We thought it was about time people got to know a bit more about Spinnaker and where we are. Not many people know we are based in Leigh-on Sea in Essex. Many think we are in London, when in actual fact we are around a 45-minute train journey from London.
Why Leigh-on Sea you may ask? Well, when you have an office with views of ships passing by every day, how can you not? Leigh-on Sea sits on the Thames Estuary which can either take you into London and Tilbury or out to the North Sea. This ensures your front-row seat to ships coming in and out of London and Tilbury docks.
The town of Leigh-on Sea has always been a busy fishing town, dating all the way back to the 14th Century. This still remains now. You can head down to Old Leigh to ‘cockle shed row’ where the original cockle sheds are still located and have remained largely unchanged since being built in the 19th Century. The welks and cockles are locally fished by family-run businesses and their cockle boats. There is no better place to get your fresh seafood in and around Leigh. Especially as it is home to the famous Osbourne Brothers Cockle Sheds
Shipbuilding has always been an activity in Leigh-on Sea and ships of up to 340 tonnes are recorded to have built here. The Leigh-built ship history starts with the Speedwell a 105-tonne ship built in 1579. The Vineyard was next weighing in at 240 tonnes, Mary Anne weighing 302 tonnes and Ruby weighing 280 tonnes to name a few.
And if you ever found yourself in Old Leigh and looking for places to go, look no further than Ye Olde Smack where you can enjoy a pub quiz on Thursday, The Peterboat, perfect for charming seaside views, The Mayflower, aptly named after the ship from the 16th Century, and the oldest pub in the town, The Crooked Billet.
The Spinnaker team often find themselves down in Old Leigh enjoying the local cuisine and being very competitive at the pub quiz, and of course, getting very excited over all the ship spotting that can be done.
More than 20 million shipping containers are moving around the world at any given time.
Approximately 33 billion gallons of fuel are consumed by cargo ships annually.