FOR years the last iron-hulled four-masted sailing ship of her kind has languished in foreign waters, embroiled in a wrangle over her ownership and upkeep while her hull has slowly rotted.
It might have been far easier to drag the Falls of Clyde out of Honolulu Harbour to be scuttled at sea.
Instead, in a remarkable display of passion for her once graceful lines, deep pride in her Scottish roots and sheer determination it seems the Port Glasgow-built vessel is now within touching distance of what would be a triumphant return to the waters of the Clyde.
According to David O’Neill, who leads Save Falls of Clyde International, the 266ft, four-masted iron-hulled former workhorse of the seas, could be home in time for next year’s COP26 environmental gathering – a poignant return for a vessel which once used nothing other than the power of the wind and forces of the sea to conquer the waves.