Sailing Barge - HYDROGEN
HYDROGEN
- some of her history
Zoom image - S.B.HYDROGEN under sail
At the turn of the century when she was built, the Thames barge Hydrogen was amongst the finest of a fleet that numbered 2,000 barges. Today only a handful survive. With her distinctive red sails, the Hydrogen continues to sail the waters of the Thames and East Coast leaving an unforgettable impression of grace, power and history in her wake. The Hydrogen offers a most original and memorable venue for corporate entertaining and private functions, her spacious interior has been tastefully designed to provide an interesting saloon with its own special atmosphere, ideal for all kinds of events and functions.
On the Quay... Hydrogen's unique feature is her sunken deck which can be covered with an awning and enclosed for year round use. With her upper deck and large saloon, she can accommodate up to 120 guests for a buffet and 60 for a sit down meal.

...And at Sea With the comfort and protection provided by the sunken deck, 40 guests can enjoy sailing for a day, half-day or evening cruise at various locations on the East Coast, Thames and South Coast. However, her sea worthiness makes her an ideal vessel for charters further afield, indeed she is well-known all round the British coast for her promotional work and hospitality at major events. In 1992 she visited Brest '92 in Brittany, the largest festival of traditional sail this century.

Special events. We have used many years experience of chartering to put together these special packages that can all be tailored to suit your specific requirements:
Thames River Cruise
A day sail on the East Coast
Cowes Week
Clay pigeon shooting on board
Shotley Classic Boat Festival
Sailing barge matches
Sunken deck and awning

On Maldon Quay
HYDROGEN's saloon

sailing through Tower Bridge
Private Functions
An exclusive and really special venue for: Wedding receptions, Birthday and Christmas parties, Social gatherings and club meetings
Dinner and cocktail parties
Promotional work and sponsorship - as an eye-catching and unusual sight on the river or in docks, a Thames Barge can be particularly effective in promoting companies and their products.



Business meetings and conferences
Press releases
Product launches
We can fly house flags or banners on board and sails can even be used with logos or product names stitched on.
Full catering facilities are available, designed to meet our clients specifications - from a simple fork buffet to a five course celebration dinner.
For further details contact:
Stephanie Valentine
Topsail Charters,
Cook's Yard,
Maldon,
Essex.
CM9 7HP
Telephone (01621) 857 567
FAX (01621) 840 567
email: info@top-sail.co.uk
http://www.top-sail.co.uk
Home Active barges Barge charter Barge matches Model barges Where to see barges Barges for sale Museums
Glossary Bibliography Barge Research FAQs Barge crew Noticeboard Related links
Pages maintained by David Renouf, email: bargemaster@thamesbarge.org.uk