Tag: Edith May

2013 Championship results

September 24, 2013 /

Cambria racing 2013; Picture by Susan Martin

I think it was Annie Meadows who first flagged this up in Facebook, that the Sailing Barge Association (link from this site) have now completed and published the results of the 2013 championship.

http://www.sailingbargeassociation.co.uk/championship2013.html

We did OK, coming 6th over all but, inevitably, could have done better, especially later in the season where I am told that some topmast rings (onto which are laced the tops’l) had become distorted in a bit of a blow during one of the charter trips and do not always slide up and down the topm’st properly, making it tricky to get a good ‘set’ on that sail. Excuses, excuses, I hear you say!

Whatever the case, the championship was won outright by Niagara with Edith May 2nd, both barges managing this by dint of scoring in every race bar one (the Passage Match for Niagara and the Blackwater for Edith May). Well done those crews and those barges! 3rd equal overall were Lady of the Lea and Repertor, with Edme 5th.

Our 6th was a score of 24 (Niagara had 40) , 6 from the Medway, 5 from the Passage, 5 from the Thames, 3 from the Swale and 5 from Southend.

Say the Sailing Barge Association, “Overall it was a good turnout at the Matches this year. 22 barges actively participated, with an average attendance of 10 barges per match and the 150th anniversary Mark Boyle Memorial Thames Match attracting an impressive 16 barges and other vessels following.”

Thank you to Annie and to the SBA and also to the racers themselves who give us such a cracking spectacle every year. I understand that the Thames Match may not happen in 2014 because in the absence of the late Mark ‘Nozz’ Boyle, there is not a viable committee, so if you know different and think you could take over the running of the Thames Match then please get in touch with the SBA.

Thanks too, to Susan Martin who took this lovely shot of Cambria doing her stuff in, I think, the Southend Match.

We Won the Medway!

May 18, 2013 / / 0 Comments

Cambria winning the Medway Match, 2013 Coasting Class; Picture by Julie Brooks from mobile phone.

Just in on Facebook from Julie Brooks, Cambria and the team “won” the Medway Barge match. That’s unfortunately all I know at this stage. Dave Brooks’s new group on FB are a bit more forthcoming, reporting that “Great race. Full course. Great tussle with the stays’l barges Edith May and Niagara going out and the Niagara and Repertor coming back. Repertor winning. Adieu led the bow sprits going with Xylonite showing her old form to win. Cambria won the Coasting class”.

I am not sure yet who was declared winner over all and I am afraid I only have this camera phone picture but none the less….

Well done all the crew and all involved in the race preparation!

Small World (even in Ireland)

December 30, 2012 /

Edith May Year video; screen-grab from Ed Gransden’s Facebook time line, grabbed by Matt Care

Edith May’s Ed Gransden has posted a nice video on Facebook reviewing their year. It’s in 2 parts, the first being http://www.facebook.com/ed.gransden?fref=ts . I will publish details on Part 2 when I have them. I think I’m right in saying these are within FB rather than being available on You Tube as a whole (is that right, Ed?) so you may need to be a registered FB user to get at them. They are very good – short video clips inter-leaved with ‘slide-show’ stills taking you through what has been a very good year for them. Not only were they nominated as National Register of Historic Ships flag-ship, but they have also had a host of different bands playing aboard and there is stuff too from some fine dining events and even a crab-winch winding competition. It’s well worth a look.

Meanwhile I had a nice barge-y coincidence happen to me just pre Christmas. Buying this house in Ireland, we were excited to learn that the seller had Whitstable connections, having lived in Kent for a while and her partner having family there. We went through all the house-move trying to keep on friendly terms with the vendor and have since become quite good friends. The couple have actually been here visiting a few times to see what we’ve done to bring their family’s derelict farmhouse back to life. Just pre Christmas they dropped by en route to Knock airport (which is only 20 minutes away) and the partner, Paul, noticing my barge pictures, commented that I might know his 2nd cousin, none other than Roger Newlyn!

Once they’d departed, I emailed Roger just to tell him of this and was delighted to receive back the following detail. “Paul’s Dad, Don”, said Roger, “was a shipwright and cabinet maker working for Anderson Rigden & Perkins in Whitstable. A perfectionist. If it wasn’t right, he smashed it up. He built several boats of which I had one. It was an over-sized Mirror. If I didn’t have it the hammer would have come down on it. He improved the handling by making it that little bigger. Always after perfection. He is coming up to being 91 and still rides his pushbike down into town”

Small world, indeed.

