Tag: Tim Goldsack (Page 1 of 2)

New Crab Winches.

Sorry it has been ages since I last posted – been a bit mad busy. There has actually been quite a lot going on in the way of charters and the Medway Match where we won our class and re-won the Cambria Cup. Perhaps one of my colleagues, reading this, might like to put pen to paper and furnish me with a Match Report. Or anyone else for that matter – if you were there and know what happened, we’d love to record it here for posterity.

The old Seager crab winches, now replaced

The old Seager crab winches, now replaced

Meanwhile I have this nice piece from Boss of Volunteers, Basil on the subject of Crab Winches.

 

“Last winter, at the refit meeting, it was decided to have New Crab Winches made for SB Cambria. In the three years of operation since rebuild we have lost teeth from the winding drum gear chain on three separate occasions not always from the same winch. Twice they were inoperable, the last time with one tooth missing on the smaller sprocket, operation was rather worrying. Initially the thought was to replace just the gears, but we have frames damaged on two of the winches already so went for complete replacement.

Tim Goldsack has always been very helpful and speedy in sourcing and fitting spare parts for us; but to keep an engineless sailing barge competitive is challenging enough without the added worry of winch failure.
The new ones have been made by the fabricators to be pretty much identical to the old cast iron ones. They are, however , a couple of inches higher making use more comfortable. The frames are cut from steel plate and welded up to the same profile as original, as are the gear wheels. The shafts are of stainless steel running in sintered bronze bearings, the spreading bars are of steel.
The warping drums have been reclaimed from the original winches, and used in the new ones. These would have been very difficult to manufacture , additionally the frames are galvanised.
When the teeth went on the old cast iron it was possible to see casting faults within the metal, with these and the aging of the iron is the reason for them becoming more fragile. The new steel teeth will only wear not suddenly give out. So far operation has been good, but painting still has to be completed. The new winches only went on board the day prior to Cambria’s move out of dry dock thence to Gillingham Pier to start the new season of charters.”

Thanks for that, Basil.

In general, I should add, the Cambria is always in need of volunteers. There never seem to be enough of us about, and some of us are not the young, sprightly Spring Chickens we once were, so if you want to get involved you can probably choose an area you’d like, from painting and cleaning, to indoor ‘Domestic Goddess’ stuff changing beds between charter ‘guests’, to repairs and maintenance. The gang will probably yank your arm off in their enthusiasm to welcome you aboard. If you fancy this, then get in touch – either come and introduce yourself at the barge, or email us on CambriaTrustSecretary@live.co.uk .

 

Tom Browning (Apprentice Part 3)

Tom Browning

Tom Browning, Shipwright Apprentice, photographer unknown.

As the barge comes to the end of her stay in St Kat’s and tonight, locks out bound back to Gillingham Pier and her duties as charter-vessel for the Rotary Club sponsored Respite for Young Carers, a nice email has come my way from Faversham Creek Trust. Faversham Creek Trust, you will know, are setting up a new Apprentice Training Workshop in the former (gas) Purifyer Building on Faversham Creek, in the back of the Morrison’s Carpark.

Their website at http://favershamcreektrust.com/ has news that “Sailing Barge Centaur, owned and managed by the Thames Sailing Barge Trust will benefit from a £100,000 Lottery Heritage Funded refit in Tim Goldsack’s dry dock at Oare Creek. She will be worked on over the next few months by a team of local craftsmen which includes the Faversham Creek Trust’s first apprentice, Tom Browning.

Tom, achieved his level 2 apprenticeship with Simon Grillet, during the Cambria restoration at Standard Quay, in 2011. He will commence his level three training through work experience on the Centaur, combined with technical training at the Purifier Building.

The Trust are delighted to support the Thames Barge Sailing Trust in their restoration and outreach programmes, that do so much to keep alive our local maritime traditions, and this is exactly the type of job that we want apprentices to be involved with”.

