History

We are the Christa Maria — a former cargo ship from 1961, once filled with fertilizer and grain on the waters heading to France, now awakened as a floating home. We, Robert and Christa, didn’t fall for a yacht or a houseboat, but for a small monument of iron and stories. A spits barge. Original. 39.5 meters. With history in every rivet.

Spits barges were built approximately between 1890 and 1965. From the 1950s-1960s fewer were constructed because larger tonnage vessels became more common and road transport offered strong competition.

The dimensions of a spits barge were chosen so the ship can navigate all French waterways. In 1879 Minister Charles de Freycinet defined the minimum dimensions for French canals and locks. The spits size is deliberate – a ship of these dimensions can sail every waterway without issue, though in older locks there is often little room to spare.

This is the smallest inland vessel of approximately 364–386 tons (equivalent to 14 trucks), 38.70–39.11 × 5.05–5.08 m, 3.5 m high and 2.2–2.63 m draft, and is extremely suitable for the smaller inland waters of the Netherlands, Belgium and France. Spits barges usually carry bulk goods (fertilizers, grains, ores, etc.), but general cargo such as steel rolls, plates, bundles and bales is also common.