March has been a very busy month aboard the barge as the new season approaches.
Having completed all the maintenance below the waterline, including the dreaded scraping of thousands of barnacles and anti-fouling, the barge came off the blocks on Tuesday 22nd March. She has now settled into the berth behind – a little bit wonky, but comfortable.
Work continues a-pace to get her ready for the end of April and the next couple of weeks will see all the paintwork rubbed down and painted and the gear lowered and sails attached.
There have been several events on board over the past month, including a couple of 60th birthday parties and talks.
On Wednesday 16th March, Geoff Gransden made his debut as a speaker when he gave a talk to the Lynsted Historical Society on the restoration of the Edith May. Cottage pie was served beforehand to make it a really enjoyable evening and Geoff gave a 90 minute talk which was greatly appreciated by the audience.
Continuing the talk theme, George Peters is due to give one about the ‘Medway Forts’ on Friday 1st April at 1930hrs. Tickets are still available and can be purchased on board on Friday. This continues from several talks that George has given onboard, on behalf of the ‘Friends of the Brickfields’ society. Previous talks have included the history of Thames sailing barges, and the history of the local cement and brickmaking industry.
Sunday 17th April will see the closure of the winter Tea Room for the summer. Look out for special open days when the Tea Room will be open in the summer, including Sunday 3rd July. Further details will be published on the website.
Finally, a big congratulations to all those involved in the rebuild of the Cambria, who was relaunched on Monday 21st March down at Standard Quay. A fantastic achievement to bring a unique barge back from the brink. Plans are now afoot to restore the famous brick barge, Westmoreland, who used to be based in Lower Halstow dock. More on her in a later post…
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