In the last decade or so many traditional smacks and bawleys have been rescued and restored and can be seen gracing the rivers and estuaries of Kent, Essex and Suffolk. Some, such as the bawley Saxonia, are still occasionally used for fishing and trawling under sail.

Thames spritsail barges have undergone a similar revival, many being kept in commission by sponsorship or by their charter work. The Mirosa was built in Maldon in 1892, was in trade under sail until the 1950s, when her rig was removed and she was used for some years as a lighter barge at Heybridge Basin. As children my sister and I remember seeing her there when our dad, Jack Coote, kept his boat Iwunda in the Chelmer canal.

For the past 30 years or so Mirosa has been owned and looked after by Peter Dodds and his wife, based at Iron Wharf, Faversham on the River Swale. She has never had an engine and it was a real delight to see her sailing into the River Ore at Shingle Street last summer using a lead line in time honoured fashion, there being nothing as new fangled as an echo sounder on board.