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"Cambria" is a wooden Thames sailing barge, built at Greenhithe, Kent in 1906. She was the last British registered vessel to carry a commercial cargo under sail alone (until 1970) and as such forms a unique part of our industrial and maritime heritage. Her last cargo was cattle cake to Ipswich docks and the skipper's name was Bob Roberts.

The sailing barge is owned by a registered charity, the Cambria Trust. In March 2011 the vessel returned to see after a major restoration programme which took three years to complete. Crews commonly consisted of a skipper, a mate and a dog. Spritsail barges have a simple rig which could easily be managed by a crew of two.

The colour of the sails is traditional. In order to make a sail more efficient and to prolong its life they are dressed with a mixture of fish oil, seawater and/or horse urine, if available, and red ochre. The red ochre is used purely as a colouring agent without which the sails would look a dirty grey colour.

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