Month: March 2011

Cambria is relaunched!

Relaunch of sailing barge Cambria at Standard Quay

The relaunch of Bob Roberts’ old sailing barge Cambria at Standard Quay, Faversham just after noon on the 21st March 2011. Hoorah!

Roberts was the last working barge skipper, and Cambria the last working barge. She’s now being refurbished, and this short film shows the first short trip she has made on her own bottom for some time.

I should add that old Bob was also a noted singer and melodeon player – although the sound track I’ve used on this clip is not by him, but an old recording of mine. Read all about the Cambria here .

Very sadly, this launch may be one of the last from Standard Quay, as there are plans to develop the area. To support the campaign to save Standard Quay and Faversham Creek’s traditional maritime industries, see http://standardquay.com/

PS – Graham Phillips spotted this clip of Cambria arriving at Standard Quay. Thanks Graham!

 

An enquiry from folklorist Bob Walser – what do we know about Firth of Forth oyster boats?

This Illustrated London News engraving from 1862 is the latest clue in Bob Walser’s  continuing investigation into the background of a series of ‘dreg songs’ recorded by folklorist James Madison Carpenter from families in the Firth of Forth area.

Bob asks whether intheboatshed.net readers can provide any information about the boats pictured, the use of two sweeps simultaneously, and about oyster fishing in the Firth generally please?

I haven’t any specialist knowledge of the area, but I’d say that the boats rather resemble the early fifie shown in the Washington Report of 1849, though rigged with a single mast rather than two – which makes sense what appear to be fairly small boats. The full sized early fifies are described by the Chatham Directory of Inshore Craft as beamy, double-ended entirely open boats with upright stems, which seems about right. The boats were made to be full ended at the sheer and had hollow waterlines forward but were a more bouyant shape aft.

The two sweeps make practical sense to me, not least because they would enable the boat to travel in a reasonably straight line, without using the rudder so far over that it acted as a brake and made hard work for the crew.

These are just my untutored guesses. What do the rest of you think – or, even better, know about Firth of Forth oyster boats of this era please?

It’ll be the death of me – a little song warning about the dangers of mixing water and alcohol

It'll be the death of me - drink and boating dangers song

A little song about the skipper of a Humber sloop made by Pete Thompson – I don’t know whether it’ll catch on, but having rowed back from the pub once or twice, I do know that this is an important topic!