Previews
Britain Afloat: Sailing On The Mersey (BBC-2 4 Nov 2017)
Mary-Ann Ochota discovers how sailing on the Mersey, which began with fishermen racing each other for fun, developed into a way of life for many people in the region.
She hears that while the sport now prides itself on being accessible to all, women were frequently banned from clubhouses well into the 20th century.
Many of the clubs in the region also designed their own boats, beautiful wooden craft with names like The Seabird and The Falcon – all specifically made for the Mersey waters. It led to a form of racing in which identical boats were pitted against each other. Winning was a question of skill not a question of who could afford the fastest boat.
Today with leisure now a vital part of the regeneration of the former industrial area around Liverpool, sailing for pleasure is more popular than ever, with numerous regattas held on the Mersey.
Mary-Ann takes part and experiences sailing in one of these picture-post-card boats.
Britain Afloat: Sailing On The Mersey Episode 5 (of 6) airs Saturday 4 November 2017 from 7.00pm-7.30pm 2017 on BBC Two.