Tag: Dave Brooks (Page 3 of 3)

Too Rough for the Wall

September 24, 2012 / / 0 Comments

Hull Model for the Brooks father and son modelling project, Picture by Dave Brooks.

They tell me there’s been a small delay on getting the barge onto the wall and open to the public. You are ‘enjoying’ some rough ol’ weather at present, apparently and the crew returning the barge to Gravesend after the last charter were obliged to come alongside at the floating pontoon which would at least be going up and down at the same rate as they were, rather than the unforgiving concrete wall of St Andrew’s Wharf. There the barge stayed overnight and I understand that Skipper Ian Ruffles and Mate Ryan Dale found all the facilities on the pontoon shut up and gone away due to the bad weather and effectively had to ‘break’ out of the place (don’t worry, only in a good and non-damaging way) to go buy their dinner in town before ‘breaking’ back in to eat it. Apparently the barge may be moved and become open to the public Tuesday, weather permitting.

So meanwhile here is another picture of the barge model currently being rendered Westmoreland shaped by Dave Brooks and his Father, Tony Brooks.

Model Making

September 20, 2012 / / 0 Comments

It’s all gone a bit quiet on the barge front at present and your blogger is fast running out of stories about the real barge to witter on about so, as I know that many of the readers dabble in a bit of modelling in the ‘close’ season, I thought it would be rather fun to relate a tale of an attempt to recreate SB Westmoreland in miniature, by Dave Brooks and his father, Tony B. Dave has offered to diarise his exploits. Here is the first section of that diary (for which thank you Dave and Tony). I will be interested to see how they got on, mainly because I also started and failed to complete a nice model (which was taken off my hands by a chum who has also got nowhere with it despite best intentions). I take my hat off to anyone who perseveres and finishes up with a display-able model, and I’ve seen some superb ones. Do please add your comments to these posts if you have any similar stories of failure or success.

Model which may come to resemble SB Westmoreland; photo by Dave Brooks

Dave writes, ” Whilst working as a volunteer for the Cambria Trust during the Cambria’s rebuild at Faversham we would take our lunch time upstairs in Baltic House Standard Quay aka. The Cambria Visitor Centre. It was then that I noticed an unfinished barge model, which was a hull and some brass leeboards and mainmast and topmast. Every time I passed that unfinished model I thought it was sad that it never got finished. I enquired as to its origin and found that the model had been made by Boss of Volunteers Basil Brambleby for his kids to mess around with. The model sat on the shelf for three years until we had to vacate the visitor centre and Basil very kindly donated the hull to me. Of course I had grand notions to finish it and rig it so I brought it home and stuck it in the attic for a year whilst I contemplated just how I was going to achieve it.

Knowing my woodworking skills are non existent I knew I would have to enlist some help. So I asked my dad Tony Brooks who had already made a beautiful scale model of the Glenmore my Great Grandfathers barge if he fancied a project. Thankfully he agreed and asked me to bring the model over to him to have a look at. Dad liked the model but then threw me as he decided that if he was going to do this project he wanted to work to a plan. Off he went to his book shelf and after thumbing through several books he found a plan of the Westmoreland. “We can use this to give us an idea about general sizes etc.” So the plan was scanned into his pc and dimensions taken from the model to produce a scale drawing of our hull.”

To be continued.

Swale Match

August 13, 2012 / / 0 Comments

Today my job as blogger could not be easier as Dave Brooks’s Match Report for the Swale 2012 pings across the email and I can pretty much quote it verbatim. He also supplies a couple of lovely photo’s, one of which I publish here. Thanks for that, Dave.

Swale Match 2012, photo by Dave Brooks.

Dave writes “This years Swale Barge Match was the best race of the season so far. We based ourselves on Graveney beach right by the start line and watched Cabby, Orinoco, Phoenician, Greta and Pudge in the restricted stays’l class along with Decima, Repertor, and the newly refitted Niagara in the stays’l class got underway. Niagara was last of her class to start with Cabby leading all over the line. Mirosa, Marjorie and Lady of the Lea contested the bowsprit class but Lady of the Lea had already started with the stays’l barges so only Mirosa and Marjorie started correctly.

