The Snark Sailing Barge Charter Business and Restaurant based in Exeter

Sailing Barge The Snark is a unique sailing ship, full of possibilities; a micro cruise ship, floating restaurant, liveaboard live-work unit, Airbnb, cargo by sail etc. She is fully equipped, maintained and licensed and ready to operate.

The Snark is one of only two ‘Thames’ sailing barges launched in the 21st century. She is a modern muley rigged spritsail barge based on drawings from J G Fay of Southampton (1898); updated to suit contemporary commercial operational and safety requirements. 

She is unique in being the only MGN 280 Category 2 coded ‘Thames’ barge sailing, allowing her to operate commercially in any coastal waters, up to 60 miles from a safe haven. With a load line length just under the 24 m threshold, she is the largest vessel that can be leisure sailed by any crew with-out special qualifications or commercially with an endorsed RYA Yachtmaster Offshore certificate.

Epoxy painted steel hull; timber muley spritsail rig with 310m2 across six sails; 2 x 115hp Nanni turbo diesel engines plus hydraulic bow thruster. Extensively equipped for cruising, hospitality and liveaboard use. Length 24m LLL, 32m LOA; Draft 0.8m min 3.6m max; Beam 6.9m; Airdraft 28m max 4m min.; Displ. 68 tonne; Net Tonnage 55.81. She is fitted out and equipped to operate off grid around the coast or be berthed, pollution free, in enclosed harbours. She can comfortably sail or motor at 6-7 knots handled by just two crew and can safely take the ground, moored on a mud berth or mooring. With her shallow draft she can cruise to the head of most tidal rivers and with stepping masts she can pass under most bridges on tidal navigations.

Sailing Barge The Snark was built in stages over a 20 year period; lofted and plated by the Speight family in Wal-ton on Naze; major modifications and upgrades to the hull , at Turks Shipyard in Chatham to engineering design by Longitude Marine Engineers; launched on the Medway in 2017; rig and fitout by Snark Ltd. at Dartmouth supervised of Mecal surveyor Roger Bell; final inclining and coding survey 2018. Latest out of water coding surveyed in 2023 plus anti-fouled, replacement anodes and propellor servicing.

Sailing Barge The Snark is owned by Snark Ltd. which is wholly owned by the crew. It is VAT registered company allowing the reclaiming of much of the VAT on construction, maintenance and operating costs. Purchasing the company would allow the transfer of the vessel and other assets as well as licencing, insurance and mooring agreements, allowing a purchaser to start operations or use of the vessel immediately.

The business has been operated commercially for seven years; providing summer sailing holidays around the coasts of UK and near continent for 6 passengers at a time (she is licensed for 12) and on-board dining for up to 24 covers in Exeter Canal basin in the winter. Despite occupancy being fairly low and operational days limited, the income has been enough to sustain the crew and to operate, maintain and upgrade the vessel. There is very real potential to increase both the operational days and occupancy to generate significantly higher turnover.