Ed Rourke, The Lord Howe Island Signal
Recently, after several attempts to repair the keel on “Albatross” it was, sadly, decided to bring the boat ashore!
The Albatross was built in 1936 by Cecil Perry, who had just finished building a house and boat shed for Gerald Kirby – my father-in-law, who sadly, I never met.
The albatross was a 30-foot open launch, with enclosed bow area.
The wheelhouse was added about 1960.
When the McFadyen and Rourke families came to the Island in 1968, the boat had been unused for several years.
A visiting MSB officer recommended a young recently qualified shipwright Jim Dempsey, who subsequently came to the Island with his wife, Kaye, and the Albatross was skilfully restored.
The McFadyen and Rourke families have had approximately 50 years of enjoyment using the Albatross at sea and in the lagoon.
The boat is now resting at Pinetrees.
This article appeared in The Lord Howe Island Signal, 31 March 2021.