Watching the finish was a joy as Niagara and Repertor were side by side heading up to the finish line, Repertor crossing first by 1 second but had earlier incurred a 5 minute penalty giving the win to Niagara in a very impressive first race. With Niagara starting the race at the back of the fleet she was certainly the fastest stays’l barge of the day.

Mirosa and Marjorie were also neck and neck coming to the line with Mirosa winning by the tip of her bowsprit.

Cabby led the restricted stays’l barges from start to finish with Orinoco taking second place as Phoenician who crossed the line before her had failed to go round one of the marks.

Many thanks to an email from Hugh Perks who cleared up all the mystery over the finishing places.

It was nice to see so many barges racing and such close finishes. Niagara looked impressive as she picked off the places after starting last.

Shame Cambria was otherwise engaged up in Ipswich, and the Edme didn’t come it would have been good to see how they would have faired against the Mirosa and Marjorie. Also regular barge match attendee Edith May was unable to attend this year.”

Thanks, as I said, for that, Dave.

Niagara’s back!

August 8, 2012 / / 1 Comment

Eagle eyed roving reporter, Dave Brooks spots the SB Niagara back on the water and sailing again after a complete restoration after 70 years laid up. As Frank Spice (snr) puts it, “Its nice to see some of the old girls coming back after all these years” and Martin Phillipd says “Welcome Back!”. Thanks too, to Dave B for this nice picture of her out there doing her stuff. In the latest from ‘Cambria Watch’ by Hilary Halajko, she writes “We locked out of Tibury docks at 7 this morning bound for Brightlingsea. We hove to off Southend to row Dick Durham ashore and are now underway again. It’s 14.00 and we’ve just reached the spitway so with a lovely fair wind have decided to carry on to Harwich. Crews ETAs vary between 17.00 and 19.00 we shall see!

Niagara sails again after 70 years. Picture by Dave Brooks.

Blackwater Match

July 17, 2012 / / 1 Comment

As promised, a report by Dave Brooks on the Blackwater Match

Dave tells us, “I desperately wanted to beat my previous record of 23 barges in a blog but can only manage 20 and one of them is unnamed.

Blackwater Match 2012; Picture by Dave Brooks

14/07/12 saw 10 barges competing in the Blackwater barge match. There were three classes made up of Bowsprits, Edme and Marjorie.

Steel Barges, Repertor, Reminder and Decima and then a curious class made up of Edith May, Ardwina, Pudge, Cabby (racing as a stays’l) and Lady of the Lea and Phoenician

The start saw Edith May crossing the line first followed by Cabby and Pudge, looking good. It was nice to see her racing again.

Then the steel barges were led away by the Repertor, followed by Reminder and then Decima.

Edme led the only other Bowsprit in their class, Marjorie, away. It was a reasonable start with a little bit of wind and Edith May showed a clean pair of heels heading

and out past the Bradwell Power Station.

We headed off and like the following barges Hydrogen, Wyvenhoe and Nellie we tried our best to follow the fleet. We caught up with stragglers at Bradwell Marina

where we found J.P. Lodges new but unamed little barge on blocks in the yard. She looks really good and it will be nice to see her when she is finished and of course

named.

Our next stop was St.Peters on the Wall, one of the oldest Saxon churches in the British Isles. By now the wind had died away and it was difficult to tell what was actually

happening. Making our minds up that some of the barges were on their way back we returned to Bradwell Marina for a pint and waited, waited, waited, but still no

barges came.

We decided to head back up river to the finish where unlike at Bradwell you can get a better view right down the river. This paid off and we could see Edme leading Edith

May and Repertor back home. As it was these three were the subsequent winners of their classes. Edith May was rightly satisfied by being the first Stay’l barge home

beating the Repertor by 15 mins and 25 seconds. Had both barges started together this would have been an interesting match.

