Red Sails Comments

Red Sails - Free Screening - 7th December 2011 - Photograph copyright Peter Smith

Many congratulations on the magnificent film. I think the applause at the end expressed everybody’s sentiment.
William Collard – Project Manager, Cambria Trust

Big thanks to Michael Maloney. A superb film. Well done.
Matt Care

Bob and I –and many other people I talked to afterwards – thoroughly enjoyed ‘Red Sails’. It was well researched, beautifully filmed and put together. The film is a valuable contribution to the understanding of the Thames Barge.
Lena Reekie

A good buy, and an enjoyable watchfor anyone interested in these craft or Thames history in general.
Dan Houston – Classic Boat Magazine May 2012

I really enjoyed it and found it quite moving. I loved to hear Don’s stories. I am quite used to Cambria stories myself and were delighted to know that they were accurate. […] The film cutting has been sympathetic to the people who have been interviewed and they all tell an honest story. The barges are of course gorgeous, and my association with the barging community fills me with pride at being in the presence of greatness.
I would like to thank you for telling a story so sympathetically but without being any way sentimental. Thank you Mike for a job incredibly well done.
David Walsh – Press Officer, Cambria Trust

I thought the film was very well put together, a good mix of old and new and lots of history for the records. I think it should certainly stand the test of time as a good record of the ‘barging era’.
Jaspar Wright

It was wonderful to watch, really enlightening and very interesting!
Lynn and Richard East

Well done, really interesting 60 minutes.
Mike Cosgrove – Swale Borough Councillor

I very much enjoyed the screening.
Anita Walker – Mayor of Faversham

It was interesting – there’s so much local history out there and so many important stories to tell….
Robert Jarvis

I enjoyed the production very much. You provided a good insight to a lot of the history of Thames Barges and introduced us to the passion of many of those involved. I would say it was more of a vocation than a job.
You managed to convey this beautifully with some wonderful pictures from the archives and your own efforts and to produce a real slice of the Thames Estuary life at sea. I was sorry when it finished !
Bill Croydon

We both very much enjoyed the film and the admirable way that you tied the history of barges in with the restoration of the Cambria.
Eldon Hinchliffe

I was very impressed by the film and treatment of the subject it “reached” me and I thought that the treatment of Jimmy Laurence and Bill Collard was very effective in binding the film sections together.
Phil Latham – Ex mate, Cambria

Your technique of using interviews to highlight the real life of people working on shipbuilding and barges in days past is quite emotional for the older generations with a close association and interesting for the younger generations to. I am sure there will be much interest from schools and further education establishments. Well done.
Dave Allen

I thought the content of the video was excellent. It was nice to see both new and vintage film used together and liked the use of the Cambria as the running link throughout the film.
Dave Brooks

I thought it was a brilliant film and the music was especially appropriate. The archive shots were super. Hope it goes a long way!
James Ruddock-Broyd

An interesting mix of old and new footage showing the history and future of the Thames Sailing Barge. A good vehicle to bring the barge world to a wider audience.
Chairman – Thames Sailing Barge Trust

My maternal grandfather was a shipwright at Conyer and my paternal great-grandfather was a barge skipper. This film was delightful:enlightening, amusing, and extremely moving. Thank you for recording this important part of our history and for giving us the opportunity to see how our ancestors worked and lived on the barges.
M. Beavis

The film was of very good quality and exceptionally real, as much as you captured the reality by interviewing the people involved at the fore front of the theme. This proximity underlined the very special nature of the film and was not merely an assortment of archives put together which makes the film rather special and will present it ‘head and shoulders’ above any other tribute to sailing barges.
Mike Peters

We really enjoyed “Red Sails”. I think you have managed to gather the main history of sailing barges and the trades that they were engaged in. I must congratulate all concerned for a first class film. Best Regards.
Patrick Fisher

I absolutely loved your DVD brought back many memories for us. I have ordered another copy today as a Christmas present so hope you can despatch as soon as possible. I would give him mine but don’t want to part with it. Congratulations on such an interesting film.
Linda and John Dixon