Old times recalled as waterway boats sail again

And now the rise and fall of the humble sloop and keel has been plotted by a man who became enchanted by the slow-moving vessels of Yorkshire's inland waterways.

Journalist Chris Horan has written a book about the boats that were once integral to the region's industry, carrying essential raw materials and consumer goods when the canal and river held sway over road and rail.

It tells the story of many vessels that have been lovingly restored and can now be seen again on rivers like the Humber, bobbing gently alongside sleek yachts and engine cruisers.

His fascination began when he heard his own tale of the riverside while talking to a man near the Ouse in Selby.

"An old chap told me how he used to ride the tide up to Selby and something just clicked, it kindled my interest," said Mr Horan.

"It seemed amazing to me that somewhere 65 miles inland in the past had sailmakers and ropemakers, this whole industry."

The hard-working craft transported coal along the canal network to feed the steam trawlers of Hull and Grimsby, with the Humber sloops and keels returning to the West Riding with a myriad of goods, including wool, tea, sand, sugar, fruit, wheat and animal foodstuffs from as far away as Africa.

To the dismay of many the owners of most of the vessels, lured by government grants in the 1930s, transformed them into motorised craft.

The installation of engines was the death knell for the way of life of many of families who lived on board the vessels, as invariably it was cabin space rather than cargo room that was sacrificed for the new engines.

It also coincided with tighter port and environmental regulations limiting who could live on board, and at what ages people of different sexes could share accommodation.

Few of the old sloops and keels were still under sail in the 1950s and those with motors were fast disappearing in the 1970s as more cargo switched to the road and containerised transport.

Mr Horan has, however, focused largely on those boats which have been restored to wind power in something of a renaissance for the sail.

The writer, who grew up in the West Riding and is now based in Scunthorpe, has taken many of the photographs featured in the book, alongside pictures by professional photographers and other enthusiasts, such as members of the Humber Keel and Sloop Preservation Society.

He has also sailed on many of the restored boats.

These include the 1923 New Holland-built square-sailed Humber keel Comrade, and the 1914 gaffe-rigged Amy Howson, which was built in Beverley and is now owned by the society.

They were restored in the 1970s, with the latter completed just before the opening of the Humber Bridge in 1981.

Other successful renovations have been completed more recently.

In the last three years the privately owned sloops Spider T, based on the Stainforth to Keadby canal, the Barton-based Phyllis, and the keel Southcliffe, at Goole, have all been returned to their former glory.

They will soon to be followed by the keel Onesimus, which starred in the TV series Stay Lucky with Jan Francis and Dennis Waterman.

The restorations saw enthusiasts using traditional tools to hone large trees by hand, some from Scandinavia, to serve as the main masts.

In the process they learned old skills from the few remaining rivermen who had worked in the days before engines.

"The book is not all encompassing and concentrates on some of the smaller communities," said Mr Horan. "It is designed for the general reader rather than the specialist and will hopefully raise awareness at a time when money is tight, making it doubly hard for the for Humber Keel and Sloop Preservation Society and individual owners, who struggle to maintain these ships as living museums of the past."

Humber Sail and History costs 15 including postage and packing and is available from the author.