Trading Mates on Cambria

2017 was a quiet year for Cambria, which caused some level of worry.

2018 is proving much better.   Early in April the Sea-Change Sailing Trust started a charter of the barge for several months to be used for their work with young people and for other more unusual sails.

Top of the pile of such voyages must be the coming “Trading Mates on Cambria” weekend which will see Dick Durham and Phil Latham return to the barge where they spent long days as Mates in the last of the trading years in the 1960s.

And you can be part of that great experience by joining the barge for the weekend.   See below for full details and how to book.

The last Mate visits Cambria

David Rye drew my attention today, via Facebook, to a lovely film about Cambria, starring Dick Durham.

I hadn’t seen the film before and it’s absolutely fascinating.   There are some great pictures of Cambria, below deck, as she is now and some old pictures too including some nice shots of Bob Roberts.

Dick tells some wonderful stories about his fourteen months as the last Mate of Cambria when she was in trade.   He was a handsome young man of 18 at the time.

Here’s the link to the film.

 

Medway Match 2015 taken by Chriss Hallam from Cambria

We’ve added to our list of videos the lovely film made by Chriss Hallam

Photo courtesy Chriss Hallam

of the 2015 Medway Barge Match.   He was on board sb Cambria, so there are some good shots of her deck, rigging, and so on, including a nice one of Skipper Ian at the wheel.   We like the music too!

Here’s the link

Tony Farnham presents picture to Cambria Trust

Off on the Ferry to Gravesend today for the Cambria Trust Annual General Meeting, held at the Port of London Authority headquarters at London River House.   The Cambria Trust, of course, owns and maintains the sailing barge Cambria, renowned as the last UK registered vessel to trade under sail alone.   A wooden Thames sailing barge, she still has no engine and is completely dependent on the wind.

The AGM was well attended, and it was good to see a number of people who had not met since last year’s meeting.   Chairman, Bruce Richardson, reported on a busy year with charters by Rotary International District 1120 and the Sea-Change Sailing Trust, both using the barge for sail training.   Cambria had taken part in several of the annual barge matches, doing well, and had been at the Classic Boat Festival in St Katharine’s Dock in September, where on several days she had welcomed 1,000 visitors.

A highlight of the day was the presentation to the Trust of a splendid framed picture of Cambria taking part in the Thames Match of 1936.   The picture was a gift to the Trust from Tony and Sandy Farnham, and in handing it over Tony said that he hoped the picture would be installed on board the barge.   Our picture shows Tony Farnham, right,  presenting the picture to Bruce Richardson.

Picture courtesy of Dave Brooks

Cambria’s horseshoe leads to the story of a war-time barge

Well here’s an interesting post on the Cambria website’s blog!

How amazing it is the way things come to light.   When Cambria was being restored a horseshoe was found attached to the wheelhouse.   An appeal was made to try to discover how it came to be there, but nobody seemed to know.

Then recently William Collard came up with an answer  –  a good luck symbol, being the shoe worn by a famous racehorse.   He found the information in a collection of articles called ‘Thames at War’ by Bernard Drew.   The blog goes on to quote an extract from the articles about a trip on board Cambria that Mr Drew took in WW2 when “Cully” Tovell was skipper.   It is a fascinating account of life and work on a Thames sailing barge in war-time.   And, interesting for me, the other two members of the crew came from Grays. 

Here’s the link to the post on the Cambria blog.     

 

Help needed with Cambria’s painting

News from Dave Brooks about Cambria.

“Cambria is now in the dry dock at Oare Creek.    If anybody has any spare time to devote to painting the hull it would be appreciated as we only have a short time in there.

“Tomorrow Ryan may be pressure washing the bottom, so painting activity could be restricted to the topsides for a while.   Paint and implements are on board the barge.”

 

Hugh gets to work with the polish

Dave Brooks has provided this terrific photo of Hugh Perks cleaning Cambria’s brass.   Good old Hugh, helping out.   Mind you, fellow SSBR Committee Member, Roger Newlyn says, “What you have to do to get a turn on the wheel!!”

A round-up of the Swale Match

We’ve seen some really great photos of Saturday’s Swale Match.   So, to start with, here’s one that Hugh Perks sent us together with his reflections on the Match.   He was lucky enough to be on board Cambria so was able to observe his fellow SSBR Committee member, Dave Brooks, at work.

 

 

Hugh writes, “Yesterday’s Swale Match  –  Plenty of wind, Force 6, got up to 33mph at one time and on Cambria we had chine out of the water frequently, lying over nicely as photo shows.    Dave Brooks was on the port bowlin’ all day;  he must have lost two stones with all his hard work.”

More pictures to come.

Anniversary Thames Match attracts 16 Barges

It was a great achievement to gather 16 barges for the Thames Match on Saturday.   It would always have been a special occasion as the 150th anniversary of the first match, but was made more special  –  and more poignant  –  by the sudden death at the end of last year of Mark Boyle who had re-started the matches in the 1990s and done so much to drive them forward.   All credit then to the Committee who picked up the reins, (oh dear, we are into horse metaphors now!), and provided such a special 2013 match.    Not least, mention must be made of Richard Walsh, our own SSBR Vice Chairman, who stepped in as Match Secretary.

The weather was lovely for spectators and those taking part, but the lack of wind at the start caused big problems.   This year the match finished at Erith rather than Gravesend and the winners of the three classes were:-

Coasting Class  –  Cambria

Champion Staysail Class  –  Niagara

Champion Bowsprit Class  –  Edme

SSBR Committee member and Cambria Trust Secretary, Dave Brooks, has published an excellent report of the match on the Cambria website.   As he says, he had defected for the weekend to Lady Daphne, but he can’t resist watching out for Cambria!   Here’s the link to the report on the Cambria Blog.   The splendid picture was taken by Dave Brooks.

Cambria and Waverley at Gravesend

Photos of the paddle steamer Waverley, when she was doing trips on the Thames last year, have just been published on the vessel’s Facebook page.   Amongst them is this terrific one showing Waverley and sb Cambria on either side of the new pontoon at Gravesend.  

When Waverley came into the pontoon for the first time, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a brass band playing on the pier, I was on board Cambria with Dave Brooks and Rob Bassi.   We had been expecting quite a few Waverley passengers to visit Cambria and were all ready to show them round.   In the end only two were given permission to disembark from the paddle steamer and come on board, and they were only allowed five minutes.   A high speed tour took place!  

Still it was great to see these two ladies of the sea side by side, and a stirring sight when those huge paddles turned and Waverley continued up river.