From the early times of sailing barges vying for trade, competition has always been keen between sailormen and owners alike. Records indicate Regatta Matches on the East Coast taking place in the mid 19th century with some owners such as Eastwoods brickmakers and APCM Ltd. organising private matches for their own fleet of barges during the latter part of the 19th century.

Organised barge matches started on the Thames in 1863, encouraged by ‘Golden Dustman’ Henry Dodd. The City of London was rapidly expanding and Dodd, who had started life as a ploughboy, quickly grasped opportunities as they arose and accumulated great wealth using sailing barges to transport rubbish away from the centre.

Dodd formed close links with the bargemen he employed and others and through his interest in both the craft and their crews, barge matches were sailed on the Thames from 1863, the first being won by Dodd’s own barge ‘WHD’. The following year attracted an outstanding entry of 42 barges.

Many of the craft involved would have traded between the Thames and Medway and inevitably the first official Medway Match took place in 1880, although few records are available before 1895.

Interest in the racing continued until the outbreak of war in 1914 at which time organised matches ceased.

Nothing further was organised until 1927 when racing recommenced attracting seven coasting class and thirteen river bowsprit, starting from Gillingham outward to West Oaze bouy and finishing at Sun Pier, Chatham.

It may be of interest to note that the Coasting Class was won by Cambria, now awaiting major restoration at Faversham.

The outbreak of the Second World War resulted in the cancellation of the 1939 match and apart from the events held by the Marina Club of Hoo, no further trade matches were organised until the Coronation Match of 1954.

Everard’s ‘Sara’ had dominated the River Bowsprit class during the early 1930’s and again won in 1954 beating London & Rochester Trading Co.’s Sirdar by 45 seconds. The following year Sirdar turned the tables on Sara in both Thames and Medway matches and this seems to have sparked a new inter-company rivalry resulting in a major refit of the derelict Veronica, which had lain virtually hulked at Everard’s Greenhithe yard for a number of years. In 1956, Sirdar, Sara and Veronica were turned out, almost yacht like in appearance and sporting massive new gear, in a bid to gather the honours and silverware.

Inevitably the cost of maintaining the barges purely for racing in the Thames and Medway Matches with such hugely unmanageable gear was not viable in the long term and after a few years, culminating in the 1963 match, the competing owners withdrew their support and Everards, to the dismay of many, scrapped the Sara and Dreadnought and sold the Veronica to become a housebarge renamed as the Veronica Belle, never to be raced again.

Sirdar was retained under a reduced rig, motorised and used for business promotion before suffering a similar fate to her competitors, finding her final resting place close by the Veronica at Bedlams Bottom, Funton.

This marked the end of the official trade barge Matches and almost all of the remaining barges, sailing at that time, were in private ownership.

Many believed that Barge Racing between Sailormen was lost forever as the professional skippers and crew dwindled with each passing year. Vessels which had keenly followed the matches in recent years, giving many the opportunity to witness this spectacular sight from the river were also laid to rest, among them Medway Queen, Royal Sovereign and Royal Daffodil.

Eighty-three years on and after 55 barge matches and two World Wars, was Barge racing on the Medway finished? Fortunately not!

Due to the keenness of a few, the Medway Barge Sailing Match Committee continued, newly formed of private individuals, this format continues to this day and marks the longest continuous spell of barge match racing on the Medway since its inception in 1880.