page_title: Thames sailing barge
section_title: The hay-up dung-down trade
hierarchical_section_title: Thames sailing barge / History / Trade / The hay-up dung-down trade
context_page_description: A Thames sailing barge is a type of commercial sailing boat once common on the River Thames in London. The flat-bottomed barges with a shallow draught and leeboards, were perfectly adapted to the Thames Estuary, with its shallow waters and narrow tributary rivers. The larger barges were seaworthy vessels, and were the largest sailing vessel to be handled by just two men. The average size was about 120 tons and they carried 4,200 square feet of canvas sail in six working sails. The mainsail was loose-footed and set up with a sprit, and was brailed to the mast when not needed. It is sheeted to a horse, as is the foresail; they require no attention when tacking. The foresail is often held back by the mate to help the vessel come about more swiftly.
  The topsail was usually first sail on and last sail off, being fixed to the topmast by hoops. In the upper reaches of the rivers and constricted harbours it reached into the clear air, and when approaching a berth casting off the halliard would drop it immediately killing the forward drive. The mizzen boom in a mulie is sheeted down to the long shallow rudder.
context_section_description: All transport in London was horse-drawn. The horses needed vast quantities of hay and straw, and they produced a vast quantity of dung.
  The 'Stackie' was a special type of barge designed for the hay and dung trade.  The hold would be loaded with fodder root crops and hay would be loaded on the deck, in an inwardly sloping stack eight bales 12 feet (3.7 m) high. This would be covered with a tarpaulin, secured with the hatch covers and roped down. The mainsail had to be smaller to clear this stack (this could be achieved by reefing), and the foresail would be sheeted to a temporary wire horse. Often the stack would also overlap the sides of the vessel, and in all cases it obscured the view from the helm requiring excellent communication between master and mate sailing such an awkward load in a crowded river. On the return run from London, the hold would be filled with dung, useful for farmers but a nuisance in London.
  Mirosa was once a stackie barge, built in 1892, extensively raced and chartered since c1970 she is one of the few remaining Thames sailing barges that has never had an engine fitted. Dawn built at Cooks Yard in 1897 was also a stackie. She has been restored and in 2017 is sailing again. Stackies have been popular with model-makers, and two are regularly displayed at the Thames sailing barge pop-up museum. They are Venta and British King.
caption: The hay barge Unity
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