Nice one, FCT and it is brilliant to know that ‘our’ Tom is carrying on with you guys and on the barges. One of my favourite pics of the Cambria restoration is the one which has been used in brochures etc, of Tim Goldsack and Tom sighting down the port wale of the part-built Cambria – it just says it all to me about the training up of young lads, keeping these old traditional skills alive down the generations as well as the amount of ship-wright-ery which is ‘by eye’. Unfortunately I cannot now find a copy of that pic (which was not one of mine, I should add) so this rather poor one of Tom will have to suffice. Simon Grillet, I know, at the time was hard at work on the Morayshire, and I would love to know whether that panned out OK.

 

All the best Tom, Tim, Simon and the Faversham Creek Trust.

 

Shake-down Sailing

Winch drum assembly

Winch drum assembly; Picture by Dave Brooks

As promised a while back, a shot of those winch drums built by our Master Shipwright, Tim Goldsack and now installed in their axles/bearings in the main mast case (tabernacle). For fast but harder-work straight-through winching of lighter stuff you wind your rope round the upper drum and crank away. For heavier work where you want a bit of mechanical advantage from the gearing down (looks like about 2:1 but might be 3:1) and slower is OK, you wind your rope round the lower drums and crank the top one.

 

These last couple of weeks Cambria has been out on her shake down with the crew of Skipper Ian Ruffles, 1st Mate Denis Johnson and 3rd hand ‘Reggiee Andrews’. I am sorry of that looks a little unlikely for a spelling but he comes up spelt that way on Facebook and who am I to argue? Ian tells us that Reggiee is doing brilliantly and learning fast and it was Ian with just Reggiee to assist, who brought the barge onto Gillingham Pier for the first time (ever?) when they were avoiding some bad winds recently. A safe pair of hands, Reggiee. Fair play to you.

Talking of increasing sailing skills, the barge’s ‘sparks’ Owen Pihama and Miranda, who was ‘Mum’ to the Volunteers, tell us that the two girls who worked so hard and well as Volunteers for us and gained Volunteer of the Year awards from National Historic Ships are now going through some sail training of their own. “Han,” says Miranda, ” is currently doing the very last bit of her Gold Duke of Edinburgh with the Tall Ships Youth Trust aboard one of the Challenger yachts.  She sailed from Portsmouth yesterday and will hopefully be going as far as the Channel Islands.  The trip lasts a week and she will hopefully qualify for her ‘RYA Competent Crew’.  She was very chuffed as they have already asked if she would like to sail with them as a volunteer.

However, poor Bee’s sailing lessons (courtesy of National Historic Ships prize money) was unfortunately postponed due to wind chill factor and sea temperature (apparently they spend a fair bit of time in the water when they first start!).  We have re-booked for later on when the weather hopefully gets warmer”.
Possible future barge crew and Skippers, there, Miranda?
Cambria at Gillingham Pier

Cambria at Gillingham Pier; Picture by Dave Brooks

Meanwhile, Basil reports that, “Cambria’s first charter didn’t go to plan. She was meant to be at Gravesend by now but instead the weather forced us to try out Gillingham Pier earlier in the season than we anticipated. It was quite a surprise to receive the message from skipper Ian Ruffles telling me that he and Reggie our new third hand had brought the barge in to the pier. We believe this is a first for the Cambria. It has been a few years since barges occupied the pier though Ian remembers Portlight and Ironsides and two other barges sheltering there after a rough Medway race early in the Nineties.
She makes an interesting picture, and will be there until Friday (12th April)”. Basil also asks that if “Anybody is interested in doing some painting, please to contact him”.

 

Move to Oare

Cambria arrives Oare Creek 010313

Cambria arrives Oare Creek 010313

If you have been following the progress of this winter refit on our calendar page you’ll have been expecting a “Tow to Oare Creek” where the barge goes into dry dock for painting and attention. Dave Brooks has been on the case and has posted some nice pictures in the Cambria Sailing Barge area of FaceBook.

