Tag: SSBR (Page 1 of 2)

Phil Latham Serial (Part 2)

Prowess book

Prowess book

Fair play to the SSBR who this year gave to all subscribers (Yes, even overseas me!)  a free hardback book. This “The Prowess of Charlie Fielder” is by David G Wood and Richard J Walsh is nominally worth £13.50, so the Society is giving you most of your subscription back. That has got to count as generosity indeed. The book, latest publication from the Chaffcutter stable was born out of an amazing find/save by family members of Charlie, a suitcase full of papers and logs, photographs and so on detailing Charlie Fielder’s sailing career from the 20’s starting on sailing barges such as Agnes Mary (when he was 18) and then on through powered craft, small tankers and so on, especially the eponymous “Prowess”. I have not had time to read the whole book yet but I have dipped in and it is a fascinating story. Well done and Thank You very much, the team at SSBR.

 

Prowess 2

Prowess 2

But what of young Phil (Ginger) Latham, last heard of firmly moored outside and adjourned to the Ferry pub by Reedham as part of their adventure up to Great Yarmouth. Phil picks up the story in part 2 of our serial.

 

Next on the programme was celebrating Mark’s 60th birthday for which he had obtained the services of a local group called the “Cleaving Heavages” the group consisted of a three girl front line, supported by two guys on guitars. Now you have to understand that this wasn’t your classic folk group but I can imagine my old skipper trying to insinuate himself into the line-up! All went well as Mark had arranged for plenty of food plus an “open bar”. I even managed a dance with a press lady who promised advance publicity in Norwich. She survived unmaimed and my knees lasted out so we’ll call that a win-win, for me at least! So after the groups second set we settled into the back bar and commenced our own concert with a repertoire more suited to Bob, this ditch crawling can be hell!!
The next day being Monday we lowered down the main and topmasts ready for the road bridge. It’s a fact that on this road trip I was often asked if it was difficult to lower the masts down? “No”, I’d reply, “that is mostly gravity. It is getting the pesky things back up that causes the agro”. The slow recognition was comic to observe. Anyway, our tug turned up complete with brains-trust and we proceeded through afore mentioned bridge which I feel could benefit from four moderate cakes of C4 explosive, after all , what’s wrong with a lifting span on a by-pass road? It could be restricted to open between 2 am – 5 am like Norwich rail bridge which leads me to our next stop. Said Rail Bridge has seldom opened since close of commercial navigation which engendered some justified anxiety on the railway.

 