So back to Maldon to watch the barges returning where the Thalatta, Xylonite and George Smeed were all in attendance. Thalatta and Xylonite are hoping to be competing

in the next match, the Thames on the 28th July. (I could have grabbed a gratuitous 21st here by mentioning a challenge from the Thalatta to our own girl, two mulie rigged

coasting barges in a head to head, but that would have been crass.) By now the rain which had been an irritant all day had stopped and the sun was out making it a pleasant evening on the quay as the barges returned home passing the hulks of the Scotia and Oxygen in the backwater behind”.

Nice report, Dave, so thanks for that.

Dave Brooks’s picture was taken just before the start.

Pudge and Upnor Castle

July 12, 2012 / / 1 Comment

All quiet on the Cambria front today so mine is merely to show you this lovely picture of SB Pudge off Upnor taken by Dave Brooks. Nice one Dave!

Decima in Pin Mill Match. Photo By Dave Brooks

23 Barges!

July 3, 2012 / / 1 Comment

Dave B is making scurrilous remarks that I may have coerced this article out of him …”seeing as you practically forced my arm up my back”. What a suggestion! Anyway, seriously, I am delighted to receive the following from Dave describing his mission to Ipswich and Pin Mill over the weekend.

“We arrived at Pin Mill late in the morning of 29^th June”, says Dave, “to find just Edith May and Melissa present for the race though Betula was at her mooring by the Butt and Oyster Pub. A quick spin down to Shotley revealed the Reminder at Harwich, then back to the Butt and Oyster for lunch. Off to Ipswich Dock and things were much more promising, with Centaur, Lady Daphne. Ardwina, Marjorie, Victor, Lady of the Lea and Phoenician all present and soon to be joined by Thistle and Hydrogen who were waiting to lock in. We decided to head back to Pin Mill and on the way spotted the little yacht barge Rosie Probert at Stoke Quay. Pin Mill was still quiet but some of the Edith May crew were at the pub and it would have been rude not to stay for a drink.

On the way back to the car I stopped to ask a local where Bob Roberts had lived. He was somewhat bemused having received that morning a letter from Sheila Roberts telling all about the re-dedication. He asked our connection with Bob and we explained we were part of the Trust. His name was Ron Watts and he’d sailed with Bob on the Cambria in the past. He kindly walked us down to the cottage where Bob had lived.

On the following morning were headed off to the Butt and Oyster for Cumberland Sausage and Black Treacle basted Bacon rolls and coffee. Bring on the race. A short drive to Shotley and onto the point and somewhat surprisingly Mirosa was leading the Edme and the Marjorie in the bowsprit class. Edith May was leading the fast stays’ls but had been overhauled by Melissa, Repertor and Decima by the time they reached Lowestoft. Reminder was following and Victor we think started but then seemed to change his mind and joined the following Hydrogen, Thistle and Kitty. The slower barges were next up with Ardwina, Centaur and Lady of the Lea going well, but sadly a collision between Lady Daphne and Phoenician meant an early return to Ipswich for both. Cygnet, Dinah and Cabby (not certain if she was racing or following) were the last barges to pass us at Shotley.

Decima in Pin Mill Match. Photo By Dave Brooks

It was an interesting race and as the barges headed back into Harwich harbour Mirosa was leading with Edme appearing to follow the wrong course and having to double back in order to sail up the Stour. Mirosa did well and stayed ahead of Edme to win the Bowsprit class. Repertor overhauled the Melissa to win the stays’l class and Centaur held off Ardwina in the slower class.

All in all it was a very interesting race with good picture opportunities but sad that Lady Daphne and Phoenician came together early on.”

Thanks for that brilliant report Dave which certainly gives you the Record for most Barges “seen” in one blog and mentioned in one report. I make it 22 seen and Cambria mentioned, so 23! It was a definite barge-rich environment. Today’s photo is one by Dave of Decima during the match.

