Thames Sailing Barges “Reminder” & “Repertor"

What could be better than sailing away from the hassles of modern life with family and friends on a weekend of relaxation along the beautiful East Coast ?

You will love gathering around the stove on colder evenings for board games and cards, music (why not bring an instrument) or just to chill out and chat. Contrast that with summer evenings up on deck watching the sunset with a cold drink in hand and you’ll see that there is something special for everyone.

Both vessels are crewed by a qualified skipper and experienced mate and are licensed by the Marine and Coastguard Agency.

Reminder

Tradition has it that after the 1928 Thames Barge Match, Fred Horlock promised his victorious rivals that he would give them a “reminder” of the speed of his barges. The following year 1929, “Reminder” was launched at Mistley and fulfilled his expectations, becoming Champion Barge on the Thames and Medway. “Reminder” was also one of the last barges built.

Working in trade until the early 1970’s, she was restored to sailing condition in 1975 and since then has given hundreds of people the opportunity to experience “barging” under sail.
Reminder is based in Maldon, a lovely old town at the head of the River Blackwater in Essex and home to the largest surviving working fleet of these historic vessels. The barges moor at Hythe Quay where ships have traded for centuries.
She also visits Mistley once a year, working from the yard where she was built in 1929.

Repertor

Photo of Repertor “Repertor” was the first steel barge built by Horlocks, the famous bargemasters of Mistley, on the River Stour in Essex, in 1924. “Repertor” means – discoverer, explorer, inventor, innovator, deviser - in Latin. Sail with her and help us live up to her name, discover the skills of traditional working sail, either by joining in or just relaxing and watch how it’s done.
Champion barge in 2006, she is a keen competitor in the annual barge races.

Repertor is based in Faversham, Kent with its medieval town centre, brewery, creeks and marshes, ideally located for exploring the Rivers Medway and Swale, the lower Thames estuary with it’s Maunsell forts or hopping over to the Essex rivers. Her racing calendar means she also visits many Essex and Suffolk ports from which you can start a weekend and once a year she comes up to Tower Bridge if you fancy seeing London in a completely different way !

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