Edme wins the Pin Mill Barge Match

Great day for it, until the wind crapped out. ��

Edme got past landguard before that happened... she had been leading all the way down river and the lead just kept opening up... I followed the opening group from Syh and then back.... until I decided to hang around landguard and came to a halt with everyone else...

Anyways...

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Following Edme up towards landguard at about 5 knots...

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blackthorne.
 
It was a bit like the very first race for the “America”’s Cup. “Ma’am, there is no second!” Edme clearly meant business - she was still racing hard when we crossed tacks with her two boards short of the finish line.The others were having a day out with a charter party.
 
Minn said:
It was a bit like the very first race for the “America”’s Cup. “Ma’am, there is no second!” Edme clearly meant business - she was still racing hard when we crossed tacks with her two boards short of the finish line.The others were having a day out with a charter party.
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I’ve never seen anyone racing with a big springer spaniel sitting in the tender before... :encouragement:
 
Minn said:
The others were having a day out with a charter party.
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I have a feeling that the crew of 'Niagra' might have something to say about that rather sweeping statement Minn! The rest of the fleet you are probably not too far off the mark!

In fairness, 'Edme' really is the class of the fleet...a proper, engine-less barge with a real racing crew...lovely to watch as she disappears over the horizon!
 
“Similar representations have been made to me on behalf of Pete Dodds and Mirosa!” Fair enough in both cases.

But it seems there is always a top barge. Now, it’s EDME. When I was young it was EDITH MAY, before her it was VERONICA and before her, GIRALDA
 
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Edme always wins! I know the skipper of Melissa and he was saying the shape of her hull is ‘faster’ than your average barge. Even back in the day some were built with racing in mind, competitive then as now.
 
fredrussell said:
Edme always wins! I know the skipper of Melissa and he was saying the shape of her hull is ‘faster’ than your average barge. Even back in the day some were built with racing in mind, competitive then as now.
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Very likely. Certainly Giralda was an extreme racer and was built - uniquely for a Thames barge, I believe - with a rockered keel. Her lines are in one of Uffa Fox's books. Veronica was also reputedly built as a racer, iirc. Don't think Edith May is, but I do recall that in the Sixties and Seventies she was famous for having Hard Racing Copper on her bottom.

From what I remember of the Harman dynasty, they might have something to do with EDME's performance, too! :)
 
As you say Minn, there have always been 'racers' going back to the days of the somewhat "built for purpose" Giralda and later, also from Pipers yard on the Thames the 'Surge' (Sure yUo aRe Giralda's Equal)...however 'Edme' has two major advantages in the fleet at present 1) She is set up for racing 2) Team Harman who know and love the old girl!

As I said earlier it is almost a pleasure watching them disappear over the horizon...poetry in motion!
 
Sorry, took a load of pics but they fail when I try to load them on here.

There is a link on my other post if you haven’t seen it.
 
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Coming down the Orwell yesterday morning, we saw a barge ahead of us beating out of Harwich Harbour. I believe she was probably the very speedy Edme as once she got a slant in the fresh north-easterly, she was off into the distance towards the Naze at a rate of knots, up the Wallet on the last of the flood.
 
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