Gavin Atkin's weblog for the sort of people who like looking inside boat sheds. It's about old boats, traditional boats, boat building, restoration, the sea and the North Kent Coast
Barges and wherries and other working boats originally for carrying cargoes
I won’t be able to make the Thames Traditional Boat Rally this weekend but I’d like to make it one day – and no doubt Julie would love what looks like a rather genteel event.
In the meantime, I’ve been enjoying this fabulous gallery of photos. I recommend you just hit the ‘play’ button at the top right of the page and watch the boats go by for a few minutes.
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A Thames barge in the Swin, by Frank Mason. Click on the
picture for a bigger image
I’ve put this drawing of a Thames barge up this morning in honour of a group of pals who as I write are holidaying off the Essex Coast in the Thames barge named Centaur.
The sun’s shining and there’s a good breeze this morning, and needless to say, I’m envious, not least because in addition to sailing I know that there will be some great singing and music-making on board and ashore!
The scan comes from Vanishing Craft, written by F G G Carr and illustrated by Frank Mason. Writing nearly 90 years ago, Carr says this of barges: ‘It is hard to find a picture of the Thames without one or more of these beautiful vessels lending a touch of grace and colour to the scene. One cannot even think of the lower river without the barges, some under way, with their reddish brown canvas full and drawing and carrying them smoothly about their business, while others of their class lie at anchor with sails brailed up and waiting for the tide that sluices past their sides to turn in their favour.’
How times have changed. These days there are just a few barges still sailing compared with two thousand or more in Carr’s time. Still, I’m glad to report that we usually see at least one each time we sail on the North Kent Coast.
For more intheboatshed.net posts relating to barges click here.
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Intheboatshed.net regular Jeff Cole has sent us a disk of splendid photos from the Australian Wooden Boat Festival at Hobart, Tasmania some weeks ago.
Jeff has kindly sent us many photos and images over the past couple of years, and his interests range far and wide across the boating and shipping scene, I rather liked some of these steamers and motor-powered craft – and of course the steam driven outboard is a hoot. There will be more to come over future weeks.
Many thanks Jeff!
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