Unknown, Unloved - A Mystery On The Tamar

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Just in from roving reporter, Roger:
a rather beautiful boat stands on the hard, on the banks of the Tamar. Unknown, un-named and seemingly, unloved. Can you help us solve the mystery?

At SWS we live. We dream. We hope of one day throwing open the doors of a little shed only to find inside a boat made of wood, once loved, long forgotten and now, ours. Her sails dusty but in working order, her transom in need of some love but with a name etched by a blade that you can still trace with a finger, her tiller worn by a hand who hoped that one day, someone would love her just as he or she did.

Something tells us, we share such a dream with our readers.

But why? What is it that speaks to us? Is it the wonder of discovering lost treasure? Is it what a boat offers, a childhood sense of independence, freedom on our own terms? An opportunity to discover how wind works? The silence of moving away from land and out towards adventure?

Perhaps at heart all sailors remain children. We sail for joy, we race for pleasure, for fun, to learn, to be part of a team, to do something properly, to the best of our abilities. Sometimes we get it right and sometimes we get it wrong and hopefully, either situation ends with a smile.

And we smiled this week when we received a despatch from roving SWS reporter, Roger while visiting Launceston.

Here lies a beauty, we’ll call her - The Unknown Yacht
Location : Western Side of the Tamar River in Launceston.  See Maps
Information : From the Hardware Shop that runs the slip says she arrived approximately 5 years ago after a flood.

Apparently, it said on Gumtree,
sometime ago “Free to a good home”.
So the dream continues and that’s all we know, apart from what we can see. 

What can we tell you about her?
She looks like she might be built of Huon Pine and about 40ft LOA with 30ft LWL.
The craft is a bit like a metre boat but is a little too wide in transom to be so.
Someone has propped her up to retain the shape.
Once she had an engine.
She remains beautiful.
So if you can help us piece her story together, get in touch.
We’re curious to know more - use the Comments Box below.
Standing by.

//

By Sal Balharrie

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