Sand Swift

[sandboatgirl]

Hi there,

I was a Cook Steward on the Sand Swift 1979 - 1980.

Does anyone know what happened to the Swift? Great to hear that the Weaver and the Serin are still on the go.

SBG

[billyboy]

Hi Sandboatgirl. I cant help you with news on the swift. However I am sure someone will be along with the information you seek soon.
Did a bit on the sandboats myself with the Martin and the Star but that was back in 62/3

[duquesa]

Sandboatgirl, I seem to have lost your post re the female engineer on the Sand Serin and my reply. To your question, the girl was Sue North and I knew her well prior to her going to sea. She had a fascinating life prior to that. I also knew her husband, Pete North who was a Littlehampton Pilot before transferring to the Essex Rivers with Trinity House. I lost contact with her many years ago but last heard she had remarried and was happily farming chickens somewhere in the South West.

[sandboatgirl]

Thanks for that Duquesa. I am amazed that I have found someone who knew Sue.

SBG

[duquesa]

Knew her and her 'then' hubby very well and had some great times with them.
She was the engineer on the 'All Female" expedition to the Atrato Swamp in Venezuela. Some hair raising stories came out of that.

[Stevie B]

Here are a couple of pics of the Swift, one going into Newhaven and the other is down in the Canneries/Portugul/Maderia ?, as the Atlantareia which she was named in 2004. She was down in Penzance in the late 90's and converted from a stick to a trailing dredger.

As for the Serin she hasn't worked this year and is laid up in Middlesbrough, although she has supposed to have been sold, for scrap or further trading i dont know.
The Swan is laid up in Liverpool for sale and the Skua, now the Norstone is still trading around the Solent/South Coast.

I sailed on the Swan and Swift in the 70's, the only Skipper I can remember in Gordon Ford, the Skua and Serin skipper I can remember are Dave Sampson, went to work on Red Funnel, now retired.

Up untill last year i worked on the Norstone for a few years

[bluefish]

mv Atlanticareia ex Sand Swift operates at St.Michael island, Azores She is registered at Ponta Delgada and had portuguese flag.