On Saturday, 19 July 2025, due to a relatively late tide (high water Tilbury 08:00, low water Southend about 13:30) the timings were:

• 09:30 Coasters
• 09:45 Staysails
• 10:00 Bowsprits 

The 93rd Thames Sailing Barge Match took take place on Saturday, 19 July. Following a month of hot sunny weather, the Saturday morning dawned in heavy rain with a leaden sky and no wind. This year’s entry for the Match was, like the Medway Match a month earlier, much reduced with only five barges coming to the start. An inconvenient tide time led to quite a late start this year with a long wait for the flood to help the barges home. By the time of the first start at 0930 the rain had eased off to occasional showers and a very light and variable breeze was just enough to give the barges steerage way. We were pleased to have the use of X-Pilot again this year as committee boat, skippered by Alan Harmer.

By 0930 with the light wind and the ebb now running quite strongly the committee was expecting to see some cautious starts in the Coasting class. To our surprise we saw Gladys and Pudge close racing for the line at what in these conditions amounted to full speed. Gladys crossed only 22 seconds after the gun with Pudge close astern, a creditable barge match performance under any conditions. As the only entrant for the Staysail class, Niagara did not have to take any chances and started five minutes after her gun sailing full in the light breeze prevailing. For the Bowsprit class start at 1000 Marjorie came sweeping down with everything pulling well but misjudging the distance crossed nearly three minutes early and despite valiant efforts was unable to get back against the tide and ended up starting with a time penalty. The engineless Blue Mermaid had remained at anchor well above the line until the five-minute gun went but then managed to get the anchor, set the sails and turn around to cross at only 1004.

All the barges had sensibly kept to the Kent shore to avoid being set toward the Thames Gateway berths and for a while found that they could fetch down the start of Sea Reach in a light northerly. Gladys had pulled further ahead of Pudge while Niagara was coming up fast and eventually passed both of them. However, after a while the wind became lighter and came more from the east so the barges had to turn their way downstream being mainly carried by the tide.

With the leaders off the Chapman at 1100 it was clear that the course would have to be substantially shortened if the barges were to get back at a sensible time and the Mid Swatch buoy was a convenient choice for the turning mark. First to tack around the buoy was Niagara at 1152 followed by a little excitement as Gladys and Blue Mermaid approached the buoy simultaneously from different directions. At 1210 both barges were on the port tack with Gladys to windward being allowed room at the mark by Blue Mermaid. Although Gladys had the shorter path, Blue Mermaid’s extra speed and smooth turn brought her out fractionally ahead for the return leg. Pudge rounded only three minutes later having held up well and Marjorie brought up the rear at 1226 with a graceful and smoothly executed tack close to the buoy.

A fair wind back up the river looked to make for an easy return leg but the remaining ebb tide slowed the fleet down as Marjorie with her big headsails overtook the two coasters while Blue Mermaid chased after Niagara. But then the fickle wind which had worked its way right round the compass swung to a westerly direction and the barges had to start tacking all over again. The wind remained against them for the rest of the match and although the tide eventually started to flood it was not until 1637 that Niagara was the first home to Gravesend. We waited with interest to see whether Blue Mermaid coming up behind her would finish within Niagara’s fifteen minute head-start to be the fastest time around the course but the wind was failing and she missed it by about half a minute over a race of nearly seven hours leaving Niagara to take the pennant as Champion of the Thames. Marjorie which had done well to close the gap with Blue Mermaid finished at 1700 at which point the race was halted with Gladys and Pudge still in the Lower Hope and almost no wind. Gladys was still ahead at that time to win the Coasting class although Pudge was hard on her heels despite having one less sail.

The prizegiving was held at the Three Daws with the prizes being presented by Sian Foster of the PLA who had spent the day afloat with the Committee. First place in the Bowsprit class winning the FT Everard Cup was Blue Mermaid, master Richard Titchener. Second place, the Allied Mills Cup to Marjorie, Simon Devonshire. Thames Champion and first in the Staysail Class winning the Shipowners Mutual Cup was Niagara, master “Noddy” Cardy. Gladys, master Gary Diddams, was first in the Coasting class winning the Greene King Cup with second place going to Pudge, master “Shiner” Wright.

Gary Diddams of Gladys had made the fastest start of the day, the seamanship prize went to Richard Titchener of Blue Mermaid of while Simon Devonshire of Marjorie was judged to have made the best rounding of the turning mark. The Mainsheetman trophy was given to Tony de Winton of Pudge for his support for a newly qualified skipper, and the Crew award to Richard Atherton of Blue Mermaid for his bowsprit and foredeck work. Freddie Diddams of Gladys took the Gill Yule trophy for a promising young bargeman. The Gold Belt trophy for achievement was given to Pudge in recognition of her competitive performance in unhelpful conditions.

Thanks were expressed to Sian Foster for presenting the prizes, to Jamie Gilbert of the PLA for his assistance in facilitating the Match and to Alan and Martin Harmer for the use of X-Pilot as our committee boat. I would also like to add my thanks to Bridget my wife for acting as timekeeper this year and for her unfailing help and support with the running of the Match.

Next year’s Match is due to be sailed on Saturday, 18 July 2026. We hope to see you (and your barges) there.

Julian Cass, Officer of the Day 2025

The programme ran:

2025-TSBM-Programme-Final