Sailing Barge Master by Captain George Winn, Chaffcutter Books, £12.95.

This delightful book, subtitled The Story of a Victorian Bargeman, was written more than 70 years ago. Unlike most of the literature about Thames barges, which tends to be written from a nostalgic perspective, looking back at the vanished era of sail power, this book was written in the heyday of these magnificent craft, now kept alive by enthusiasts and preservation trusts.

The manuscript, written between 1934 and 1949, was finished two years before the author’s death at the age of 82. It is remarkable for a number of reasons, not least because George Winn first went to work on the water at the age of eight, after just two years of formal education.

Never published before, this is a unique record of a career which began as third hand on a humble river barge and progressed to the command of much larger barges working offshore, around the Thames Estuary, the South Coast of England and the near continent.

Eventually he became not only master but also owner of the Rye ketch barge Diana, one of the largest of her type, engaged in the Channel trades.

She was lost on Swanage beach when the throat halyard shackle broke and the mainsail fell to the deck. This was of course before the days of auxiliary engines, and although both anchors were let go she was driven on to the lee shore, “holed and full of water in less time than it takes to write about it.” Her cargo was granite, and Swanage Coastguard report that 87 years on, pieces of it still appear on the beach after winter storms!

This fascinating book has now come to light thanks to the Society for Sailing Barge Research. Richard Walsh, a barge enthusiast as well as proprietor of Chaffcutter Books, has done a great editorial job, and the Society has gathered a remarkable collection of more than 100 historic photographs. There are also some useful appendices.

The book is not only a lively account of a life afloat, but also a valuable piece of social history. Anyone who sails will find a great deal of interest in this book, not least the chapter about the author’s experience in J-class yachts!