Rowers and swans

It's not unusual to find rowing clubs and swans co-existing on a river. Rowers seem to want want deepish, clear water with a spot for a club house and boat store, in a location near the centre of a settlement. Swans (invariably mute swans) also like a location frequented by people because that is somewhere they can guarantee being fed! Of course conflicts can arise when the fast, sleek boats meet the slow, stately swans. But, with good will, they usually co-exist. One such location is the centre of the city of Worcester. These rowers stopped rowing and gently glided into the flock of swans that is usually found here. On the day I took this photograph the number of swans on this stretch of the River Severn was about four times the number seen in my shot.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Coracles in Hereford

Quite by chance, as we wandered around Hereford, we came upon a pair of coracles. They were on what remains of the moat of Hereford Castle. Coracles are small boats, rounded in shape and paddled with a single oar by the occupant. They were noted by Julius Caesar when he first arrived in Britain, probably pre-dated him here, and remained in use for fishing until the middle of the twentieth century.

Today they are sometimes used, in small numbers, recreationally, on the River Wye in England and Wales, and elsewhere. One of their virtues is that they can easily be carried by one person, as shown in this C19 photograph taken in Ross on Wye.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Portable pier and St Catherine's Island, Tenby

When we visited Tenby in Wales we saw a few boats offering offshore trips. Embarking at low tide presented something of a problem but the owners of the "James Noel" had the problem beat. They were using this portable pier that was moved around by a tractor on Castle Beach. Behind the portable pier in this photograph is St Catherine's Island. It can be reached on foot at low tide but at high tide it is only accessible by swimming or by boat. The building on the island is a fort constructed in 1870, the only one of several that were conceived in 1859 and envisaged to oppose any threatened landing by French troops.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Snowstar, Ramsgate harbour

Most of the boats in the harbour at Ramsgate, Kent are white. On the day of our visit there were several grey, Royal Navy  boats, a bright orange pilot boat, and few others sporting bright colours. But, the predominant colour was white indicating to me that they were mainly private yachts and launches. The Snowstar stood out with its blue, yellow and orange and it suggested to me that it would make a good foreground subject against the boring white boats. I looked at the boat to see if I could deduce its purpose but nothing told of what it did when it set sail. However, a quick trawl of the internet indicates that it has been, and may still be, a boat that takes anglers out into the English Channel for a day's fishing.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Scullers on foggy River Wye

Ross on Wye has a rowing club that holds an annual rowing regatta. From my casual observations the club is enjoyed by both competitive and recreational scullers, and sculls of varying size can be regularly seen on the river. This couple's dress and their leisurely motion suggested they were engaged in recreational sculling and the warmer clothing was appropriate for a foggy morning (though the fog was beginning to lift even as a I fired off a few shots.)

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Mill Avon reflections

Paddle boarders and canoeists excepted, the smallest boats on the Mill Avon at Tewkesbury tend to be modest launches like the example above. Long "narrow boats" that have difficulty turning in the small waterway prevail, along with larger launches. I was drawn to this boat by its reflection combined with the reflection of the water-side flats and the vegetation.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Rower on Wye, Ross on Wye

It never occurred to me that rowing boats of the type featured in this photograph have names. I suppose I should have guessed it to be so since more sedate rowing boats often do, but I've simply never given it much thought. Quite why the name "2nd Breakfast" should be applied I don't know, but I imagine it means something to someone.  This particular rower was enjoying the last of the day's sun on the River Wye at Ross on Wye and making easy headway against the current.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100