‘Kathleen & May’ built 1901 sails in the Brisol Channel 2002

The Kathleen and May was built in 1901 and worked around the coast of Britain until 1970 mainly in the Bristol Channel and the Irish Sea. She was the last British sailing schooner to work commercially. This is partly due to the Duke of Edinburgh who helped save the boat in 1970. Thirty years later she needed saving again. Steve Clarke, a plant hire contractor from Bideford, had the boat to be rebuilt in 1999 at Bideford and now runs her from her home port. He is a one of the very brave band of marine conservation heros.

Here the schooner is sailing from Bideford about five miles to Clovelly before anchoring overnight, then bound again for Youghal in Ireland. This is a rare site now. In the past the 'Kathleen and May' would have sailed these very waters many hundreds of times, bound for Ireland or other Bristol Channel ports.

I have known the Kathleen and May since she was left on the mudflats on the River Torridge in 1969, in danger of ruin. I was lucky to photograph her then and during Steve Clarke’s restoration and during her first sails in the Bristol Channel. She is now the last British three masted trading schooner that goes to sea.

As well as the 'Kathleen and May' photographs in the tallshipsandsmallships.com gallery include the 'Stavros S. Niachos' off Jurassic Coast and 'Golden Hinde' departing Acapulco for the Pacific 1975 all built (or re-built) on the River Torridge, North Devon. This is a fairly diverse mix of sailing boats built over the last forty years for one locality. The three pictures would make a diverse display on your wall with the on theme in common.