This weekend, Hodge and I were privileged to have the opportunity to sail on an original Thames Sailing Barge, the 120 year old, Edith May. Lovingly owned by Tiller and Wheel, Edith May is a stunning wooden barge, originally used commercially for transporting grain.
In the 1800’s and early 1900’s trade was dominated by sail power. And in London this meant the River Thames. Upon the Thames thousands of barges would sail cement, bricks, hay, grain, and other supplies into central London. The River was alive with activity. The Thames Barge, with her unmistakeable red sails and flat bottom was used to bring goods in from the East Coast, with upto 4,000 Thames Sailing Barges on the river in the peak.
Today, fewer than 40 Thames Sailing Barges are active and in commission. With many of the high maintenance vessels having been wrecked, broken up, or used as house boats. The boats require a huge amount of love, time, and constant maintenance. The labour needed is skilled and traditional craftsmanship, which is scarce in our modern world. To sail them, the skills needed are equally unique, this is not your average GRP Sloop!
Tiller and Wheel, based in Kent on the River Medway are a family run organisation that own three historic vessels (two barges and a smack). Their commitment to restoring and preserving the vessels is unwavering. They’re a community based business, on a mission to get more people out sailing on these historic vessels, but also to pass on the skills to maintain. With the word so often over-used in today’s society, it’s hard not to underplay their role, but they are truly an inspirational team of people.
The barge we were lucky enough to sail on was Edith May, a beautifully restored barge built in Harwich in 1906. Weighing nearly 100 tonnes, in her former life she was mainly used a grain barge, transporting up to 130 tonnes of grain. Formerly regarded as one of the finest and fastest barges in the fleet, she has a history of winning Matches in the early 1900’s. But she has had a tough life, with many owners, and uses. And at one stage sat in St Katherines dock, and was ill-maintained.
She was lucky to survive, unlike many others, when she was bought by Tiller and Wheel in a dreadful state in 1999, and a 20yr restoration followed. She is now looking glorious, and is in excellent condition.
The good folk at Tiller and Wheel run all kinds of events and experiences. Hodge kindly treated us to a day onboard competing in the iconic Colne Barge Match.
Also onboard were a handful of patreons and volunteers, Geoff (Dad), Emma (Daughter) and Ed (Son) from Tiller and Wheel, there were 11 of us in total. Emma, Ed and Geoff took care and time (and patience) to talk us through the various lines and winches, nuances and quirks. It really was incredible. We got involved in the action, helping raise and drop the lee boards, hoist the sails, change sails, tack, and anything else that was required. None of which was anything like a normal sailing vessel. Everything was on a grand scale, and with much complexity, but is was interesting, educational and it also felt like we were becoming a teeny tiny part of the ships history.
In the match there were 8 other barges, and out on the water a Smack race was also taking place. It really felt like a step back in time, and was super to be involved in. On the shore, people crowded on the local beaches to get photos and to witness the historic event, with roots back to the 1800’s. We were pleased to finish 4th, and pick up a piece of silverware at the prize giving, although the experience of sailing such a vessel was more than enough to put huge smiles on our faces.
We had the most incredible day. I would highly recommend looking up Tiller and Wheel and taking up one of their experiences, or getting involved with some volunteering if you have the time. They also have a patreon page, where you can donate as little as £3/m to their worthy cause – so for less than the cost of a cup of coffee, you too can become part of the project.
