From the “Wheelhouse”

It’s fair to say that this year has been like no other in the one hundred year history of Thames Sailing Barge “Thalatta”launched on 6th February 1906 from W B McLearon’s Naval Yard at Harwich.

Since March her position has been constant at North 51: 47:84 – East 01: 03: 97 where the view from the “Wheelhouse” across her bow is the sun rising or looking astern down the creek the sun setting over Pyefleet Creek.

Unfortunately this year, none of the usual sounds can be heard of excited children going about the business of sailing her along the Coast. Fishing, crabbing or washing the decks or settling into hammocks after a busy day on board – this year the sounds have been those of chainsaws busy putting fresh timbers in place throughout the “Old Lady” after removing the old ones.

About the time you received our last Newsletter “Thalatta”, after being laid up in the previous October, was on the move to start on the refurbishment Project. Gary Diddams, Ruth, his fiancée and Mr. Mate, Roger Davies set off for the overnight trip (because of the tides) to St Osyth and suffering a snowstorm on the way. It snowed again as they moored up at the Quay there and lowered down the mast and rigging.

The Yard team then took over, removing the masts, leeboards and rudder for storage. Then the sails rigging and all manner of other gear stored below was carefully moved into a huge container.
It was necessary to lighten “Thalatta” as much as possible so that she would move comfortably on to the pontoon, necessary, as there is not much depth of water at St Osyth

On the next good tide in March with perfect conditions “Thalatta” “was moved on to the huge 100ft by 40ft pontoon settling down exactly over blocks that had been prepared for her.
A very satisfactory and encouraging start indeed.

The important thing to establish was the condition of the oak frames along the whole length of the hull because it had not been possible to do this during previous surveys.

Carefully cutting between the frames, the three thicknesses of planking was removed. The first an inch and a half thick was corroded, the second was very good quality pitch pine two inches thick (in a sandwich of tarred canvas) and then the outer plank an inch and a quarter thick. Then the remaining parts of the planks attached to the frame were chiselled away.

From the beginning it was agreed that good practice dictated that new wood should only be joined to sound material in this important Maritime Heritage Project.

News Archive

Winter 2007
Winter 2006
May 2006