The Finish

75th. Match Part 3 - The return leg and finish by Mike Wignall - Webmaster [thamesmatch "at" yahoo.co.uk]
Photo: M. Wignall 2005	The Fleet [on the horizon to the right] have now rounded the Outer Mark and are on their return leg to Gravesend. Being to the north east of them, and all alone, the Lady Daphne now merits a special visit by the MV Princess Pocahontas, the Gravesend based excursion vessel that follows the event each year. It provides members of the public with a grandstand view of the event, and if they have cameras, they can take advantage of the many excellent photographic opportunities arranged by Capt. John Potter, as he manoeuvres his vessel.
It is a day for excursion vessels being able to give their passengers an unusual sight on London River. In the case of the Glasgow based MV Balmoral (1949) [Paddle Steamer Preservation Society] operating from London for the month of July, it was coincidental that one of her regular trips down the Thames to Clacton-on-Sea happened to coincide with the Thames Match this year. Her passengers had a good view of the Fleet heading downriver to the Outer Mark. Here she is about to pass Wyvenhoe, then the Lobster Smack pub on Canvey Island on the Essex shore.	Photo: H. Rooke 2005
Photo: J. Hargreaves 2005	Greta (1892), whose Master is Capt. Steve Norris, has successfully rounded the Outer Mark, and has worked her way north east towards the Essex shore and into the Leigh Channel, off Southend- On- Sea Pier. She's in search of a weaker end to the ebb tide, than can be found in the main channel, [or even possibly the beginnings of the new flood] plus more wind in order to make progress on the return leg. Here she has gone aground through exploring too close inshore to the pier and is being observed by the MV Princess Pocahontas. The section of the Leigh Channel off Southend typically has a charted depth of around 9 metres, but just west of the pier, where Greta is it shoals rapidly. Her setback was however only temporary [helped by her flat bottomed keelson design of hull, typical of these barges, enabling them to take sand or mud berths] and she was soon afloat again to eventually come 2nd. in the Staysail Class.
Steam and paddles chase muscle and sail! The day of the Match coincided with one in which the Chatham based PS Kingswear Castle (1924) [Paddle Steamer Preservation Society] makes its regular summer Saturday excursion trips from Chatham, Kent across the Thames to Southend - On - Sea, Essex. Wyvenhoe has just passed up river of Southend Pier [on the right], with Capt. Mick Lungley searching for a fair wind and slacker ebb tide, for the return leg. The Master of the paddle steamer, Capt. John Megoran, decides the Wyvenhoe is a sight his passengers should not miss. Kingswear Castle is unknowingly repeating history. Paddle steamers and sailing barge matches have long been associated with each other as the lithograph of at least 4 paddlers following the 19th. Thames Match in 1881 shows.	Photo: M. Wignall 2005 Image: Penny Illustrated Paper July 02 1881
Photo: M. Wignall 2005	PS Kingswear Castle on her way home, after viewing Wyvenhoe, giving her passengers a close up of Lady Daphne. A barge with a crew wondering where the next puff of badly needed wind will come from. She unwittingly provides it - momentary, but in the wrong direction! Michael Mainelli, seen inboard of the barge boat has his mind on other things. A barge blessed with a disadvantageous design for racing can still put up a good showing with good tactics - whilst a well designed vessel can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory - with poor tactics. He's thinking ... "tactics"!
Yet another visitor came to observe Lady Daphne on her return leg. This was the SB Thistle [Master - D. Copsey, Topsail Charters Ltd., Maldon, Essex] with charter passengers on board following the Match. This barge spends most of its time on charter i.e. under power and only occasionally gets to race - as in the Pin Mill Match on July 02 this year. Thistle is unique in that it is the only barge to built in Scotland - at Port Glasgow in 1895. She has a steel [as opposed to wood or iron] hull and an unmistakable sheer that makes her readily identifiable at a distance.	Photo: M. Wignall 2005
Photo: J. Hargreaves 2005	May [Master - Gerald Gadd] was entered in the Bowsprit Class and was in competition with Adieu, Edme Marjorie and Xylonite. This picture shows her under way, close inshore and to the west of Southend Pier heading up river through the Leigh Channel. She came 3rd. in her class after the two fast bowsprit barges Xylonite and Edme had demonstrated their characteristic performance.