Dave supplied the following commentary. “Cambria made it to Oare creek safely today. Whilst she is at Oare, Tim Goldsack will be carrying out a list of jobs we require to be completed before she sails in April.
Also whilst she is in dry dock we require as many painters as we can to smarten her up. This year we will be spared the mucky job of anti-fouling as Tim and his team are doing it.
If possible we would like to get the hull scraped and painted.
This weekend, if weather permits, the mainmast needs painting. (Access to dry dock with extreme care this weekend as only a temporary gang plank, fixed gang plank will be in place next weekend.)
Next weekend the re-rigging will start so as many hands as possible to help with this and the last of the painting would be appreciated, please lat me know if you can attend”.

Thank you to all the volunteers who can help with this – please get your ‘bids’ in to Dave as soon as possible

 

 

Facebook update from DB

Main Mast Winch drawings

Main Mast Winch drawings from Basil Brambleby.

First a couple of drawings of those main mast winch drums showing how they will be installed. On either side of the mast you can either winch direct from the upper drum for lighter hauling, or you can use the geared down ‘mechanical advantage’ version for heavier hauling. Thanks for those, Boss of Volunteers, Basil.

Next a nice progress report on our winter re-fit from Dave Brooks via the Facebook Group. Dave writes, “The sailing season fast approaches and next weekend the mast is lowered in readiness for re-rigging. This year we will be re-rigging at Oare Creek whilst Tim Goldsack and his team undertake work on the heating system, the windlass, anti fouling and a new cabin amongst other things. During the close season all the blocks have been serviced and painted (all the same colour and looking very smart) also a major overhaul of the waste plumbing system has been keeping the air fragrant. Most of the deck furniture has received a fresh coat of paint, but there is still a lot to do. Any volunteers welcome. We will have two clear weekends in order to touch in paint on the mainmast and sprit, coat the topmast and finish serving the standing rigging that hasn’t already been done. Once again the weather has held up painting but investigations are ongoing for a poly tunnel next winter. Will keep you all informed of the progress”.

 

Thank you for that, Dave.

Mainmast winch ‘drums’

Winch drums

Winch drums for Cambria’s main mast case. Picture by Nancy Brambleby

Third in our little flurry of ‘winter refit’ shots is this nice shot of the 4 new winch drums which will fit to our main mast case. They have been created by Master Shipwright Tim Goldsack and are of a very hard variety of oak with metal rings and fittings. Although these drums were present on the original Cambria we have been running without them. They are a very useful aid on any winching around or to do with the main rig, such as brailing up, tightening up the uphauls to the topmast spars, tightening up the forepeak and so on. They look very smart, I think you will agree.

Decima Website

A new website today from our own Master Shipwright Tim Goldsack and his own barge, SB Decima. It’s on http://sailingbargecharterdecima.com/index.html and I have created a link to it from our useful links tab. It’s a nice clear, fresh website, well laid out and easy to use. It advertises that you can charter Decima for family group bookings, day trips, “Art Trips” where you can spend “the day with local artist Mike Lang who will either show you the basics or offer help to improve your skills”. There are also Bird-watching trips – “come for the day and enjoy a unique opportunity to get up close to the wonderful wetland birds of the River Blackwater” as well as “Evening trips with local musicians offering traditional sea-shanties or whatever takes your fancy whilst sailing down the Blackwater”. You can also compete in the annual Barge Match races or go on “Afternoon cream tea cruises”.