We moored to a short quay (Cambria 50%) after Tom had pruned some greenery overhanging the quarters (there’s a lot of fun attached to ditch crawling)! Our daytime tug disappeared to Brundall and Mark went down with it to pick up a low powered launch with towing post for our nocturnal endeavours. We, in the meantime occupied ourselves by applying a mixture known as Tom’s patent gunk to all the servings now easily accessible with the gear down. Some wires showing signs of distress were also treated. I cannot of course, reveal the recipe for said gunk but believe it was the child of necessity concocted with the Skippers approval and proved very successful if only in the fact of a short drying time. You really wouldn’t want to appear in Norwich with a wet coat of Tom’s gunk on your person, but servings clearly loved it. So at 2 pm we put our shore bosun crew, Niel, ashore by powered whaler to tend ropes and proceeded to the closed rail bridge.
In casual 2.00 o’clock in the morning type conversation we learned that a team of good old Essex boys from Colchester had been working on the (expletive!) rail bridge had deleted the controls for several days but had only managed to jack the bridge up to swing after which everything went pear-shaped so they attached a wire to the bridge and told the youngest member of the team that he now had a God given chance to find out how Grandad used to do it!! So he wound like a hero and a handraulic barge was towed through a handraulic bridge at 02 15 hrs with mutual satisfaction and on to Carrow Road Bridge which opened promptly. The Bridge master called to say that the first new bridge was open and that they’d be down to open the second. Right, time for a cup of tea, we thought, WRONG! As we towed at walking pace we were overtaken by two MUNICIPAL bridge men RUNNING and SMILING! “KEEP HER COMING SKIP WE’LL HAVE IT OPEN for YOU”!! And they did. Mark showed hidden talent as a tug skipper and with help from a check-rope handled by Niel, we were round in one. Bridge promptly closed behind us and our athletic bridge team overtook us ready to close the second bridge just above our berth, a cheery wave as they passed on the way back to Carrow Road the effect is really strong in Norwich! We decided not to heave the mainmast up at 3 am as old Reed and Colman mills have now been converted to , or replaced by “bijou” flats and the merry tinkle of windlass pawls might have annoyed, also Mark was swearing because our berth had lain fallow for eight years, however it was now covered with heavy machinery and peace and quiet seemed unlikely!!
At sparrow cough we turned out to the roar of earth movers etc. and the sight of a B.B.C. sound car from local radio to do an item on us for the morning edition. After conferring with the Skipper he asked the site boss for some quiet and received it. That effect again – the Guy had come over for a “fill-in” on Cambria and her visit so was very co-operative. This courtesy was extended to the afternoon visit from Anglia T.V. and a local commercial radio. No one heard our windlass pawls as we didn’t ask for a pause. Next day we were joined by the Albion wherry and did an open day. Visiting the wherry was a mixed affair. Her hold, to us a minute affair and the annoying habit of her skipper to boast about being able to send his mast up by the pushing with a figure was not very diplomatic, but the beautifully simplistic blacksmith ironwork was a joy. Anyway, her mast wouldn’t do her any good around Orford-Ness, even if it is sour grapes, so there.”

Thanks once again for this, Phil. Part 3 soon.

Richard Walsh new book news!

This just in from Richard Walsh

On the Blocks at Pinmill

On the Blocks at Pinmill

“A new book which covers barges, steam coasters and the motor ships of Cambria’s builder F T Everard, which were served aboard by Charlie Fielder ‘between the wars’ publishes later this month. A collaborative venture between SSBR and Chaffcutter Books, the book, entitled The Prowess of Charlie Fielder, has half a dozen short mentions of Cambria and a couple of pictures of her. The level of trade of Everard barges in the River Yare, at Gt Yarmouth and Norwich is prominent within this account. Full details of the book are on Chaffcutter Books new website which went live today! If you are a member of the Society for Sailing Barge Research, do not rush to order it as members will be getting it free in a few weeks time. Hardback, 192 pages and 135 photos – that’s what I call good value. For the rest of you Cambria supporters, hurry and join SSBR, or order and pay £16 (inc p+p) for it online now at www.chaffcutter.com.”

Thanks for that, Richard!

Centre Fold

Thank you to both Skipper Ian Ruffles and barge book author Nick Ardley for your clarifications on the role of the long-stay in barge rigging. Thanks too, Ian for today’s beautiful picture of Cambria moored off Gillingham in the Medway, at sunset. Our new 3rd-hand, Reggie put this one up on Facebook (from where I nabbed it!) and promises to look out and take more for us.

Cambria moored in a Medway sunset

Cambria moored in a Medway sunset; picture by Skipper Ian Ruffles.

Onto the doormat this morning plops the latest edition of ‘Mainsheet’, periodical magazine from the Society for Sailing Barge Research (SSBR, see also http://www.sailingbargeresearch.org.uk/ ) This is their Spring 2013 publication, Issue No 93 and marks their 50th Anniversary Year, so it is a bit special.

 

Most strikingly the cover picture runs across the whole front and back cover like a centre-fold. It is a gorgeous shot of Maldon waterfront taken by Geoff Tyrell in 2010. In the foreground are the hulks of SB Oxygen and SB Scotia with assorted ‘live’ barges dipped down between the saltings banks on the low tide, all overlooked by the lovely old tower and spire of Maldon Church.

