The last traditional wooden boat builder in Salcombe has retired after 55 years, with a sail past of his creations.

Mike Atfield retired after building traditional wooden boats and Salcombe yawls for more than half a century, spending all of his career, minus eight months, working on Island Street.

To give him a proper send off, a sail past of some of the 121 boats, including some of the 30 Salcombe Yawls, he has built battled the weather to sail up the estuary and past his workshop. A reception in their honour was held later at the Salcombe Yacht Club.

Mike started as an apprentice at Edgar Cove Boat Builders on Island Street for five years, before working on Whitestrand for eight months. This was the only time he was away from Island Street, opening his own small workshop in the centre and then moving to his current location in 1974.

His wife Jean came onboard twenty years ago, taking on the job of decorating and painting the boats as Mike built them, “I hate painting and varnishing”, Mike admits. It’s not just boats that Mike has created either, he also made cannon carriages for Britannia Royal Naval College.

Talking about the process of building boats, Mike said: “We start with drawings, designing the boat with the clients and we took them all the way through to launching the boat out of the back of the workshop.” When asked if that moment was daunting, he laughed that he had “never had one sink”.

“We built up relationships with the owners, we would email photos of the progress as we went along so they had the experience of seeing it being created.

“One of our customers used to regularly buy Maseratis straight from the shop, but he said the experience of us building his boat was more intense, more special.

“They could choose the shape of the hull and where the seating goes. As long as it didn’t interfere with the integrity of the boat, they could have what they wanted.”

Talking about the sail past in his honour, Mike said: “It was amazing that all the owners got together to do this. You don’t realise that you’re affecting people. We’ve been building our boats, but I thought we were invisible. Since I’ve retired I’ve had lots of people wish me well.

“You don’t realise the impact you have on other people. It was very humbling.

“I feel quite guilty about retiring, I feel responsible being the last one in Salcombe, but you can’t go on forever.

“There are people in Salcombe who can build wooden boats, but they prefer the short-term repairs rather than the long-term projects. It used to take about eight months to build one of my boats, but I enjoyed the process.”

Mike handed the keys to the workshop over on Monday, July 31, and the new owner is keeping it as a workshop. He also owns one of Mike’s boats, which will be kept there. “It was born there and it is going to live there. It’s a nice circle” said Mike.

Mike and Jean now intend to spend their retirement gardening, walking and Mike wants to focus on his passion for photography. He said they’re not really ones for holidays, and are always “glad to get back to Salcombe”.