Cambria dressed as a Stumpie. Pic by Dave Brooks

More on Trojan; Go-Live Day!

June 29, 2012 / / 0 Comments

Not that long ago we noted that Friend Nick Ardley had spotted that SB Trojan’s hull had been “tidied” away to make room for the Olympics. Today the “Barge Blog” takes up the story, having spotted this link.

http://sailingbarges.wordpress.com/2012/06/28/trojans-end-a-building-accident-and-the-olympic-legacy/

Cambria dressed as a Stumpie. Pic by Dave Brooks

“Back in the early part of the year,” says BB, “the SSBR Committee heard reports that the SB Trojan, which apparently had been abandoned on Leigh Marshes, had been removed by Southend-on-Sea Borough Council and destroyed. We learnt of this through a story that a man had been injured by the fall of a steel wall, although strangely there was no mention that the steel wall in question was part of the hull of a Thames sailing barge – not your everyday building accident!

Everything then went quiet, but yesterday a report appeared on “The Echo” newspaper’s website, headed “Southend Council removed and destroyed Thames Barge it says was falling into a dangerous state”.

It seems that the diligent David Hurrell had been at work and had revived the story, (please contradict this (asks BB) if that is not the case, David).

Southend Council is being reprimanded for not taking steps to establish the history of the vessel and its importance in the story of Thames barges and the river. Trojan was moored at Leigh’s Two Tree Island, and was the former headquarters of the Leigh Motor Boat Club. She had been a feature of Leigh Marshes for more than 20 years.

David is quoted, as an SSBR member, as being disappointed Council officials did not give somebody the chance to restore the barge. He said: “She would have made a really good restoration project but Southend Council decided to destroy it”.

The article goes on to quote SSBR Vice Chairman, Richard Walsh, who said the barge was the last survivor of a group of eight boats built to carry 180 tons of cargo on the Thames. Richard went on to say, “Her demise is a serious loss to our maritime heritage; a loss with no obvious serious attempt by the Council to establish its importance nationally and its local trading history relevance.”

Thanks for that, Barge Blog

Meanwhile, this is the Go-Live day for the new website. May the technical gremlins steer clear!

Pennant donated by Rotarians from Cambria, Ca. Photo by Dave Brooks

Cambria, California, USA

June 26, 2012 / / 0 Comments

Hands up who knew there was a town called Cambria in California, USA? Certainly not me. Who knew that the Rotary Club had a (huge) organisation with branches in USA and, in fact, all around the world, with 34,000 clubs worldwide and 1.2 million members? Nope, not me again. I am ashamed to say I thought it was just a British thing. I now feel humble at my level of ignorance of the group who are currently a major sponsor of our operations. I was surprised as anyone when the Rotary Club (UK, obviously!) presented us with this flag on the occasion of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Pageant and our hosting of their group on the day. It is from the Rotary Club group from Cambria, Ca. Thanks to the local Rotarians and also to the stateside club!

Pennant donated by Rotarians from Cambria, Ca. Photo by Dave Brooks

Meanwhile I have now received from the BBC on line shop, my copy of the “Britain’s Lost Routes” series with Griff Rhys Jones. You will recall that this series contained the episode where SB Dawn is used to ferry a load of hay bales up to Horseguards Parade, having all manner of adventures along the way. If you are in UK you may be able to get this on i-Player but here in Ireland, where we don’t pay UK TV Licence fees, we are not allowed that, but happily, the BBC are willing to sell you the DVD of the series for £19.49 inc postage and it is, in my opinion, money well spent. I have only seen the Dawn episode so far and it is brilliant, with lots of Rhys-Jones tom-foolery and plenty of loving footage of Dawn in action, including plenty from overhead (presumably helicopter shots) and some below decks. In one hilarious sequence Griff cooks them a traditional bargeman’s plum duff and they all try it out, with varied (mainly ‘not much!) enthusiasm. Brilliant.

3 days to Go-Live on the new site……