 Cambria at Standard Quay inFaversham | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Cambria |
| Owner | Cambria Trust |
| Operator | Cambria Trust |
| Ordered | Frederick T Eberhardt (Everard Shipbuilders),Greenhithe |
| Builder | William Eberhardt[1] |
| Commissioned | 1906 |
| Decommissioned | 1970 |
| Identification | Official Number 120676 |
| Status | Museum barge open to the public, used for young person sail training. |
| General characteristics | |
| Length | 90.95 ft (27.72 m) |
| Beam | 22 ft (6.7 m) |
| Draught | 7.75 ft (2.36 m) |
| Propulsion | Sail |
| Sail plan | mainsail, topsail, mizzen, foresail, jib |
| Speed | 9 knots (17 km/h)maximum speed |
| Capacity | 109 tonnes |
SB Cambria is a preservedspritsailThames sailing barge now used forsail training. She was the last barge to trade entirely under sail, and took her last cargo in 1970.She is now restored and owned and operated by theCambria Trust, aregistered charity under English law.[2]
Cambria is a sister to the spritsailSB Hibernia which was lost off the coast ofNorfolk on the evening of 9/10 November 1937. There have been four barges named the Cambria.
There have been four barges named the Cambria.
Shipwright Frederick T Eberhardt had sent his sons as apprentices to Fellowes of Great Yarmouth. When they returned as journeymen he set them to work building a barge each, William to build theCambria and Frederick theHibernia.[4]William builtCambria for £1895, whilst her sister barge cost £1905. She was also slightly faster thanHibernia and she came second in the coasting class in the Thames and Medway matches in 1906. "Brusher" Milton was her firstskipper. He recounted one event, when she arrived inDover, an hour ahead of asteamer which she had overtaken on her way up thechannel from theSolent. "We were doing nine knots", quoted on the steamer, "and we couldn’t hold you".[1]
She was the lastThames sailing barge, to trade entirely under sail, and was owned byCaptain A. W. (Bob) Roberts. Roberts sailedCambria for more than twenty years, and gained a reputation for hard sailing and fast passages in other Everard barges.
Cambria's last mate was Dick Durham fromLeigh-on-Sea,Essex, with whom Bob carried the last freight under sail alone: 100 tons of cattle cake fromTilbury Dock toIpswich in October 1970. Dick wrote Bob Roberts' biography:The Last Sailorman.[5]
Bob Roberts soldCambria to the Maritime Trust in 1971,[6] for display atSt Katharine Docks in London. But she was not looked after very well and in 1987, the Maritime Trust was disbanded. It was agreed that the barge was moved to the Dolphin Sailing Barge Museum atSittingbourne and in 1996 she was sold to the Cambria Trust for £1.[1]
On 6 September 2007,Cambria came to Standard Quay inFaversham for restoration and rebuilding after the Barge Museum was damaged in a fire.[7]
Her funded restoration cost a £1.4 million with help from theNational Lottery.[8]
She was re-launched into the Faversham Creek on 23 March 2011. She then underwent sea trials and then re-fitting to prepare her for use in supporting local schools and social outreach programmes.[9]
She won the coasting class in the 2011 Thames sailing barge match.[1]
In 2012, the 82nd Thames Sailing Barge Match took place. Cambria won again andEdith May came fifth, behindThalatta,Lady of the Lea andPudge. Prizes were presented by Richard Horlock and special guestGriff Rhys Jones.[10]
In 2013 another Thames Barge Match took place.Cambria came 1st in the Coasting class.[11]
