Point 17

Methil Bowling Club was founded on this spot by the first ever captain of the world famous Cutty Sark. George Moodie was born in 1829 in East Wemyss. He was the third son of Alexander Moodie and Alison Thomson, and had two older brothers, (Alexander and John), one younger brother (Henry) and four younger sisters (Elizabeth, Alison, Agnes and Joan). As he grew up, he spent a lot of time with the local fishermen around West Wemyss harbour. The Cutty Sark is a British clipper ship built in 1869, designed to be one of the fastest ships of its time. It was constructed on the River Leven, Dumbarton, Scotland, by the firm of Scott & Linton for John Willis & Son. The ship was one of the last tea clippers to be built and one of the fastest, part of a time when clipper ships were an essential part of global commerce, designed for the tea trade between China and the United Kingdom. However, as the Suez Canal opened (1869) and steamships began to dominate, the era of clipper ships like the Cutty Sark was overshadowed. The Cutty Sark's first captain was George Moodie. He was a master mariner and took command of the ship for her maiden voyage in 1870. Under his captaincy, the Cutty Sark set sail from London to Shanghai, embarking on the tea trade for which she was built. Despite never winning the race to bring back the season's first tea, a highly coveted accomplishment that could significantly enhance a ship's reputation and profitability, the Cutty Sark did set remarkable records for speed and efficiency. Captain Moodie's leadership was pivotal in proving the ship's capabilities, even though the advent of steamships and the opening of the Suez Canal reduced the strategic importance of her design. Today, the Cutty Sark is preserved as a museum ship in Greenwich, London. It serves as a monument to the age of sail and Britain's maritime heritage, offering insights into the life onboard one of the world's most famous merchant clippers. Local rumour has it that before they were mega famous, The Beatles played at Methil Bowling Club! And 80s TV Tutti Frutti starting Robbie Coltrane had an episode filmed here.