 

The mag is, as ever, a FEAST of pictures, letters, well researched articles, reviews and comment. It includes, in full, Richard Walsh’s eulogy on the late Mark (Nozz) Boyle and momories of Catherine de Bont. It has a good few responses to an earlier piece on Mauretania, an item on the 1953 floods at Whitstable, an item called “A Winter’s Passage” about SB Colonia which is full of first hand memories, and another “A Voyage Round My Father” (in this case, old Skipper ‘Jack’ Josh). Another item summaries some of the stories our friend Tricia Gurnett has posted in “The Barge Blog”. There is much much more – this magazine and it’s hammock partner “Topsail” are reason enough alone to pay your subs and join SSBR. It finishes with a nice piece by Charles Traill who was ‘dragged off’ (OK, probably quite willingly!) on a holiday away from barges, to get all cultured by looking at an exhibition of Pre-Raphaelite art in the Tate, and came upon a picture of an auburn haired ‘lady of negotiable affection’. This picture, by John Rodden Stanhope in 1858 called “Thoughts of the Past” shows ‘your wan’ gazing out of a window upon the River Thames where, in the background are… you guessed it…. spritsail rig barges quite clearly unloading at a wharf and a stumpie  out in mid stream. “Salvation!” says Charles. Nice one.

Thanks for that, the Team at SSBR.

 

Floating Films – SB Repertor

Floating Films

Floating Films advert from SB Repertor; screen grab from The Barge Blog (SSBR) by Matt Care

Tonight an un-ashamed “borrow” from ‘The Barge Blog’, Tricia Gurnett’s diary from the SSBR (Thank you Trish!) covering a nice and very new idea from SB Repertor, now a St Katharine Dock resident having given up on Faversham’s moorings.

“Interesting new idea from SB Repertor”, says Tricia, ” At her base in St Katharine Dock, London, she will be offering a Cinema Club.  

This  is something new, so the website doesn’t have a lot of content at the moment  –  no programme or gallery yet  –  but it does explain what it is all about.   Called Floating Films and run by volunteers, it will show a wide selection of films, including features and documentaries, as well as special screenings with live music accompaniment and talks with key industry guests.

As a not-for-profit film club there will be a suggested donation of £5, and up to 40 people can be accommodated.   So with limited space it will be necessary to book in advance.   The bar will be open, and guests are invited to stay on after the screening for discussion or just to enjoy the atmosphere.  

The club hopes to raise the profile of the survival of the barge fleet and this forgotten part of London history, whilst providing a unique arts venue for independent film events”.

Good luck with that, the Team on Repertor!

340 to 152!

I usually shy away from blogging anything controversial or political as I am always shy of anyone thinking that it is Cambria Trust policy or opinion I am quoting. I am definitely not – these opinions in here are purely personal and I am speaking for myself only, all be it they will sometimes coincide.

SB Westmoreland

SB Westmoreland is rescued from the mud in Faversham in April 2011; pic by MC

I am, however, very happy to report a bit of news from the long running saga of the Lower Halstow Dock and the ‘will she / won’t she’ drama of whether the semi-derelict brickie barge SB Westmoreland might be allowed to moor there while she is restored. Since her rescue and disinterment from Faversham’s tidal mud in April 2011, she has languished in Colin Frake’s own lighter / dry-dock without a proper home to go to and I know attempts have been made to secure funding for a major restoration along the lines of Cambria’s. The local council have been in debate about whether the Lower Halstow Dock is appropriate for such ‘working boatyard’ activities or whether this might despoil the picture post-card scene. Major stake-holders the Gransdens, whose barge Edith May already ‘lives’ in this dock have reported regularly on progress via Facebook.

Tonight, though, big news from Tricia Gurnett writing in Facebook on behalf of the Society for Sailing Barge Research says,

“After an eternal wait – the results of the poll are in!

There was a 53% turnout out of 913 potential voters.

