Alasdair's blog

Steve Harvey

Steve Harvey
We are sorry to bring the sad news that Steve Harvey died recently having not recovered from a planned heart operation. All the staff at Arthur Beale will greatly miss Steve’s great talent and his cheery demeanour. Steve was an expert rope worker, highly respected in the industry and much loved by our clients. He loved his work, both chatting to clients about their projects and carrying out the intricate ropework in our characterful basement. Maybe less well known was Steve’s love of comic...

Our New Rope Reference Catalogue has been Launched!

Our New Rope Reference Catalogue has been Launched!
Call in at the shop and pick up a copy or you can download it here: Download Here Its not just a pricelist, it is packed with useful information guiding you to the best rope for your task. The catalogue is organised chronologically starting with the same natural fibres that Arthur Beale used to make rope 400 or 500 years ago. Towards the end you will find the modern high performance ropes made from...
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If you are at a loose end this evening.....

If you are at a loose end this evening.....
....where better to be than at Arthur Beale's cool basement celebrating the launch of our brand new Rope Reference Catalogue! It will be a very ropey evening indeed. You can collect your new Rope Reference Catalogues whilst sipping a very special rum punch. I say "special" because I know the ingredients are rum, cane syrup and lime juice and I know the ratio is 3,2,1 but I'm not sure which order they are in. By the way, the rum will be Fair Transport Rum which was sailed across the Atlantic on...
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Arthur Beale Rope Reference Catalogue Launch 20th July

Arthur Beale Rope Reference Catalogue Launch 20th July

To celebrate our new Rope Reference Catalogue we are going to have a mini celebration! We've a fine bottle of Fair Transport Rum which has arrived in the UK under sail alone - via the Atlantic by the tall ship Tres Hombres and the final North Sea leg in my little Vertue. We will be serving tots in our basement (plus a few beers) and handing out copies of the catalogue with staff on hand to discuss all things "Ropey". The catalogue has been printed and a copy can be downloaded here;...

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Our New Rope Reference Catalogue is Finished!

Our New Rope Reference Catalogue is Finished!
Ok, its true we were hoping to have it ready for Beale Park but one thing and another got in the way and that didn't quite happen. In any case we haven't had one for 400 years so why rush it now! However we are on the cusp of going to print just a few things to tidy up and we will press the button. Its not a boring price list but an informative catalogue laid out in chronological order with the natural fibres at the begining and ending with Technora and the technical blends. There is a section...
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Established One Hundred and Sixty Five Years........

Established One Hundred and Sixty Five Years........
.....well we were when Samuel Pepys wrote: "Great fears of the Sickenesses here in the City, it being said that two or three houses are already shut up. God preserve us all." "But now, how few people I see, and those walking like people that have taken leave of the world...." In those days Arthur Beale was called John Buckingham. Graces Guide to British Industry has Arthur Beale established around 1500 so we were a very well established ropemaker when the Great Plague struck London. The company...

Interesting Thames Tides

Interesting Thames Tides
There wasn't much water in the river yesterday despite it being well past the time for low tide. It seems to be 2.3 m below predicted which sounds like a lot below to me. These strong SW winds must be holding it back. However, today it looks like it will surge up judging by the surge forecast. As it is a spring tide today with 7.4 m predicted, adding a 1 m of surge would definately slop over the top. Luckily the Thames Barrier will swing into action and close the river most of the day. I hope...
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Events

National Historic Ships UK Photo Competition 2019

National Historic Ships UK Photo Competition 2019
The results were annouced on Tuesday 26th November at the Queens House in Greenwich. Arthur Beale sponsors one of the categories. We were fed excellent canapes and bubbling wine while I stood and had a chat with Graeme Phanco from Glasgow who was one of the entrants. We were then marched off through the historic building to the awards ceremony. And the winners were: Category A OUR HISTORIC VESSELS "Ena - Heroine of Dunkirk, saved 100 lives, now rotting in the mud on the Hoo peninsula, by David...

Very Special Sextant Deal - save £150.00!

Very Special Sextant Deal - save £150.00!
Chart plotters are brilliant things. They are mind bogglingly clever, but they do make some of us (me) rather lazy. It's all too easy to forget to mark up your paper chart or to forget to lay off the tides and just steer along the purple road. They have some drawbacks too. The data is not reliable everywhere, try using one in East Greenland and you will have a bit of a shock. The constant zooming in and out can confuse your timings, rocks will approach mighty fast or disappear altogether if you...

The British Yachting Awards 2018 winners announced - CrewWatcher Wins!

The British Yachting Awards 2018 winners announced - CrewWatcher Wins!
The winning product in the Equipment Innovation of the Year was the Weems and Path CrewWatcher Beacon. Arthur Beale are proud to be the main London Stockists of this amazing product. The CrewWatcher beacons are activated either by proximity or by water activation. They can not only be used as super-fast MOB beacons but can also serve as a burglar alarm for your dinghy tied behind your yacht. They can work as bilge water alarms too and if you own a dog who runs off after rabbits then this could...
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