Come sailing with us aboard Wyvenhoe
You can bring a group of up to 12 passengers, and choose to be catered for, with food and a cook provided, or opt for self-catering (where you supply the food and cook for yourselves and the crew).
We can arrange a day sail or a weekend or if you hire the barge for anything between two days and a week then you can cruise from the starting point of your choice to as many destinations as weather and tides permit.
A sailing barge is a very stable vessel and with a displacement of 150 tonnes she is still exciting to sail. There is plenty of space for passengers on deck.
See our sailing programme here.
Day Sails
We are happy to take people for a day sail. From often it’s a case of charterers joining the ship the night before and setting off in the night so that we return on an afternoon or early evening tide.
We also do day sails from Pin Mill (Suffolk), Chatham (Kent), and from some of the piers in London which have less restrictions from the tides.
Joining us for one of the seven annual barge matches (races) is also possible on a day sail basis. We regularly compete in the matches - a tradition carried on for 145 years. These are a great occasion for sailing enthusiasts, artists and photographers.
Weekends
Charterers usually come aboard on Friday evening, spend two nights and two days on the barge and go home on Sunday after tea.
Again we can sail from Maldon, Pin Mill (Suffolk), Chatham (Kent), and London.
There is no set format to a weekend.
Typically on a weekend from Maldon we will go to the River Colne for the evening. Sometimes you can go ashore to visit the East Mersea Country Park and take a stroll to the village pub, or there's the option of a longer boat ride to the historic port of Brightlingsea. Alternatively you can just enjoy a quiet evening at anchor watching the sun go down on deck after a meal, followed by another sail on Sunday.
The riverside villages of Wivenhoe and Rowhedge are another overnight option with the right tides. Bradwell, West Mersea or Goldhanger are other possible ports of call.
From Chatham we can sail round to Whitstable or the secluded anchorage in Stangate Creek. The East Swale is a fantastic and beautiful place to sail. In the Thames the industrial landscape is entirely different, but if you have never approached our capital city by water, you can follow the wakes of so many great sailors to what was once the greatest port in the World.
Longer Trips
Five day charters Monday to Friday are popular. But a four day option including a weekend, or in the week, is also a good choice, and means we have a good chance of sailing further afield up into the Suffolk rivers to Aldeburgh or Snape or even to the Victorian resort of Southwold.
The Thames Estuary combines the best of town and country, wild and open spaces, beaches, waterside hamlets, idyllic nature reserves and beautiful countryside, as well as the busy and industrial upper Thames, and the biggest container port in Europe at Felixstowe.
Themed cruises - art and photography, bird watching
We can provide themed cruises:
- Art and photography cruises - join other with similar interests assisted by a professional tutor and learn to picture what you experience in a unique setting.
- Themed cruises - sail on the barge and spend time ashore visiting museums and the theatre while being looked after in 5 star style.
- Bird watching and nature trips - visit sanctuaries and nature parks. See basking seals, and experience the countryside explore the creeks in our little barge boat.
A sailing charter aboard Wyvenhoe is a safe, exciting and enjoyable experience for everyone.
Please download the brochure for charter prices.