Yorkshire Belle - the full story so far

A brief potted history of the Yorkshire Belle 1947-1982

 1947 - The M.V. Yorkshire Belle was built in Beverley by Cook, Welton & Gemmell for Mr Bride Hall Pockley of Bridlington. The Grovehill yard, Beverley, was on the banks of the River Hull. Over 1,317 vessels were built by Cook, Welton & Gemmell, 8 sailing smacks, 5 steam drifters, 883 coal fired steam trawlers, 86 oil fired steam trawlers, 60 motor trawlers, 3 diesel electric trawlers, 160 Admiralty vessels, 15 War Office vessels, 17 coasters, 26 steam tugs, 7 motor tugs, 9 light floats, 21 mixed vessels and four pleasure ships. (Royal Jubilee, Boys Own, Yorkshire Belle 1, Yorkshire Belle and M.V. Vidas a private motor yacht. So as you can see, our Yorkshire Belle was from a large stable. The ships built on the River Hull had to be launched sideways into the water which caused quite a spectacular splash.

Belle was launched on 22nd May 1947 and sailed to Princes Dock in Hull (where the Princes Quay shopping centre is now) for fitting out and finishing. She carried out sea trials in the River Humber and arrived in Bridlington for the summer season. We are not sure what date she sailed to Bridlington, but the story goes that as soon as she arrived, she loaded up with passengers and sailed up to Flamborough Head on her first public trip.

 1951 - The two six-cylinder Crossley Bros. Engines were replaced at Beverley by twin eight-cylinder Gardner Engines. Previously unavailable due to high demand after the war, the Gardner engines gave more speed and they are still in situ today.

 1969 - Ownership changed to John Cross Pockley (Jack) and Thomas Marshall Needham.

Between 1970 and and 1973, there are more additions or changes of ownership ending up with the majority share being owned by Boggs Trawlers and the Yorkshire Belle being skippered by Mr Phil Thornton.

1982 - ownership passes to Peter G. Richardson and Roy Simpson This is where our part of the story begins...

Peter, a textile mill manager in New Mill near Huddersfield and Roy, a soft drinks salesman in Huddersfield had long had an interest in the pleasure boats in Bridlington and knew each other due to this shared interest. They heard a rumour that the Yorkshire Belle might be for sale and after some discussion decided to follow the rumour and see where it led. Not quite as random a decision as you might think, Roy had been working as engineer on the Flamborian for a year and Peter had recently been made redundant due to a decline in the British textile industry and both were looking for a new direction in their careers.

It turned out that the rumour was true, the Yorkshire Belle was for sale. The vendors gave Peter and Roy two months to see if they could raise capital before putting the boat on the market. Needless to say, the capital was raised and on February 1st 1982 the documents were signed that passed ownership to Richardson and Simpson.

A friend “Jimmy” Shand, ex RAF Marine Craft Unit, was hired to skipper the Belle and became mentor and tutor to Peter and Roy to train them in boat handling and get them up to standard ready for the Board of Trade Boat Masters exams. Jimmy was a hard task master and made sure that they could handle anything the weather and tide could throw at them.

February also saw the Belle dry docked in Hepworth Shipyard at Paull near Hull for the annual out of water Board of Trade inspection and survey. Although Belle was in sound condition she lacked a bit of TLC, so the first few months were spent cleaning and scrubbing, repairing and painting, spending seven days a week lovingly restoring her to a pristine state with the aim of being ready to sail at Easter.

March saw Belle return to the River Humber to fulfil an inherited job from the previous owners, to re-crew a supertanker anchored in the estuary. Whilst down in Hull, a northerly gale blew in preventing the Belle from sailing home and consequently she missed the Easter Bank Holiday. So that first season didn’t start until Whitsuntide, Spring Bank Holiday. It was brilliant weather and she carried good loads, the first Bempton cruise on Whit Sunday carried 160 passengers! Those were the days...

The bank manager from Barclays, Reg Turner, came down to the pier to see how things were going and cautiously thought the investment from his bank could be safe. He wished them luck and carried on his walk. Again, those were the days, a proper bank manager who knew his clients....

One of the conditions of sale was to honour a booking from the Royal Yorkshire Yacht Club for a champagne cruise that August. It was to signal the start of their regatta week. This has since become a tradition and we are proud to have welcomed the RYYC every year since.

 The ensuing few seasons passed in a busy schedule of sailings to Flamborough and Bempton, entertaining our holidaymakers with the stunning scenery, a few sea shanties and perhaps a beer or tot of rum to enhance the trip.

