Thames Sailing Barge EDME.

Thames sailing barge off the Suffolk coast. I liked seeing the barges near Woodbridge in Suffolk, I assume they must belong to a Trust or something similar.
As far as I am aware they fell out of commercial use in the 1950's and 60's because they couldn't compete with road and rail haulage rates for cargo.
To the non-nautical individual (me) they look like a complex vessel to manage, but apparently they only had a two man crew. Must have been a load of hard work, with all those sails.

Sorry this picture isn't a sharp as it could be.

This particular barge is the EDME, sailing out of Harwich. She is 50 tons and built out of wood at Harwich in 1898. She has no engine. She is available for day charters if you email Allison Bond