I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,

And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,

And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,

And a grey mist on the sea's face and a grey dawn breaking.

Ah, there's something about a sailing ship and these lines from John Masefield's 'Sea Fever' are particularly evocative. It must come from belonging to a country with the sea at its heart and land lubber I may be but I love ships, especially historic ones and I will travel long distances just to see one! My granddad was a Brixham trawlerman and served in WW1 on the minesweepers - and survived. Although I didn't inherit the seafaring gene, boats and our maritime history do interest me very much.

The Kathleen and May

I am therefore saddened and concerned like so many others to hear that the Kathleen and May is up for sale and in all likelihood will be sold to a foreign bidder, destined to leave our shores forever. Pembroke folk have particularly fond memories of her - the last coastal trader to travel up the Pembroke River to Pembroke's North Quay half a century ago.

At one time, there had been hopes to get her back to Pembroke as a museum exhibit, tied up alongside the North Quay, taking centre stage of a Maritime Heritage Centre which was designed to redevelop the Quays.

Unfortunately for Pembroke, these imaginative plans did not materialise - how different Pembroke could have been if they had.

But what have we got there instead? Flats. What is it about this country, that heritage is not really valued and the authorities totally fail to see its economic value? It was thanks to a private individual that the castle was renovated and thankfully run by a Trust which greatly cares for it.

Anyway, the building of the dreadful barrage effectively killed off any hopes of attracting historic ships here and effectively cut Pembroke off from the sea; thereby ending a 900 year history as a port, once the greatest and richest in South West Wales.

The railways took over as the main transporters of goods in the latter half of the 19th century but, even so, the sea remained a main highway until well into the 20th century.

Small merchant sailing vessels like the Kathleen and May could be seen in every port, harbour, river and isolated creek carrying a variety of cargoes ranging from china clay, cement, pit props, coal, manufactured goods and farm produce. By the 1930s, increasing road transport took over making sail uneconomic and redundant.

The last wooden hulled three- masted schooner

The Kathleen and May is the last remaining wooden hulled three masted top sail schooner in the country - you'd think that would be reason enough to keep her in the UK.

She was built in 1900 at Ferguson and Baird's yard at Connah's Quay near Chester, for Captain John Coppack, of Coppack Bros. and Co., who named her the Lizzie May after his two daughters.

She was launched in April 1900 with great ceremony, a large crowd turning out to see her including the schoolchildren who had been given a half-day holiday for the occasion.

In her first eight years, she sailed nearly 40,000 miles, carrying various cargoes of over 24,000 tons from Oban to the Channel Islands, London and Ireland.

Then she was purchased by Martin J. Fleming, of Youghal, and renamed the Kathleen and May after his daughters.

The Kathleen and May was sold to Captain Jewell from Appledore in North Devon in 1931.

The trip to her new home was to be her last journey under sail alone. On arrival, she was given a refit, her topmasts were reduced in height and topsails removed and she was fitted with an 80bhp Beardmore engine. She continued in the coastal trade and was often seen plying her trade around local waters.

Last trip to Pembroke

In 1945, William Jewell died and the schooner was left to his son Tommy who made that last trip up the Pembroke River in 1961.

I have heard many fond tales from locals, still moved by the sight of her at the North Quay and the memories of that amazing lady Annie Jenkins 'Annie the Mill' who could work as good as many a burly bloke when it came to handling sacks of corn and potatoes! She worked in Ford's Yard on the North Quay for many years and was awarded the MBE.

Since then, after falling into disuse and disrepair, Kathleen and May was purchased by the Maritime Trust in Plymouth, then towed to St. Katherine Dock, London, to form part of the Historic Ship Collection.

In 1985, when this collection was dispersed, the schooner was sold on, fortunately to Steve Clarke, of Bideford, who restored her to full working and sailing order aided by a band of dedicated volunteers.

At Bideford

It was at Bideford that I last saw her moored at a disused coal wharf and open to visitors. And so it was that I had the opportunity to take a look around her and make a photographic record. So glad I did too, as she is no longer there.

The website of the South West Maritime History Society reported that when Steve Clarke retired, he offered this vessel free to the Port of Bideford hoping that it could be used by the community as an sustainable maritime heritage project using local skills and volunteer time.

Amazingly, this offer was turned down (Pembrokeshire County Council is not alone in failing to appreciate the value of heritage!).

Even worse, the council continued to charge unacceptably high mooring fees of £25,000 per annum, forcing Kathleen and May to leave Bideford and seek a permanent home elsewhere. On May 20, 2011, hundreds turned out to give her the last farewell.

She arrived in Liverpool two days later where she received a great welcome and she later attended the Queen's Jubilee Regatta. However, now up for sale, she has failed to attract a UK bidder able to match the recommended price of £2,000,000.

Society news

Monkton Priory Church is in dire need of funds. It seemed right to us that on St. David's Day we should all get together and put on a fundraising event to help raise some money. A Dewi Sant evening was organised on St. David's Day night with a supper of Welsh fare and entertainment provided by the Vicar with his guitar and Pauline Waters with her quiz. A special thank you to Pauline (who also made the cawl) and to everyone who contributed to the meal.

It was a good night and was followed on Saturday by our usual monthly coffee morning with exhibitions and a filmshow. The film, taken in the '50s belonged to Mary Dewhirst, who had deposited the originals in the National Library of Wales and received a digital copy in return. Thank you to Mary who also gave a commentary. In all we raised £250.

Contact

If you have any stories, photographs or feedback for this column, please contact me, Linda Asman, on 01646 622428, email [email protected]">[email protected] and visit our website http://www.pembrokeandmonkonhistory.org.uk">www.pembrokeandmonkonhistory.org.uk

Next event

Friday, March 15, quiz night at Monkton Priory Church Hall, 7.30 pm. £3.50 includes a buffet; coffee and tea included, but bring your own bottle if you wish.