340 people voted in favour.
152 voted against.

Delighted to announce that the large majority of the village wish to protect Lower Halstow’s heritage and see the Westmoreland return to her home port to be restored.

The parish council will now have a meeting to discuss the planning and licencing restrictions on the restoration.

Here’s hoping they get right behind the project and all villagers can work together to get this famous barge up and running again.

Updates will be posted as the project should move rapidly along now”.

The Edith May camp says, “Lower Halstow villagers have voted in favour (340 to 152) to return the Westmoreland to Lower Halstow dock to be restored – looks like Edith May is going to get a stable mate!

Still a way to go yet, as the parish council decide the terms and conditions, but it is a positive step along the way.”

Good News for the Barge World I say (in my own opinion; I cannot speak for the Cambria Trust)

Frank Thompson

Sadly, another piece of bad news to relate just before the year closes, the passing away on Boxing Day of Frank Thompson. I have to admit I did not know this gentleman but many of you may have done. The news in this case comes from SSBR’s Tricia Gurnett once more, in “The Barge Blog” at

http://sailingbarges.wordpress.com/

saying ”

We have more sad news to record, with the death suddenly on Boxing Day 2012 of Frank Thompson, after a very brief illness.

Frank, who lived in Layer-de-la-Haye, was 92.   He was a member of SSBR and often contributed to Topsail and Mainsheet.   He and his wife, Kathleen, sailed on many barges in the days of trade, particularly  with the late Stan and Chick Yeates on board sb Glenway.

Both Richard Walsh and John White heard from Frank just before Christmas when his notes were full of news.   Indeed, he gave John a few additions for The Sailing Barge Compendium.

The funeral will be on Monday 14 January, at 12.30pm, at Colchester Crematorium.   All are welcome at the service, where Jimmy Lawrence will be performing the shanty Happisburgh Light, and afterwards at the Donkey & Buskins pub, Layer-de-la-Haye.”

We at the Cambria website would add our sympathies and thoughts for the Family and Friends at this sad time. Thank you, Tricia.

Incidentally, the Barge Blog has a lovely snowy pic of the transom of Kitty as their ‘Christmas Card’ image – just scroll down the blog to 24th Dec.

Topsail No 46

Deck Coffee

On Cambria’s Deck and enjoying a cup of coffee, Blogger Matt Care in September 2012; Pic by Matt Care.

It’s always a thrill when Topsail magazine (it’s more like a book these days!) arrives in the post, and my No 46, December 2012 arrives this morning – almost coinciding with the 12:12 12/12/12 moment which we were all alerted to by the local Radio station. This one is as good as ever and is , as always, choc-a-bloc full of interesting articles and nice pictures. For those who don’t know, it is one of two periodical publications by the Society for Sailing Barge Research and well worth subscribing to that organisation for.

This one is dominated by an 18 page article by Norma O’Keefe about the murder of the Skipper of SB Speranza in 1931 and has a lovely, well written, atmospheric piece by visiting Ozzie, Bruce Sibley who manages to schmooze his way aboard SB Venture for a voyage in the 50’s. In the latter case, the writer also took his camera aboard, so there are nice action pictures to go with it. The mag also has a sad tale of the sinking of house-boat barge SB Thursday as described by Skipper John Hone who, along with crew and cat were only just rescued in the nick of time.

For me, having navigated some of this waterway in a holiday narrow-boat, it was also interesting to read about the use of sailing barges on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. Editor Richard Walsh reviews various new publications including a couple of great interest here, “The Cambria Story” by Robert Simper and recent book by our friend Nick Ardley, “The Jottings of a Thames Estuary Ditch-Crawler”. Richard also reviews the Video “Red Sails” by Mike Maloney of Countrywide Productions. “This is far and away the best ever modern film covering the history, present day and restoration scene,” says Richard, and I agree 100%. There is also an ad for the new Compendium which we ourselves reviewed in a recent post. Then as I flicked over the back cover, I thought I’d spotted a nice pic of Cambria – the familiar bowsprit, bow-badge scroll work and bob. Not quite! It is actually Everard’s SB Veronica on her way to winning the 1937 Thames Match. Perhaps you’ll forgive me the error as it’s the Season of Good Will?

