Welcome of Rochester

Introduction

Welcome of Rochester is a fictional Thames Barge that appears in Coot Club. 

Description

In Coot Club we get a good description of the Welcome's cabin, engine and domestic arrangements, as well as indications of her sail plan and sheer size.

Most Thames barges were around 85' in length with a broad beam around 20'. They were flat bottomed. relying on leeboards which could be lowered on the down wind (leeward) side when tacking into the wind. Their flat bottoms meant they could work in shallow waters, as they often drew no more than 3'. It also meant that these barges could be intentionally grounded at low tide without risk of their heeling over.

As Ransome describes, their rig was dominated by a towering mainmast, which could carry a mainsail, a large topsail, and a large foresail. A small mizzen mast primarily helped the crew to change course. Overall the sail area could be as much as 5,000 square feet. Thames barges could make as much as 12 knots in favourable conditions. 

Ownership

Welcome's skipper was Mr Whittle. The owner's identity is not revealed.

Welcome appears in

Coot Club.

Factual Inspiration

In 1933 Ransome saw the barge Pudge of Rochester at Beccles. Pudge belonged to the London and Rochester Trading Company. Whilst writing Coot Club, Ransome wrote to the company to check his facts concerning barge traffic to Beccles. 

As described in Coot Club, at this time barge traffic was still common throughout the Thames Estuary and further afield, with trips along the channel and across the North Sea commonplace. By the 1930s many barge owners were beginning to fit engines to their vessels. However, as Ransome describes, these were expensive in themselves and treated very much as auxiliaries; sail remained their primary power.

What Happened to the "Real" Welcome?

At the start of the 20th century there were over 2,000 Thames barges. Their numbers declined steadily as land based transport made them increasingly uneconomic. The last motorless barge ceased trading in the early 1970s.

Pudge is one of the lucky ones: after an eventful career, including taking part in the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940, Pudge is now owned by the Thames Barge Sailing Trust, a registered charity that aims to preserve two Thames barges (Pudge and Centaur), keep alive the skills required to maintain and sail them, and let the public experience these majestic trading vessels in their traditional East Coast waters.

Pudge heself is currently undergoing restoration, but will hopefully soon be seen aonce more, sailing alongside Centaur and a number of other privately owned surviving barges.  

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