Humber Keel and Sloop Preservation Society

The Humber Keel and Sloop Preservation Society's aim is to preserve and sail examples of the Humber Keel and Humber Sloop in their traditional waters on the River Humber.

We have two ships, the Humber Keel 'Comrade', built at New Holland in 1923, and the Humber Sloop 'Amy Howson', built at Beverley in 1914.

They 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. Both are built to a specific size known as Sheffield size, allowing them to travel through the canal system as far as the Sheffield Basin.

The two ships are part of Britain's maritime and industrial heritage, and are a part of the national collection of historic vessels.

Climb aboard and see and smell the history they carry inside. The holds are still there, which were once full of cargoes of coal, brick, market goods and even parcels weighing up to 100 tons.

The restored aft and forward cabins were used by the barge families, whose ships were their home as well as their office. Try and imagine living in such a small space, which was home to up to 4 adults and 3 children.

Amy houses a collection of maritime photographic and other memorabilia of Sloops and Keels.

The Society and its members have painstakingly restored the ships to their former glory. They are not just museum pieces, they are a living history of our area, and can often be seen sailing the River Humber and its tributary rivers – a spectacular sight when under full sail.

Additional info

There is free car parking at the Marina car park or the Hope and Anchor pub itself.

Disabled access is limited due to the historic nature of the ships: there are steps down by the lock side, and also steps giving access to the ships.