Thames Sailing Barge Wyvenhoe

Now owned by Jim and Catherine Dines, Sailing Barge Wyvenhoe has undergone extensive works carried out by the Heritage Marine Foundation. Wyvenhoe has now been restored to her former glory by cutting out and installing new steel plates below the waterline, new deck and coamings, complete interior fit out and new standing and running rigging.

More About Sailing Barge Wyvenhoe

She was built of iron in 1898, by Forrest & Sons at Wivenhoe in Essex. Like most Thames sailing barges, she was rigged with a spritsail rig which enabled a small crew of two or three men to handle her. She originally carried all sorts of cargo around the coast of Britain and to Europe. it is known that ‘Wyvenhoe’ often carried linseed, although many barges carried cement, sand, bricks, stone, hay and straw.

She was converted to a motor ship in 1923, and after being rebuilt in steel in 1947, she traded until 1982. She holds the record of having traded longer than any other British registered ship.