Thames Estuary Cruising Club (1892)

There’s a reference to a Thames Estuary Cruising Club (Limited) being based at Queenborough in Lloyd’s Register of Yachts, 1902:

Also listed in the Ships & Shipping Handbook, 1903:

This club was established in 1892 and believed to have been in existence until 1914. It may have originally been based at Grays, Essex.

Officers, 1902: (source: Lloyd’s Register of Yachts, 1902)
Clubhouse: Queenborough, Kent
Commodore: F. J. Hodgson
Vice-Commodore: J. C. Stansom
Rear-Commodore: H. Watts-Johnson
Hon. Secretary: Russell Palmer
Hon. Treasurer: Russell Palmer

Officers, 1908: (source: Encyclopedia of Ships and Shipping, 1908)
Commodore: J. C. Stransom
Vice-Commodore: J. Joass
Hon. Secretary: J. C. Stansom
Treasurer: J. C. Stransom, 13 Gray’s Inn Square. London, W. C.  Annual subscription: 5s.

Misc. Notes:

Company No: 47999; Thames Estuary Cruising Club Ltd. Incorporated in 1896. Dissolved before 1916

Engineering: Volume 3, 1897: “This is the new one class design of the Thames Estuary Cruising Club, a newly formed association which has its quarters at Grays, in Essex. The boat appears an excellent example of workmanship and fitting, and has been built, together with several other sister craft, by W. Berridge, of Southend. These boats are designed more for comfort  — an excellent thing for a cruising club to keep in view — than for extreme speed, though they should be fast enough according to all but “pot-hunting ” form, and as they are all alike they will doubtless afford excellent sport in racing, as well as being good knock about cruisers. After all, it is closeness of the contest more than absolute speed which gives interest to a race. This boat is 17 ft. 6 in. over all, 14 ft. on the water line, 6 ft. beam, and sets 170 square feet of canvas. Mr. Berridge lias, we understand, laid down special wood-working power machines for building boats of this class, and on this account deserves encouragement from the yachtsmen of the home district ; for though the Thames builders turn”

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