S B Repertor

SB Repertor · Traditional Thames Sailing Barge · Races, Day Trips, Weekends and Cruises

Enquiries and bookings, please call 07831 200018 or email us

Go where
you like!

Sailing trips

Explore Suffolk, Essex and Kent from the sea on your own sailing trip

Special
interest trips

Walk-and-sail, birdwatching, art, photography — even clay pigeon shooting!

Ports of call

Southwold, Suffolk

Picturesque seaside town and harbour — home to Adnams brewery, amber beaches, The Darkness.

Can be visited on your own cruise itinerary. See Sailing trips

Southwold on Wikipedia

Aldeburgh, Suffolk

Historic port where Drake’s ships were built, where the River Ore becomes the River Alde. Home to the famous arts festival, with strong associations with Benjamin Britten.

Often a port-of-call on our Suffolk rivers cruises and can be visited on your own cruise itinerary. See Sailing trips

Aldeburgh on Wikipedia

Snape, Suffolk

Village at the head of the navigable but tight and winding River Alde. Former barge quay now hosts the Snape Maltings arts centre, home to concerts in an opera house founded by Benjamin Britten.

Often a port-of-call on our Suffolk rivers cruises and can be visited on your own cruise itinerary . See Sailing trips

Snape on Wikipedia

Orford, Suffolk

Attractive village with Norman castle and a spectacular shingle spit across the river, where the wartime experimental radar station is now a bird sanctuary.

Often a port-of-call on our Suffolk rivers cruises and can be visited on your own cruise itinerary . See Sailing trips

Orford village website

Woodbridge, Suffolk

Ancient market town on the River Deben with historic Tide Mill and quayside (Repertor was the first vessel to berth at the quay after its recent extensive refurbishment). Close to the Sutton Hoo Saxon burial site. Mainline rail links to London.

Often a port-of-call on our Suffolk rivers cruises and can be visited on your own cruise itinerary . See Sailing trips

Woodbridge town website

Ipswich, Suffolk

County town of Suffolk; important former barge trading port and still a major commercial shipping port on the River Orwell. Mainline rail links to London.

Often visited as a charter base and a port-of-call on our Suffolk rivers cruises, and can be visited on your own cruise itinerary. See Sailing trips

Ipswich town website

Pin Mill, Suffolk

Famous barge centre, with (very muddy) hard, on the River Orwell south-east of Ipswich. Accidental starting point for Arthur Ransome’s We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea and Ransome’s former yacht, the Nancy Blackett, can still sometimes be seen here.

Home of the Pin Mill barge match

Our base for the Pin Mill barge match and daysail; also often a port-of-call on our Suffolk rivers cruises and can be visited on your own cruise itinerary. See Sailing trips

Pin Mill Sailing Club website

Mistley, Essex

Important former barge trading base on the River Stour, still a working commercial port, with quayside maltings and swans. Close to Manningtree for mainline rail links to London. Repertor’s spiritual home — site of the yard of famous barge-masters Horlocks, where Repertor was built and from where she traded for 50 years (now operates as Mistley Marine).

Visited for the rally of former Horlocks barges following the Barge passage match

Often the start point for our Suffolk rivers cruises and can be visited on your own cruise itinerary. See Sailing trips

Harwich, Essex

Historic port and harbour at the confluence of the Rivers Stour and Orwell, opposite the major new container port of Felixstowe and the former naval training school (now a marina) at Shotley. Mainline rail links to London.

The Town Pier is often a port-of-call on our Suffolk rivers cruises and can be visited on your own cruise itinerary. See Sailing trips

Harwich on Wikipedia

Walton Backwaters and Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex

The Backwaters are the setting for Arthur Ransome’s Secret Water. Walton itself is a typical Victorian seaside resort, with a pier and the historic Naze Tower.

Often a port-of-call on our Suffolk rivers cruises, or on daysails from Pin Mill, and can be visited on your own cruise itinerary. See Sailing trips

Walton-on-the-Naze town website

Brightlingsea, Essex

Fishing and working commercial port with strong tradition of barge and smack sailing. Now also a centre for yacht racing and cruising.

Home to the Colne barge match

Our base for the match and daysail; also often a port-of-call on our Essex rivers cruises and can be visited on your own cruise itinerary.. See Sailing trips

Colne Barge Match on the Sailing Barge Association website

Wivenhoe, Essex

Charming small town on the River Colne, close to the University of Essex and to Colchester.

Often a port-of-call on daysails from Maldon or Brightlingsea, or can be visited on your own cruise itinerar. See Sailing trips

Wivenhoe town website

West Mersea, Essex

Island town famous for its oysters, on the estuaries of the rivers Blackwater and Colne, base for the annual sailing smack oyster-dredging competition.

Often a port-of-call on daysails from Maldon or Brightlingsea, or can be visited on your own cruise itinerary. See Sailing trips

West Mersea town website

Maldon, Essex

Saxon town on the River Blackwater, with barge community at Hythe Quay.

Home of the Blackwater barge match

Our base for the match and daysail; also often a starting point and port-of-call for our Essex rivers cruises and can be visited on your own cruise itinerary. See Sailing trips

Maldon District website

Southend-on-Sea, Essex

Famous resort town with pier more than a mile long, light railway, beaches and fairgrounds. Mainline rail links to London.

Home of the Southend barge match

Our base for the match and daysail; can also be visited on your own cruise itinerary. See Sailing trips

Visit Southend website

Leigh-on-Sea, Essex

Former fishing village on Leigh Creek, off the Thames, now a suburb of Southend.

Can be visited on your own cruise itinerary. See Sailing trips

Leigh-on-Sea town website

Gravesend, Kent

‘The maritime town of Gravesend is an ideal place for a day out. The borough of Gravesham has the riverside, countryside, historic villages, picturesque parishes and a full calendar of events for you to enjoy. All this and it’s only 24 minutes from London’

Can be visited on your own cruise itinerary. See Sailing trips

Visit Gravesend website

Rochester, Kent

Historic town on the River Medway adjacent to Chatham, with imposing medieval castle and cathedral. Home to Dickens World. Mainline rail links to London.

Can be visited during Medway barge match weekend, or on your own cruise itinerary. See Sailing trips

Come to Rochester website

Chatham, Kent

Formerly one of Britain’s premier naval dockyards, home to Chatham Maritime, with its historic dockyard and ships collection, listed boat sheds and warehouses, and a traditional rope walk, now spinning ropes commercially. Mainline rail links to London.

Home of the Medway barge match

Our base for the match and daysail; also often a port-of-call for our Kent rivers cruises and can be visited on your own cruise itinerary. See Sailing trips

Chatham events and travel website

Queenborough, Kent

Former trading port on the Isle of Sheppey, at the western end of the River Swale, adjacent to the Port of Sheerness further to the west and close to the Great Expectations saltings and marshlands to the north off the Medway, now largely SSSIs and bird sanctuaries. Branch-line rail links to London via Sittingbourne.

Can be visited on your own cruise itinerary. See Sailing trips

Isle of Sheppey tourism website

Ramsgate, Kent

Lively Channel port town with beaches, chalk cliffs and Britain’s only royal harbour. Mainline rail links to London.

Can be visited on your own cruise itinerary. See Sailing trips

Visit Thanet website