The Swale Smack and Sailing Barge March takes place annually in August and, as the name suggests,  it is more than just a single race. For example, during the 2007 event, a wide range of classes included..... 

     

  • Smacks and Bawleys
     
  • Replica Smacks and Bawleys
     
  • Ex-fishing vessels
     
  • Gaff rigged craft (25 ft and over)
     
  • Gaff rigged craft (under 25 ft)
     
  • Small open gaff rigged craft
     
  • Bowsprit Barges
     
  • Staysail barges
     
  • Restricted staysail barges
     
  • Dutch barges
     
  • Baltic Traders
     
  • Traditional steam or motor* 
    (    * Not raced - Award is for
     best turned  out vessel    )
     
  • Traditional Bermudan Rigged

 

All this means that it is not just the glories of the barge and the smack that fascinate the onlooker at the Swale Match. Stranger craft are on view and a few surprises are in store.... as will see in working through a sample of Peter Dalrymple' photographs.

The competition embraces several different courses. All start in the mouth of the Swale estuary and  head east  past the Columbine and Pollard spits to the open waters of the Thames estuary north of Whitstable and Herne Bay. Here, in most cases, the vessels utilise a stretch of the water between the famous Maunsell Forts (Red Sands and Shivering Sands) and the North Kent coastline......   

    


Red Sands Fort


Whitstable Street


Kentish Flats Wind Farm

   

After rotating around the Spaniard Buoy, it's into the home run with a finish back in the Swale at a location close to Faversham Creek.

    


Swale Estuary looking east towards the sea


Spaniard Buoy

 

Awards vary according to the class of vessel. Obviously, there is a  trophy for the winner in each class but, in many cases, trophies are also handed to those finishing in second or third place. There also a number of awards for particular aspects or elements...... such as 'seamanship' (Restricted Staysail Class), 'first over the start line (Restricted Staysail Class), fastest start (Restricted Staysail Class), 'best turned out vessel' (Traditional Steam and Motor Vessels) and 'first smack to round the Spaniard buoy'.

Barge matches have a long history. In days gone by, they featured working craft crewed by professional skippers and their mates. It was a case of taking time off from real cargo work in order to compete for the pride and honour of barge, crew.... AND barge owner. There was also another aspect that may be overlooked. By competition and innovation, the barge matches of the past helped to shape the design and evolution of the Thames barge.

Nowadays, barges are no longer working vessels and they are owned, maintained and crewed by enthusiasts who, thankfully, keep alive such an important part of our maritime history.

   

 
 

 

The Simply Whitstable Web Site