Commerical Use?

[LizG]

Any ship where the name ended in ITY was an Everard ship - there is one by the power station photo.  We always knew this because my father used to get trips on them.  Think it was a connection with his father who was the Editor of Ship Building and Shipping Record many moons ago that got him the jaunts!

[marshman]

PW - I like the Beccles picture as ,of course, it shows a Thames Barge. Cambria use to trade up these rivers now and then but on closer inspection, it doesn't seem to be her! She was of course, steel and usually painted grey and if I recall correctly, she had a "shellback" wheelhouse that has neither. Shame we cannot ID that!

I think he may have been a grandson, or fairly closely associated with the Everard family, but Alan Everard is an excellent painter of Thames barges. Like Norfolk Wherries they are quite difficult to get "right" but he can - one adorns one of my walls I am pleased to say!

[JennyMorgan]

My father had a bakery and used flour from Cranfields of Ipswich. Handy for yours truly as it allowed me to take several trips from Ipswich to Norwich and Beccles, lucky me! 

[Springsong]

This gives one an idea of the size difference

[marshman]

Definately not the Cambria then at Beccles - like the other one too. Used to love sailing those things - always look hard work but surprising how close to the wind you can keep them with that nice big wheel!

[ChrisB]

Cambria showing wheelhouse courtesy of Classic Boat.

 

[Poppy]

2 hours ago, marshman said:

PW - I like the Beccles picture as ,of course, it shows a Thames Barge. Cambria use to trade up these rivers now and then but on closer inspection, it doesn't seem to be her! She was of course, steel and usually painted grey and if I recall correctly, she had a "shellback" wheelhouse that has neither. Shame we cannot ID that!

I think he may have been a grandson, or fairly closely associated with the Everard family, but Alan Everard is an excellent painter of Thames barges. Like Norfolk Wherries they are quite difficult to get "right" but he can - one adorns one of my walls I am pleased to say!

She was and still is wooden .   https://maritimeheritage.org.uk/component/zoo/item/cambria-trust

[Bernard]

Have a picture of the Blackheath (I think) going through reedham in the late 90s heading to Cantley, will try and find it.

[marshman]

My apologies - you are of course correct. Xylonite was steel.

[JennyMorgan]

Not on the Broads, actually off Maldon. Was quietly sailing along aboard my Drascombe when this beauty came belting along. Whether a Norfolk, or even a Suffolk wherry, a trading boat was generally built for purpose. This Thames barge is no exception, such craft have evolved, often over generations, and have a fascination and a beauty that is very easy on the eye. The same can be said of many of the surviving wooden hire cruisers.

[JennyMorgan]

Back to the Broads and another picture of that whatever it was going to Cantley. Reproduced with permission.

[Regulo]

Back in probably 1980, my young cousin Steve was steering us just after Brundall headed to Norwich. He was only 12 or so, and under the watchful eye of Uncle Alf. He was well into the centre of the river as we approached the right hander before the Surlingham Broad entrance, so Uncle said, "What are you going to do if a coaster comes round the bend?" Steve replied, " No coasters come up here nowadays". At which precise second the bows of one of the largest coasters I'd ever seen appeared! Steve did resume the correct side of the river, sharpish. From that day, that particular bend is known as "Steve's Corner".

[Helian]

I clearly remember summer '77. We had just finished our o-levels and were waiting to officially finish school. School canoe club took a few of us to Buckenham Ferry for some canoeing. Cant imagine elf-n-safety would allow that now....

Predictably we were all out on the Yare midstream when along came a commercial "coaster". We could feel the "pull" well before it got to us and was actually quite scary. It looked VERY large as it passed 😬. 

Memories!

[SwanR]

Great photos and memories on this topic. I’ve very much enjoyed reading it through. Thank you to everyone who has shared here. 

[JennyMorgan]

Blackheath

[JennyMorgan]

At one time coasters came into Lowestoft where wherries would be loaded before heading across Oulton Broad and into the Broads system to deliver their cargos..

[JennyMorgan]

What a lot of people don't realise, and some that do but choose to forget, is that the Broads is one large, one time industrial landscape. It was created for commerce, it is a large part of the Broad's heritage. Wherries, steam pumps, thatch, farming, peat, staithes, holidays, canals, locks, transport, fishing, fowling, brewing plus one or two that I have forgotten! 

[LizG]

30 minutes ago, JennyMorgan said:

What a lot of people don't realise, and some that do but choose to forget, is that the Broads is one large, one time industrial landscape. It was created for commerce, it is a large part of the Broad's heritage. Wherries, steam pumps, thatch, farming, peat, staithes, holidays, canals, locks, transport, fishing, fowling, brewing plus one or two that I have forgotten! 

So true - we love the Broads for their beauty but that wasn't why they were created!

[RealWindmill]

Interesting to see again the coasters that used to run up the Yare. i had forgotten how large they were in comparison to the navigation and the pleasure craft. Good photos.

One thing i recall is the amount of water these ships displaced and how much the resulting rise and fall at places like Berney Reach and Reedham Quay would put great strain on mooring ropes and cleats.