2 Nice Videos

December 21, 2012 /

Mark Boyle Sign-writing from Feb 2011, Picture by Matt Care

Just a quick couple of bits of video which might be of interest to you. First an 8 minute sequence which includes an interview with Catherine De Bont in which she describes early life growing up among boats and learning barging skills, plus lots of lovely footage from the decks of Cambria as she sails under the Dartford Bridge and up through Tower Bridge. In the latter, Richard Tichener suffers “boom droop”, Stretch races about all over the gaff and the Pihamas manage to look very cold huddled by the wheelhouse.

It’s Facebook URL is below, and I cannot find a normal ‘You-tube style one, so you may have to be on FB to be able to get at it. It was posted to FB by Simon North – Thank You Simon.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151144609602032&set=p.10151144609602032&type=2&theater

Also on Facebook there’s a nice intro to the new Video for sale through the Edith May website, covering the Medway Match. It’s on

http://youtu.be/s-4iQoAVSfM

That one has a few quick interviews to start including a classic bit of strategy from Tim Goldsack “We’ll use the same tactic we always use which is to get in front and stay there!” I can see how that would work, Tim! It then has some glorious footage of barges speeding about in a stiff breeze – Edith May herself, of course, but also Decima, Repertor, Lady of the Lea and more. Both worth a look.

My picture today is some of that lovely sign-writing by our friend Mark (Nozz) Boyle.

Medway Match Video

December 14, 2012 /

Video ad on Facebook this morning, screen grab by Matt Care

There is a nice video being advertised all over Facebook this morning and an introductory clip up on You Tube at

http://www.edithmaybargecharter.co.uk/shop/jubilee-medway-barge-match-dvd/

Worth a look and definitely a Christmas present idea. It is of the Medway Match and includes many shots of familiar faces. It is £12.50 from the Edith May merchandise shop on their website.

A Miniature Chaff-Cutter

December 3, 2012 / / 1 Comment

With the hull and major components now in place, our in-house modelling team of Dave and Tony Brooks are now getting down to details of deck furniture and so on. Dave takes up the story from the 22nd November. ”

Chaff cutter wheel in miniature. Model by Tony and Dave Brooks, Picture by DB

When we had finished last week Dad suggested that he would attempt to create a chaff cutter wheel. I knew he wasn’t really looking forward to it and had resigned myself to using one of the watch cogs as a wheel, which would have looked wrong. I was amazed to see the result of his efforts. We have a genuine mini Westmoreland size chaff cutter wheel.

So if we have a wheel we will need something for it to turn. Time to look at the rudder and how we are going to fit it to the barge. The main post is made from balsa wood and the blade from pine. We opted for four small pieces of drilled brass, two inserted in the stern post and two in the rudder post. Getting the gudgeon pin to line up was a task and it reminded me of when we put Cambria’s rudder on for the first time. Indeed we were thwarted that day until some adjustments were made to the hinges.

Model Rudder; Westmoreland model by Tony and Dave Brooks; Picture by DB

One of Westmoreland’s distinctive features is her rubbing bands on her bow and to finish off last night we fitted them in readiness to give our hull its first coat of black paint. During the week a little more cleaning up will be taking place and who knows we may get that coat of black on next session.”

I’m impressed you guys!

Incidentally, Dave also tells me that there is now a nice video of the Medway Match 2012 available as a DVD through the Edith May website. You will recall that Cambria won her class in that race and Dave tells me that there is some nice footage of Cambria in the film. The DVD is £12.50 from the merchandise section of the Edith May website at http://www.edithmaybargecharter.co.uk/shop/category/merchandise/ . Nice Christmas present idea?

Nick Ardley and the Docklands History Group

November 21, 2012 / / 0 Comments

Friend of Cambria and barge and sailing book author, Nick Ardley emails with a tip off about a symposium being held by the Docklands History Group, called

“There She Blows!
Aspects of the London Whaling Trade”

This is an early warning and a date for your diary really, as it’s not till March 2013, but if you are interested then the link here should steer you home.

http://www.docklandshistorygroup.org.uk/events.html

“It’ll not be specifically about barges/their trade on Thames”, says Nick, “but barges surely carried whale oil products so it might be of interest to web readers”.

