Thames Sailing Barge Stuff

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All,

Well our Thames Sailing Barge gathering went well last Sunday , the home team fielded 10 barges and we had some wind at times 🙂

But unfortunately the British weather took a hand a 11.30am the heavens opened and we called it a day 🙁

We will arrange it earlier in the season next year with luck 🙂

Best Ray

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All,

Today at my club the Chantry MBC  Bluewater in Kent , first sail of the year for my Veronica and we didn’t wear coats and no rain 🙂 we were all whistling for a wind most of the time rather like a Mill Pond. We are in the process of arranging 3 dates during the summer for barge meetings & maybe some races, I will keep you all posted.

Veronica was built by Peter Simmonds of the Isle of Wight, my pride and joy now in her 9th season sailing, I prefer her to anything I’ve built 🙂

Regards Ray 

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All,

Chantry Model Boat Club at Bluewater Shopping Centre Kent will be hosting 3 Sailing barge days this season :-

21st April

7th July

15th September

All barge owners welcome for free sailing and maybe some light hearted races.

Plenty of parking & facilities (and a few shops close by)

10.00 am start

Come and look me up with my vintage fleet 🙂

Regards  Ray

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hello All,

The Chantry MBC is hosting a Thames Sailing Barge day this coming Sunday 7th July at the Bluewater shopping centre lake, everybody welcome especially if you would bring some wind and sun with you 🙂

We say 10.00am start but some folk are earlier.

If anyone needs directions just ask please

Regards Ray

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Evening All,

I imagine most of us recall Dixon of Dock Green on a black and white television 🙂

We had a good turn out of sailing barges from the home fleet 9 in all, a decent breeze at times, but no visitors as far as I could tell, all well till 11.45am when the heavens opened and we were all soaked an went home !!

The next date is the 15th September all welcome.

Regards Ray

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All,

With luck this weekend was the start of it feeling like spring, yesterday it took a while for the wind to fill in !! Veronica was waiting for it for a while but eventually it arrived before lunch 🙂

Today we all assembled for our Victoria and DF65 racing but it didn’t oblige 🙁

We will be holding 3 Thames Barge sailing meetings this year, I will post the dates when our calendar is available.

Happy Sailing Folks

Regards Ray

[Richard SimpsonModerator @richardsimpson88330]

Lovely shots of a beautiful model.

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All,

This thread is for Fred as he’s become the proud owner of a sailing barge to compete 🙂

If you don’t have a sail plan ? I can give you the dimensions of my 30″ barge which would be close , how long is your barge hull ?

Regards Ray

[Fred Ellis 1Participant @fredellis1]

Good Moring Ray

Thank you for the welcome to the barge fraternity, and thank you for the offer regarding sails, I will get all the detail this evening and post them along with some photos.

Fred

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All,

I thought I’d post on this old thread as there seems to be interest in barges again on the Facebook site Model Thames Sailing Barges with some new folk getting involved , and the Tony Williams GRP hulls being available again 🙂

My part built Portlight maybe off to a new home in the near future and I’ve sold a complete Veronica wooden hull 🙂

This still leaves me with my Veronica 1/24th and Gertrude my 1/32″ 30″ barge .

A photo of skippers from the AMBO day’s sadly some are no longer with us 🙁

Regards  Ray

[John W EParticipant @johnwe]

Hi Ray,

Mike Hingley – have you ever heard of him?  or, do you know Mike?

I met him a long time ago – maybe in Blackpool at the show in the early 2000s – and he used to make Thames Barges from cornflake packets.   I hope he is still going – last I heard he may have been going to Africa with his wife – and something to do with the Land Rover club???

John

 

 

 

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hello John,

I’m afraid I don’t know him, but I’m also a big fan of cereal packets and never throw them away, I have drawn up a cabin cruiser called Cerealus Packetus, maybe I should build it with the price of plywood these days and glass cloth it 🙂

Kind Regards   Ray

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hello All,

Chantry Club at Bluewater had our first Thames Barge day which almost guarentee’s bad weather 🙁 but 5 of the home fleet turned out in wind far to strong to be fun !! but we had a go 🙂

Regards  Ray

[Richard SimpsonModerator @richardsimpson88330]

That looks a bit fresh!  All credit to the barges for handling it.

[Tim RoweParticipant @timrowe83142]

That would be a scary amount of heel on a real barge!!  I would have been tempted to take off the topsail.

Reminder to myself. Make sure the hatches are watertight on my Kimberley.

Tim R

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Tim,

Your absolutely right ! after about an hours sailing, my friend Pete Morris was having a go on the helm while I took a few snaps and I noticed she looked a bit low in the water 🙁 we managed to sail Veronica back to the bank and I grabbed her out with about 2 gallons of water inside !! so she’s had a good wash, no harm done, rather stupid of me to stay out that long as she was getting knocked flat and the hatch covers only have a rubber band over them to secure. I have owned and sailed her for 10 years now , built by Peter Simmonds she is my favourite boat 🙂

This Portlight, I just need to build the rig and make some sails 🙂

Regards  Ray

[Richard SimpsonModerator @richardsimpson88330]

Many of today’s yachts wouldn’t have been able to handle it Ray.  She may have had water ingress but she kept on going.

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All,

I’m not sure if any Thames Sailing Barge Sailor men follow this forum, the Facebook group is much more popular these days !

The Chantry model boat club at Bluewater shopping centre in Kent are having another TSB get together this Sunday 14th June all welcome to sail or just chat 🙂  9.30 – 1.00pm

Light winds are forecast so it should be easier than last time when my Veronica nearly sank 🙁

Regards  Ray

[Fred Ellis 1Participant @fredellis1]

Hi Roy

I would love to come along, it’s just that the timing is out for me, will you be having any meetins at the end of the month or the start of July in the afternoon.

Fred

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Frod,

Our next barge day is Sunday 16th August 🙂

Regards  Ray

[Fred Ellis 1Participant @fredellis1]

Thank you Ray, will that be an early start ?

Fred

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hello Fred,

Members at the lake from 8.00am we are very keen on drinking tea 🙂

Regards Ray

[Fred Ellis 1Participant @fredellis1]

Ray that’s me out then as I am Tea total, never drank tea only black coffee,

I will try and get along, it may be some time after 8

Fred

[Richard SimpsonModerator @richardsimpson88330]

Always makes for a lovely shot Ray when you get a few of the barges on the water.

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