It was early in 1982 that our association with the RSPB began when the Scarborough and District local group organised a bird watching cruise as part of their “Springtime is Birdtime” campaign. It also gave the Bempton reserve warden a chance to survey the birds nesting lower down the cliffs with much closer views than from the cliff tops. The cruise was obviously a great success as we continue to work closely with the RSPB, the Bridlington group and RSPB Bempton reserve and they organise around 20 special trips a year to view the breeding seabirds, in particular the puffins and the spectacular Gannets, the largest British sea birds (and the only colony of gannets on the mainland of England)

Of course, we still run our own seabird cruises and the skippers and crew are very knowledgeable about the species that nest along our coastline.

The next big event (potentially) was in February 1983, when we organised a trip out of Alexandra Dock in Hull to greet the North Sea ferry Norland on her return to her home port after being involved in the Falklands war as a troop carrier. Berths were organised, tickets printed, bookings taken and Belle sailed to Hull and moored in Albert Dock waiting for her big day. Once again, Mother Nature stepped in to spoil our plans. A storm force westerly wind prevented Belle from even leaving Albert Dock to get to Alexandra Dock! A frantic few hours ensued telephoning passengers to inform them of the cancelled trip. In an ironic twist of fate, the Norland couldn’t dock either, and ended up taking shelter in Bridlington Bay. The best laid plans...

1987 saw the most radical change to the structure of the Yorkshire Belle when the canvas awning to her stern was replaced with a steel roof. The plans were drawn up by a firm of marine architects and submitted to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (as the Board of Trade became) for approval. The work was done by the skilled craftsmen at Hepworth Shipyard in Paull and stability tests undertaken in the River Humber and Hull Marina. We took great care to retain the profile and shape of the vessel while providing protection from the elements for our passengers during spells of inclement weather. As you have probably gathered by now, the weather is a massive deal for pleasure cruisers and something that we have absolutely no control over. The solid roof provided a sheltered area for 100 passengers but incorporated into the design were removable windows so that if the sunshine did decide to grace us with her presence, we could still offer open deck space for everyone to soak up the rays.

In 1995 after jumping through many hoops and after an absence of thirty years, the Yorkshire Belle sailed back into Scarborough bringing passengers on a day trip from Brid. The M.V. Coronia sailed the other way from Scarborough to Bridlington and as the boats crossed at sea there was always much waving and blowing of hooters. The passengers had a leisurely two and a half hour cruise along the coast, a couple of hours or so in Scarborough to have fish’n’chips, an ice cream or just a stroll along the front, finishing with a lovely cruise home, arriving in time for supper. Twelve years later, yes twelve years, EU guidance came out that said we were unable to sail more than 15 nautical miles from a port of refuge. However, someone in a higher up position in the UK government, rewrote that to mean we were unable to sail more than 15 nautical miles from our port of departure instead. No amount of lobbying, meetings or trips to London or support from our MP and MEP could budge the Minister for Transport, who just kept sending us yet another copy of their rules. (we had enough to decorate a small room at one point!) So once again we could only gaze across the six miles from Filey bay to Scarborough knowing that we were not allowed to cross that vast unsafe distance anymore.

Peter’s son, Sam, literally born to a life on the ocean wave, also has a love for the Yorkshire Belle. He grew up learning the ropes you might say and spent every free hour on board with his Dad and the crew. He was gaining in experience, just waiting until he was old enough to qualify for his Skippers ticket. Sam took the necessary training and exams and gained his Boat Masters licence in 2011 and became a fully-fledged skipper of the Yorkshire Belle and also the youngest qualified Boatmaster of the Yorkshire Belle (you have to be 21 to take the exams). He did leave Bridlington, briefly, to spend five months in Portsmouth working hard and intensively to gain his offshore yachtmaster licence. However, Yorkshire called and instead of Bermuda or the Bahamas, Sam returned to Bridlington and his beloved Yorkshire Belle.

Every year, the Yorkshire Belle has to be lifted out of the water for her annual MCA inspection and survey to make sure everything is still patent and in tip-top condition for her to earn her passenger certificate for another year. Every autumn/winter she sails to Hull, she always used to go to Hepworth Shipyard at Paull on the banks of the River Humber until they closed in 2014. Since then we have taken her to Dean’s Marine on the River Hull. The owner, John Dean is a very knowledgeable guy, and definitely someone you NEED to know if you own a boat.

