Alexander von Humboldt II has a follower

Today the German sail training vessel, Alexander von Humboldt  II, came down river having spent the weekend in London.   This magnificent ship used to have green sails but is now all in white.   Here’s a picture of her coming down river, but who’s that following her?   And here’s a picture of the Gravesend pilot boarding her.  

New book on St Katharine’s Dock to be launched on sb Lady Daphne

Christopher West saw yesterday’s post about Lady Daphne, and has contacted
us with the following news:-

“The Lady Daphne is now featured in my new book, The History Of St Katharine’s.   I am launching the book and giving a talk on board The Lady Daphne on Monday 28th April from 5 to 7 pm.   She is the perfect venue for this.   If you would like to come along, tickets are £5 and available from thestoryofstk@outlook.com or my http://historyofthedocks.net    “

The season is getting underway – here’s Victor’s programme

The barges are coming out of hibernation, although they will have had little sleep as much winter maintenance work will have been done.   One by one we are seeing them start their programme for the summer season.   And here’s news of what sb Victor will be doing this year as published on the Ipswich Borough Council website.

Click here for the story.

Lady Daphne seen at North Greenwich

The Eastender has a couple of nice pictures of Lady Daphne sailing past North Greenwich on Tuesday of last week.

Here’s the link to the story.

 

From the back of my head

The committee members of SSBR usually get advance warning that the latest edition of Mainsheet is on its way.  So when that light thud came as the post hit the doormat this morning I guessed it had arrived.

Charles Traill always plays his cards close to his chest and will never tell us, beyond perhaps a small hint about one item, what the contents will be.   It has to be a surprise.   So there is always much interest in what we will find when we open the publication.

As agreed at a committee meeting in January, Charles had included a resumé of our deliberations about the future, and with it was a photograph of the committee.

“Gosh”, I thought, “my hair does look nice, all those lovely long curls”.   I hate having my photograph taken, but this was good, this was acceptable.   For dear Charles had stood behind me to take his picture of the committee and it was a photo of the back of my head!

What is more important though, and much more worth saying, is that the current Mainsheet lives up to its reputation as a first class magazine.

Those of you who follow The Barge Blog and its Facebook page see interesting and often chatty news about barges, barge people and the barge world, together with great photos, old and new.   But you could get so much more if you joined the Society for Sailing Barge Research.   For an amazing annual subscription of £20 you not only help preserve documents, photographs and artifacts on Thames sailing barges and promote research into the vessels, you also receive two copies of Mainsheet each year and an annual Topsail, our acclaimed in depth study of the history of sailing barges.   And you also receive discounts on other publications commissioned by the Society.   Here’s a link to the  SSBR Membership Form .   Do join us now.

Gloriana

The Royal Barge Gloriana being towed upriver on the Thames today.

Drifting at Wapping

Found this excellent photograph on the National Maritime Museum’s Flickr account.   It is of a Thames sailing barge drifting at Wapping, circa 1884.

News of the new Blue Mermaid

Yachting Monthly has an interesting piece about the new Blue Mermaid which Sea-Change Sailing Trust is planning to build.   She will be based on the blueprint of the steel-hulled barge blown up after hitting a German mine off the Spitway Channel in World War II.   The new barge will be used to train sailing crew and the plan is that she will carry cargo again.

Read the Yachting Monthly story here.

Cygnet at Brightlingsea

A very nice short film from Simon North of Cygnet at Brightlingsea.   There are  some interesting split screens and so on.

Click here to watch.

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.”