<<back to list

Title: Sailing Barge Master – the Story of a Victorian Bargeman
Author: Capt. George Winn

Price: £12.95 + p&p

Details: George Winn first went afloat as third hand on a diminutive, well-worn and humble river barge, when just eight years of age. His maritime prowess blossomed and, after serving as mate then skipper aboard the craft of Kentish brick and cement maker Smeed Dean, he progressed to command much larger sailing barges working coastwise around the south-east of England and to the Continent. Always a self-reliant seafarer, he eventually decided to work for himself, rather than line the pockets of others; in other words ‘to steer his own ship’. This was a dream fulfilled when he became master and owner of the Rye ketch barge Diana, one of the largest of her type, engaged in the Channel trades.

George Winn penned these words about his life and career at sea more than seventy years ago. Since then his manuscript has been a treasured family heirloom. Now this fascinating story is in print, the reader able to live and share his way of life, begun when Queen Victoria was midway through her reign. His views on fate and the world around him; the time someone else’s self-interest nearly cost him his career; and the loss of his command, pounded to pieces on a Dorset beach; all are here to marvel at and enjoy.

Specification:
Size 250 x 180, 168 pages, 100 illustrations, perfect bound with laminated card covers.

ISBN 978-0-9560596-0-4