Turning back time on the Thames
By Neil Speight 15th Aug 2021
THAMES barge racing drew crowds to the riverside on Saturday (14 August) when spectators enjoyed the spectacle of nine boats challenging racing times and the tide as they were in competition off the shore of Thurrock.
The Gravesend Reach to Mouse Channel Thames Sailing Barge match featured a number of restored historic boats and produced thrilling views for those watching, including spectators who go a bird's eye view from the roof of the Thameside Nature Reserve visitor centre at Mucking as the vessels assembled in Gravesend Reach then sailed a course across the Thames.
A Thames sailing barge is a type of commercial sailing boat once common on the East Coast of Britain.
The flat-bottomed barges with a shallow draught and leeboards, were perfectly adapted to the Thames Estuary, 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 4,200 square feet (390 m2) of canvas sail in six working sails.
Thurrock has a long history of barge building and trading. One of the companies operating the craft was Grays-based Goldsmiths. They were the largest barge owners in the country and at one time had 147 vessels. Barges were also built at Goldsmith's yard.
Many local companies operated from Thurrock, delivering cargos of coal, malt, bricks, gravel and clay, with return trips from London carrying free manure for local farmers to dig in to the light gravel soils of the borough.
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