Coastal shopper

Sevylor Madison Inflatable Kayak Kit £348 www.foxschandlery.com

7” Auto Adjust needle-nosed pliers £26.07 www.arthurbeale.co.uk

Grabit Boat Hook with 9.5m spliced line and bronze shackle £310.39 (£247.94 for just the hook) www.arthurbeale.co.uk

Helly Hansen Women’s Ahiga V4 Hydropower Sailing Shoes £85 www.foxschandlery.com

Noah An Old Fool, part of The Suffolk Trilogy £7.99 www.thewritefactor.co.uk

Beerenberg Pullover made from the wool of hardy Welsh Mountain Sheep £105 www.arthurbeale.co.uk

COASTAL SHOPPER

Gun Metal Sounding Lead Kit £126.53 www.arthurbeale.co.uk

Navigation A Newcomer’s Guide £12.99 www.fernhurstbooks.com

Gul Evorobe waterproof Changing Robe Towel £80 www.foxschandlery.com

Helly Hansen Crew Midlayer Jacket £120 www.foxschandlery.com

Gul Cross Inflatable SUP Package £359

www.foxschandlery.com

First-class facilities for all Woolverstone Marina features a luxury lodge park amid a glorious riverside setting

Woolverstone Marina’s luxury lodges accommodate up to eight guests. Some have hot tubs and, in all, modern open plan living areas are complemented by free WiFi.

Woolverstone Marina is set in 22 acres of glorious parkland overlooking the picturesque River Orwell. It is part of MDL Marinas, Europe’s leading marina operator, which has 19 sites across the UK. The marina also features an on-site luxury lodge park, specially designed to extend Woolverstone Marina’s appeal as a destination for both on-water and land leisure pursuits, as well as attracting new visitors seeking a family-friendly retreat.

Kelly Sharman, Woolverstone Marina Manager, says: “The lodges are ideal for those looking for a taste of the outdoors with a touch of luxury. With their clean, modern aesthetic and open plan living space, they provide accommodation for up to eight guests. Some lodges have hot tubs, and all of them have spacious living and dining areas and woodland balconies plus free WiFi, multi-channel TV and the latest appliances. Currently we have 10 lodges, but this number will be increased during the year due to popular demand.”

The marina has 235 berths, first-class facilities including electric vehicle charging, and boatyard facilities for boat repairs or maintenance work. There is storage ashore for more than 250 boats plus yacht stores and undercover mast storage. In addition, Woolverstone offers the best swinging mooring package available on the Orwell with multiple benefits including a water taxi service.

Lifting facilities are available, alongside a wide,

Woolverstone is a family-friendly destination for leisure pursuits both on the water and on land

easy-access slipway and ample space for car parking and trailer storage. There is also a main Volvo Penta dealer on-site, and an electronics and engineering specialist, plus a broker, sail and cover maker and camping company.

“Visitors can enjoy a range of watersport activities, including an RYA-accredited sailing school for both sail and powerboat courses,” adds Kelly. “For those who like to keep their feet firmly on dry land there is a children’s play area and beautiful walks and cycling trails that are suitable for all ages. The brand new Loch & Quay bar and restaurant, which is open to berth holders, visitors and the public, is a wonderful place to relax and unwind, with stunning views out across the water.”

Woolverstone is an excellent base for cruising as well as enjoying the local rivers. Beyond the Orwell and the Stour there are numerous creeks in the Walton Backwaters to explore. To the south, the Colne and Blackwater estuaries offer varied sailing, while turning north takes you along the coast to the River Deben, where leisure sailors can cruise upriver past Ramsholt to the pretty town of Woodbridge. A little further up the coast is the Ore/Alde River, where a fast tide sweeps past Havergate Island, on to picturesque Orford and then to Aldeburgh. If you’d like to go further afield, Ostend in Belgium is only 92 miles from Woolverstone, whilst Holland and France are also within easy reach.

Woolverstone Marina, Woolverstone, Ipswich, Suffolk IP9 1AS 01473 780206 woolverstone@mdlmarinas.co.uk www.woolverstonemarina.co.uk @MDLWoolverstone woolverstone.marina

Open seven days a week!

The Boatyard Shipyard Estate Brightlingsea CO70AR T: 01206 302003 www.morganmarine.com • Main dealer for Jeanneau, Sea Ray, Highfield RIBs & Excel inflatables • 10 acre boatyard & 30 ton boat hoist • Workshop repairs, servicing & rigging • Large chandlery & clothing store • Paddleboards, Jobe Watersports etc • Wide pontoons, fully serviced • Secure storage yards & CCTV • Park & Ride on private slipway • New & used boats for sale • Brokerage - sail & motorboat • Plenty of free parking

Home to Deben Café on HMS Vale

Here at Melton Boatyard we pride ourselves on good, honest service. We are down to earth and, in a boating world increasingly full of shiny paint and expensive solutions, refreshingly straightforward. This is a traditional working boatyard, and we are proud of it.

Melton Boatyard Dock Lane Melton Woodbridge IP12 1PE 01394 386327

Our 30-berth marina is modestly priced and our floating berths stay full all summer, although we can usually accomodate short-term requests by moving our own small fleet to free up a berth. Long-standing customers become our friends and many have been here for years. Customers tell us they appreciate our friendly service, relaxed attitude and open approach.

We are able to store 100 boats ashore, can offer mud berths on request, and offer membership to Deben Bar, our licensed club house located in The Engine Room of HMS Vale.

