Pirates and lighthouses

on the Foot Ferry, approaching Ha'penny Pier, Harwich 

A day off in Harwich may not sound too appealing. But for us, it was heaven. We got up appallingly late (0830), moseyed over to the small Foot Ferry from Shotley marina which buzzed over to Harwich in just six minutes. The place has a grand seafrontage and many historic buildings, although there are lots of empty shops and closed businesses too. It was a calm sunny day for once, with blue sky and white clouds. 

LV18, later Radio Caroline et al

Our first stop was a trip around LV18,  the last manned lightship run by Trinity House which sits on the quay. Not only was it fascinating as a former light-ship, but it was a solid piece of broadcasting history too. It had been used as a pirate radio ship, by Radio Caroline and then later Radio London and Radio Essex. We saw the comfortable cabins used by Trinity House staff/DJs and the ancient music deck where the likes of Emperor Roskoe and Johnnie Walker had spun the platters. Lesley also spotted a prehistoric UHER reel-to-reel tape recorder on board,  like the ones she used at Radio One in the 1980s.     

Later we chilled out in a fantastic small cafe, read the cafe's own newspapers and reconnected briefly with the world, mainly Wimbledon. We've lived a life without radio, TV or papers for seven weeks now and it has been surprisingly pleasant. (Lesley will have to cram madly about recent events before returning to journalism in July.)

Then came a long wander around the quaint winding streets of Harwich, including the High and Low lighthouses which used to line up as 'Leading Lights' to provide a guide for incoming boats and ships. Unfortunately the shifting sands hereabouts meant that they no longer provided a reliable path and became known as 'Misleading Lights.' 

The afternoon was rounded off sitting on the quayside at another cafe, drinking hot chocolate and watching the constant parade of yachts and pilot boats and container ships plying to and fro across a backdrop of Felixstowe's mammoth cranes.  A magnificent Thames barge came barrelling across, all sail up with two knots of tide pushing her east. It was a strange moment to see a trading vessel from the past silhouetted against the great framework of modern cranes which handle most of our imported household goods.