 

The Compendium is Here

SSBR Compendium

SSBR Compendium, photo by Matt Care

Yay! By the miracle of the Irish postal system (which is, let me add, streets ahead of the UK in terms of rapidity, I was amazed to find) I have received my copy of “The Thames Sailing Barge Compendium” (Compiled by John White, Ed by Richard Walsh and pub Society for Sailing Barge Research, ISBN 978-0-9500515-7-4, 2012). At £20 a go, this is not cheap, but it is a hefty tome crammed with facts and figures, the result of easily a huge amount of research, cross checking and compilation. It is A4 size and spiral bound in wire, contains approx 150 pages (they are not numbered and I have not counted them!). It describes approx 2400 barges ( 50% more than the previous work, ‘Last Berth of the Sailormen’) and for each, where possible, quotes name and previous names, port of registry, official number, tonnage, where built, builder, when built, PLA number, dimensions, registration changes, rig/hull-form, owners in order of ownership, history, fate, location (incl OS grid ref) if hulked. It does this in logical sections and indexes including listings by location for the hulks and wrecks, loss date if lost at sea and then barges by stage of commission or rebuild; i.e. ‘in commission’, being rebuilt, laid up / static and ‘new built’. It finishes with an alphabetical index of craft.

Not light, entertaining bedtime reading, maybe but surely a must for any barge-nut’s library and not a bad Christmas present.

Swanscombe development?

New frequent correspondent and now Ace Ferretter-out of interesting barge related stories, spotted this interesting item about a possible development in the “Disneyworld” stylee, on the banks of the Thames.  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-19867695 The plan is apparently to build on the peninsular a £2 billion resort about which the report says ”

Developers have been granted a licence from Paramount Pictures to use its name on a resort on the Swanscombe Peninsula, near Dartford.

The scheme has been offered “support” by Dartford and Gravesham borough councils.

The site’s developer, London Resort Company Holdings, is now looking for further investment for the project.

It estimates the park, which would be based on a former cement works, would create up to 27,000 jobs.

The 900-acre brownfield site is next to Ebbsfleet International station, which is 17 minutes from London and two hours from Paris.

‘Economic growth’

Tony Sefton, project leader, said the company hoped to open the site in 2018.

He said: “Over the next 12 to 18 months we will be progressing the planning application,…. blah blah…. (Readers should go chase up the link of interested).

David Rye notes, in an email to a gent named David Wood (who, I regret, is not known to me) that he is “not sure if there is a barge connection in this area but if so suggest its history be researched and recorded before it is too late”

Clock and Barometer

Clock and Barometer on Cambria; Photo by Matt Care

David Wood quickly responds to DR saying “Thanks email 8 Oct 2012, at 19:02, with news from BBC and ITV  calling for an investigation of the hulks and other maritime remains to south of Broadness  in the creeks and marshland on the ness opposite Grays (St.Clements/ Fiddlers Reach/ Northfleet Hope)  in the Swanscombe Area of Dartford BC  ref. 9.1.c.3. TQ.60.76 of the current Hulks list extending to the Northfleet area of Gravesham Borough 9.1.d.2 TQ625.747.

This could affect any remains of John Byford, Warwick, and Windward and the various semi residential hulks / boats in the creeks which I recall being visible from the river, never having myself ventured so away from Greenhithe on foot.  I do not know if the dozen or so hulks listed in Northfleet remain or could be affected.   I would urge the Committee of SSBR to consider whether the Society should re-survey the area, perhaps before the next meeting bearing in mind the absence of craft affected by the Thames Gateway, the loss of Trojan and the querie about Montreal near the yacht club.