Photo: J. Hargreaves 2005
The popularity of the Leigh Channel, to the west of Southend-On-Sea Pier [off picture - right] is self evident from this panorama. The needed slacker ebb tide and a fair wind was found there and exploited to help the Fleet progress up river, back to the finish line. The barges, from left to right are: Xylonite, Ardwina, Edme, Greta, May, Marjorie and Decima. This identification is based on their sail plans, bobs and a process of elimination. Note that Decima has a red, white and blue staysail at this point - other photos show her with a white one.
Reminder, [entered in the Staysail Class] like the Lady Daphne spent her return leg separated from the Fleet as it sailed ahead having found elusive pockets of wind off the Essex shore. The Reminder's lack of a discernable wake, and only the vaguest suggestion of a bow wave indicates the paucity of wind available to her. However, given that her port leeboard has not been fully raised from her previous tack, the drag this is causing will be contributing to her lack of speed. She remained well astern of the Lady Daphne [a slower design of barge] throughout the return leg, and failed to reach the finish line by 1900 the cut-off time.	Photo: J. Hargreaves 2005
Photo: M. Wignall 2005	The MV Touchstone, kindly provided, as in past years, by Rob Chandler, her owner, is being used by the Bridge Committee. Also on board is the Timekeeper, John Hargreaves and the guns which will be used again to provide a signal to each barge as they cross the finish line, back in Gravesend, at the end of the day. The Touchstone is a former PLA tug that worked the River Thames. It was earmarked for scrapping but was bought for £1 by Rob Chandler and over the following years was restored to full working order. It was built in 1952 and is powered by a 500HP Lister Blackstone EVS 8 diesel engine. He's always on the lookout for spare parts - can you help? If so ... please contact the Webmaster.
Decima, Master [and owner] Tim Goldsack [2005 Match Patron], was entered in the Staysail Class and is seen here heading up river out of Lower Hope Reach towards the finish line off Gravesend. Note the white staysail. The shoreline is East Tilbury, Essex. This was her first time competing in the Thames Match after the completion of her recent substantial restoration at Faversham, Kent. Unfortunately she was disqualified at the start, for grazed the Mucking No. 3 buoy. Not withstanding this, she voluntarily took part as a non-assessable participant and sailed the whole course. As a result the Committee, at their discretion, awarded Tim Goldsack the Gold Belt Trophy [sponsored by the Society for Sailing Barge Research], for "achievement", at the prize giving, later that evening.	Photo: J. Cass 2005
Photo: G. Hargreaves 2005	Edme, [Master - Andy Harman] in Lower Hope Reach, with Westminster Dredging Jetty [left] on the Cliffe shore, Kent, on her port beam, as she beats up river to the finish line at Gravesend. She was awarded 2nd. place in the Bowsprit Class, after Xylonite, who came 1st.
An example of pre-industrial versus industrial technology. Ardwina sailing up Gravesend Reach, past Tilbury Power Station, on the Essex shore, towards the finish line. This view is from the Gravesend, Kent side of the river. Although she crossed the line 23 minutes before the time limit expired [at 1900] and 6 minutes before Lady Daphne, she came 2nd. in the Coasting Class due to the handicap rules.	Photo: G. Hargreaves 2005
Photo: G. Hargreaves 2005	Lady Daphne beating up Gravesend Reach, past Tilbury Power Station, after Ardwina, towards the finish line. She crossed it just 16 minutes before the time limit expired [at 1900] and came 1st. in the Coasting Class on handicap. Earlier, whilst working up Sea Reach towards the Lower Hope she had at times been clocking up a respectable 7.2 kt. over the ground, by GPS. This was the highest speed she'd achieved during the day.
