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The Driffield Navigation was among the last of our
waterways to be used by commercial sailing craft. The square sail of the
Humber Keel was seen at Driffield as late as the Second World War, and
many will remember the tall ships gliding through Wansford, or drying
their sails at River Head.
With its remarkable and ancient rig, the
Keel was historically among the most significant of all European sailing
craft. When the Humber Keel and Sloop Preservation Society was founded in
1970, its Member" were working to ensure the survival of one of these
unique ships, its restoration to full sailing condition and the
maintenance of the skills and techniques associated with its navigation. A
number of hulls had survived, mostly of iron or steel construction, which
had been built to carry sail, and after careful consideration the Society
decided to buy ‘Comrade’, a steel-hulled craft built at New Holland in
1923 and owned for the last 45 years by a Beverley family. Before her
motorisation in the 1930’s, ‘Comrade’ had carried the full Keel rig,
and she has retained many of her original feature including the after
cabin with its paneling and open fireplace.
After twelve months of
hard work, the Society had succeeded in raising over £1,000 towards ‘Comrades’
purchase, and their efforts were crowned by a handsome donation from the
Maritime Trust, and by a substantial grant from the Science Museum’s
Fund for the Preservation of Technological and Scientific Material. The
ship became the Society's property in December 1974 and the work of
restoration was able to begin.
A great deal of research has been
carried out into the correct method of rigging the vessel and maximum
authenticity will be the aim throughout. Both banks of the Humber have
bee. scoured for items of original gear, for restoration or for use as
patterns, and careful drawings have been made. A 55 foot pole has been
obtained from Sweden for use as a mast and two 30 foot poles for mainsail
and topsail yards. Blocks, deadeyes and roller winches are being
reconditioned, and the help of industry is being sought in the provision
of sails and rigging. Much of the work is being carried out by the members
themselves, and a workshop has been set up in Comrade’s hold.
Meanwhile,
the Society has not neglected the historical and educational side of its
work. For five years it has been collecting photographs and other
historical material relating to the Humber sailing craft. In 1974 it
organised a major exhibition on the same theme at the Ferens Art Gallery
in Hull, a section of which subsequently toured Northern England under the
auspices of the Museum and Art Gallery Service for Yorkshire and
Humberside.
In recent years ‘Comrade’ traded regularly to
Beverley. It is thus particularly appropriate that she is now moored in
Beverley Beck, through the courtesy of Beverley Borough Council. When the
ship is fully restored it is planned to open the vessel to the public, who
will be able to see not only a fully rigged Keel, but an exhibition in her
hold telling of the Humber sailing craft and of the men and women who
lived and worked aboard. The Society is also, determined that she shall
sail regularly, and that young people will have the opportunity to sail
aboard her and learn first hand something of a vanished way of life.
Acknowledgements:
The Driffield Navigation Guide (1979) by Alan D Biggin and Roger Squires.
The Society Services Membership
Amy Howson Pictures
Links Books
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