King’s Lynn
September 6, 2021
HM 155. Kings Lynn. Staggering maritime history nobody knows about.
- Set well back from the sea it seems so unlikely that Kings Lynn was England's 4th largest seaport in the 13th century and a key member of the Hanseatic League of Baltic trading towns. It has the UK's only remaining medieval warehouses used by the League.
- The entrance is tricky in 2021, what it was like for medieval sailors beggars belief! Photo 5 shows the extent of the sandbanks at low water. Leaving Wisbech at 3pm high water, forced a 3am HW arrival at KL.
- The fens were shaped by the Dutch engineer, Vermuyden, who in 1650 with 11,000 Scottish and Dutch POWs built deep drainage "cuts", creating thousands of acres of arable land and some very straight "rivers" including the Great Ouse.
- In 1889 a large ship ran aground outside the harbour entrance and blocked the harbour for three years! The disaster lead to the creation of a Board to safeguard the navigation of the area and the livelihood of the town. Hence its name - the KL Conservancy Board.
- Harbour Master Patrick Jary (picture with his pilot brother Owen) has been responsible for the harbour since 2017. Born locally, he walked up the plank in KL as a YTS deck trainee at 15, spending his 16th birthday in Antwerp! He ended his merchant career as the Master of a seismic survey ship before returning as river pilot and then HM.
- Keeping the waterways safe is no mean feat - in 2020 he had to move the navigation buoys 47 times as the entrance channel changed and once had to shepherd three "Fin Whales" back out to sea after they had swum up his river.
Patrick clearly loves Kings Lynn, and so do I! A long term supporter of my challenge, publisher of marine guides Andy Bullen lives nearby, and as a non sailor he bravely spent a couple of days sailing with me (photo 9) to see what I was up to. As a local councillor he is trying to attract more yachties to visit KL. I can highly recommend the very safe town pontoons (photo 7) and a very warm welcome from the HM.
- Set well back from the sea it seems so unlikely that Kings Lynn was England's 4th largest seaport in the 13th century and a key member of the Hanseatic League of Baltic trading towns. It has the UK's only remaining medieval warehouses used by the League.
- The entrance is tricky in 2021, what it was like for medieval sailors beggars belief! Photo 5 shows the extent of the sandbanks at low water. Leaving Wisbech at 3pm high water, forced a 3am HW arrival at KL.
- The fens were shaped by the Dutch engineer, Vermuyden, who in 1650 with 11,000 Scottish and Dutch POWs built deep drainage "cuts", creating thousands of acres of arable land and some very straight "rivers" including the Great Ouse.
- In 1889 a large ship ran aground outside the harbour entrance and blocked the harbour for three years! The disaster lead to the creation of a Board to safeguard the navigation of the area and the livelihood of the town. Hence its name - the KL Conservancy Board.
- Harbour Master Patrick Jary (picture with his pilot brother Owen) has been responsible for the harbour since 2017. Born locally, he walked up the plank in KL as a YTS deck trainee at 15, spending his 16th birthday in Antwerp! He ended his merchant career as the Master of a seismic survey ship before returning as river pilot and then HM.
- Keeping the waterways safe is no mean feat - in 2020 he had to move the navigation buoys 47 times as the entrance channel changed and once had to shepherd three "Fin Whales" back out to sea after they had swum up his river.
Patrick clearly loves Kings Lynn, and so do I! A long term supporter of my challenge, publisher of marine guides Andy Bullen lives nearby, and as a non sailor he bravely spent a couple of days sailing with me (photo 9) to see what I was up to. As a local councillor he is trying to attract more yachties to visit KL. I can highly recommend the very safe town pontoons (photo 7) and a very warm welcome from the HM.