Anniversary
My father died at the wheel of the Thames sailing barge “Thalatta” twenty one years ago last Sunday. By a strange coincidence, on that day i had a hog roast job at the boatyard at St Osyth, where the Thalatta’s being rebuilt. Naturally, i took the opportunity to go aboard and see how the work was going.
I went there and had a look in early February and work had pretty much come to a halt because of lack of funding. There was still no funding, so nothing much had happened since i saw it last. But this time i went down into the hold, which i hadn’t done before, and got a closer look at what was down there.
They call the process “rebuilding” the old barge, but it’s really nothing of the sort. What’s happening is they’re building a new barge – and including a few timbers from the old one. It’s good that they’re building new barges, but it’s a bit misleading to claim that they’re the same barge as the one they’re replacing. Apart from anything else, a lot of the character of these old barges comes from the smells and the wear and tear that comes from many decades of sailing around the Thames and the nearby rivers laden with big cargoes of all sorts of stuff. I haven’t been aboard one of the new ones yet, but i can’t imagine it would feel much like the original.
So it was good to see that there’s a few more timbers left of the old Thalatta than i’d thought there was. Most of the bottom ribs are original – for what that’s worth. Once the work’s finished, of course, you won’t be able to see them, as they’ll lie underneath the ceiling (the name for the floor in a ship’s cargo hold).
The people rebuilding the Thalatta are getting a grant from the lottery fund, but they have to match it with money they raise themselves – and they haven’t been very successful doing that recently. I’d guess the job is a bit less than half done, so it could be a long time before the old barge gets back on the water again. For more information (mainly out of date!), check out the Thalatta’s web site.
Anyway, it was a beautiful day last Sunday – sunny and wamer than it’s been for a while. High tide was about four in the afternoon and if i hadn’t have been working i would have been at Heybridge Basin swimming. It would probably have been the last swimming day of the year – until i get to Australia in a few weeks, that is!
I’ve just about booked all my flights for that trip now – ten out of eleven of them, anyway! I’m flying with Sri Lankan airlines to Singapore and then from Singapore to Darwin. I’ll spend a few days in Darwin, a few days in Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney, and then a couple of weeks around the Byron Bay and Brisbane area. From there it’s back to Darwin again for a few more days, then three days in Singapore – or, more likely, Malaysia – a night in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and then back to England to freeze my arse off in late November!
I’m looking forward to the trip to Australia – and to catching up with some old friends that i haven’t seen for ages. But i think, after all that travelling, when i get back i’ll need a holiday to recover!
6 Responses to “Anniversary”
Leave a Comment
To prevent spam, the first time you post a comment on this blog, it will be held for approval. After that, as long as you use the same name and email address, your comments will appear straight away.
It’s interesting to see what’s been done to the barge, but I very much doubt if they’ll ever get it finished. I remember going to look round the old thing in Ipswich before Dad bought it, there were still bits of grain in the holes in the rail.
I dunno. Maybe it will and maybe it won’t. We could always help, i suppose. You got a brother who’s good at fund raising?
I spoke too soon about the swimming – it wasn’t the last swimming day of the year. Today probably was though! A couple of hours after writing this blog i was in the water. But it was pretty cold and i only swam a dozen or so strokes before i had to get out to thaw out. I went in a second time though, after warming up in the sun for a while. It was easier the second time and i was in slightly longer!
I have got a brother who’s good at fundraising and also one who’s good at carpentry, perhaps he could turn his hand to bargebuilding?
You’re like those mad old women who swim in the sea every day of the year! Have you not noticed how chilly it’s getting?
Good to read your Blog. I hope you are being too pesimistic about the future as some of these barges, Thalatta in particular, continue to have an important role to play.
Though she may no longer be the lifblood of coastel commerce which she once was, Thalatta and her sisters acting as schools ships help teach young and old alike about our heritage. they also build work and team ethics into many of the groups of under and over privalaged children who crew her.
Thalatta’s work with hospice groups in kent has brought new hope and life to many.
Joe and his collegues at East Coast Sail Trust are working hard to raise the funds and Andy is certainly dedicated to getting the oldgirl back afloat. It will happen but it may be a while yet!
regards
peter
PS I think the ECST web site may have been updated.
Thanks for your comment, Peter. I think it’s great that people are working hard to keep these old vessels afloat. Wooden boats are expensive and time-consuming things, so they’ve got their work cut out for them!