In 1851 A Season at Harwich by W H Lindsey there is a good section on rowing out to Gunfleet Sands for a walk. – Lindsey, W. H. A Season at Harwich, with Excursions by Land and Water … London : Simpkin, Marshall, 1851. http://archive.org/details/seasonatharwichw00lind.
Sailing Tours: Part 1 – The Coasts of Essex and Suffolk by Frank Cowper of 1892. Lovely language and a very different era, ” target=”_blank”>Cowper, Frank, L. Upcott Gill, and A Bradley. Sailing Tours : The Yachtsman’s Guide to the Sailing Waters of the English Coast. Part 1, The Coasts of Essex and Suffolk, Containing Descriptions of Every Creek from the Thames to Aldborough. L. Upcott Gill, 1892.
Suffolk Sea Borders by H.Alker Tripp, a 1926 Account of a voyage around Suffolk’s Coast and Rivers by the author and a young chap called Robertson about whom he rhapsodises almost as much as the Suffolk coast. A good sailing tale with lots of history thrown in. He had some muddy encounters on the Deben and called at Waldringfield. Library or about £10.
The Magic of the Swatchways by Maurice Griffiths is a classic. Mainly a collection of essays and good tales about sailing on the East Coast from the 1920s onwards. There are many books by this author but this one is a good start.
Tideways and Byways in Essex and Suffolk by Archie White was written in 1948 and covers from the London River up to Aldeburgh. He visits the coastline both by car and by boat. Very good illustrations particularly the cover and lots of interesting information. An enjoyable and informative read.
‘Sailing just for Fun’ by A.C. Stock (1998) is a really good yarn of how he, mainly solo, sailed 60,000 plus miles in the Thames Estuary area over forty years or so. His boat, Shoal Waters, was a 16ft cruiser with nothing electrical other than a torch and transistor radio. No instruments, just a sounding pole and compass. Very shallow draught with a lifting plate so he goes up to Flatford Mill etc. and sails a lot in the dark. Hardly ever seemed to visit a marina or get in trouble. What did his wife do while he was sailing? Well worth a read and thanks to Admiral D for the loan. The boat Shoal Waters is still about and, I think, the subject of further books that I have not yet read.
W.G.Arnott a Woodbridge Estate Agent (look for the Blue Plaque) who frequented Waldringfield in L’Atalanta. The three works to mention here are “Orwell Estuary”, “Deben Estuary” and “Alde Estuary”. You can still get them and they are well worth the money. Robert Simper is another local writer with too many works to list, all worth having. He was, at one time, the owner of Arnott’s L’Atalanta. Maritime Suffolk by the prolific Robert Malster is another good work, which is more about boats than the area.
The East Anglian Shores by David Fairhall, is a sort of travel guide covering from the Thames to Wash. It is written from a sailor’s viewpoint, with lots of historical tidbits and is very readable. In a similar vein but a bit more arty with nice paintings is Curlew Coast by Judith Ellis.
Related: Little Dick the smuggler and other East Anglian eccentrics by West, Harold Mills, 1912-
An additional reading list is on the www.thamestuary.com site.