She will also make a significant contribution to preserving and bringing to life Cornish and national fishing heritage in a real working environment.

The Ripple SS.19 (St Ives) is now the oldest fishing boat on the UK Fishing Vessel Register carrying her original name and fishing registry number from 1896.

For nearly four decades she fished the waters of the South West, earning a reputation as one of the most successful boats in Newlyn.

But in December 1933, shortly before she was due to depart from St Ives Harbour for the herring fishery at Plymouth, a disastrous fire broke out on board which damaged her so badly it ended her fishing career.

After repair and conversion at Looe in 1936, to a gentleman’s motor yacht, she spent over 50 years moored at Port Navas near Falmouth. 

Next month’s launch follows the completion of the main part of the Ripple’s restoration.

After floating, further work on the masts, spars, ballast and internal fittings will be carried out in Newlyn Harbour.

Then sailing, engine and fishing trials will take place to bring her into full operation.
 
Celebrations on October 12 will include Saffron buns and lemonade in the spirit of the teetotal, Methodist traditions of the1900s’ fishing community.

Owner John Lambourn said: “ The Ripple symbolises regeneration in Newlyn”.

“She is a tangible example of getting the past to work for the future, inspiring the next generation to find ways of benefiting from the richness of Newlyn’s fishing heritage and learning how the past can help shape a vision for a sustainable fishing industry ”.

“Those who have been following the Ripple’s restoration are keen see what happens next, so the challenge is to get her to earn her keep and justify the potential of these sailing fishing luggers to contribute towards the economic, environmental, social and leisure aspects of regeneration in Newlyn”.

The Ripple’s launch coincides with the start of the Newlyn Arts Festival the same weekend.

On Sunday, October 14, at 4.30pm, at the Old Quay in Newlyn, Reverend Julyan Drew, Methodist minister for Newlyn and Mousehole, will bless the lugger and the Newlyn Male Choir will perform a selection of sea and fishing songs.

For more information, contact John Lambourn on mob:078 1305 0901, home: 01736 366 868 email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it


Notes to editors:-

West Cornwall’s fishing industry at the turn of the last century boasted hundreds of tarred black luggers with their tall slender masts and dark brown barked sails. They were the pride and economic livelihood of the thriving fishing communities in West Cornwall. The boats had no engines to drive them, they depended on the wind. With effort, ingenuity and hard-earned experience boats were built, nets were made, fish were caught, cured and sold. The process of self-sufficiency inspired a close knit community to be filled with initiative and self-confidence. In their turn the schools of painters who settled here were equally inspired. What they saw they repeatedly recorded on canvas.

Newlyn Fish Industry Forum’s regeneration initiative to present the local fishing industry’s heritage created a purpose to restore the Ripple back into full seaworthy condition. Forgotten by all except a few old-timers, the Ripple was a boat, which regularly fished from Newlyn and landed its catch at the fish market up until the end of 1933. Newlyn then, as now, was the centre of the Cornwall’s fishing industry, although boats owned and registered elsewhere such as the Ripple were operated from Newlyn.

The Ripple’s story started in 1896 in St Ives where she was first registered after Henry Trevorrow had completed building her on the beach in St Ives harbour for the Barbers, a St Ives fishing family. Betsy, daughter of William Veal and head of the family was the first and only owner of the Ripple throughout her 37 years as a fishing boat. It was her sons William and Mathew who fished the Ripple.  William was the skipper and Mathew fished with him until they fell out in 1925 and could no longer fish together. As result ‘Mama’ as they called her, paid for a new 44 foot boat ‘Our John’ to be built in Porthleven for Mathew.  Not long afterwards in 1927 William had the Ripple’s length increased to 44 feet by adding ten feet in the middle at Peaks yard near the Tolcarne Inn +in Newlyn. So the Ripple became St Ives at each end and Newlyn in the middle. A new and more powerful engine was fitted at the same time.

