Author Archives: Alan Comber

Drawing on Water

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by Claudia Myatt

It’s 3,600 nautical miles from Easter Island to Falkland, and on this day last year I was a long way from the Deben, six days into a voyage that would take 21 days or more. Dutch sailing ship Tecla set sail from Easter Island on 6th December 2019  bound for Cape Horn, our next landfall the southern tip of South America. Our 13 day passage from Galapagos to Easter Island had been in tropical waters alive with flying fish and in calm weather we had a ‘swim stop’, jumping over the side to experience the thrill of swimming in clear sapphire water over 4km deep.  Now, at 30 degrees south, we could feel the tropics slipping away. The nights were chilly and we started to unpack some of the warm clothes we would need in the colder waters of the Southern Ocean. Continue reading →

RDA 30th Anniversary Video

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This video was made to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the River Deben Association.

In it, Robert Simper, its President, is interviewed in the Autumn sunshine at Ramsholt by ex-Chair, Joeske van Walsum, and the video includes footage of the spectacular river scenery. This video was first shown in November 2020 at the RDA Zoom AGM.

Alternatively click on the link below to view the RDA 30th Anniversary Video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L84QobrCunk

 

 

 

Sutton Hoo: the real story – or how Woodbridge never changes

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Discovered in the EADT of March 15th AD 650 and translated by Moray McPhail

It was a foul day as Hrotgut made his way along the river to Aeverson’s workshop. He supposed that he couldn’t expect much better in mid October, but it was a hard easterly, known as a lazy wind because it couldn’t be bothered to go around you, but went instead straight through. It drove spiky raindrops into his face and every crevice of his clothing. All in all he couldn’t help thinking that it was pretty inconsiderate of King Raedwald to go and die in the early winter. Continue reading →

Winter Birds on the Deben

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by Sally Westwood

A walk along the bank of the River Deben can be interesting whatever the weather. The birds are there, going about their business, searching for food, and perhaps squabbling and arguing about temporary feeding territory. I had a walk along the riverbank towards Wilford Bridge from the direction of Woodbridge, to see what birds were about. The tide was coming in. The weather was bright and sunny. I immediately spotted two huge flocks of Lapwings (Vanellus vanillas) swirling around in the sky. Commonly, Lapwings flock together in the winter months on marshes (Svensson, 2009). They can be identified by their white and black rounded wing-tips showing dark above and white below, moving in a flapping motion. Close up views when stationary, reveal a long thin, wispy head-crest. The winter plumage shows a scaly pattern on their dark upper parts and coverts. This contrasts with their summer plumage, which has a beautiful purple and green iridescence. As they turned, I could see the flickering of the black and white of their wings.

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Waldringfield

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by Leigh Belcham from Newbourne in short trousers © Leigh Belcham 2014

Sheltered from the prevailing westerlies, the sandy beach at neighbouring Waldringfield was always an attraction for Newbourne children. On the banks of the River Deben, the village had been a popular sailing centre since the 1920s. The waterfront was was inaccessible to the public during the war, but once hostilities ceased, boats soon returned to the river and children to the shore. Most parents were tied to their smallholdings, but older children could roam free, with many heading to the water by bike or on foot.

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Barge Wharves on the River Deben

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by Robert Simper

Part 1:  Bawdsey Ferry up to Hemley Dock

When I was young, in the early 1950s, there were still people who talked about the places where Thames barges loaded on the River Deben. Most of these were still clearly visible as loading wharves, but nearly seventy years later most of them have been reduced to just a few pieces of rotten wood sticking out of the mud. Continue reading →

The other side of the mirror

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By Stephen Thompson

I’ve long enjoyed the Deben estuary – my “hole in the water lined with wood or fibreglass into which you pour money” lives there (or to be strictly accurate, it lives propped up on wooden blocks in a yard beside the Deben while I fettle it). However I’d never actually seen a paper copy of “The Deben” magazine until very recently. It’s very impressive – and in particular the photographs and paintings of this gorgeous area. The beautiful scenery reflected in the mirror surface of still waters capture the peace and tranquillity.

But my own interest in such locations has always been driven by a desire to know what’s happening “on the other side of the mirror”. I think this probably started watching Jacques Cousteau on “The World About Us” on Sunday evenings (and if you can remember that, you really are dating yourself!), and poking about in streams and ponds to see what was down there. Fishing, and later on SCUBA diving, fed this ambition, and when it came time to choose I selected a Marine Biology degree. Continue reading →

Family Activities 2020

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Summer Holiday ideas and contacts for students at Farlingaye & Woodbridge schools and their families

Prepared by the River Deben Association (July 2020)

Summer 2020 is a summer where it’s going to be hard to make plans. The country’s opening up from Covid-19 lockdown but there’s always a fear that this might not last. Maybe too easy to get negative and resign yourself to being bored for the next two months. But don’t. We live in a beautiful area and there’ve been worse things that have happened here in the past. Think of the Black Death!

The River Deben Association (RDA) is a local interest group which was formed to represent all concerned with the future of the Deben. Obviously that means you. We have over 800 members and links with many local organisations as well as individual knowledge. This summer we feel – like many other people – that we want to begin to do things a bit differently. We’ve therefore introduced a new category of Household Membership and we’d be glad if you’d think about joining us. We know you’ll have a lot to offer, especially when we’re thinking about the environment.

This long letter (it ought to be a leaflet really!) is to make a start offering ideas from us to you. But as soon as you have ideas of your own to recommend, please share them so we can improve this list in future. Emailing our magazine editor at [email protected] is a good way to start but you’ll find other contacts at the end. We often use Facebook for updates.

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Riverside Trust’s forthcoming programme: Going with the Flow – Tides and the Deben Estuary

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The Woodbridge Riverside Trust is putting on an ambitious programme of events called “Going with the Flow – Tides and the Deben Estuary”.

There is an evening talk on 16th October and a tide-related exhibition will be open every day between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. in the Longshed in Woodbridge from 19th to  27th October, as well as several other lectures and events focussing on the Deben.

The final event in the Community Hall on the evening of Sunday 27 October brings together coastal researchers and local experts to discuss options and challenges for managing the River Deben in the future. 

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Managing the 2013 Flood Surge

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Where can I launch my surfboard!

Managing the 5th December 2013 tidal surge

The bi-annual River Deben Association talk was delivered by David Kemp, Coastal Team Leader, Environment Agency (EA) to an audience of over 100 members.

When a flood is forecast, the key time is the preparation within the 24 hours before the storm arrives. His fascinating account took us through the EA’s planning in the East Anglia Incident room whilst preparing for the surge of 5th December 2013.

Continue reading →