Skippool was once a bustling port on the River Wyre, close to the  Fleetwood estuary, where ships unload their cargoes.  Its popularity  fell out of favour when Fleetwood’s port opened in the 1840s. A number  of businesses were situated alongside the river to benefit from this  trade, including Silcock’s Bone Mill and Tomlinson’s Animal Feeds  Warehouse.

There was also a small shop that sold tea and sugar to the  boatmen. During this time Skippool was a popular site for cock fighting,  smuggling and press gangs, and the Ale Houses were infamous for their  strong ale, contraband, spirits and drunken mariners.

The main feature in my video is (was) the MFV Good Hope, a once proud  trawler which was first launched in 1948 from Wick. Decommissioned  around 1984 before being bought, was brought to Skippool creek  with a  view to restore it. Sadly the trawler is now in an advanced state of  decay with the wood rotted throughout and totally unsafe to board.



Paul.

Oh dear. What a mess. Safe to say, it will never sail again.  Nicely filmed, with a suitably melancholy sound track.
Interesting background story.

Nicely done. Interesting that they still made bigger vessels from wood in 1948.

Depp Posted at 10-12 22:09
Nicely done. Interesting that they still made bigger vessels from wood in 1948.

There was another vessel (docked in preston) in my Marina video called the Jarvit - that was an od wooden vessel too.

Paul.

The UK needs a boat recycling drive to clean up our coastline,    everywhere you go it seems you can find this level of abandonment.

Very nicely filmed.    Shame to see that old boat in such a dilapidated state.  

DowntownRDB Posted at 10-13 02:14
Very nicely filmed.    Shame to see that old boat in such a dilapidated state.

I was there previosuly in September 2012 when I photgraphed the Good Hope - back then she was in a state of disrepair, but was considerably more "complete"...



Paul.

Paul Bilbo Posted at 10-13 16:10
I was there previosuly in September 2012 when I photgraphed the Good Hope - back then she was in a state of disrepair, but was considerably more "complete"...

[view_image]

Yeah, these last 11 years have not been good for the old ship.  

Sad to see, but well captured!

That would make a great boat for a Viking funeral