PASSENGERS on a Thames sailing barge were rescued by sailors after hours of being stuck in mud near Maldon Quay. Hydrogen, one of a fleet of Thames barges owned by by Topsail Charters, spent most of Sunday high and dry on the mud just yards away from the quay. The vessel got stuck in the mud after being forced to change course to avoid swimmers. The 98 ton vessel was on a scheduled day trip with around 30 passengers on board and left the quay at around 7am. Minutes later, onlooker and former journalist Ian Barratt said, she was forced to make an emergency change of course just off the splash park on the promenade.