Originally the Ripple was built for sail as a Pilchard driver. Like nearly all fishing boats of the time, engines were fitted as soon as they became available. The Ripple had her first engine, a 16 hp Kelvin, fitted during the First World War in 1915. Then fishing was relatively good, prices up and competition from the East Coast drifters down. The Ripple’s main catches were Pilchard, Mackerel and Herring all caught with drift nets according to season. Often it was necessary to go some distance to where the shoals of fish congregated. The Ripple regularly fished for herring off Plymouth during the mid-winter months. The men and their boats were versatile too so when there was no activity for drift netting they would go long-lining for other species such as Ling, Skate, Conger, Pollock, Cod and other bottom feeding fish.

The restoration has consisted of replacing almost all the 28 frames. There are new stem and stern posts, a new bow knee and deadwood, new beam shelves and stringers, completely new planking of the hull (15 planks plus two sheer strakes per side), bulwarks (5 planks per side) and deck planking (2 ½ inches thick). The deck beams, rails, hatches and deck fittings are all new. Where possible, old components, which were in good condition, were retained. These are some lower sections of the frames, some floors, the aft deadwoods and the keel, which had been replaced in 1927 when the Ripple was lengthened. The hatches, wheelhouse, rudder, masts and spars are all new. Two new 50hp Beta Marine engines are fitted driving two 18inch three bladed folding propellers.

Extensive internal fitting out to create suitable spaces for a crew of three and twelve passengers is well advanced. English Oak (in the main grown in Cornwall) has been used for all the structural components, re-cycled Pitch-pine from English China Clay buildings roof timbers for the deck, hatch coamings, skylight, wheelhouse and internal posts, Scottish Larch from Dumfries for the hull and bulwark planking, Douglas Fir (grown in Cornwall) for the stringers, masts and spars, Cornish grown Elm to repair the damaged keel at the forefoot and make rigging blocks and Cornish grown Ash for the tiller.

No tropical hardwood or plywood has been used. Structural fastenings are dump bolts of galvanised steel made up by a blacksmith at Helston and the hull planking fastened with galvanised boat nails. The hull planking has been caulked with Oakum (the fibres of the Cannabis plant soaked in Stockholm Tar) then payed-up or sealed with hot Pitch and finally tarred overall with hot Coal Tar. The rigging will be secured to eyebolts in the deck covering board bolted through the beam ends and beam shelf.  Aloft there will be two masts (foremast 47ft, mizzenmast 50ft).

Extending from the stern will be a 30foot mizzen-boom and on occasions a 25ft bowsprit will be rigged run out over the bow rail and lashed to the mast. A suit of eight sails will be carried comprising four lugs, a jib, a tow foresail, a staysail and a topsail. In light weather a maximum of five sails giving 1845 sq ft of sail could be carried, however usually two sails would carry a working sail area of 1245 sq ft or less. Ballast will be approximately 10 tons of pig iron and concrete cast into place in the bottom of the boat. Displacement tonnage will be about 25 tons, which makes the Ripple now weigh an estimated 15 tons.

The West Cornwall Lugger Industry Trust is a development trust and social enterprise, established in Newlyn. Projects identified by the Newlyn Fish Industry Forum being taken forward by the Trust include a fishing and fishing heritage centre, a historic fishing vessel, eco-tourism, education/research, schools/fishing programme and boat maintenance at Sandy Cove. Added to these are others identified by the Trust including establishing a traditional wood boat building yard at Sandy Cove, bringing traditional boats back into the Old Harbour and re-establishing a Mounts Bay lugger regatta.

These projects will promote the local economy, open job opportunities, advance education, learning and training in skills, provide leisure and sport opportunities, plus enhancing Newlyn’s unique community identity – fishing.  All involve the fishing industry and sailing luggers from a fascinating past of a community living off the sea but at the same time at one with nature. Bygone activities will be brought to life and developed to meet modern needs. New ways of doing today’s things will be introduced which are sustainable, meet aspirations and respect the environment of our seas. The catch phrase is “ making the past work for the future”.

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