The Alexandra tug ‘Salthouse’, pictured above towing the yacht ‘Britannia’ to the Mumbles Roads in 1926, was never listed as a Swansea tug, so her presence in the locality at that time is a bit of a mystery. However, two possibilities have been put forward:-

1. The yacht ‘Britannia’ might have been participating in one of the prestigious races that were a part of the now-defunct Swansea Bay Regatta. These races attracted many thousands of people to the area and, as the Alexandra Towing Company had recently established itself in Swansea, it may be that the opportunity to do a bit of ‘flag-waving’ was just too good to miss.

2. An interest in the ‘Salthouse’ may already have been expressed by the Port Talbot Harbour Pilots, and a viewing of the tug at an event such as this would have been ideal. The Port Talbot Pilotage Authority purchased the ‘Salthouse’ in 1928 for use as a pilot cutter and renamed her ‘Lady Eveline’. 

We would like to thank Ron Tovey for his assistance with this item