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Simply Whitstable Return to
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The Story of Rediscovering the Emeline........ |
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Emeline...and Coincidence
A number of old Whitstable yawls have been saved and preserved by caring owners and each has a story to tell. However, I doubt that many tales involve quite such a coincidence as that of the Emeline. Here, we document her amazing discovery by friends Ray & Olive Harman and Leonard & Jessie Cole who, during the summer of 1992, spotted the vessel on the Costa del Sol - one thousand miles from home. How did the Emeline get to the southern tip of the Iberian peninsular?... What was her condition?... How did she return to the UK?.... and How was she restored? To answer these questions, I spoke to Ray, Olive and Jessie at their Whitstable homes. But, first, let me provide some historical background to the vessel....
Early Days of the Emeline
The boat was built at Collars Yard in 1904 for a member of the well known local Whorlow family and she was named after the owner's daughter, Emeline. Collars yard was located on Island Wall and you can read more about its history by studying Jean Martin's lovely article on the subject (click here). Although a traditional smack built for the oyster trade, Emeline was not used for oyster dredging towards the end of her working days. Ray's brother John explains.....
After her shrimping career ended, she changed hands and underwent a yacht conversion at the local Anderson, Rigden and Perkins yard on Island Wall. The conversion involved the construction of a wheelhouse and the fitting of a powerful motor. In fact, Ray recalls that the motor was so powerful that it sent a fountain of water cascading up the rudder trunk when it burst into life! After the conversion, Emeline seems to have disappeared from the Whitstable scene until that remarkable 'find' on the Costa del Sol.
Re-Discovering the Emeline
In 1992, Ray, Olive, Leonard and Jessie embarked on a holiday in Benalmadena - located between Fuengirola and Torremolinos some 29 kms south west of Malaga.. Many older Natives will remember Leonard and Jessie for their own piece of local history... as proprietors of the town's biggest and best ever toy shop - Leonard's of Whitstable High Street. It wasn't long after arriving in the Spanish resort that Ray established an early morning routine... by disappearing off for a walk around the local marina! During his very first foray, he spotted something very odd across the local yacht basin. It looked liked an oyster yawl.... and this was confirmed when he moved closer. However, there was an even bigger shock to come.
Olive tells me that Ray arrived back at the hotel out of breath and announced excitedly that he had discovered a Whitstable yawl. The party was guided down to the yacht basin for a viewing. Emeline's fortunes were about to change in a big way.
Initial Assessment and the Local Story
In the days that followed, Ray spent a considerable amount of time at the local marina and discovered more about the Emeline's plight. Although still on the water, she was leaking and needed the full time services of a pump to keep her afloat. Emeline's crew was nowhere to be seen and the pump was being operated by the owner of a neighbouring yacht. Locals related the story as far as they knew it. They believed that Emeline had been acquired in Essex by a young couple who had then embarked on a lengthy journey to Marseilles (on the Mediterranean coast of France) in order to take up employment. Unfortunately, while rounding the Iberian Peninsular, she had suffered engine failure and had been forced to put into Benalmadena for emergency repairs. We do not know precise details of Emiline's journey to the Mediterranean but the map below shows some of the geography and distance involved.
The Costa del Sol may have been a convenient port of call in an emergency.... but, as one of the yachting playgrounds of the Mediterranean, it was not necessarily the 'cheapest' of places to moor a boat! Problems mounted. Initial attempts to fix the engine failed when it was discovered that local engineers had ordered the 'wrong part'. In the meantime, berthing costs were rising at the rate of £10 per day. Locals claim that the Emeline attempted to put to sea (presumably under sail) but the move was countered by the authorities and she was impounded for non-payment of harbour fees. The boat's young owners were thought to have moved on to Australia after the "loss" of the vessel. Whatever the truth behind those local stories, it does appear that Emeline fell into the hands of Spanish officials.
A Closer Look
Within a day or so, the friends found that the situation was progressing. Emeline had been removed from the water and placed in a nearby boatyard.
This gave Ray a chance to give the craft a more detailed 'unofficial' inspection! The serious leak was located midships (three planks up) where gribble worm had bored into the wood. Gribble worm is a marine crustacean that can cause serious damage to wood below the surface of the water. It attacks not only boats but also other structures such as piers and jetties.
Ray was also able to give the upper parts of the Emeline a 'once over' by commandeering a ladder and using it to good effect.... out of sight of the boatyard offices! He even managed a peek inside... and located the crafts original sails! Overall, Olive tells me that her spouse spent quite a bit of time at that yacht marina during their holiday!