I have mentioned your email to the SSBR Chair who suggested that we should contact the archaeology dept of the Museum of London to see if their foreshore study has any relevance and of course Gravesham and Dartford Museums as well as the local yacht clubs.  No doubt the bird lobby will have the proposals in their sights and the Society should add the proposal to the agenda.”

and David Rye remarks

My goodness David I did not realise such a suggestion would bring forth such information so quickly.

My thoughts were that gathering any existing information needs a bit of forward planning and presumably next year’s ‘good weather months’ might be the last chance in some parts of that area.
Thank you for following up – regards David.
All of this was also pinged around the relevant bodies, persons and societies such as the SSBR, Tony Farnham and so on.
So, well done the two Davids and now everyone else for getting on the case so quickly. We don’t need any more Trojan surprises.

Autumn 2012 Mainsheet

The latest edition of that superb magazine ‘Mainsheet’ arrives through the post to me here in Ireland. These are always excellent and always most welcome and this one, No. 92, Autumn 2012, arriving on a rain-swept day when I am dissuaded from outdoor jobs by the weather, bringing with it the promise of lots of fascinating reading, is especially so. These sometimes come out with a main theme, like the ‘Fire’ edition of Topsail I was describing a few posts back, and here there is a strong thread of Dickensian London running through it. Page 12 has the ‘Bookmark’ section covering a new publication called “Dickens’s Victorian London” and there is an excellent long, rich article on Henry Dodd, ‘The Golden Dustman’ which makes reference to the fact that Dodd was a contemporary of Dickens and that they knew one another. Dodd may have been the ‘model’ for Dickens’s character Nichodemus Boffin. There is a piece called “Expectation” about some convicts escaping into the marshes and references to the ‘Magwitch’ stuff in.

 

Cambria's stayfall at night

Cambria’s stayfall at night; Photo by Matt Care

I don’t want to give the impression that it is all ‘Dickens’, however especially if any readers are, like me, complete Philistines who hate Dickens with a passion having been forced to ‘do’ Great Expectations for ‘O’ Level in the most tedious, analytical, dry way imaginable…. The whole mag is full of the usual powerful, well written articles backed up by pains-taking detailed research and obvious hard work. Cambria’s re-dedication is covered, as is the sad loss of SB Trojan, the resurrection of SB Niagara, SB Edith May’s being awarded ‘Flagship’ status by National Historic Ships, another in the brilliant series “Frank Thompson Remembers”, stuff on the AGM, the Olympics and this year’s rush of barges appearing on screen. We had John Sargeant’s “Britain’s First Photo Album”, of course, and Rory McGrath’s “Pub Dig”, the BBC’s “Our Food” series featuring SB Lady of the Lea in a hop brewing story, SB Cygnet in Country File and finally SB Dawn recreating a stackie trip to deliver hay to the Horseguard’s Parade. It was a good year for barges on screen.

 

The mag is filled with other fascinating stuff and is well illustrated with plenty of excellent photo’s and has SB Thalatta under full sail in the Thames Match on the cover. I am also pleased from a ‘blogger’ point of view that the SSBR are now starting to include comment and praise for the new internet presence now beginning to come through from the innovative newcomers to its ranks. SSBR now has a Facebook page and there is a rich and informative blog written by Tricia Gurnett now on line.

 

So, well done once again, the Editorial Team at Mainsheet and all the contributors. Also to SSBR themselves – you should be rightly proud of this magazine. Anyone reading this who is not a member and does not receive Mainsheet and Topsail; you are missing a real treat and you should seriously consider joining up. It is only £15 per year in the UK. SSBR are on http://www.sailingbargeresearch.org.uk/ and Tricia’s “The Barge Blog” is on http://sailingbarges.wordpress.com/ . SSBR on Facebook are on http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Society-for-Sailing-Barge-Research/166172703419349?ref=ts&fref=ts

 

Good Hunting.

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