Building a boat at canal wharf, 1960s

[echo beach 581]

Not directly linked to Capt Phillips' story but very similar.

 

Many moons ago in the 1970s my wife and I were visiting Whitby when we came across a rather impressive sailing ship berthed in the harbour. We got talking to the owner who was a miner at Kellingley Colliery and lived close by the pit. He told us that he'd built the concrete hulled boat in his front garden over several years and, once completed, he had to get it into the canal at the back of his house which was problematic until he begged a crane from the NCB which lifted it over the roof.

From there he'd made his way along the Aire and Calder navigation and sailed via the Humber up to Whitby.

Quite an achievement and you could tell he was proud. He asked whether we'd like a trip out to sea with him and we jumped at the opportunity.  

It was like spending a couple of hours on the set of the Onedin Line! The ship incidentally was called Gallower, which means a small horse or pit pony. Can't recall the captain's name but I always wonder what happened to him and his little pit pony, Gallower.

 

echo.

Edited February 11, 2019 by echo beach

[Howlyn 0]

In the late 60s and early 70s my dad Eric Kendall helped joe as my dad was a joiner and they became good friends, when his boat was launched it was lowered into the water and then pulled back out by crane and as water leaked out they went around with chalk and marked all the places water was running out so it could be sealed I remember Joe being a really nice guy spending most of his time doing sketches and coming up with ideas for the inside. He built the boat with the intention of sailing it back to Jamaica.

 

Edited December 31, 2021 by Howlyn

[hillsbro 28]

Thanks again, Forummers, for adding these details. I really would like to have known Joe  - a character if ever there was one - but I'm just glad I met him all those years ago. Online public records confirm that Joseph Oscar Phillips, born 7 April 1924, died in Sheffield on 22 November 1983.

[cuttsie 1,089]

57 minutes ago, hillsbro said:

Thanks again, Forummers, for adding these details. I really would like to have known Joe  - a character if ever there was one - but I'm just glad I met him all those years ago. Online public records confirm that Joseph Oscar Phillips, born 7 April 1924, died in Sheffield on 22 November 1983.

He never sailed away , such a shame .

[Dennis Collins 2]

My dad was a carpenter Albert Collins he use to go down on Sundays and do a bit work it if I remember right when it was launched it was taken in water and pulled back can't remember much else after that 

My dad was a carpenter Albert Collins he use to go down on Sundays and do a bit work it if I remember right when it was launched it was taken in water and pulled back can't remember much else after that 

[Dennis Collins 2]

My dad was a carpenter Albert Collins he use to go down on Sundays and do a bit work in fact it was all Carribean men and woman who were there I went once with him and my older brother can't remember anything after that about I had looked it up on Google once but nothing came up so its nice to see something here about stay blessed

 

 

My dad was a carpenter Albert Collins he use to go down on Sundays and do a bit work in fact it was all Carribean men and woman who were there I went once with him and my older brother can't remember anything after that about I had looked it up on Google once but nothing came up so its nice to see something here about stay blessed

 

 

[cuttsie 1,089]

On 14/10/2012 at 23:44, dafodil said:

Joe was a friend of mine and like hundreds of others used the Canal Basin for what it was intended for, I.E. A living working thriving every day boat yard, A boat yard,that was then given over to the Barristers, Hoteliers, and fancy Dans that inhabit it today.

Another example of Sheffield life taken away from Sheffielders often of limited means and given to those that have it all.

R.I.P. Joe you was a star in a sea of mediocracy.

Good old Dafodil . Sat next to me now . You got barred along with many more back in the day of the Statsi regime 

On 15/10/2012 at 12:48, dafodil said:

That is correct as where many others but! B.W.B. wanted all the rag tag and bobtail [in other words the skint and interesting ones out] so as they could sell of the publicly owned Land to big business.

As usual the less well of suffered.

And again , spot on .

[mike-s 13]

I went to school with a lad in the early 70s whose Dad was building a boat at the wharf, think his surname was Croft (or Crofts)

[topcater 11]

joe  was our motorman  he used  start the 25 mill  at toledos   if yorkshire  cricket were playing he use toshout to me hows our lads doing   lovely man