"Bringing Her Back"
On return to Whitstable, Leonard & Jessie contacted the Whitstable Times who were keen to help. They ran a story of the discovery under the headline "Will anyone bring her home". Things went quiet for some months but then Ray received a call from a consortium who planned to retrieve and restore her in the UK. Apparently, Emeline was being offered at auction by the Spanish authorities. The consortium was represented at the auction and secured the purchase for an amount in the region of £400-£500. However, that didn't settle the matter. Ray tells me that the consortium representative discovered that Emeline could not be released until all harbour fees had been settled. As a result, a quick dash was made to the bank for more pesetas!
The Home Coming
Damage to the hull meant that the Emeline could not return to the UK under her own power even if the engine could be repaired. Fortunately, help was at hand. News arrived that a vehicle with a low-loader trailer would be making a delivery to the continent.... and returning empty. It could bring Emeline back by road to Standard Quay at Faversham. Leonard, Jessie, Ray and Olive visited the boat on her arrival in Faversham. The photo below was taken in February 1994 after Emeline had made the 1000 mile trip home.
Repairs at Faversham
Ray maintained his interest in the vessel throughout the lengthy renovation at Standard Quay.... and he wasn't the only local to take a keen interest. Bill Coleman provided some advice on the work. Bill is, of course, the owner of another well known Collars yawl.... Gamecock.
The restoration returned Emeline's Whitstable yawl appearance with the removal of the cabin/wheelhouse. A substantial amount of replanking was undertaken but Ray tells me that the original keel and stern were retained. She remains afloat to this day and has appeared with Gamecock in local Swale Sailing Barge and Smack matches. She can also be seen from time to time at Whitstable harbour. We are not entirely sure but Peter Dalrymple's photo below may be Emeline at the barge match of 2007.
The Emeline is home where she belongs.... thanks to all the caring people involved in her rescue. However, there may still be questions that remain unanswered. Read on....
Did She Visit the Med Twice?
Was the Emeline's disastrous escapade to the Meditearranean a one off journey and a spur of the moment adventure? Well, it may not have been.... because we now have some extra information to add to an already fascinating tale.... and it is thanks to an email sent to us by Derek Weatherall. Back in 1987, (five years before Emeline was discovered in Spain), Derek captured this scene at Whitstable harbour....
It shows Emeline in her converted state - ie with the wheelhouse in place. Derek relates the story....
Interestingly, Derek's photo shows that Emeline had been adapted for canal use as John Harman explains....
It is not clear if the mast alteration was undertaken by the four lads. If it was, they may have planned the trip for some while. Of course, a mast needed to be hinged to cope with any low bridges and/or tunnels on a canal system. French canals link the rivers on the country's northern and western coastlines to the Rhone which flows southward into the Mediterranean. A waterway journey could probably be achieved via a number of different routes depending on which west coast river was used to access the system. However, it is clearly NOT the expedition that left the Emeline in a sorry state on the Costa del Sol. It was 5 years too early and the geography is all wrong! Were plans for the canal trip scrapped? Possibly.... but, if it did go ahead, the ageing Emeline may have made two lengthy trips to the waters of the Med by totally different routes. Is there a link between the four lads who put into Whitstable in 1987 and the young couple who were forced to hand the Emeline over to the Spanish authorities in 1992? One would tend to think that there was.... but, again, we don't know. I have a feeling that Emeline still has a lot of secrets to reveal and that we will discover more on the subject in the future. If only a yawl could talk!
The Outcome
Despite the remaining riddles, the overall story has a successful and heartwarming outcome. Jessie Cole's photos below were taken at Whitstable in July 2001... after Emeline had been restored. The first shows the vessel alongside the quay at the harbour.
By then, Emeline had regained her typical "Whitstable Yawl" appearance after a lot of loving care lavished on her by her new owners. The scene was witnessed by the four friends who had spotted her in Spain and who had sparked the flame that eventually brought her home.
Could they possibly have imagined that they would be paving the way for a picture such as that below when they first sighted the boat in such a distressed state at Benalmadena,...
Yes, the final photo shows Emeline heading into Whitstable Bay just a few hundred yards east of her birth place at Collars Yard. A Thames barge lies to port, the Isle of Sheppey ahead... and she's home where she belongs.... amongst friends.
Our Thanks....
I would like to thank Ray, Olive and Jessie for their help in producing this article. Sadly, Leonard Cole died a few years ago. He will be fondly remembered by the many Whitstable children who frequented his wonderful emporium - that Aladdin's Cave known as Leonard's Toy Shop of Whitstable High Street. I would also like to thank Derek Weatherall, John Harman and Peter Dalrymple for their contributions.
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From the Simply Whitstable Web Site |
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