Thursday, 19 November 2015
A walk through Whitstable Maritime
If we stand by the Old Neptune on Island Wall looking out to sea, in front of us is the Swale Estuary, the eastern end of the Isle of Sheppey,and the start of the Thames Estuary. To our right is Whitstable Harbour and the open expanse of the North Sea.
The people who live and work along this coast realised that the majority of visitors and school parties who trekked along the narrow path or settled on the beech, were blissfully unaware of its maritime past and the factors that will shape its future. So in April 2014 two dozen of us agreed to form Whitstable Maritime, a ‘not-for-profit’ Company Limited by Guarantee, that would celebrate Whitstable’s connections with the sea, past, present and future.
From the Old Neptune we can walk along a rough path that follows the coastline to Faversham. We pass Nature Reserves and Seal Sanctuaries with some remains of former maritime activities amongst the salt marshes. Canterbury Christ Church University and Natural England have agreed to work with Whitstable Maritime on establishing a Coastal Trail. When finished, walkers will be able to download on their mobile phones, pictures and other information about the wildlife, the marine life, and the geography and history at particular locations on the Trail.
Towards the end of this part of our walk we come to where Faversham Creek empties in to the Swale and there we shall find the Gamecock swinging on a mooring. The Gamecock is a 42 foot, wooden, Oyster Yawl built in 1907 on Island Wall. She spent her working life dredging for oysters in the Swale and is now owned by Whitstable Maritime. She is being restored to working order and this year we were able to race her in the local Match. There are very few modifications to the Gamecock so it has been possible to register her as a National Historic Vessel.