Welcome to the Spring Newsletter

Welcome to the Spring 2025 Newsletter!

We are delighted to be able to announce our new joint presidents, Andrew Lawrence and Graham Osborne, the cousins that own the  Osborne Bros cockling business in the Old Town. We also have a couple of new faces on the Committee too. There's details of the return to Dunkirk in May, plus some other dates in the diary, including the Spring Social, and some updates on subscription prices.

We've released our schedule of events for 2025, and would like to encourage everyone to take a look and take up the opportunities for trips, including non-members (they will need to take out a membership, but this is comparable to the price of such a trip anyway!).

Please drop us a line if you have any comments, or post a message on our Facebook page. 

Our New Joint Presidents

The Leigh-on-Sea Endeavour Trust is delighted to announce that Graham Osborne (left in the photo above) and Andrew Lawrence (right), owners and operators of Osborne Bros shellfish merchants have agreed to take up the position joint Presidents for the Trust.

Schedule of Activities 2025

Happy faces on an Endeavour excursion back in 2022

The new Schedule of Activities for 2025 (pdf), listing all potential dates when tides mean Endeavour could make an excursion, has been uploaded to our website on the Trips on Endeavour page. If you are unable to access an online copy, please let Chris Burls (01702 553274) know, and we'll arrange a printed version.

Return to Dunkirk

This May will see Endeavour return to Dunkirk for the first time since 2015. This pilgrimage should take place every five years, but Covid put pay to the 2020 trip.

This marks the 85th anniversary of the Miracle of Dunkirk, the rescue of the British Army from the French coast from what should have been a crushing defeat by the vastly superior surrounding German army.

New Faces at the Trust

The Trust would like to welcome Steve Barham to the Committee. Steve grew up sailing in local waters and now sails regularly on the River Crouch.  He has followed the Endeavour story since she was first restored and looks forward to contributing to the important work of the Trust. 

We also welcome Jenny Davies, who will be helping us out with our comms on social media. Jenny is very familiar with Endeavour, being Chairman Peter Wexham’s daughter, and hence having grown up around the boat when Peter was her owner!

Spring Social

At 7pm on Friday 9th May at Osbornes Bros Cafe on Billet Wharf, High Street, Old Town (opposite the Crooked Billet), the Trust will hold its Spring Reception.

There will be an opportunity to meet fellow members and enjoy a meal and a talk by joint President of the Trust and co-owner of Osborne Bros, Andrew Lawrence, entitled ‘Dunkirk & the Leigh Cockle Industry’.

Dates for the Diary

Some dates to note. Further detail will be forthcoming once we have it!

May 9th - Spring Social
May 16-18th: Leigh Shanty festival
May 19 – 26th: Endeavour at Dunkirk
July TBC: Summer Reception - Osbornes with a meal. Tickets £TBC
Sept 6-7th: Old Leigh Regatta run by the Scouts of the Old Town
Oct TBC: Laying Up Supper—Venue & Tickets TBC

Subcription Changes

To keep up with the increasing costs of maintaining Endeavour, the committee has agreed a modest increase in subscriptions from 1st September 2025.

Xmas Present Ideas

As Christmas approaches, we would like to bring to your attention a number of inexpensive Endeavour-themed gift ideas; the perfect stocking filler for a loved one!

Nore Race 2024

Rounding the Last Buoy

The Nore Race for dinghies and cruisers is an historic race in the Thames Estuary, having taken place each summer since the early 1920s (with a break during World War II). Since the 1930s, the race has been run by Benfleet Yacht Club.

We had hoped to enter Endeavour for the 2023 event, but there were questions about insurance that made it too uncertain to risk participating, and she only attended as a supporter. This year, however, with everything in place, she was entered as part of Group 3—mono-hulled cruising yachts.