Sloop society sailing back to bygone age for anniversary

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Humber Keel and Sloop Preservation Society, people will be able to have a look at sailing sloops and keels which will be gathering at Ferriby Sluice. A selection will be heading out on the Humber.

Vessels, like the 1914 gaffe-rigged Amy Howson, Phyllis, Spider T and keels Comrade and Southcliffe, were once common sights on the Humber.

But the commercial viability of the vessels waned from the 1930s, with government grants paving the way for diesel engines

The new powerhouses provided greater flexibility but at the same time robbed the estuary of the tranquil calm which once meant people could hail each other from one side of the estuary to another.

Fortunately some of the vessels were rescued from the scrapyards and lovingly restored. Vessels will be open for viewing from 10am to 5pm at the sluice, where the River Ancholme joins the Humber, on both Saturday and Sunday, along with presentations and exhibitions of photos and paintings.

The illustrated book Humber Sail and History by Chris Horan, which co-incides with the anniversary, will also be on sale.

A society stalwart Colin Screeton said: “The society and particularly the Comrade have given me an awful lot of pleasure.

“When you teach someone to do what you can do, it becomes part of your life.

“If people can get as much pleasure as I have done, I have achieved my goal.”

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