The aim of this project is to restore Dorana, the last surviving traditional fishing boat, built in the Essex village of Tollesbury. She was built in 1939 as a Leigh Cockle Bawley by Drake Brothers (Tollesbury) Ltd and is a vessel of pitch pine construction with a BMC diesel engine. She fished until 1956, when she was converted into a leisure vessel.
Alongside passing on traditional boat building skills to a new generation, the project will research the diverse and extensive maritime history of Tollesbury, that stretches from Roman salt making to the America's Cup. Run by Tollesbury Maritime Heritage C.I.C., the project will engage many different members of the community through participation in group activities during the restoration and research stages. When complete, the vessel will be available for use by the community and groups such as the scouts and sailing club, teaching traditional sailing and fishing techniques.
After a successful crowdfunding campaign, Dorana arrived back in Tollesbury, where she was built 84 years earlier on the 22nd of August 2023. She was taken off the lorry that brought her down from Eyemouth in Scotland and put down on blocks, less than 50 yards from where she had been built.
Over the following bank holiday weekend a team of over 40 volunteers, from the village and further afield, turned up to scrape, caulk, fill, sand, paint and share stories. By Tuesday, she was ready and with the help of Tollesbury Marina, Dorana was launched and floated over to her mud berth. She has taken up well after her three years ashore and the pumps are running a lot less now. This should give the Tollesbury Maritime Heritage CIC some time to secure the funding needed to restore her and run the accompanying projects looking into her and the village's shared histories.
Tollesbury Maritime Heritage CIC has received a grant of £800 from the National Historic Ships UK in February 2024 as part of the Strategic Developement Fund. It was supported by Winter & Co Marine Ltd and paid for a professional survey of Dorana to be carried out by Brian Kennell, a local boat builder and marine surveyor. He put together a scheme of work that will help the CIC apply for future funding for the restoration project.
This September the Tollesbury Maritime Heritage Community Interest Company put on an exhibition of archive photographs depicting our village's maritime heritage. It was in one of the sheds on the yard where Dorana was built and was really successful, with over 700 people visiting during the weekend it was on, many sharing their personal stories and salty tales.
Find out more:
crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-save-dorana
Follow them on social media:
