After leaving school Pye went to sea, but later, set on becoming an artist he studied at Heatherley's art school in London. After, he is listed in the 1881 census as living in the High Street, at Hadleigh in Essex, just adjacent to Leigh-on-Sea, near Southend on the Thames estuary, where this was painted. Its principal industry was cockling.

There is a watercolour in the Victoria and Albert Museum of nearly the same title, dated 1881. On the 13/14 October of 1881 there was one of the worst gales of Victoria's reign - it caused widespread damage to buildings all over Britain; many trees were blown down and on one day alone 108 ships were reported missing at Lloyd's.

In the autumn of 1895, John Brett visited the coast of North Devon, staying in the family cottage of fellow artist William Pye. There, he painted the coves and cliffs of Lee, including a study of Lee Cove Sands, sketched en plein air. (Maas 16330)