This is the Story of Barbara - T12 compiled by Marcus Lewis as it unfolds.
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Episode 1.
Hopefully, in the next week or so, will see the completion of a project that started over 30 years ago. Marcus Lewis, Sue Rodwell and Richard Kitson went to the Outer Hebrides to retrieve the damaged hull of a Troy Class Yacht. |
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Episode 2.
Troy Class Yacht number 12, named Barbara, was ordered from A.H. Watty, Boatbuilder, Fowey, on Jan 20th 1947. Arthur Bate, from Polruan, ordered her on the day his daughter, Barbara, was born. When visiting his Wife and new born daughter that evening, rather than announcing he had paid a deposit on a house for his family, he announced he had ordered a Yacht ! |
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Episode 3.
This is Arthurs story, courtesy of Bob Bate
This is Arthurs story, courtesy of Bob Bate
Episode 4.
Arthur Bate raced T12 Barbara for the next few years, improving his results dramatically, here is more of his story. Sadly, he moved away from Polruan in 1953, selling the boat to Mrs Gilchrist.
Arthur Bate raced T12 Barbara for the next few years, improving his results dramatically, here is more of his story. Sadly, he moved away from Polruan in 1953, selling the boat to Mrs Gilchrist.
Episode 5.
Arthur Bate raced T12 Barbara for the next few years, improving his results dramatically, here is more of his story. Sadly, he moved away from Polruan in 1953, selling the boat to Mrs Gilchrist.
Arthur Bate raced T12 Barbara for the next few years, improving his results dramatically, here is more of his story. Sadly, he moved away from Polruan in 1953, selling the boat to Mrs Gilchrist.
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Episode 6.
Mrs Gilchrist owned Barbara, T12 for four years, selling her to Miss N Bradbury in 1957. It seems the Troy fleet was in a bit of a decline around that time, as when Miss Bradbury put Barbara up for sale in 1958, she was bought by Commander Campbell and taken to Padstow, on the River Camel. She was fitted with a Stuart Turner engine to help beat the tide over there, and effectively became lost to the Fleet. |
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Episode 7.
T12 Barbara went to Padstow in the late 1950's, and that was that. As far as we know not looked for or thought about, no-one knew whether she was still there, broken up, moved on... In the early 80's Richard Kitson (T10 crew) and myself thought about trying to track down the Troys that were missing from the fleet, and from this ended up purchasing Janet T3 from Gateshead. (A whole other story) It was at the re-naming of Janet in 1984, (pic) that Radio Cornwall (Tamsin) interviewed Richard, and appealed for information on any of the other Troys |
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Episode 8.
Following the Radio Cornwall appeal in 1984, some 25 years after Barbara went to the River Camel, a Boatbuilder from Padstow got in touch. In the 60's Barbara fell over when the tide was out, and damaged her side, while she was being repaired, the Owner died, and Barbara passed to his nephew. It was his intention to set up an 'Outward bound' style training centre in the Outer Hebrides when he came out of the Army, so he sailed T12 around Lands End, along the South coast, up the East coast, had her shipped overland across Scotland, then sailed her out to the Hebrides. |
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Episode 9.
Finding out Barbara was in the Outer Hebrides was a surprise, we had the owners details, so wrote to him to see if he still had her. He did, sort of.
He told us she had sunk in a gale some 15 years previously, and had been dragged up onto the beach. Not having the skills to repair her, or the money to pay someone else to repair her meant she was falling apart alongside his stone quay.
He did offer her to us, but we had just renovated Janet (T3), and didn't need or want another Troy. So we got in touch with Arthur Bate, Barbara's original owner, to see if he was interested in rescuing her, which he was.
Finding out Barbara was in the Outer Hebrides was a surprise, we had the owners details, so wrote to him to see if he still had her. He did, sort of.
He told us she had sunk in a gale some 15 years previously, and had been dragged up onto the beach. Not having the skills to repair her, or the money to pay someone else to repair her meant she was falling apart alongside his stone quay.
He did offer her to us, but we had just renovated Janet (T3), and didn't need or want another Troy. So we got in touch with Arthur Bate, Barbara's original owner, to see if he was interested in rescuing her, which he was.
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Episode 10.
Sadly after 5 or 6 years of trying, Arthur Bate gave up trying to rescue Barbara. I was still curious, as she was on a small island off Benbecula, and not easy to access, and so I asked my partner, Sue, if she fancied a trip to the Outer Hebrides. We went and discovered that time hadn't been kind to Barbara, and had deteriorated badly in the 6 years since the last photos. We met the Owner, saw the boat, and came back home, and started discussing with Richard, how to get her back. |
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Episode 11.
To rescue Barbara would involve a few challenges.
1. she was on the far side of a boggy island with no roadway, so she had to be floated around the island to the causeway, and pulled out of the water.
