Sailing Barge Alice

ALICE of Rochester.

Sailing Barge Alice was built at Wivenhoe in 1954 by Cooks for Hubbocks the paint manufacturers of The Highway, Wapping. Alice was originally built as a lighter, to be rowed, or towed, to and from the River Lea to the Lower Pool of London. She undertook various cargoes; including provisioning the Pirate Radio Ships with stores in the 1970s.
Alice was purchased by Owen Emerson in 1994, and reconstructed from the forward bulkhead to incorporate a the typical 'Stem' of a Thames Sailing Barge and from the after bulkhead to give the traditional run to her transom stern. This reconstruction was completed in 1998.
Unusually, Alice has a small diesel engine to power her windlass, the most powerful part of a barge's equipment. This makes for much easier handling for anchor work and for lowering and raising the mast.

Now based at Chichester, Alice is available to charter for sailing trips - see www alice4charter.co.uk for details