In the 1970's and earlier companies like Stevenson Clarke Shipping ran a fleet of colliers out of Newcastle with cargoes for the East Coast and near European inland coal fired power stations such as Lots Road , Battersea on the Thames, on the Seine and German rivers and the like. we called these  'flatties' or more correctly flat irons. As Stumpy mentions they had hydraulically operated wheelhouses which would jack down to deck level to get under the river bridges, but with the consequence of restricted forward vision. So when we steamed up the Thames lookouts would be needed on the fo'csle head plus Bow radar made an extra lookout, all compliant with ColRegs needs.

This visibility issue as ChrisB said, was considered the major factor in in the Marchioness disaster inquiry. That whole report makes for an enlightening read ( on the MAIB website).

(Hassen to add - no Stevie Clarkes vsl was involved there ).

Was any incident ever reported between the coasters on the Yare and the pleasure craft ? or did the smaller boats just keep the hell out of the way.

 

The modern equivalent is probably the similar effect that the larger sea going boats have on smaller craft like small cabin cruisers , dayboats when in the confines of the New Cut or the Waveney. The phenomenon of hydrodynamic interaction occurs here where a positive pressure ahead of the larger craft can cause a small vessel to sheer into and across the bow when being overtaken. The effect being more pronounced at higher speed or close passing. This exact effect was also noted as one probably contributing factor in the Marchioness / BowBelle disaster mentioned earlier.

[LizG]

Vaughan mentioned earlier in this thread the Four of Hearts being lost as a result of a coaster hitting them whilst moored. He may have more info!

Is there anywhere a log of the coaster passages up the Yare and the names of them all?

[stumpy]

17 minutes ago, LizG said:

 

Is there anywhere a log of the coaster passages up the Yare and the names of them all?

Customs at Havenbridge House would have kept the 'Pier Head Book' with a record of every vessel taken into control and whether coastwise or in from foreign but its probably lost and gone forever now.

[marshman]

There were certainly plenty of them - I recall often 4 or 5 on the tide and going both ways. Postwick bends was a good spot for mayhem and not unusual to them them going aground anywhere.

I recall working as a lad down at Bells and Vic Bell was definitely not amused when, having launched a brand new cruiser for a private buyer, one came round a bit wide and gave it a good 'ol swipe with its a**e. Strangely I cannot recall the outcome - not sure she actually sunk but even after lengthy remedial work I think it went into the hire fleet!

And interspersed with these were the tugs towing the lighters going up to the old gas woks - don't see so many pictures of those but these were towed on very long tows of three  when laden and each lighter had a grizzled old git steering them - now that would have been some job out in the open. Or am I imagining the good 'ol boy on the back??? By long I mean long - I am sure Vaughan will remember them!!

[JennyMorgan]

51 minutes ago, marshman said:

Vic Bell

I remember him well. He was a crew member on a boat belonging to a mutual friend when we went from Lowestoft to Holland, mid sixties or so, to visit Lowestoft's twin town over there. We travelled through the canals to Amsterdam, arriving after sunset. Our Dutch hosts had arranged for locks and bridges to be ready for us. Not sure how or why but we went into a lock in the world famous Kanaal Strasse. We were all a tad tanked up but non more so than Vic. As the water level went up Vic spied a fanciful young lady sat in a shop window, as is the Dutch custom. As our deck came level with the top of the lock wall Vic calmly stepped onto land and marched purposely towards the shop window of his choice. As I have said, Vic was by now well lubricated and literally walked straight through the glass door, without opening it! Presumably back in the sixties the Dutch didn't use toughened, laminated glass in their doors! Not a mark or cut on him, he calmly drew the curtains and . . . . . . . . . . . 

Another time we went to a Hoseasons end of season bash where Tropical Linda was the attraction. Vic arranged for Linda to spin the fans on her boobs right in my face, me being young and clearly much in need of education! As Linda leaned forward I leant backwards which clearly she hadn't expected and she fell on our laps, that being of Vic, Jack Fowler and myself. Vic took full advantage, Linda called me an effing idiot for moving, she'd meant to lean on my shoulders, as for Vic, she didn't mince her words! I'm not sure if the combined, rousing cheer was for Vic or for Linda.

Jack and Vic were good friends and we fitted out several Aqua Belles for him, one of which we took down to Guernsey.

[JennyMorgan]

1 hour ago, marshman said:

the tugs towing the lighters going up to the old gas woks

Was that for the wok in the floating 'Chinese' by the station at Norwich?

[Vaughan]

11 hours ago, marshman said:

Or am I imagining the good 'ol boy on the back??? By long I mean long - I am sure Vaughan will remember them!!

I do remember them but not that clearly. This may be because we couldn't see them going by on the other side of the railway embankment, but the coasters, and the masts of the Thames barges, were clearly visible. If I remember, the towed barges themselves were traditional Thames dumb lighters.

Getting to the gas works quay up near Bishops bridge, meant going under Foundry bridge, of course.