2. she was in no state to float
3 she wasn't in a fit state to sit on a trailer for a journey the length of the country,
4,5,6.....the more you thought about it, the worse it got !
However, after talking to various people around Fowey, and listening to various suggestions, Major Tony Parkyn offered some help.
Army Landing craft from Marchwood, Southampton, run supplies to the Hebrides in the summer, and come back to Southampton in the Autumn. If we could get Barbara 10 miles south to the jetty, an Army supply ship could pick her up and bring her back.........
So our only job was to get her to the Jetty.................
To rescue Barbara would involve a few challenges.
1. she was on the far side of a boggy island with no roadway, so she had to be floated around the island to the causeway, and pulled out of the water.
2. she was in no state to float
3 she wasn't in a fit state to sit on a trailer for a journey the length of the country,
4,5,6.....the more you thought about it, the worse it got !
However, after talking to various people around Fowey, and listening to various suggestions, Major Tony Parkyn offered some help.
Army Landing craft from Marchwood, Southampton, run supplies to the Hebrides in the summer, and come back to Southampton in the Autumn. If we could get Barbara 10 miles south to the jetty, an Army supply ship could pick her up and bring her back.........
So our only job was to get her to the Jetty.................
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Episode 12.
SO, in the Autumn of 1990 we headed up there again to get her shifted to the Jetty. We left Fowey, Richard, Sue and I, in Richards highly versatile Ford Orion....loaded with things we might need, straps, ropes, hammers, nails, lengths of 4x2, tirfor winch, shackles, wires, and a whole lot more. On arrival at Island Flodda, we met the Owner, had a chat, he could get a mate with a motor boat to tow her around the island if we could get her to float. We headed off to Benbecula, managed to get past the armed guards at the RAF base, and asked them ever so nicely that if we got Barbara to the causeway, could they send a lorry to pick her up and transport to the Jetty, which they could.... We managed to borrow 5 - 40 gallon oil drums form the airport Fire Brigade, strapped them to Richards roof rack, and headed back to Barbara. Once she was all strapped up, and nailed together, we had to sit and wait for the tide. |
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Episode 13.
So the tide comes in, and she floats, and Colin Campbells mate turns up with his fishing boat and tows her around Island Flodda where we pull her ashore in the dark, prop her up, and hope she is still upright in the morning...... |
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Episode 14
The next morning she is high and dry, (it was persistently raining but you know what I mean) and still upright. The plan now is to take off all the oil drums, etc, and winch her up the slope onto the roadway. The Ford Orion was positioned stern too across the roadway, the Tirfor winch attached to the Tow bar, greased boards were levered under Barbara's keel, and chief winch operator, Sue, began to push and pull the winch handle....the wire tightened....overcoming the initial friction was going to be the hardest pull, and then it MOVED, yes, the Ford Orion was skidding backwards towards Barbara !
After chocking the wheels with stones, and trying again, it became clear that the winch wasn't quite up to the task. so with every stroke of the winch handle it required a smack from a lump hammer to release the jaws of the winch. Eventually we made it, choked her up and went back to the B and B.
Our ferry was booked for the next morning, so a quick visit to check on Barbara, (a beautiful sunny day) and she was left to the RAF
The next morning she is high and dry, (it was persistently raining but you know what I mean) and still upright. The plan now is to take off all the oil drums, etc, and winch her up the slope onto the roadway. The Ford Orion was positioned stern too across the roadway, the Tirfor winch attached to the Tow bar, greased boards were levered under Barbara's keel, and chief winch operator, Sue, began to push and pull the winch handle....the wire tightened....overcoming the initial friction was going to be the hardest pull, and then it MOVED, yes, the Ford Orion was skidding backwards towards Barbara !
After chocking the wheels with stones, and trying again, it became clear that the winch wasn't quite up to the task. so with every stroke of the winch handle it required a smack from a lump hammer to release the jaws of the winch. Eventually we made it, choked her up and went back to the B and B.
Our ferry was booked for the next morning, so a quick visit to check on Barbara, (a beautiful sunny day) and she was left to the RAF
Episode 15
Barbara was left alongside the causeway, and we caught the Ferry home. The RAF picked her up and carried her the ten miles South to the Jetty where she waited for the Army supply ship. When we arrived back in Fowey there were messages for us to contact the ship, via fax, the modern way of communicating then. The Harbour Office were one of the few places with access to this hi-tech stuff, and there was a bit of a hitch. The ships captain deemed Barbara too fragile to carry....aaargh. But we messaged absolving him of any blame for damage, but he was still reluctant.
So it was a bit of a surprise a week or so later when Mike Sutherland phoned me and asked to arrange a crane on the Jetties. Barbara was due in later that day.
