Unique sailing boats rescued from hens and mud can now benefit everyone in North Wales

Seventeen boats built for the Menai Strait have a unique maritime claim to fame – they form Britain’s most complete sailing fleet of its type. Built either side of the Second World War, at least five had been thought lost forever.

Over a decade the fleet was slowly reassembled through some remarkable detective work. One boat was found on the Thames, another in west Wales where it had been used as a chicken coop.

Another, submerged, was rescued from mud. The final vessel to be found, Number 5, was located on Lindisfarne Island, Northumberland, thanks to a chance conversation in Beaumaris with a passing sailor.

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All 17 vessels are unique to the stretch of water between Anglesey and Gwynedd. Looking like something out of Swallows and Amazons, the Menai Strait One Design (MSOD) boats are classic 20ft sloops built from mahogany and oak. Since being brought back “home”, all have since been back on the waters off Anglesey. Some were more seaworthy than others.

They were built between 1937 and 1952 in Beaumaris at Gallows Point, a spit of land where criminals were once hanged. All 17 were designed to cope with the Menai Strait, a stretch of water described by Captain Cook as the “most treacherous in the world”.

They were raced at weekends by local owners who were allowed to buy them so long as they didn’t sell them to people “outside the area”. This understanding failed to last and by the mid-70s most had disappeared from the Menai Strait. Twelve remained in North Wales but five vanished completely.

Bringing them back together again, in the 1970s and 1980s, was a group of enthusiasts turned amateur sleuths. They subsequently coalesced as the Menai MSOD Club and over the years their goals have become increasingly ambitious. The North Wales Live Whatsapp community for top stories and breaking news is live now - here’s how to sign up

Among their projects is a unique heritage sailing scheme that helps people learn traditional boat-building skills while sailing Anglesey's coastline. Launched as a charity, it’s just won lottery heritage funding so that its work can be expanded across North Wales.

Driving force behind the scheme, called Menai Straits Heritage Sailing (MSHS), is club chairman Henry Chesterton, a former occupational therapist and one-time music promoter. He said boat restoration and sailing offer a host of benefits.

“My background is health and social care, particularly supporting people with brain injury and other cognitive challenges,” he said. “There are so many therapeutic benefits to boat building and sailing - physical activity, improved concentration, coordination and companionship.

“We’ve started taking people out sailing and we know more who would benefit, especially after Covid when people experienced increased isolation. We are also welcoming people down to the sheds to help restore the boats.”

Members of the new charity already have a long history of supporting Anglesey’s sailing and boat-building community. Armed with the new funding, they’ve now squared the circle by securing a permanent base on Gallows Point where the MSODs were originally built.

Raymond Beer, MSOD club secretary and president, has been involved with the boats for more than 40 years. He’s refurbished several of the fleet’s vessels and is currently preparing his own for the water.

“I fell in love with the boats after sailing with my father as a lad,” he said. “I bought one in 1982 and I’ve been here ever since.” Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox

Another MSOD restorer is carpenter David “Gallie” Gallichan – he even managed to save a few of them from Guy Fawkes bonfires. He’s now restoring four of the fleet’s boats.

“It’s nice to have something to do that you’ve been familiar with all your life,” said the 84-year-old. “I was lucky to get involved - and lucky to still be involved now.

“I’m looking after Freddy’s for him (owner of MSOD number 2). We’re doing that ready for the season and it looks very nice, I must say, very pretty.”

In the two decades to 2015, the number of skilled craftspeople working in the Welsh boat-building industry fell from nearly 300 to around 85. Of these, most worked with glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) boats. Traditional skills, needed for timber boats, were vanishingly small.

One of the new charity’s earliest successes was securing funding for an apprenticeship in traditional marine engineering. The role went to Polly Meade-Kemp, 27, who is now in her third year and is restoring a MSOD at Classic Sail Boats in Bethel, with the support of local boat builder John Jones.

Polly said she feels lucky to be part of a trade that’s sustaining a fleet so important to the local area. “When I found out about this apprenticeship, I knew I wanted to take it,” she said. “There’s nothing more pleasing to build out of wood, so I leapt at the opportunity.

“It’s amazing to be part of a project with people so passionate about their work. There’s so much love, care and attention bestowed upon the boats, and it’s amazing to be a part of this crew and the community that comes along with it.”

One of the people who advises on the restoration work is Ceinion Williams. Now 89, he was an apprentice on the final MSOD 20-footer built in 1952.

His involvement has helped him stay healthy. “It feels good to still be involved,” he said. “I come down every day and I work every morning for about four hours. It gives you a name in life, something to do, and there are good pals here, good craic.”

Quite a few years ago, the MSOD Club managed to get 14 of its 17 boats out on the water for a race, the leading pair accompanied by dolphins. That was a one-off, as many of the vessels needed urgent work. With a programme of repairs now planned or underway, and scope for more volunteers to help out, the club has an ambitious target.

Ray said: “We are aiming for all of the fleet to sail together again 2025 - that will be the first time in many, many years.” To get involved, or to find out more, visit the charity’s website. Get the best island stories from our Anglesey newsletter - sent every Friday

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