Thames sailing barges require a specific and esoteric skill set to get the very best of them. Evolved over 150 years of commercial and geographical pressure, Blue Mermaid is the newest barge to be built and as such, she represents the ultimate development of her type arguably. To foster the skills required to sail her in to the future and to secure a working future for the other, older working barges, we are constantly seeking opportunities to bring others along and introduce them to the arts and techniques of barge sailing. Our friends at the Thames Sailing Barge Trust, who run the barges Pudge and Centaur, have an excellent trainee development scheme making barge sailing widely accessible and enthusing a new generation of barge sailors. Last weekend Sea-Change Sailing Trust and the TSBT joined forces as we took 6 of their trainees for a weekend of skills and drills aboard Blue Mermaid. It was a very busy and full weekend, we like to think we rinsed every last drop from the time and a glance at our notes from the weekend will reveal how busy we were: Friday: Fresh breeze from the east-southeast Crew up, briefings, cast off the mooring at 1100 Turning (tacking) down the Blackwater as a stays'l barge to anchor off Stansgate Stow up and have lunch After lunch, lower the boltsprit (bowsprit) and bend on the working jib Pick up the anchor and get underway under all plain sail, tacking all the time to the east Set up bobstay and set jib Underway we practiced using the lead line to establish the depth Practice at helming to windward (sometimes a tricky balancing act) and discussing tidal and meteorological factors and our tactics to make good use of both Anchored and stowed up off Second Beach in the mouth of the Colne Dinner (dark by now), riding light set and turn in. Saturday: Fresh east-southeast breeze Breakfast 0830 Pick up anchor and get underway with all plain sail for exercises simulating picking up a mooring using a convenient racing mark. This involved stemming the ebb while adjusting the speed using the main brail, tops'l head and mizzen (lots of energetic work) After heaving to (stopping the boat in the water undersail) for lunch we head south under a rucked tops'l (sheet out but head down) to Bench Head in a boisterous breeze, bearing away to the west to practice running before the wind and gybing in stronger weather (runners off, sprit squared away) and set the jib. We enjoyed fast sailing back up the Blackwater, striking the jib at Osea and bring her to anchor at The Doubles. There is not much breeze forecast for Sunday and we don't want to be too far from the mooring. Stowing up the gear we settle down for a spot of boatwork, learning and perfecting the arts of rowing and sculling the barge boat. Sunday: Windless and misty start to the day. Its going to be hot! Breakfast Steeve up bowsprit and cast off gaskets but no sail is set. Today we are going to need other skills We drudge for a while, partially heaving up the anchor and letting the tide carry us up the river under control of the helm before the inevitable.....sweeping! Blue Mermaid has a pair of 28ft sweeps (oars) which we can use to give us steerage way in the tide. Sweep the barge a mile or two to her mooring. Here we deploy the barge boat to scull ahead with a dolly line from the foredeck and we wind ourselves up to the buoy just at highwater. A full weekend! In reflection the trainees and staff, each share and remember their most memorable moments, each has learned or perfected something new and everyone enjoys the sense of camaraderie and shared experience. It’s only been two nights away but we are all better and more accomplished bargemen for it. (fb)

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