Song: It is claimed that the lyrics to the well-known song "Red Sails in the Sunset" were written on board Torbay Lass in 1935.

History

The "Kenya Jacaranda" is one of only five Brixham sailing trawlers still left afloat out of an original fleet of some 400 vessels. She is a gaff-rigged ketch with a total overall length of 77ft. and a registered tonnage of 31 tons, weighing over 80 tons in all.

She was built at the boatyard of R. Jackman & Sons of Brixham and originally named the 'Torbay Lass' when first registered in 1923.

At that time she was a pure sailing trawler and virtually all the available space below decks was used for sails, nets and fish. Crew quarters were spartan - to say the least.

In 1939, with her fishing days over, the ship was re-registered as the Kenya Jacaranda and converted into a 'cruising yacht'.

During the war , She escaped gunnery practice and the wrecker's yard and, since 1950, has worked to provide sail training and experience. Over 10,000 young people have been to sea under the auspices of the Mayflower Sail Training Society which operated the KJ until 2007.