Ship will be launched Schooner or later
BBC News ~ 5th May 2001
Another attempt is due to be made today to lift an historic schooner onto the River Torridge at Bideford. The original launch of the Kathleen and May had to be postponed.
The Kathleen and May is one of the fifty most important historic ships in Britian. During her heyday, she shipped goods between Bideford and Ireland. The 100 year old vessel has been lovingly restored over many months at Brunswick Wharf in Bideford at a cost of three quarters of a million pounds and is ready to grace the water. But it's proved more difficult than anticipated.
The largest mobile crane in the world was hired to lift the schooner onto the River in March but it broke down. Now, another massive crane has been brought in from Germany to complete the operation.
Large crowds are expected to gather to watch the launch at sometime between four and six o'clock this evening.