Set sail for the spectacular Barge match!

 

 

 

A succession of unique and beautiful Thames barges will begin racing at 11am and can be best seen from Southend Pier Head.   

Among them will be the newly-restored Cambria, which - in her working life - was the last Thames barge to trade under sail alone. She was never fitted with an engine.

This vessel will bring back especially vivid memories for journalist and author, Dick Durham, 60, who worked on her as mate for 14 months when he was just 18.

Dick, of Leigh, who is Officer of the Day for Southend Barge Match, will on Sunday be fully reunited with the Cambria for the first time since he helped her collect and deliver her very last cargo 40 years ago.  

Big coasting barges like the Cambria transported freight from large cargo ships to smaller coastal and river ports.

In their heyday, they worked round the coast of Britain and across the channel, usually with a skipper, a mate, a third hand, and a cook on board  

However, when Dick joined the Cambria, he just sailed with the skipper, Bob, and his border collie, Penny - who also helped out on deck and served as a barking alarm clock.  

Dick said: "The cargo we carried could be anything from timber to cattle feed - ground nut cake. Our most unusual freight was from a Dutch ship in the Thames where we transported 60 tons of unscented talcum powder to Lower Upnor on the River Medway."

After the Cambria was decommissioned, it gradually fell into disrepair. However, enthusiasts, led by the late Tony Ellis set up the Cambria Trust, and - helped by lottery funding - have just completed a £1.4 million four-year restoration project.  

The Cambria is now taking on her new role in sail training and educational activities.  

She is no stranger to barge matches, having raced on the Thames when new in 1906, and more frequently between 1927 and 1938.  

Meanwhile, on leaving the Cambria, Dick pursued various jobs including working below sea level as an underwater labourer helping lay the foundations for Brighton Marina, before becoming a journalist,  

He said: "I am very much looking forward to going aboard the Cambria again. I saw her from a distance at a recent barge match and they have done a magnificent job in restoring her."  

Dick, who now works for Yachting Monthly, believes sailing ships could again be used for commercial transport.

He said: "Barges like the Cambria had 5,000 square feet of sail and could carry the equivalent of four juggernauts worth of cargo in a vessel handled by just two people. The only issue is timing and predictability.  

"If anyone asked the skipper when the Cambria would arrive to deliver the cargo, he would always ironically say: 'Five past three on Wednesday!' to show that you just can't be that precise with the vagaries of winds and waves."  

Among the other barge match competitors on Sunday are:

• Edith May - extensively restored since 1999 and now chartering on the river Medway (http://www.edithmaybargecharter.co.uk/)
• Melissa - a steel barge that has recently completed a rebuild at Pin Mill on the River Orwell.
• Some of the other barges expected to race this year are: Adieu, Edme, Lady of the Lea, Marjorie, Phoenician, Reminder, Repertor, Wyvenhoe

For more details, please visit: www.thamesbarge.org.uk/southendbargematchatch

or: http://www.visitsouthend.co.uk/. or call 01702 618747.  

Barge match programmes cost £3 and are available to buy from the Visitor Information Centre at Southend Pier. This charge also includes 1 x pier admission.