SB Repertor

On the way back from Deal we stopped for a coffee and cake with friends in Faversham.  Their house looks out on  to the ' creek' as the river Swale is known, it also  looks out on to this beautiful old Thames sailing barge. There used to over 2,000 of these flat bottomed boats plying their trade up and down the Thames and nearby rivers and coastal towns but only about 30 still sail, mosty as pleasure boats.  The Repertor has a splendid set of Ox blood red sails as did all the old barges, the sails were made of cotton and to protect them from the weather they were coated in wax which turned red in the sun.