Category: Barges and wherries

Barges and wherries and other working boats originally for carrying cargoes

How sailing barge Edith May won her class in the Swale Barge Match

Edith May Swale barge match

 

‘With both staysail classes starting together, it was quite congested but Edith May found herself at the front of the pack charging to the line at the Sand End buoy. With official stop watch operator Clare Curling counting down the seconds to the start gun and the barge doing about 8kts, it was difficult to judge if the barge was going to be a few seconds early or late and mainsheetman and mate encouraged skipper Geoff to check the barge a little to be sure.

‘Just as she was seconds from crossing the line, the smoke from the starters gun billowed out from the committee boat – a perfect start!’

A romping description of how SB Edith May won in the staysail barge class. Click here.

Victorian photographer Peter Henry Emerson’s images of The Norfolk Broads

Emerson 2

Emerson 1 Emerson 3

This is a small sample of a larger collection of delicious photos of East Anglia taken by Victorian-era American photographer Peter Henry Emerson published this week on the 70.8% weblog.

The activities shown are catching eels and harvesting the famous Norfolk reed for use in making thatched roofs for houses and other buildings – and one shows one of the Broads’ wherries making its way along a dyke.

There are lots more to see at 70.8% so do go over to have a look!

My thanks to 70.8% weblogger Thomas Armstrong for pointing this one out via the 70.8% Facebook group.

PS – A Ward has written in to recommend Emerson’s book, which is available from Amazon. See the comment below. Needless to say, my copy is on order…

On-board photos from the Swale match

Kyle Abingdon of North Kent outfit Abingdon and Skabardis Marine Carpentry sent me over a few photos he took from Bob Burke’s boat Crow during the Swale match over the weekend.

Thanks Kyle – they’re great shots and the one of Jamie Clay’s gorgeous Albert Strange-designed Firefly (the distinctive two-master shown below with red sails) is particularly good.

Like several people I’ve spoken with, he reports that it was great fun – with all that sunshine and lots of F6, it would be. Crow came in first in her class, and Kyle says that was all down to skipper Bob.

He also says that he had to leave as soon as the boat got back in order to pick up his dog – hence the muddy feet.

I say, if you’re thinking of sailing in the Swale and Medway areas, look at this photo and be warned!