everybody has a story to tell about their life

Working on the yachts

Janet Chadband and Dennis Knight, 2013

Dennis: All the Guernsey’s had the Yacht’s names on them so you knew exactly where they were. I mean being on a Yacht was marvellous, you were clothed, shoes, trousers, jacket, jumpers, hat everything.

Janet: Do you remember the names of some of the Yacht owners?, Lord Northampton was one.

Dennis: Docker, ya Lady Docker and also the guy Guiness, I think Brian Nicholls’ grandfather sailed with him and they got a place up where my brother lives in Sussex but you know those great big Yachts like the Shamara and all those and the Americas Cup where they go across the Atlantic. Unless you were very very wealthy, these things had a crew of about 12, skipper, mate and deckhands all under sail probably an auxiliary engine and they would, when the herring season finished here sort of after Christmas, January they’d kiddle around and then by March they’d go Southampton or wherever and they always had yachtmen from Port Isaac and Polperro and they was another place as well as they reckoned they were good seamen and fishermen and they would go off then and get the yacht ready and by that time it was the end of April or May and then they would make their way to the Mediterranean and they would stay down there all summer and they’d come back with the yacht in October just in time for the herring fishing

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