Medway barge race SB Edme SB Edith May SB Mirosa SB Niagara SB Cambria 4676

Thames sailing barge A Thames sailing barge is a type of commercial sailing boat once common on the River Thames in London. The flat-bottomed barges with a shallow draught and leeboards, were perfectly adapted to the Thames Estuary, with its shallow waters and narr ...

is a type of commercial

sailing boat A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture. Types Although sailboat terminology ...

once common on the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. The flat-bottomed barges with a shallow draught and leeboards, were perfectly adapted to the

Thames Estuary The Thames Estuary is where the River Thames meets the waters of the North Sea, in the south-east of Great Britain. Limits An estuary can be defined according to different criteria (e.g. tidal, geographical, navigational or in terms of salini ...

, with its shallow waters and narrow tributary rivers. The larger barges were seaworthy vessels, and were the largest sailing vessel to be handled by just two men. The average size was about 120 tons and they carried of canvas sail in six working sails. The

mainsail A mainsail is a sail rigged on the main mast of a sailing vessel. * On a square rigged vessel, it is the lowest and largest sail on the main mast. * On a fore-and-aft rigged vessel, it is the sail rigged aft of the main mast. The sail's foot ...

was loose-footed and set up with a

sprit The spritsail is a four-sided, fore-and-aft sail that is supported at its highest points by the mast and a diagonally running spar known as the sprit. The foot of the sail can be stretched by a boom or held loose-footed just by its sheets. A spr ...

, and was

brail Brails, in a sailing ship, are small lines used to haul in or up the edges (leeches) or corners of sails, before furling.''Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary'', 1913. On a ship rig, these brails are most often found on the mizzen sail. T ...

ed to the mast when not needed. It is sheeted to a

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million y ...

, as are the

foresail A foresail is one of a few different types of sail set on the foremost mast (''foremast'') of a sailing vessel: * A fore-and-aft sail set on the foremast of a schooner or similar vessel. * The lowest square sail on the foremast of a full-rig ...

s so need no attention when going about. The

topsail A topsail ("tops'l") is a sail set above another sail; on square-rigged vessels further sails may be set above topsails. Square rig On a square rigged vessel, a topsail is a typically trapezoidal shaped sail rigged above the course sail and ...

was the main working sail in heavy weather, the upper reaches of the rivers and constricted harbours. It is controlled from the deck by halliards, in-hauls and sheets. The mizzen boom is sheeted down to the rudder- assisting the helm. The masts are mounted in tabernacles so they can be lowered to shoot bridges with little loss of headway. The bowsprit where fitted could be 'topped' where space was limited.

List of Thames barges sailing in the 110th Medway match 2018

* (1929) * (1908) * (1906) * (1898) * (1900) * (1895) * (1931) * (1902) * (1892) * (1898) * (1922) * (1929) * (1926)

List of Thames barges on the National Historic Ships list

*''Atrato'':(1898): *''Convoy'':(1900): not active *''Dawn'':(1897) : *'' Decima'':(1899) *''Dinah'':(1887) : *''Edith May'':(1906) : *''Fertile'': (1935): *''Fraternity'':(1902) : not active *''Greta'' :(1892) : National Historic Fleet *''Lady Jean'':(1926) : *''Lady Daphne'':(1923) : *''May'':(1891) : National Historic Fleet *''Nellie'':(1901) : *''Olive May'':(1920) : not active *''Orinoco'':(1895) : *''Phoenician'':(1922) : not active *''Scone'':(1919) : *''Seagull ll'':(1901) : National Historic Fleet *''Tollesbury'':(1901): *''Vicunia'':(1912) : not active *''Westmoreland'': (1900) : *''Wilfred'':(1926) :

List of Thames barges illustrated by images on Commons

A * (1929) * ''Alice'' (1954) * (1908) B * ''Beric'' (1896) C * ''Cabby'' (1928) * (1906) * ''Celtic'' (1903) * (Essex)(1895) * ''Centaur'' (Rochester)(1898) * ''Cygnet'' (1881) D * '' Decima (1899)'' E * '' Edith May'' (1906) * (1898) * ''Ethel Ada'' (1903) G * ''George Smeed'' (1882) * ''Gladys'' (1901) * ''Greta'' (1892) H * ''Henry'' (1904) * ''Hydrogen'' (1906) I * (1900) * ''Kitty'' (1895) L * ''Lady Daphne'' (1923) * (1931) M * ''Maria Hope'' * (1902) * ''Melissa'' (1899) * (1892) N * (1898) P * ''Pamlinda'' * (1922) R * ''Raybel'' (1920) * (1924) S * ''Sherwin'' * ''Spartan'' (1895) T * (1906) * ''Thistle'' (1895) V * ''Vigilant'' (1904) W * ''Whippet of London'' 1905) * (1925) * ''William and Ann'' * (1898) X * ''Xylonite'' (1926)

List of Thames barges sailing built in 2019

* Blue Mermaid (2019) Snark (2016-9)

References

;Notes ;References *

Thames sailing barges The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

Sailing barges

List of Thames barges sailing in the 110th Medway match 2018

List of Thames barges on the National Historic Ships list

List of Thames barges illustrated by images on Commons

List of Thames barges sailing built in 2019

See also

References

External links