There was great excitement the first time we went up to Dean’s Yard as Belle hadn’t sailed up the River Hull since 1951 when she returned to Grovehill at Beverley to be re-engined. To get up the River Hull, Belle has to sail through five bridges. A small footpath bridge comes first. Traffic is disrupted on the A63 to go through Myton Bridge, then people can ride the swing bridge at Scale Lane finally, traffic waits for us to pass Drypool and North Bridges until she reaches the lock gates at the entrance to Dean’s at Lime Street. As she travels the River Hull, Belle passes another Cook, Welton & Gemmell vessel, the preserved trawler, Arctic Corsair, you can see the same distinctive hull shape and the beautiful, flared bows.

Year on year, Belle has a routine. Sail to Hull for annual survey, maintenance, maintenance, maintenance - there’s a lot of paint and varnish to renew every year and those Gardner marine engines... you could eat your dinner off those cylinder heads! Sail the season from Bridlington out along the stunning Heritage Coast to view birdlife and geological wonders that you can’t see anywhere else in England.

Sometimes we venture further afield on special charters. One time we went up to Teeside to take a group of dignitaries and engineers to view a new wind farm off Redcar. Another box of hoops to jump through with the authorities, but we are the only vessel working on the east coast of England with a large enough passenger capacity to do these trips. We undertake trips for the Children’s University, from Kingston-Upon-Hull up the River Humber. These take inner city kids on educational trips to show them the potential for employment, further education and history made real. It gives them a different perspective of their city that they otherwise might not see. Very rewarding when you get a bunch of handwritten letters saying thank you and what a wonderful time they’ve had.

Our bird and wildlife cruises are becoming ever more popular in the wake of “Nature Tourism” especially with the increase in sightings of dolphins, porpoises and sometimes even large whales and basking sharks.

Some of our most popular cruises are when we have the chance to sail out to greet passing cruise ships. We watch the scheduled itineraries of the major cruise lines and if any should be doing round Britain cruises, they invariably pass by Flamborough Head. We have sailed alongside the QE2, Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth and Britannia (she was on her Maiden round Britain cruise) Obviously we were dwarfed by these enormous cruise ships but to be in such close proximity to these behemoths was exciting and exhilarating to say the least.

For many years during the 1990’s, the Yorkshire Belle tendered to cruise ship Vistamar. The German owned vessel came to Bridlington as a connection for York. Belle would collect passengers from the Vistamar anchored in the bay and bring them to Bridlington Harbour where they were collected by luxury coaches for the trip to York for a day of sightseeing. On their return, Belle would ferry them back to the Vistamar for their evening meal and onward journey. The captain of the Vistamar for many of her visits was Captain Kruger and he loved to come aboard the Yorkshire Belle and use a “proper” ship’s wheel, not a joystick lever such as was on the Vistamar. He always said we were the best tender in the world! He loved Bridlington and always remarked that it reminded him of his favourite little Italian port.

 It’s always been a tradition to have musicians on board the pleasure cruisers in Bridlington. When Peter and Roy bought Belle they inherited an accordion player, Mick Freeman from Connonly, near Skipton. “Squeezebox” Mick, as he was known, used to visit Brid for his holidays every summer and spend all day on the boat playing his accordion and encouraging the passengers to join in, singing all the old favourites. Mick was quite a character and lots of the passengers would come for a cruise just because he was playing. Mick used to play at the Black Swan pub in Gargrave near where he lived and we once surprised him by hiring a minibus and going on a crew night out just to see him.

Jim Eldon, the Brid Fiddler, well known on the folk music circuit spent many summers playing on board. He wrote songs especially for Belle that were very amusing and again got the passengers joining in. Jim retired in 2013 after 35 years.

When the Flamborian was still in Bridlington the musicians would often jump from one ship to the other and get an extra cruise in as they played for tips. Mick always said it provided his holiday spending money.

At one time we also used to anchor in the bay over low water then ferry passengers out to Belle on two big rowing boats. There used to be a large sand bank just outside the harbour mouth that meant we were stuck in the harbour for longer than we liked on big tides so the ferry boats were the perfect solution to enable us to carry on cruising. The passengers also enjoyed it as part of an adventure. Obviously, health and safety would have a field day nowadays but you know, we never lost anyone, never injured anyone and to our knowledge never scared anyone!

