Thetis History
1908 to now
Thetis is a 30 ton, 57 foot, iron and steel barge, a Dutch “Tjalke” with a shallow draught, built in 1908.
Long a merchant sailing vessel, Thetis was converted to diesel power in 1977 by her then owner, Dutch Army Major Van Alphen. Her sails and lee boards are gone.
“Travels with Thetis” is taken from the late Hart Massey’s book “Travels with Lionel, a Small Barge in France”. He also wrote “The Leaky Iron Boat”. Both books make a good read before Thetis.
Ian Maclennan traveled with Hart and his wife Melody on Lionel and was inspired by the idea of buying a barge.
Ian bought Thetis in 1985 with his son Bruce. Then Ian and a friend of Bruce’s travelled 45 days bringing Thetis from Holland to Saint Symphorien in France.
Since 1985 the boat has been completely refurbished. This includes re-configuring the interior, adding long-range fuel tanks, safety railings, and installing a new electrical, plumbing system, air conditioning, bow thruster, an outside steering station, and new engine and electrical generator.
In 2019 David Gray became a co-owner.
The barge has travelled extensively throughout France and into Holland during the past 30+ years. One summer was spent in the heart of Paris at the Place D’Arsenal, just off the Seine, near the Bastille.
Ian's last trip on the barge was in 2014 and his ashes are scattered near St. Jean de Losne.
Frank Hunt, shown below, skippered the boat for over twenty years for Century Services' clients and friends.
