On Monday 22nd April, with a cold N wind blowing, Edith May ventured up the River Thames to meet her new T&W stablemate, Ardwina, as she left London to begin a new life on the River Medway.
It was an emotional day for Rolfe Judd, who have been her custodians for 45 years, but none more so than for Willie, her Octogenarian Skipper throughout that time.
Leaving St Katherine Docks with a final salute from the team there, she headed out into the river for a quick photoshoot in front of Tower Bridge before racing off downriver, with Edith May struggling to keep up in her wake.
Originally aiming to save the tide to the Medway, just as the barges approached the QE2 Bridge, there was a silence aboard Ardwina that replaced the rumbling of the engine – the fuel lift pump had failed! Sails were quickly set whilst Edith May came alongside, where engineer and T&W volunteer Tim, got to work replacing the broken part.
The barges resided at Gravesend for the night, where Willie regaled his audience with plenty of tales, before both barges got underway in the wee hours, eventually enjoying a nice sail into the Medway in company and heading up to the sleepy village wharf at Lower Halstow – a world away from her busy city life.
Whilst she needs a fair bit of work to bring her back to full sailing condition, she’s going to have an active life, with several events already planned in and she is set for a new lease of life under T&W’s stewardship.
