ON BOARD SAILING BARGE PUDGE,
15 - 17 SEPTEMBER 2000
OUT AND BACK FROM MALDON
Click on any of the pictures to see a bigger version with a
caption.
Maldon |
Pudge |
I'm writing this having just returned
from a lovely weekend's sailing. For the third year running, I organised a
weekend's charter of the Thames sailing barge Pudge which is owned by
the Thames Barge Sailing Club. I had recruited my charter party from London
IWA, St Pancras Cruising Club and the waterways internet community.
After a few people had cried off for
health reasons or because of the petrol crisis, there were five of us in the
group, to whom would be added a qualified Skipper and a Mate provided by the
Barge Club. So the barge would only be about half full. But others were
destined to join us (see later).
THE ORIGINAL CHARTER CREW |
Me - Mike Stevens |
Quita Brown
(from the "Cutweb" community |
The ship's mascot |
The three below are all from London IWA and/or St Pancras
Cruising Club |
Allan Scott |
Denise Kier |
David Pearce |
FRIDAY EVENING
David & I were the first to arrive at Maldon, at about
18:00 in filthy wet weather. David had driven from Southampton, picked me up at
Chelmsford station and we had to get the shopping. We failed to find the big
Sainsbury's on the outskirts of Chelmsford that we were looking for, but did
find a big Asda at Chelmer Village which provided all we needed.
Arriving on board, we met the skipper, Jim Lawrence, who
had been a sailing barge skipper in trade nearly fifty years go and later a
sailmaker (now retired). With him was the Mate, Kevin Burtonshaw, with whom I'd
sailed many times before (but not recently). Kevin is much younger than Jim,
but from a family with a lot of background in barges and other vessels. I
discovered during the cruise that Kevin's grandfather had sailed with Jim many
years ago.
 |
THE CREW Left : the Skipper,
Jim Lawrence
Right : the Mate, Kevin Burtonshaw |
 |
After a cuppa, David & I went to unload his car just as
Quita arrived from Norfolk. The food unpacked and stowed and the cars parked,
we sat round drinking beer while waiting for the others, but then felt hungry
and took ourselves off to the restaurant at the Queen's Head for a meal.
While we were there, Denise arrived from Croydon after an involuntary bus
journey to Burnham and eventually Allan arrived, having eaten at the Jolly
Sailor after travelling from Sutton.
Supper eaten, we joined Kevin and some of the
Centaur crew in the bar. Centaur is the TBSC's other barge, used
for members' sailing weekends. This weekend she was even shorter of people than
was Pudge and after a while we decided to bring everyone onto
Pudge and only sail the one barge, so Mark, Julie and Barbara joined us,
together with some more provisions.
THE FUGITIVES FROM CENTAUR |
Barbara Byam-Shaw |
Mark & Julie
(I
never did find out their surnames!) |
The forecast was for a lot of wind and rain (we'd already
had some thunderstorms), so the Skipper was in two minds whether to sail on
that night's tide or the next morning's. By 01:00 the rain had stopped, the
wind was not too bad, the tide was ready and we were off, motoring down the
Blackwater, after extricating ourselves from Centaur moored outboard of
us.
The anchor windlass |
The brail winch |
It was not long before the rain returned and Kevin and I
argued whether it was the Charterer's or the Mate's task to have booked the
good weather.
Just after 02:00 we dropped anchor in the lee of Osea
Island, letting out a lot of chain as a near-gale was forecast. More tea &
coffee were consumed and were had all tuned in by abut 03:00. . 
SB Thalatta at anchor near us |
