shipbuilding

“Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.”

Iris Abbott was the first Duker Barge, she was built in Northwich.
Sarah Abbott is a 'Mere' class dumb barge.
The Iris Abbott would have worked with the Sarah Abbott and other dumb barges / flats on the rivers and navigations in the North West.

On broad canals, a narrow powered boat and butty (an unpowered craft, like a dumb barge) would often breast up and run side by side. That way they could work faster through locks.