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Hervey Benham describes a typical passage on board the George Smeed {{when|date=September 2018}} from [[Colchester]] to [[Gravesend]]. The passage is reliant on the speed and direction of the wind, and the depth and flow of the tidal river.{{sfn|Benham|1986|176-185}}
He leaves Colchester on an Saturday afternoon, and the barge is pulled into the [[River Colne, Essex|River Colne]] by a small motor launch. The hatches are fixed and first sail to be raised is the [[topsail]] then their boat is attached to the [[davit]]s; this is the difference between a coastal barge and an inland barge. This is all done before passing [[Wivenhoe]]. The [[mainsail]] is dropped and set by the [[Alresford|Alresford Woods]]. The launch casts off and seeks another tow. About 4.00 pm, the sails are set for a starboard tack- then the bowsprit with the jib attached to the stay is dropped and secured, the jib topsail is now set. The stays have to trimmed to re-establish balance, and the foresail, jib and jib-topsail sheeted. It is approaching high water when George Smeed edges out of the Colne, under the lee of [[East Mersea|East Mersea Point]] with the [[Bradwell-on-Sea|Bradwell]] shore to windward, and heads for the [[Bench Head Buoy]]. {{sfn|Benham|1986|177}}. As the wind was SSW, and they took the unmarked channel between the Knoll and the Whitaker- this was known as the West Spitway in 1801, they lowered the leeboard to act as a watchdog as they sailed over this shallow water, if it had bumped the bottom a chain would created some noise. They passed into the darker water and thus deeper water of the Whitaker Channel. They prepared them selves for the night, by rounding her into the wind, brailed her mainsail and the foresail slid down the mast, fifteen fathoms of chain was paid out and the anchor bit into the sand. Close by was the Whitaker buoy and to the south was the Swin and the Barrow Deep. The topsail sheet was let go, clewlines secured and the vang falls hardened on the quarter crab winches. The ebb flow finished and the rain arrived. All secured it was down to the cabin and the cooking stove.{{sfn|Benham|1986|179}}
In the morning, time was spent tidying up the rigging which had been displaced for the previous cargo of timber. The chains spanning the hold had to be shackled up- as they had been released, these prevent the hull from splaying; barges are designed to have a long hold which is a structural weakness if the hold is not kept in tension. In that time it had moved a full inch. Rather later than was wise the anchor was raised; it was slack water and the George Smeed did not get the advantage of the ebb tide to pull her to windward so she was put on a starboard tack to get onto the Maplins to get away from the full tide in the main channel. She went over the Middle, to within a couple of chains length from the Barrow. Round she came, as jib, jib topsail, and foresail were let fly;the moment is used to trim the jib topsail sheet and she set off southwesterly to the Sheers, (the point on the Maplin where the Sheers lighthouse has stood. She tacked three times before joining the channel. She passed the Nore, where the lightship had stood before being replaced by the forts. Medway was to windward and Southend to leeward. As the breeze strengthened, the topmast became whippy so the Jib topsail was dropped and stowed at the end of the bowsprit. She sailed all of Sea Reach, and a mile into the Gravesend reach before anchoring for the night.
The Monday, the start was at 5 am, the anchor didn't come up easily, and the sails were set. This time the bowsprit was topped and the jib-topsail was shacked to the stemhead becoming a staysail. There was still little wind. To come up to the tier, a boomie would anchor up wind and drift in, but the George Smeed came in under sail from the leeward and crept to the tier. The anchor is lowered. Then Down foresail, Down tops'l, which must be lowered before it is sheeted. The voyage was over and the George Smeed awaited its next cargo of potash.{{sfn|Benham|1986|184}}
==References==
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