Thames Sailing Barge Trust
We have re-rigged her and converted the cargo hold into comfortable cabins, galley and saloon. She is now used for charter sailing from Maldon and sails all over the Thames estuary and the rivers of Essex, Suffolk and Kent.
Since 2006 Pudge has been the subject of a major rebuilding project with her hull aft of the mainmast substantially rebuilt.
Raising funds for her continuing restoration is the Trust’s current priority.
Pudge is well known as a handy and comfortable barge to sail and she is held in great affection by the thousands of people who have sailed on her over the last 34 years.
Past Restoration
During the 70's and 80's Pudge had a lot of work carried out to keep her sailing including a new mast,rudder,stem and apron, transom and sections of inwale and chine plus various new frames and planks.
However by 1997 a close examination of her structure revealed the need to rebuild the bows. The work was carried out over three winters starting in 1997 when the underwater sections of the hull forward of the mast were replaced.
In 2000/2001 and 2001/2002 each bow was rebuilt above the waterline together with a substantial amount of side planking and frames. A large part of the starboard deck was replaced and over the 2002/2003 winter we replaced most of the port deck too.
