THE PRINCE OF WALES

Built by John Howard of Maldon and launched before Christmas 1887 as she was registered as CK326 on the 3rd January 1888 at Colchester.

Built for Josiah Pitt. It is said Polly cost him £70 which included the spars but the sails were usually ordered directly from Sadlers. Originally built, as many of the Maldon smacks were, with a transom stern. It is a very special trait of this port’s vessels. sadly many were converted to a counter stern. Polly had her conversion in 1922 and her wet well removed by Walter Cook and Alf Last.

Polly is believed to be named after Josiah’s wife Mary Ann Pitt ( nee Dennis). Molly/Polly was a common pet name for Mary. They had eight children, Josiah Jr, Ellen, Stafford, Ernest ,Thomas, Arthur, Walter and Ethel. Josiah died in 1912 aged 74. His son’s Ernest and Walter ( Ernie and Wal) were to continue fishing undersail for another 44 years.

Ernie and Wal Pitt retired and sold Polly to John Kemp for £200 in February 1956. Sadly the 82 year old Ernie had had a fall, slipping on the icy decks of Polly and fell to the beach below. The experience had left him shaken and was wary of going fishing incase it happened down river.

John Kemp wrote a beautiful account of this transaction in his 1983 book ‘A Fair Wind For London’ in the chapter ‘On buying a fishing smack’. He speaks of the poignant moment for both Ernie and John when they shook hands on the reluctant deal. The link through this simple fishing vessel back through the ages. When Polly was launched Queen Victoria still had 14 years to reign watched by men not long retired who could think back to “Nelson’s great victory and the rout of the French at Waterloo “.

It would be the summer of 1956 before John would actually take Polly away for a sail once the Pitts had felt they had completed all the tasks they felt were required. It must have been a very strange day for them once they really had handed her over and walked away for the last time.

Ernest died in 1957. Walter went on until 1971 at the age of 89.

To be continued..