Last chance to save 1926 Looe Lugger White Heather

The Canal & River Trust is seeking expressions of interest from any parties who may have an interest in saving an historic Cornish Lugger White Heather.  

Built c. 1926 by Richard Pearce at East Looe, White Heather is a 40ft wooden top and hull sailing fishing vessel.  The boat is currently lying ashore in Gloucester having been recovered from a state of abandonment in the Docks.

First owned by the four Thomas brothers at Mevagissey, but later fished out of Falmouth for various owners before being laid up on moorings in the Fal.  She was converted back to sail in the 1980s and then used to operate sailing trips from Fowey.

In 1992, she was bought and underwent an extensive restoration by the late Mike Mackay-Lewis, with the help of Paul Greenwood, author of “Once aboard a Cornish Lugger”, and current chairman of the Cornish Lugger Association.  She was stripped down to her bare hull, many planks and the transom was renewed, using over 1,200 galvanised fastenings.  As recently as 2003 she sailed from Cornwall to Morocco and Brazil, returning to the UK via Caribbean but sadly in recent years has been left in a sorry state of repair. 

As a vessel of considerable heritage value, the Trust are very interested to hear from anybody who may have an interest and capacity to give White Heather a new home and to restore her. The Trust have been seeking a suitable new home for several months and have so far received very little interest.  There is now a very real possibility that if a suitable new home cannot be found in the next month this historic vessel will have to be destroyed.  As this is now the last hope to save the vessel from destruction, the Canal and River Trust are reaching out to any interested parties with a final plea for any reasonable offer as last chance to help save White Heather. 

White Heather has been inspected this week (as of 25 July 2024) and is able to be transported by road if required.  

See the online advert with many more images: 
www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/boat/1926-sailboat-fishing-boat-'white-heather'-9284007/

Further history and spec: 
www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk/register/2128/white-heather

Please email Brian Clarke Brian@commercialboatservices.co.uk for more information or to arrange a viewing.