Not many of the "little ships" that took part in the Dunkirk evacuation of 1940 are still on the water, but My Queen is one. Based at Starcross on the river Exe, this sturdy craft is still capable of carrying more than 100 people up and down the Exe estuary, looking for birds.
The three-hour trip is billed as the RSPB's "avocet cruise", after the distinctive black-and-white waders that spend the winter down here in south Devon. But there are many other species to see, and the cruise also gave us an insider's view of one of the most important estuaries in the UK for wintering birds.
The avocets – and thousands of other waders and wildfowl – come here every autumn because the climate is so mild. Even in the depths of winter the waters are usually ice-free, and the estuarine mud is said to be more nutritious, ounce for ounce for birds, than a Mars bar is for humans.
Before we set off curlews, oystercatchers and gulls were loafing around on the mud. Once we got going I caught sight of a small black-and-white bird diving beneath the surface: a razorbill, in its pale winter garb. Another local speciality has boomed in recent years. Brent geese – smart, plump, black, white and grey – can often be seen on playing fields alongside the estuary, and large flocks flew over our heads as they went to and fro to feed.
Further upriver, more and different waders began to appear. There were dunlins, godwits, turnstones, lapwings and a lone greenshank – an unusual sight, as most British greenshanks head south to spend the winter around the Mediterranean. We also saw carrion crows, living up to their reputation for intelligence by picking up mussels and dropping them on the ground to split open their shells and get at the contents.
But our main quest was the RSPB's symbol itself, the impossibly elegant avocet. Unmistakable, with its slender, upcurved bill and long blue legs, the avocet is also one of conservation's greatest success stories. Numbers wintering on the Exe have hugely increased in recent years, with more than 600 here at their peak.
We finally came across them way upstream, close to the old port of Topsham. This was a poignant moment for me, as my grandmother was born there and I have always felt a strong connection with the place. I was delighted to see that the natural heritage of this vitally important area is still being safeguarded, despite the constant threat of development.
There was an unexpected bonus as we cruised back towards port: a lone red-breasted goose keeping company with the brents. Some people believe that this stunning creature has escaped from a wildfowl collection, but I prefer to imagine that sometime in the autumn, as it was heading off from its Siberian breeding grounds to the Black Sea, it got caught up with the brent geese and instead joined them on their journey to Britain. Either way, it was a fine end to a superb trip.