Ethel von Brixham (1890 Brixham Trawler)
www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk/register/2705/ethel-von-brixham
Location: Kiel, Germany
Price: €10,000 (negotiable)
The Brixham trawler Ethel von Brixham is seeking a new custodian, or she may be scrapped by the end of 2025. Currently laid up in Kiel, Germany, she was successfully operating as a charter sail vessel in the Baltic until September 2024 when her German safety certificate expired.
After nearly 30 years of ownership, the owners are unable to afford the costs of upgrading her to new German government safety regulations and are therefore seeking a new custodian for Ethel. Hoping that the ship can be saved, the owners have decided to offer Ethel to a person or organisation who appreciates her history and can ensure she has a future as an operational historic vessel. If someone is able to take Ethel before May this year, and takes care of all related costs (transport etc), the owner is happy to give her away for a small negotiable lump sum of only €10,000.
History
Built in 1890 at the shipyard of J & W Upham, Brixham, originally as Lily and Ethel, she operated from Lowestoft in the North Sea fisheries for her first two years. In 1906 she went to Sweden and was subsequently used as a fishing vessel in Bohuslan, Norway, until 1927, when bought by the Sævlandsvik Partrederi in Kopervik, Norway and renamed Salvøy. She fished from Norway for several decades.
By 1981 she was in Germany, being converted by then owners Eckhard Clemens and Annette Pipahl from a motor vessel to an oceangoing staysail schooner. She has been registered in Kiel, Germany, since 1986, and has sailed the Baltic ever since, used for weekend trips, week-long voyages, and day trips. In 2011 the rig was changed to be more like the original Brixham trawler. The high-rigged mainsail was retained, the fisherman and staysail (both between the masts) were replaced by a gaff sail, and the jib was made smaller and designed as a boom jib.
In regular service, the ship has cabins for up to 12 crew, and on day trips she can accommodate up to 35 passengers. Her name has changed numerous times over the decades, from her original name of Lily & Ethel; then Lilly & Ethel; Salvøy; Bas; Lønning; Ethel, and finally Ethel von Brixham, named in 1996 by her current owners.
Ethel has appeared on screen in the German language 1997 film adaptation of the Gunter Grass novel The Rat, and more recently in the Guy Ritchie film The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024).
In 2023, Ethel was moved from Kiel to Turkey on a cargo ship, to be used for filming of the above. To get all parties agreeing to the project, the British surveyor Tony Tucker examined the ship ashore prior to shipment. His survey report is available for would-be owners to read.
Condition:
In 2019, Ethel received a German Safety Certificate valid for 5 years. Including requirements according to new safety-rules plus requirements according to expiry-dates of equipment. Despite the pandemic, the owners finished this period successfully. However, when this period ended in September 2024, the owners knew that they would not get a new certificate without completing all items from German governmental requirements plus several items on their own working list. This adds up to an uneconomical amount, and the owners are now at an age where they cannot carry out the work themselves. Ethel is still in acceptable shape but needs a major refurbishment. Equipment, navigational and safety equipment are still on board. The engine and generator are running well.
Dimensions:
Length: 30.00 m, Width: 5.90 m, Draught: 2.90 m, Sail Area: 400 m²
Capacity:
Overnight stay: 12 persons, Day passengers: 36 persons
Internal structure & extras:
4 x 2 person cabins, 1 x 4 person cabins
1 Shower, 1 toilet
Gas stove with 4 flames, Oven, Fridge
Central heating system
Contact:
For more images of Ethel, please see her vessel record. For a copy of her 2023 condition report, more information, or to contact the owner, please email info@nationalhistoricships.org.uk
Zone
Europe