Fortunes of a "Flat"

Introduction: The following is the second in a series of three articles. The original first appeared in the magazine "Sea Breezes" in 1947 and was written by John Sutton, the son of the skipper of the Mersey Flat "Protection". It is the story of a sailing flat which traded on the Mersey years ago and was the last to have her sailing rig dismantled. She then continued to trade as a motor launch.

Early this year William Adams and Company, of Newport, became very interested in her for a job they had working in the River Severn, and in March they bought her. Now the next question was: Would she be granted a Board of Trade certificate to allow her to make the trip down to Newport? Well, she had had a fortune spent on her over the years, and she really was in good condition in spite of her age and all that she had been through. She was put into Wellington Graving Dock for a survey and two months were spent fitting her out for the trip. No masts or sails were fitted to help her on the trip down; she was going to rely on the motor alone, the same motor which had been fitted new in 1929. She was given a new port of registry; the old taffrail which she had carried around all the years, with "Liverpool" cut into it, was taken off and a new rail aft with the word "Newport" cut in was put in its place.

I was persuaded to go along as the engineer, and three more hands were signed on for the trip down, and if I had known as much then as I do now, I would never have stepped aboard her. I wouldn’t do another trip like that for £100. The old flat was given a light loadline certificate just for the run down, with the stipulation that she must only sail during daylight hours. Well, with 50 tons of granite chippings as ballast, we locked out of Canada Dock on the day tide, May 25, 1948.

That night, about 10 p.m., we anchored in Red Wharfe Bay, and after a meal turned in. We were all soon turned out again, for just after midnight it came on to blow very hard from the N.E. She was on a lee shore and the anchor was dragging. There was only one thing to do, get the engine started, heave up and put out to sea. Why we had not gone through the Menai Straits I do not know. Anyway, here we were, and we had to make the best of it. There was one thing the Protection was very good at, and that was rolling. She could roll the rails under with no effort. I was one who knew all about it. I have "had some" many times. Another thing she would never do, and that was drive head on to a heavy sea. She would ride the first one all right, but the next one "would catch her with her head down" and would come aboard and flood her fore and aft. The only way was to meet the sea with the port bow; no sea would come aboard worth talking about, but she would certainly jump around. It was quite impossible to go from aft to forward without the assistance of the lifeline which had been fitted round her, above the bulwarks.

She lay off Point Lynas the rest of the night, and all next day till the following evening, the engine "all out" and still the flat made no headway. The power wasn’t there; she was having just about as much as she would take and getting nowhere. Eventually the wind eased a bit and we started to make headway. We reached the Skerries and stood in for Holyhead. We came in before a following sea, riding each wave like a duck, a wonderful relief after the punishment she had taken. Holyhead breakwater couldn’t be seen for spray when we ran in, and were we all thankful to get into calm water and have a meal and a rest before starting on the next leg!

The following morning, Thursday, May 27th, it dawned fine and clear. We had a short run to Bardsey island and let go the anchor in a little bay to the south'ard of the island, in case the wind came hard from the nor’ard again. Two fishermen came off in a small boat and we bought half a dozen live lobsters and half a dozen large crabs; also we were able to get some fresh bread eggs and milk, which were very welcome. We spent the evening boiling the crabs, and thoroughly enjoyed our meal. Next day we had a nice run to Milford Haven, and then up the Bristol Channel to Newport, arriving there at 10 a.m. on Sunday, May 30th, much to the relief of everyone. We all had a good bath and a change, and then we were taken into the town and given a good meal in a café. When we came back on board and were being paid by the new owner for the round trip, our captain and navigator, who had been an officer in the Blue Funnel Line, was heard to remark that during the war he had made a passage of 28 days in an open boat with 50 passengers with very little to add to their comfort, but he had had a far better time than he had just experienced in the Protection.

There were quite a few little incidents that had taken place on the trip to add to our discomfort - such things as a trick of rolling so violently as to throw the lamp glasses off the lamps. She also threw a mattress off a bunk onto a hot stove, which started a fire while no one was forward, a thing which could have had disastrous results if I had not managed to get there just in time. I was asked by the new owners to stay with them and help to work on the new job, which, actually, was her old job catching up with her again. She was going back into the stone trade; after all those years she was going back into one of the hardest trades for which a craft was ever built. I decided to stop with the old flat and see what happened.

While she was lying at Newport a new skipper came on board. A local man, he was born and reared on the river Severn where the Protection was going to trade, so was just the man needed for the job. We were going to use the anchor quite a lot, which meant we were going to need a third hand, and with having only the old-fashioned flat's windlass with which to work, the stronger the third hand was, the better. We were approached by one of the workmen on the quay. He was a fine big young fellow who must have weighed nearly as much as the skipper and I together. He had never worked a float before, but with his mighty strength we decided he would be just the man to help with the anchor, which, as I said, was worked by "Armstrong’s patent".

We set off from Newport for Chepstow on the Thursday following. We came out of the Usk into the Severn and were lightship, having discharged our ballast of granite chippings at Newport. When we entered the Severn there was a fresh breeze blowing and quite a nice sea getting up, and, of course, the old Protection resumed her habit of jumping around again. The propeller wouldn't stay in the water and the engine started racing again. After an hour of this I noticed big George, the third hand, was missing, so I went to see where he was. There he was forward, lying full length on the cabin sheets, sick as a dog and looking in terrible shape. Talk about the mighty fallen; it wasn't in it!

I might add that before we decided to take him on he had passed the remark that he was living with his mother-in-law and they didn't get on very well together and he thought it would be a good thing if he could get away from home for a while. His idea was that if he was away from home for a while he would be kind of missed, and then when he went back he would be a little more appreciated. Anyway, as soon as George was able to step ashore he beat it, and hitch-hiked back home, setting off shortly after 11 p.m. He wouldn't stay on board a minute longer than he could help. He went off with the remark that he would rather face his old mother-in-law a dozen times than have a job like that. I should add that since the rig was taken off the Protection she was very irritable. When she was rigged she used to roll very steady; roll she did all right at times, but not as lively as she does now as a barge.

(To be concluded in the Spring issue of Canal Cuttings)

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