When Edward Welch read a story about the launching of a boat in the 1860s in Bailey?s Bay, his heart skipped a beat.

He just knew that his grandfather, Alester Gibbons, had been involved in its construction.

Unfortunately, his grandfather?s name wasn?t in the article. The piece, about the launching of the brigantine appeared in an article entitled ?The Harvest Queen? written by Jill Pollock.

Mr. Welch feels that his grandfather?s name would not have figured heavily in any records of the event, because Alester was mixed race, part Native American and part white, and people of colour in those days were rarely given credit for their work.

?I want this story to be told, because it will give people a spiritual uplift,? said Mr. Welch. ?No doubt the launching of the on March 8, 1860, I feel, was one of the best maritime stories in Bermuda.?

According to Ms Pollock, the launching of thefrom Joyce?s Dock in Hamilton Parish was a co-operative effort of the Bailey?s Bay community. Having their own ship, allowed the local farmers to trade their crops with foreign ports more cost-effectively.

? was to be the pride and joy of one particular group of people ? the close knit, self reliant community of Bailey?s Bay,? wrote Ms Pollock.

Neighbours contributed cedar trees from their properties to construct the , while anyone with carpentry skills was put to work.

According to Ms Pollock?s research, carpenters worked for four shillings a day. After 100 days hard labour they received a single share in the ship. One of the largest shareholders was Nicholas McCallan from St. George?s.

When the was finished, it was a two-masted brigantine, 83 feet long. For a time she carried an eagle on the bow, but that was washed away and then replaced with a queenly figure. She was first sailed by Captain Henry Hollis.

The was lost almost exactly ten years after it was first launched in a snow storm off the coast of the United States. It was carrying a cargo of wine and salt. Luckily the crew were rescued.

Mr. Welch?s grandfather was a master carpenter, and he believes he probably cut his teeth on the .

?My grandfather?s parents were Pernice Walburn and Robert Gibbons,? Mr. Welch said. ?They were married in 1843. Pernice was a full-blooded Cherokee Indian.

?They had eight children, four girls and four boys.

?Their third son, Alester Gibbons was my maternal grandfather.

?Their eldest son, Robert Thomas inherited 25 acres of property including Joyce?s Dock and what is now the Grotto Bay property right to the border of Coney Island. My grandfather would have been 15 years old when the was built, capable of helping in such a project.?

Some carpenters? names that are recorded include Downing Outerbridge, Benjamin Outerbridge, W.J. Outerbridge, Joseph Outerbridge, Oscar Wilkinson, John Outerbridge and S.R. Wilkinson.

The large number of Outerbridges involved may be the concrete evidence that the Gibbons family were also involved. All four of Alester?s sisters married into the Outerbridge family.

During an interview with , Mr. Welch brought out a tall cedar stool crafted by his grandfather, kept lovingly in mint condition.

?Isn?t it beautiful?? said Mr. Welch proudly. ?It was probably used to hold a fern, or something like that. My grandfather was a cabinet maker. He was a master craftsman.?

Mr. Welch?s grandfather had 12 children and lived in a homestead near the Swizzle Inn. It still stands and has long been sold to another family.

The love of carpentry has been passed down in the family. One of Alester Gibbons sons Arthur (Skins) Gibbons was a boat builder at Crawl Hill, and Mr. Welch himself is a retired carpenter and boatbuilder.

?I always wanted to be a shipwright,? said Mr. Welch. ?I was always interested in boats. I learned my carpentry trade down in St. George?s with Richard & Trott a small contractor. In 1953 when the bases were in progress and they were building a base hospital I went there to get a job.?

For a brief time, however, Mr. Welch?s life took an unexpected turn when he was sent to the United States to study music.

?I wanted to increase my education,? he said. ?At that time I was in the male voice choir at St. John?s Church. We went on a tour of New York City. William L. King who used to be the accompanist, heard my voice.

?He thought I had potential as a concert tenor.

?So I had to go to high school out there. We didn?t have any money but it was a great experience. I used to go to the metropolitan opera house. I went to prep school in New York City. I really enjoyed my visit there.?

He said he worked ?like mad? to get an academic diploma. When he returned, there was still carpentry work to be had on the military bases.

?The base was still thriving when I returned,? he said.

?I worked like mad down there. Then I got married. I worked on the King Edward VII Memorial new wing for a company called Cape Canadian in 1963.

?There are some solid doors that I put in down there. They were really heavy to put in, but I think they are still there.?