Hastily arranged docks crane and trailer, and the ship came in. Looking into the hold when she was alongside revealed 3 pallets, all socially distanced, one had the bow section on, one the stern, and the keel and lower planks on the other....not quite what was expected..at all....
There had been problems loading her, and she was fragile...
Barbara was left alongside the causeway, and we caught the Ferry home. The RAF picked her up and carried her the ten miles South to the Jetty where she waited for the Army supply ship. When we arrived back in Fowey there were messages for us to contact the ship, via fax, the modern way of communicating then. The Harbour Office were one of the few places with access to this hi-tech stuff, and there was a bit of a hitch. The ships captain deemed Barbara too fragile to carry....aaargh. But we messaged absolving him of any blame for damage, but he was still reluctant.
So it was a bit of a surprise a week or so later when Mike Sutherland phoned me and asked to arrange a crane on the Jetties. Barbara was due in later that day.
Hastily arranged docks crane and trailer, and the ship came in. Looking into the hold when she was alongside revealed 3 pallets, all socially distanced, one had the bow section on, one the stern, and the keel and lower planks on the other....not quite what was expected..at all....
There had been problems loading her, and she was fragile...
Episode 16.
It was really disappointing to see Barbara in 3 pieces, but, the following day started to disassemble the wreckage, keeping the main oak timbers from the centreline, the main deck beam, and of course the 16 cwt lead keel.
This was 1990, and the keel was put away in my garage, the main timbers were stored in a friends barn, and the plan was to rebuild her when space and time permitted.
Roll on 25 years, and the space became a possibility in my new workshop. The keel was cleaned up, dents and scrapes flattened out, and set up level. Looking at the old timbers it was decided that none of them were really up to being used again, so a new centreline of solid Oak was cut out and set up on the keel. Then the 'moulds' were set up in position.
It was really disappointing to see Barbara in 3 pieces, but, the following day started to disassemble the wreckage, keeping the main oak timbers from the centreline, the main deck beam, and of course the 16 cwt lead keel.
This was 1990, and the keel was put away in my garage, the main timbers were stored in a friends barn, and the plan was to rebuild her when space and time permitted.
Roll on 25 years, and the space became a possibility in my new workshop. The keel was cleaned up, dents and scrapes flattened out, and set up level. Looking at the old timbers it was decided that none of them were really up to being used again, so a new centreline of solid Oak was cut out and set up on the keel. Then the 'moulds' were set up in position.
Episode 17.
Over the next 5 years, little was done to the new Barbara, a few planks had been fitted, but that was it.
When Lockdown hit, in March 2020, work on customers boats came to a dead halt, no-one was really sure what as going to happen, but the second day of lockdown saw me start again on Barbara, managing to do the majority of the work on the hull alone, but with some help from socially distanced friends when it came to rivetting the nails. work has carried on, and I am pleased to say that today she is ready to be launched.
THANKS
There is no way this project could have happened without an awful lot of help from a large number of people. I am bound to forget to mention some of you, and I apologise in advance, but if you have been involved in this in any way, Thankyou,
From Tamsin doing the original radio interview, Sue and Richard for joining a crazy idea, Tony Parkin for his help, Mike Sutherland, Gerry Williams, Maurice, Mike Abrams, the Army, the RAF, for getting her landed back in Fowey, and then all those that have helped in her reconstruction and launching, and the Bate family for old photos and information.
When restrictions are lifted I am sure we will have an official 're-naming' do.
Thanks
Over the next 5 years, little was done to the new Barbara, a few planks had been fitted, but that was it.
When Lockdown hit, in March 2020, work on customers boats came to a dead halt, no-one was really sure what as going to happen, but the second day of lockdown saw me start again on Barbara, managing to do the majority of the work on the hull alone, but with some help from socially distanced friends when it came to rivetting the nails. work has carried on, and I am pleased to say that today she is ready to be launched.
THANKS
There is no way this project could have happened without an awful lot of help from a large number of people. I am bound to forget to mention some of you, and I apologise in advance, but if you have been involved in this in any way, Thankyou,
From Tamsin doing the original radio interview, Sue and Richard for joining a crazy idea, Tony Parkin for his help, Mike Sutherland, Gerry Williams, Maurice, Mike Abrams, the Army, the RAF, for getting her landed back in Fowey, and then all those that have helped in her reconstruction and launching, and the Bate family for old photos and information.
When restrictions are lifted I am sure we will have an official 're-naming' do.
Thanks
Episode 18.
May 13th 2021
May 13th 2021
Episode 19.
Well, Barbara is now afloat on her mooring, a great afternoon with many friends passing by and commenting on her, and a trouble free launch
Many thanks to everyone involved,
Pictures by Jane Spencer
Well, Barbara is now afloat on her mooring, a great afternoon with many friends passing by and commenting on her, and a trouble free launch
Many thanks to everyone involved,
Pictures by Jane Spencer
