By Caroline Oswald
On the first day of his boat-building apprenticeship at the age of 16, my dad could have
hardly predicted that he would continue to employ his skills over seven decades later. After a
lifelong love affair with boats, both building and sailing them, North Shields-born Peter Irving
decided to pick up the tools again in his 80s to finally build the boat that he had designed
and built as a model 30 years previously.
After putting together the Northumbrian lugger in kit form in his attic, Peter had to take the
vessel apart to reassemble it and complete the process in a purpose-built boat shed in his
back yard. This is where the project started bringing together the canny folk of North Shields,
whether helping to build the shed, move the boat into different positions, sourcing and
supplying materials and equipment or simply just offering support and encouragement along
the way.
Six years later in the summer of 2024, the boat was finally finished, painted and adorned
with her name, Veronica, after my late mother. A pre-launch party was held for the people of
Shields to come and admire the beautifully built craft. They arrived in abundance, an
indication of the rarity of such craftsmanship in this day and age.
The following Friday, on 23rd of August, it was time for the long-awaited launch. Ernie Scott,
an active member of the North Shields community who was recently featured in ILNS for his
Master Musicians International venture, had introduced Peter to his cousin, Derek, former
Commodore of Coquet Yacht Club. This experienced yachtsman provided much support and
expertise and the day could not have gone ahead without him.
The day before we were horrified to learn about the impending arrival of Storm Lilian, with
weather warnings of high winds and floods in the region. However, the weather was
predicted to calm after the morning, so we went ahead and departed from North Shields at
around midday, with Derek taking as many people as possible in his Landrover and towing
Veronica on a trailer behind. Others followed in several cars on the journey to Amble, where
my dad has fond memories of sailing in the past.
Everyone gathered on the banks of the River Coquet, with beautiful views towards
Warkworth and out to sea. There was a celebratory mood as we enjoyed refreshments on
the grass and waited for the tide to come in. Suddenly Veronica was being pushed down the
slipway and I was asked to jump in to balance the weight! Before I knew it I was handed a
life jacket and my dad was pouring a bottle over the bow, proclaiming: “I name this ship:
Veronica! May God bless her and all who sail in her!”
He then came aboard along with me, Derek and our friend, Regine, and off we went, rowing
further up river. We were soon zipping along with the wind in our faces, thanks to the
last-minute addition of an outboard motor. Peter was at the bow with Derek steering from the
stern, happily confirming that Veronica “sits and responds beautifully in the water.” As we
sped at a rate of five knots towards Warkworth Castle, we admired the wildlife including
swans and oyster catchers. After going out again with my friend, Jan, to reminisce about the
times we’d had as children in Amble on my dad’s previous boat, Bee, it was time to hitch
Veronica back up and take her home.
The fun did not stop upon our return to North Shields. Ernie had organised for two renowned
concert pianists, Tyler Hay and Mark Viner, to hold a special recital to celebrate the launch of
Veronica. As always, they put on a spectacular show, performing several “piano four hands”
duets, with both of them playing the piano at the same time. They were delighted to
accompany us all afterwards to continue the celebrations at the Seven Stars pub, where
others who could not attend the launch were waiting to congratulate Peter on his
achievement. The pub locals finally had the answer to the question they had constantly been
asking him for the past six years: “When’s the launch, Peter?”
You would think that my father would now want a rest after all this as he approaches 90, but
this is not the end of the story for Veronica. The next stage is to install a mast, sails and
rigging. Who knows what adventures await!