Having heard the signal gun from the Gravesend shore indicating that she had crossed the finish line the crew of the Lady Daphne start lowering the sails as the Master starts the engine to take them back to their overnight berth. Here the Mate is working on the foresail which has just been lowered.	Photo: A. Wignall
Photo: A. Wignall	All the sails have now been lowered and Judy a crew member [forward of the ratlines] is starting to stow them. Lady Daphne has already turned to port, through 180 degrees and is heading back down river towards the PLA lighter [having passed it on the way upriver to the finish line]. It can be seen dead ahead, to the left of the Mate who is in the bows. The majority of the Fleet are already berthed on it, and their masts can just be seen in the distance.
Deja Vu - a forest of masts and spars again. However 11 hours on - it is different. Sun scorched and knackered [to use the vernacular] as opposed to enthusiastic and energetic - which was the state earlier that morning. However, the biggest difference is the thoughts in peoples' minds about the supply of cold beer waiting to be tasted ashore in the Three Daws. It will have been well earned - as will the prizes. The PLA Port Control is in the background on the shoreline to the right.	Photo: A. Wignall
Photo: M. Wignall 2005	The winners in each of the three classes get given special winners' pennants by the Hon. Secretary, Mark Boyle, as soon as they berth i.e. before the evening official prize giving. By the time that Lady Daphne berths the first of these has already been hoisted at the main sprit of Xylonite [Master - Richard Titchener] [2005 Match Patron] which had berthed earlier. She had come 1st. in the Bowsprit Class. In keeping with the long tradition of the event, pennants awarded today, in the 21st. century, echo those awarded in the 19th. Their similarity with the originals can be judged from a print of the 19th. Thames Match in 1881, which has six stump rigged barges in the foreground.
The publics' view from ashore on the Gordon Promenade, Gravesend, in the early evening - 12 barges berthed on the Lighter No. 3. The winners in each of the three classes have, by now, been provided with their winners pennants, and Xylonite's pennant has been joined by that of Repertor's, which came 1st. in the Staysail Class [Rebecca Polden]. The Lady Daphne [James Kent] has yet to hoist her pennant for coming 1st. in the Coasting Class. The background is Tilbury shore with its power station - on the right.	Photo: M. Wignall 2005
Photo: M. Wignall 2004	A view of the Three Daws pub, which is a Grade II Listed Building, adjacent to the upriver end of Gordon Promenade. This is where the supper for the barge crews was provide courtesy of the Match Committee. Later, the Match Chairman Michael Everard complemented the crews on their endeavours, the Commodore Capt. Julian Cass provided a technical summary of those endeavours and the prizes were presented by Dan Houston, Editor, Classic Boat magazine.
The numerous prizes laid out in the Function Room of the Three Daws ready to be presented to the barge Masters by Dan Houston. They include silver cups, bowls [going back to 1894] and plaques, as well as cash prizes for the Master and crews of the barges that came 1st. through to 3rd. in each of the three classes.	Photo: M. Wignall 2005
Photo: M. Wignall 2005	Dan Houston [right], Editor, Classic Boat magazine presenting the prizes, with the nature of the prize and the barge it is being awarded to being announced by the Commodore - Capt. Julian Cass, [left].

An account of the Match written by Dan Houston [above] has been published in the Sept. edition of Classic Boat magazine for which he is the Editor. His account is complemented by photographs taken by Den Phillips. These include SB Xylonite, May, Greta, Lady Daphne, Marjorie, Repertor, Wyvenhoe, Decima, Adieu and Edme, besides MV Touchstone the Match Committee's support tug and the MV Princess Pocahontas, the Gravesend based excursion vessel that follows the Match each year.	Image © ipc Country & Liesure Media 2005
If you've enjoyed the pictorial account of this historic sailing event on the River Thames and are interested in seeing it continue in future years you might like to explore the idea of becoming a Patron of the next Thames Match - the 76th. in 2006, 143 years after Henry Dodd's founding match on the Thames. In doing so you'll be making a very personal contribution to its survival which will be publicly acknowledged. Further information, including the benefits of becoming a Patron are here. If you're curious about following the event from afloat information on booking individual tickets for the MV Princess Pocahontas is here.
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