Time and Tide: smugglers

Event 03: 30 April 7pm

Thursday 30 April 7-9pm, The Thomas Tripp, Wick Lane, Christchurch

Tales on the Tide is a brand-new storytelling performance piece inspired by the strange tides in Christchurch Harbour. Through the Time and Tide project, professional storyteller Martin Maudsley has been working with youth groups, local residents and oceanography experts to highlight and communicate the science behind the dramatic tides and their wide-ranging effects on the local area.

The result is a tapestry of tales from magical myths to salty yarns, featuring a colourful cast of characters including devastating dragons, sly smugglers, fortunate fishermen and epic eels. The spellbinding stories will be interwoven during the evening with specially-arranged live music from multi-instrumental musician Fiona Barrow.

This event is free. The bar will be open and food can be purchased. Please register using the link below to be sure of a seat! As a guide no children under 11 please.

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Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Smuggling science

Two hundred and fifty years ago Christchurch could lay claim to being the ‘smuggliest’ place in England. Smugglers’ expert knowledge of the local tides, water properties, coastal geography and the changing weather would have been invaluable in helping them to successfully make a dishonest living and evade the long-arm of the law.

Often contraband goods, particularly barrels of brandy and rum, were skilfully submerged just below the water surface when the smugglers ships were unloaded at sea, in order to be ‘rescued’ and brought to shore at night when the coast was clear. One smuggler Abe Coakes was famous, or infamous, in Christchurch as a human tug-boat! A superb swimmer, as strong and supple as an otter, he swam miles out to sea against the current to then guided large rafts of barrels through the Run on a fast-flowing flood tide, down Mother Sillar’s channel and into the harbour to be secretly collected and hidden away. Although this feat was incredibly dangerous and strenuous - swimming in the dark, often in wild weather and with strong tides - Abe Coakes somehow always managed to survive. Until, that is, the day he was betrayed…

.....Find out how and by whom in our ‘Tales on the Tide’ at the Thomas Tripp on 30th April!

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Tales on the Tide Venue

New Venue Announced!

Day: Thursday 30 April 2015
Time: 7:00 - 9:00
Venue: The Thomas Tripp, Wick Lane, Christchurch

We're delighted to be moving the performance of Tales on the Tide to the Thomas Tripp on Wick Lane. A true haven for smugglers and the perfect place for the first full performance of work developed during the Time and Tide Project.

The result is a tapestry of tales from magical myths to salty yarns, featuring a colourful cast of characters including devastating dragons, sly smugglers, fortunate fishermen and epic eels. The spellbinding stories will be interwoven during the evening with specially-arranged live music from multi-instrumental musician Fiona Barrow.

This event is free. The bar will be open and food can be purchased. Please register using the link below to be sure of a seat!

Event registration for Tales on the Tide powered by Eventbrite

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Half Term Activity Day

Half Term Outdoor Activity Day

Wednesday 18th February

Meet at Somerford Youth Centre 10:00

Collect 4pm Somerford Youth Centre

For ages 8 - 13

We’ll be exploring Christchurch Harbour and the Mudeford mud with storyteller Martin Maudsley as part of our Time and Tide Project, making monsters, driftwood rafts or whatever sparks your imagination.

And find out about this month’s SuperTide.

We’ll be walking around Hengistbury Head (transport by insured Minibus), taking the ferry across to Mudeford Quay and lunching at Highcliffe Sailing Club before exploring the harbour shoreline and creating props.

Bring warm clothes, wellies or trainers and a waterproof. Water bottle and packed lunch required. The activity is led by qualified and DBS checked staff. Maximum 20 places

How to book:

Phone Jan on 0797 4011278 or

Jae on 07785 9354928

Find out more about Time and Tide here: http://christchurchtides.blogspot.co.uk

Christchurch Activities for Young People Registered Company Number: 7509556

Katalytik Ltd Registration Number: 5277291

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Project TNT - Wk3

With thanks to Highcliffe School the scarcity of pipettes was resolved and the requested re-run of penny drops was a huge success. The first part of the practical session was devoted to further investigation of floating and sinking, density and surface tension.

A leader board for the number of drops of water on a penny saw 50 drops on one penny! Everyone was able to make their own rainbow by layering different concentrations of salt solution before we set about designing and making boats. Next week we’ll be racing them down a tank and they have to safely carry six pennies.

This week we introduced activity books and stickers, adding in pictures and diagrams to explain the science and capture the memories of all the things we are exploring each week.

With plenty of helpers there is space for a few others to join in this friendly group! Contact Jae Harris at CAYP on 07785 935928or just turn up and complete the medical forms.

Thanks to Tina, Mandy and Tracey for the toast!

Monday, January 26, 2015

Project TNT-Wk2

The theme for the week was sinking and floating. This week, the Time and Tide storyteller Martin Maudsley brought smuggling tales, thrills and riddles to Project TNT to add a different dimension to our experimentation.

The session started with our usual icebreaker session testing our memory of everyone’s names before a game of ‘Harbour Run-around’. Then it was time for water. We made Cartesian divers for those who had missed out while Martin taught us some origami skills and explored the properties of paper when wet and dry. We then designed boats for smugglers and found interesting places to hide our goods of screws and pennies.

We explored density and how we can make something sink or float on purpose. We are still waiting for our pipettes to arrive....

We used 3kg of cornflour and enjoyed hitting it hard to squash all of the molecules together so it looked hard, but when we left items on the surface they would sink. Martin talked about mud and hiding contraband in the mud and how smugglers used their knowledge of the tides to sink boats or boxes so they could be found later, under darkness when the tide went out.

While we were experimenting we talked about the smugglers from Christchurch and developed ideas for pirates names such as Barnacle Bill.

Monday, January 26, 2015

What is Time & Tide?

Launching for the Raft Race 2013

The Time and Tide project is a community science project, funded by Business Innovation and Skills, that will raise awareness of the tides and the impact they have on our local environment. The project is managed by local Christchurch business Katalytik. We're delighted to be working with Christchurch Activities for Young People (CAYP) and the National Oceanography Centre to engage young people in exploring the tidal system and the harbour environment around Christchurch.

Have you ever wondered why we have a double high tide?

Is it because of the Rivers Stour and Avon emptying into the harbour?
Is it because of the Isle of Wight?

Over the next 6 months we'll be exploring this phenomenon and then sharing it with you on 21/22 March 2015.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is pleased to support this project which takes science into a community setting. It is our hope as a result of the audience being engaged with this project that they will feel better informed about science issues affecting them and be inspired to be involved further in the future.

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Time and Tide