A few weeks earlier, I’d had a masterclass in boat handling under sail when I joined the engineless Thames Barge, Blue Mermaid. It was the final match of the barge racing season on the River Colne in Essex. Built in 2019, she’s a replica of the last Thames sailing barge ever built. She’s operated by the Sea-Change Sailing Trust, which gives sail training to young people, with bursaries for those who need it.
Her full-time crew, Richard Tichener and Hilary Halajko, were the masterminds of the build. Not content with the challenge of going diesel-free, their vision was also that she’d be capable of carrying cargo and she’s rated to take 110 tonnes in the hold. can replace four articulated lorries for journeys around the Thames Estuary,
