Charles Stock has cruised some 38,000 miles on the east coast between the Wash and Dover, working inland to parts including Flatford, Wroxham, Barking, Chelmsford, Hertford, Guildford and Windsor. All this has been done in his tiny gaff cutter, Shoal Waters, without a motor, using wind and tide or a sweep, or poling or towing from towpaths where necessary.

Charles’s slides and commentary provided a wealth of insider-knowledge of east coast waters, not only the pilotage and sea marks, but including good anchorages for very small craft, landing places, and even the availability of fish & chip shops ashore!

He built Shoal Waters in 1963, using a Fairey Falcon moulded hull with decking and sailing gear salvaged from an older boat. (Pre-war boats were often only sound above the waterline!).

Among Charles’s tips were the following:-

A bowsprit provides an extra safety factor — it provides a way of getting back in the boat if you fall in!

A gaffer might not point as high as a Bermudian rigged boat, but this means the spray clears the cockpit, so you can ‘bail’ with only a sponge! (He has no pump).

Nor does he carry lifebelts or buoyancy. His 280 lbs of lead ballast remind him that he must sail carefully.

He does carry a lifeline though — so useful when he is towing from canal towpaths!

Charles scorns patent anchors and carries a 15 lb fisherman on warp without chain. Unlike the patent anchors it always bites in, and he has never yet holed his own boat at low tide.

His light topsail is very useful for sailing in light airs. Charles said he had nothing against Bermudian sails; they just needed to be hoisted the other way up! Another invaluable sail was his storm trysail, fitted with its own gaff.

We should read the old books, Charles tells us. Some of the old writers’ views were nonsense, but there was a lot of valuable information too.