Trading area

CAMBRIA's trading actiities covered ports anywhere between the Number, the Channel coast of Belgium and France and westwards down the English Channel to Cornwall (and they call the Thames barges!). This map show typical routes covered by CAMBRIA, the majority starting with a cargo loaded in the docks of the Port of London.

From the 1950's to the 70's many barges continued to trade under a reduced sail plan and an auxiliary engine, while others converted to full power. In the meantime, CAMBRIA, under her skipper/owner Bob Roberts, ploughed on using sail alone.

It became an increasingly lonely coastline in which to operate and in 1970 CAMBRIA gave up the unequal struggle to obtain economic cargoes for a vessel trading under sail alone.

Her survival as the last representative of commercial sail on the British coast, in age of 38 ton lorries and the container ship, is proof of the core values of adaptability, economy and basic fitness of purpose of the Thames sailing barge