Ardwina was the last wooden Thames barge to be built in Ipswich. This was in 1909. She was registered in London. She worked commercially until 1956. She was laid up after a collision and restored as a yacht conversion. [1] She is still sailing in 2018, based at St Katherine Docks, and regularly passes under Tower Bridge.[2]
Description
Ardwina is 85 feet (25.91 m) long, 21.1 feet (6.43 m) wide and has a draught of 6.4 feet (1.95 m). She was built of wood by W.H.Orvis of Ipswich[3] for E.J. & W.Goldsmith of Grays;[4] she is assessed at 66 GRT.
History
The Ardwina sailed for many years out of Grays, working for Goldsmith's.[5] She ran on one occasion from Grays to Calais in 10¼ hours. On another occasion she was demasted in the channel, the crew were taken off and she was put on tow. The tow rope broke twice and she drifted in the shipping lanes for four days before she was captured and towed to harbour by a French motor coaster.[6] Following a further accident in the Thames she was bought and converted into a barge yacht.
Carr, Frank (1951). Sailing Barges (Revised ed.). Peter Davies Ltd.
Benham, Hervey; Kershaw, Philip; Finch, Roger (1986). Down tops'l : the story of the East Coast sailing-barges (3rd ed.). London: Harrap. ISBN0-245-54487-9.
March, Edgar (1948). Spritsail barges of Thames and Medway. London: Percival Marshal.
Walsh, Richard (1986). Kathleen : the biography of a sailing barge. Lavenham: Terence Dalton. ISBN0861380460.
