The Magic of the Swatchways (original subtitle - Cameos of cruising in small yachts)
by Griffiths, Maurice -- 1902-1997
pub by Sheridan House, Dobbs Ferry, NY, 1977 -     - - isbn 1-57409-042-9 -   - 235 p. total   - Introduction p. 7-10   -   Contents p. 11   list of Illustrations p. 13   -   Forward p.15 (written 1997) -   Map p. 24-25
      This book contains 14 short stories of short sail cruising trips/adventures. All but 2 take place in the area of the mouth of the Thames Estuary (often called the London River in the text) and the various small rivers, creeks and hazardous bars of sand and shingle (stones) up to the area of Aldenburgh, some 80 miles to the NNE and also to a minor extent out into the North Sea.
      All of these stories at some time in their narrative involve tough situations. One wonders if they would support the idea that sailing in this part of the world was pleasurable or a fight against nature. Many are cautionary tales. One could say that they tell the truth, the whole truth, so that one can decide whether or not one is prepared for such adventure and would take pleasure in it. Every now and then the author does let his mind wander and describe the beauty of the area - and as often that reverie is yanked back to the job at hand - to tack (change direction) quickly so as to avoid a grounding in a narrow passage. These reveries are very welcome parts of these little stories.
      The voyage in the authors wifes boat, one best suited for offshore voyages, to Belgium and Holland is different in the area sailed and challenges faced. Nonetheless it was fraught with difficulties, each met with proper boat handling, surmounting or living through the difficulties. To be noted is that when on his boat, which was best for shallow water and river sailing, he was captain, and when aboard his wifes boat she was captain. Do not be misled, his wifes first name was Peter, not an affectation for the story, Maurice Griffiths wife was indeed named Peter, and sometimes referred to as Pete.
      Remember that this book was written in and the stories lived in the late 1920s and in 1931. The era before synthetic nylon, dacron rope and sailcloth, and long before epoxy, marine plywood, radio in small boats, fiberglass, polyester resin, and modern electronic navigation tools. The knowledge of boat handling people in this era needed to be much more thorough in basic fundamentals than we who live and boat with the benefit of GPS, cell phones, electronic depth finders, even small boat radar. These stories are a trip in the mind into a time before our fathers.
~ 2018-07-29 ~

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