta
The Army Forts on Red Sands
Navigate from Redsands Rendezvous for more on these forts
Also see Fort Fax for the history of the Thames Estuary forts
Yacht passing the Bofors Tower
For roof top & internal pictures of this Bofors Tower see Aboard Red Sands
Passing North of the fort sailing on an Easterly tack towards Margate
We sail anti-clockwise here the 7 fort cluster viewed towards the North West
Gun Tower 1 with Bofors Tower in background
Like soldiers in a line
Gun 1, Control, Gun 4, & Searchlight Towers
Control Tower
The Control Tower in close up
Gun Tower 2, 3, & Searchlight Tower
Dilapidated landing gantry on Gun Tower 2
Gun Tower 3 landing stage remains
Searchlight Tower
Gun Tower 4
This Buoy has been on station for some years now fitted like most with a solar panels
Young Ben sets the topsa'l for the return
Leaving the fort behind
To return to port
Sav's daughter Lucy with Val manager of Whitstable Yacht Club
The distinctive Middle Sand Beacon
Harbour Mark the Oyster Buoy off Whitstable