Steel fabrication & repairs • Grit, sand & bead blasting • Mechanical & electrical engineering • Full yard services • Lay-up and lifts to & from transport • 40t lift, up to 75’ loa, 17’5 beam info@meltonboatyard.co.uk www.meltonboatyard.co.uk

All hail, HMS Vale! A former Swedish warship has new purpose as a popular café and private members’ club on the River Deben

Melton Boatyard is a traditional working boatyard with a reputation for offering a friendly welcome and straightforward boating advice. Established in 1981, the yard remained unchanged for many years until Simon Skeet took over from his father Mel, who passed away in 2015. Simon has been sympathetically clearing, tidying and improving the yard, while carefully maintaining his father’s vision of providing a business where customers feel welcome and part of the Melton Boatyard family.

As part of his improvement plans, Simon wanted customers to be able to sit in the warm and dry with a hot coffee, a jolly good breakfast and to have a clubhouse for evening gatherings and boatyard events – and so the search for a suitable provision began. Many ideas were put forward, but nothing seemed to fit with this unique boatyard setting.

And so it remained, until HMS Vale (known as TS Lord Nelson) became available. Cate Meadows, who owns the ship with Simon explains: “We were watching Anglia News and saw the plight of Norwich Sea Cadets, who were being forced out of their floating headquarters. It was at this moment, we made a decision to visit the ship, with a firm view that this may be the café/clubhouse the boatyard had been searching for.” After much negotiation a price was agreed, but before business could be finalised there was the small matter of how to get a 120 ton ex-Swedish Missile Attack Craft out of the centre of Norwich, through the Norfolk Broads, out to sea at Yarmouth for a 41-mile journey along the coast to Felixstowe Ferry, over the notorious Deben Bar and upriver to Melton Boatyard.”

Cate, who is clearly passionate about her ship, says: “Moving such a vessel was going to be no easy feat, especially as she had no means of selfpropulsion or steering. Many companies shied away from this task and wouldn’t even quote, but Tam and Ben Grundy thought that not only was it achievable, it was an exciting proposition; they joined forces with Melton Boatyard and fully immersed themselves in the project”. The purchase of HMS Vale was finally complete and – after months of preparation and negotiation with the multitude of authorities responsible for the differing waterways, eight bridges, ports and the MCA – a move date was agreed. »

Deben Café offers enviable views over the Deben; visitors can simply watch the tide as it ebbs and flows, or enjoy the sight and sounds of a variety of wildlife

“In the early hours of 24 June 2018, Tam and Ben arrived in Norwich city centre with their tugs, Ben Michael and Fury, to tow HMS Vale home; only to be immediately met with an eight-day delay waiting for the Haven Bridge to open – but that’s a story in itself!” says Cate. With the bridge finally opening, HMS Vale recommenced her journey. First she was lifted out in Yarmouth for inspection, repair and painting by Melton Boatyard. Then on 11 July 2018 she was taken out to sea, along the coast to Felixstowe where an ‘at sea’ transfer took place. “With the light beginning to fade and some challenging sea conditions, Tam and Ben once again took over the tow and safely negotiated HMS Vale over Deben Bar and into the river. Stopping at The Rocks for a few days to wait for a spring tide, they picked her up once more, took her through the narrow and twisting Woodbridge fairway and pushed her into place at Melton Boatyard on16 July to the sound of triumphant boat horns and cheering crowds,” says Cate.

Initial work to the ship involved preventing any further deterioration and improving her external appearance. This was quickly followed by the creation of a quay and then the construction of the small café galley in the ship’s former wardroom. Since this day work has never ceased; each week bringing new ideas and challenges: fitting out the café, creating a clean food storage area, »

fitting windows into the former engine room, constructing a bar area and creating a roof and sides for the café on deck.

Now, HMS Vale boasts a popular café and Deben Bar, a private members’ club located in her engine room. Asked about the challenges of the enormous task to convert HMS Vale, Simon says: “Throughout the project, none of the work has been difficult; it’s more about how much money you can find and how many hours you can fit into a day.”

“Looking back, it’s hard to remember all the challenges we faced – at the time they were almost insurmountable but now are moulded into the story of the ship and her history,” says Cate. “Once a mighty warship, she has her own tales to tell and now we are part of that story. And it all turned out alright in the end; she is the perfect place for the boatyard and wider community to come together and make their own. Every day we continue to move the project forward and it is a lot of hard work, but I expect it’s always going to be this way; she’s settled in now and that’s what really matters.” • Deben Café will open Thursday to Monday

(closed Tues and Wed) except for school holidays, when it is open every day. It offers a good selection of food and drink and uses local ingredients wherever possible. Future plans include a pontoon for small craft to moor up while visiting the café or clubhouse. For more information, look for Deben Café on Facebook.

CHATHAM MARITIME MARINA COME HOME TO

Chatham Maritime Marina offers first-class berthing and marina services at the heart of a multi-million-pound leisure and retail development.

The marina has 412 berths and is close to a factory outlet shopping complex, multi-screen cinema, and numerous restaurants and bars.

• COMPLIMENTARY STAYS AT 150 MARINAS IN THE UK, FRANCE, SPAIN & PORTUGAL • FUEL AT COST • MOST GENEROUS BOATYARD DISCOUNT • ACCESSIBLE AT ALL STATES OF THE TIDE THROUGH A LOCK ENTRANCE* • INCLUSIVE STORAGE ASHORE • SURROUNDED BY SHOPS AND RESTAURANTS • NEXT TO HISTORIC DOCKYARD CHATHAM

MAKE US YOUR HOME

ENQUIRE ABOUT A BERTH TODAY AT MDL MARINAS.CO.UK/QUOTE

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c ast to coast

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