For many years in the mid-eighties, Rolly Rollinson organised the Harbour Gala, a charity event that used to take over the harbour for a Saturday in August. The boats, shops and the pleasure cruisers used to get involved, dressing up as pirates or in full merchant navy uniforms. There were competitions such as a greasy pole event, a raft race, best dressed trawler parade, kids fancy dress and a kids fishing competition. The entrance fees and collecting buckets raised money for local charities including the RNLI. Our crew would have a shoreman pretending to be upset about working conditions and threatening to start a mutiny. To the great amusement of the passengers waiting to set off on a cruise the mutineer would be made to walk the plank!

The gala culminated on the Saturday evening with the main event. This was a mock sea battle between the Yorkshire Belle and the Flamborian. Both vessels would be dressed with lights in the shape of a battle ship and sail out into the bay where there would be a massive fireworks display from the decks of both boats. The audience would line the piers and seafront and the oohs and aahs could be heard above the noise of the fireworks. The event as a whole was stopped when health and safety rules were tightened. A shame as a lot of fun was missed and the charities were a little poorer too.

Many celebrations have taken place on board Belle. We are a popular choice for businesses to have their staff outings or team building events, great for companies wanting something different. We have also held weddings aboard the boat. Unfortunately, we’re not allowed to be licensed for marriages. Therefore, couples get married at the registry office or church, then join us for a celebration when the Captain is prevailed upon to officiate. Our first wedding was back in 1991, Miss Amanda Hutchinson and Mr Paul Backhouse tied the knot officially before tying it again boat style. They visit often to remember the happy event.

We had a big party in 1987 for Belles 40th anniversary. We had a bigger party for her 50th and 60th birthdays. Then, when her 70th came around, we had to have two parties to fit everyone in! Civic dignitaries, crew past and present, family, friends and passengers all eager to be a part of the history of this grand old lady. Speaking of which, she is on the National Register of Historic Ships (certificate number 440 if you fancy a look)

Roy retired from the business in 2013 but still remains an important cog in the Yorkshire Belle. It’s very difficult to leave her, you see. Sam became the new partner in the business with his Dad and is gradually taking over the running of the boat, giving Peter the chance of semi-retirement (please don’t let him be home ALL the time though! - thanks, Mrs R.)

As tastes and choices alter for how people spend their leisure time, Sam and his partner Jodie have organised and run a number of very enjoyable and successful cruises. Cocktail cruises with a New York trained mixologist onboard creating magic in a glass while you enjoy the spectacular scenery. Gin cruises, with a well-researched menu of drinks, mixers and additions to enhance any sunset over the bay. A bar is set up on the after deck for these special cruises, a menu is produced for the different, delicious drinks and then all you have to do is decide which ones you’d like to try. A beer festival or two is always a good idea and they have proved to be a popular event. We try to use local brews or at least Yorkshire produced beers. Our good friends Steve and Avril at East Yorkshire Beer have been instrumental in the success of the beer festivals and arrive with their pumps and kegs and welcoming smiles and we always have a great session. (we like to add a visiting beer or two, brews from the Purple Moose Brewery in Porthmadog, North Wales are always welcome)

We have our own saloon bar below deck that has a wide selection of draught and bottled beers, spirits, wines and soft drinks. If you don’t fancy any of that we can always make a cup of tea or coffee and if you’re lucky there’s hot chocolate. It’s always worth a visit to the bar as there are some interesting photographs of Belle lining the walls.

Last year, we spent the winter months working and spending money to make Belle even more suited to the “new” cruises. All these things take a lot of hard graft and dedication and we were all set to do it all again in 2020. Two weeks away from our first cruise of the season, all certificated up and ready to go, COVID 19 struck!

In June 2019 we launched a Crowdfunding campaign for donations towards the replacement of the cushions on the boat. We had been wanting to replace them for a lot of years, but unexpected essential maintenance always seemed to crop up and scupper our plans. Our wonderful passengers dug deep, and we managed to raise £2310 via online donations and a further £435 in cash donations. We were so grateful for all the help and we set about trying to find an upholsterer who could make the new cushions for us. We spent most of the rest of the year fruitlessly waiting for people to get back to us. In March 2020 we had finally got a company to come to measure up and give us a quote. Unfortunately, COVID-19 foiled our plans once more. So, the money is still sat there in a separate account waiting for the cushions to be made.

2020 has been a big blip in the story of the M.V. Yorkshire Belle as it is the first year that she hasn’t carried passengers through the summer since she arrived in 1947. This year she has made three trips covering just 40 nautical miles. These were maintenance trips with only crew aboard to keep everything working as it should.

Peter and Sam have been making sure Belle is safe and sound in her winter berth, carrying on with the maintenance jobs and generally keeping her in operational condition in the hope that we can find a way to start sailing again in 2021....

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