Family's art exhibition celebrates stories of beloved yacht

Filming for the project on board Kirsty.

As the Law family finally bid farewell to beloved yacht Kirsty after 25 years, they knew they were just a small part of the boat’s history.

The family of artists decided to combine their various talents in a new project celebrating their fond memories of sailing round Scotland’s coast, but also the other stories woven into the fabric of the vessel in the course of over 100 years at sea.

Pat, Kirsty, Mhairi and Andy Law are behind new exhibition GAFFER: Impressions from a Loch Fyne Skiff, newly unveiled at the Scottish Maritime Museum.

It captures the spirit of the yacht and all those who have sailed upon her, and how, just like a listed building, ships contain multitudes of memories.

“We always said we’d keep her until her 100th birthday, but we couldn’t part with her,” Pat said. “She was 102 when we eventually sold her, and she’s now on her way elsewhere.

“For most of my art projects, Kirsty’s been the hub and there had to be a final one and that was GAFFER.

“Maybe because it was the last project, I started delving a wee bit deeper and thinking about what it is with this boat and those like it that’s so special.

“I started looking at how they’ve affected our collective memory. We still use all these phrases like loose cannon, as the crow flies, make ends meet and there’s thousands of them straight from nautical terms that we’re not even aware we’re using.

“They’re definitely part of our cultural identity, whether we’re aware of it or not. I think that’s worth preserving. The exhibition is a hotchpotch of that and our personal experiences over the years.”

Kirsty has sailed tens of thousands of miles across her lifetime, from the Clyde to the Caribbean, Mediterranean and beyond.

She started life in 1921, constructed by the Fyfe boatbuilding family on the Isle of Bute.

The boat building team at Fyfe's on the Isle of Bute, circa 1920s. — The boat building team at Fyfe’s on the Isle of Bute, circa 1920s.

Believed to be their first venture into yachts, the design was based on Loch Fyne Skiffs – ring-net fishing boats of the late 19th century, equipped with a sail and engine.

Her first owner was engineer David Marr Mowat, the General Manager of Summerlee Ironworks in Coatbridge, and she went through various owners over the decades to follow before the Laws bought her.

The exhibition celebrates all the lives that she has passed through, and how her owners have been merely custodians of a treasured vessel.

“Boats are just basically planks,” Pat said. “They may be beautifully designed, but it’s people that build and sail them.”

A find in a treasure trove of documents and photographs left by previous owners resulted in a short film for the exhibition.

It features a voiceover reading out letters from the late 1980s written by Jean Hunter, the last remaining survivor of the Fyfe family, to Kirsty’s then owners Peter and Fran Flutter.

“She played on the boat with the kids of the people who commissioned her and went sailing with them,” Pat explained.

“Peter and Fran sailed back to Bute to see where she was built but nobody told Jean, so she never got her last opportunity to see Kirsty.

“It was quite heartbreaking. The poor old soul was sitting in her house just along the road from where Kirsty was. The letters are quite poignant so had to be included in the show.”

Many happy memories have been made on board.

The exhibition has been a real family affair, reflecting the Laws’ fond memories of special moments aboard the vessel, often exposed to the elements on the open deck.

It weaves together Pat’s vision as lead artist with work from Mhairi, a photographer, Andy’s technical skills and Kirsty’s musical compositions based on the boat she coincidentally shares a name with.

“I had it all in the family.” Pat said. “I didn’t have to look too far.

“Mhairi works with medium format photography, which has a beautiful quality and lends itself to taking photos of boats.

“Kirsty writes poetry and songs so combined that with sound recordings we’ve made over the 25 years to do a piece based on our experiences.

“Andy did all the technical stuff because I’ve got ideas coming out my ears and I needed him to build stuff for this and that and also to pack up the canvases.

“The large ones are made out of peat and salt, because Kirsty was as much of the land as she was of the sea and I’ve got these two elements together.”

The exhibition title, GAFFER, comes from the colloquial term for boats with a gaff sailing rig like Kirsty’s.

A display of photographs old and new, as well as drawings, film, sound recordings and artefacts, it is open at the Scottish Maritime Museum in Irvine until February.

An image of Kirsty captured by Mhairi Law, which features in the exhibition.

Eva Bukowska, Exhibitions and Events Officer, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome the Law family and host GAFFER.

“As well as telling the history of our vessels, we always look to dive deeper to explore the rich stories of the people – the shipbuilders, engineers, inventors and sailors – behind them.

“GAFFER with its exploration of Kirsty’s rich maritime and social history is a wonderful addition to our exhibition programme and will appeal to visitors of all ages and interests.”

GAFFER: Impressions from a Loch Fyne Skiff is on display at the Scottish Maritime Museum, Linthouse, Irvine Harbourside until February 2025