Welcome to Hythe Quay, Maldon’s waterfront catwalk for the last of the barge fleet. Here, tradition hasn’t been preserved in aspic—it’s been burnished with care, rigged to sail, and given purpose again. Names like SB Centaur and SB Pudge sound like Bond villains but are, in fact, two of the most celebrated barges in the country, still cutting through water more than a century after they first launched. Centaur, built in 1895, is an Edwardian workhorse with serious pedigree—she served through both world wars and now offers chartered cruises where you can hoist sail and sip coffee against the rustling hush of canvas overhead.