SB Decima website screen grab

SB Decima website screen grab. Image ‘borrowed’ by Matt Care

I was also interested to read the bit about Tim himself, much of which I did not know. “Tim Goldsack”, says the site “always knew he had to own a sailing barge one day!  He has been sailing ever since he was a young boy, since the nineteen-sixties when he lived with his family on S.B. Ernest Piper on the River Medway.
His family then moved to the depths of Cornwall, where, throughout the nineteen-seventies, Tim sailed various dinghies and yachts with his father, and then on his own.
Moving back to Kent in the early eighties Tim was re-acquainted with the sailing barges of the East coast. A family friend, Owen Emerson, took him under his wing, and taught him how to sail and repair Thames Sailing Barges.
Tim has since become a Master Shipwright and worked on many of the remaining fleet of barges, and other traditional sailing craft. He and his team of shipwrights have recently carried out the complete restorations and rebuilds of the Sailing Barges ‘Dawn’ and ‘Cambria’. These are the largest traditional wooden vessel restorations in Great Britain at the current time.
Tim gained his Barge-Master’s License in 1989, and has since that time skippered various barges, as well as buying Decima in 2003 and restoring her to sail.
Tim continues to restore and repair traditional vessels, whilst skippering Decima during the sailing seasons”.

Nice one Tim. Good Sailing

 

Safely ‘Home’

Mike Maloney's Return Home

Mike Maloney’s nice shot of Cambria’s Return Home at the end of the 2012 cxharter season

Friend of Cambria and ‘Red Sails’ film maker, Mike Maloney supplies tonight’s picture after he was on the ‘receiving end’ of Cambria’s last charter of 2012. He was there to see her tugged back up Faversham Creek and safely home. Thanks for that, Mike. It has a lovely, end of voyage, evening feel to it.

On this charter, Tim Goldsack was Skipper and Ryan Dale, Denis Johnson and Julie Brooks were crew. Thank you very much for that you guys and to all other Skippers and Crew who have looked after our old girl this year.

 

Julie B-for-Bowsprit

Julie B on the bowsprit

Julie B on the bowsprit (with Ryan Dale); Picture by Den Johnson

Denis Johnson, currently crewing on Cambria’s final 2012 charter with Ryan Dale, Julie Brooks and Skipper Tim Goldsack, posted this picture on Face book. That’s our Julie B leppin’ out along the bowsprit cables like a mountain goat. To the volunteers, it’s a bit more than that. We who paint and scrape, change bedding, man up for the public access visits and haul provisions are generally speaking not skilled crew and we’re like kids at Christmas when we do get a chance to go on board. Through this year and last we’ve been getting increasingly brave and trying to out do each other by (small) feats of rigging climbing – so for example I have been up the ratlines while racing which feat has since also been achieved (with the boat stationary) by Dave B and Mark C but I don’t think any of us had nipped out along the bowsprit. Well now Julie has stolen a march on us buy climbing out there and Den has taken a picture to prove it.

Where next, Julie? Cross trees and top m’st?

 

One Final Charter

Gravesend Chart

Gravesend Chart; Picture by Matt Care

Cambria is now getting readied for her final charter (as far as we know at present) of 2012. These last three are the Young Carer ones sponsored by The Rotary Club, the first two (now completed) were skippered by Ian Ruffles, the final one this weekend will have our Master Shipwright, Tim Goldsack in charge. After the weekend sail they will finish up in Faversham where the barge will be prepared for winter and any maintenance she requires. In all three charters the Crew has been our old friends Denis Johnson and Shipwright Ryan Dale both of whom are, by all accounts, thoroughly enjoying the experience and getting used to the role and very good at it. It’s no easy thing sailing a barge anyway and to mentor the sail trainees and keep them safe and well at the same time while ensuring they enjoy the break is an achievement worth ticking off on your CV. Well done to all four of you guys. You are part of the Trust’s pride in our old girl and the good works she is currently involved in.

 

Once she’s in Faversham, of course, the usual opportunities will start up to try a bit of volunteering yourselves. We use volunteers for all kinds of tasks from tidying and cleaning to painting and to showing members of the public around the barge, selling merchandise to polishing the brasses, helping with lowering the ‘gear’ and messing with rigging. It can be hard work (if you want it to be) or it can be simply “messing about in boats”. If you are interested in getting involved, contact either Secretary Dave Brooks, or Company Secretary Basil Brambleby, both on CambriaTrustSecretary@live.co.uk . Give it a go!

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