Welcome to the Humber Keel and Sloop Preservation Society
Our aim is to introduce you to the river Humber’s uniquely evolved sailing vessels, the Humber keel and the Humber sloop. Over time, the site will be built up to give information, background, past history and future plans for the Society’s two ships- the keel Comrade, above left, and the sloop Amy Howson, above right, that are the focus of our members’ interest and activities.
Humber keels and sloops are part of Britain’s maritime and industrial heritage: As part of the national collection of historic vessels, Comrade and Amy Howson are rare surviving examples of the two types of craft specifically designed and rigged to sail the canals, rivers and estuarial waters of Lincolnshire and Yorkshire efficiently.
As it develops, the site will exhibit all kinds of archive material about keels and sloops, as well as pictures and accounts of our activities during the many years that HKSPS has painstakingly restored and sailed these two Humber ships.
But the ships are not just museum pieces, they’re a living part of the local scenery. Every summer they sail the Humber and its tributary rivers the Trent and the Ouse. And sail we do. Although Comrade and Amy have engines fitted, the crew are keen to do as much under sail as the conditions of the day will allow. That’s the point of the HKSPS & its work - to maintain the skills needed to sail these vessel in their home waters, at the same time as raising awareness about the way of life aboard the two differently rigged ships, and the work that they did.
To find out more about Comrade and Amy, or learn about keels, sloops and cog boats, follow the links on the pages, or use the menu bar on the left of each page.
If you would like to find out more about HKSPS, you can contact us and join here too.
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