Those who know, or know of, Nick and his books will also know of his Mother, Gwen who features strongly (obviously) in “A Barging Childhood” but is now hanging up her shore-living, view-of-barge-out-of-the-window sea boots. As Nick puts it,

Gwen Ardley sailing Whimbrel; picture by Nick Ardley

“My mother departed the Medway’s shores last week to begin a new life at a warden flat in Devizes, Wiltshire. It was a sad event really: she has spent her entire life on and around the Thames and Medway, which included 30 years on the May Flower…

My mother had a sail on Edith May shortly after rigging out back in May … and aptly … her last meal before the move was aboard that lovely barge. It was a glorious day and the sun sparkled. Evocatively, the barge’s reflections were mirrored on the calm spring tide that filled the dock, reminding her of days long gone…

Jane and Geoff Gransden, according to my youngest brother, Andrew, made a real fuss of her and they all enjoyed a bargeman’s stew. My mother is going to miss the dock and the barge… Bless her.

It is the end of an era, and sadly, for me, I really have left my ‘childhood home…’ It is a place I have visited so often, by land and water since growing up. Of course, I’ll still be sailing into the dock, that’s for sure, roll on 2013!”

Thanks for that, Nick, and I am sure everyone here with Cambria and all our readers will wish Gwen all the best in her land-locked future.

Southend Match

August 28, 2012 /

Niagara wins her Class in the 2012 Southend Match, photo by Dave Brooks.

Tonight’s post is a report by Dave Brooks on the Southend Match. He writes, “I think it is safe to say that I won’t be breaking any barge naming records with the Southend Match report. Sadly due to the weather leading up to the day of the match barges expected to be present were unable to attend. We arrived in Southend at 8.30 and there were no barges at all. However the Kent based barges Niagara, Marjorie, Edith May and Lady of the Lea were soon to be spotted coming out of the Medway to save the day. Originally it was thought that all the barges would start in the same class. However, the barge championship is a serious matter and Marjorie and Lady of the Lea opted to race in in classes of one. After a hard fought match both barges prevailed and won their classes. Niagara and Edith May fought in a head to head for the stays’l class, and for a while it was an interesting race. Niagara started well but Edith May overhauled her and it stayed that way until the half way point. Niagara made the best of the tides to win her second successive Class Win since rejoining the fleet. Marjorie was first to the outer mark and first barge home. Lady of the Lea sailed well and wasn’t too far off the pace at the end. Edith May was first barge over the start line and won the seamanship prize. The lack of barges was dissapointing but none the less the sailing was impressive and Niagara treated the spectators with a close in sail by to remember, possibly one of the crew needed to get ashore quickly. Next year is the 50th Southend Match. Let’s hope we see a good attendance, and perhaps even get our girl along for the ride”.

Well said, Dave!

Pin Mill Match

July 2, 2012 / / 0 Comments

Mark C is off for a sail this weekend with Ian Ruffles and Denis Johnson. I’m guessing that means the old girl will be out and about, and not available for visiting. I will ask around and see if I can find out any more. Meanwhile here is another of Mark’s excellent pictures, this one with all the sails down but not quite squared away at the end of a sail.

I’m hoping Dave B will furnish us with some kind of a report on his weekend of chasing the Passage Match and then the Pin Mill Match, including stopping off at Ipswich. I have a cracking picture of Decima to use with it (Taken by Dave , of course). I have this taster, though, from Ed Grandsen of Edith May via Facebook. “Highly competitive race yesterday,” posts Ed, “With Melissa and Repertor untouchable in the staysail class with very fresh breeze. We had a grand tussle with Reminder before hunting down Decima at the finish, although needed a bit more time to get by. Won 3rd prize, and 1st over start line, beating Victor by 2seconds! on Edith May Trading Company‘s timeline.” Exciting Stuff, Ed!

Sails Furled. Picture by Mark Chapman

Ryan’s Sunrise

June 24, 2012 / / 2 Comments

A beautiful sunrise photo posted on Facebook by Cambria Shipwright Ryan Dale

Ryan Dale’s sunrise over the Swale. Gorgeous!

“There She Blows! Aspects of the London Whaling Trade”

“There She Blows!
Aspects of the London Whaling Trade”