Four of the 2019 Falmouth Classics fleet and one skipper have been nominated for awards by Classic Boat, an international marine publication for heritage and classic craft.
The four vessels are Merita, Curlew, Kathleen and Gleaner and her shipwright and owner Spike Davies.
Don Garman, vice chairman and director of Falmouth Classic Association, said: “The association is delighted to see that Falmouth and the Classics is once again very well presented in the 2020 awards and we would encourage participants of both Falmouth Classics 2020 and past events to get behind the shortlisted boats and shipwright.
"I am looking forward to representing the Falmouth Classics Association at the awards ceremony on March 31 at the Royal London Thames Club and wish our candidates every success.”
Merita, a classic motor boat, was built in Mevagissey in 1936 by W Frazier and Son in the building now housing Mevagissey Museum.
She was built for an owner in St Just in Roseland and returned to the west country last year and won the prize for the best presented motor boat participating in the Classics Parade of Sail and Power.
The Falmouth Quay Punt Curlew was built in 1912 in Jacketts Yard off the High Street, but soon after launch experienced a down turn in servicing visiting ships and was registered as a fishing boat.
For five years in the 1920s she was owned by the artist Henry Scott Tuke and used as a floating studio. She was later converted to a yacht and ended up in Portugal but was brought back to Falmouth in 1998.
Lowestoft Drifter Gleaner racing in the Falmouth Classics 2019. Credit: Doug Jackson
Recently she has been restored at Freeman’s Wharf and raced in the 2019 Classics. She has a local competitor in the restored sailing vessel under 40’ category, Kathleen, built by Paynters of St Ives in 1897.
Owned and sailed by three generations of the same family in St Mary, Scilly, all of whom served in the RNLI, she was used for fishing, rescues and the post boat around the islands.
Brought back to Falmouth she has recently been restored at Metre Yacht Restorations, Penryn.
Spike Davies heard of a Lowestoft Drifter built in Porthleven in 1878 that was about to be destroyed from fellow boatbuilder Ashley Butler of Penpol Boatyard.
Spike set off for Germany, purchased the hull, dismantled it, packed it into a container and shipped it back to Freeman’s Wharf where he was able to reassemble the numbered pieces. Gleaner raced for the first time in the large lugger class in 2019 and won her class.
The vessel has been nominated for the Gstaad Yacht Club centenarian of the year award, one of six in this category. Both owner and boat deserve to be shortlisted and to win their categories for this incredible feat.
Classic Boat is the marine media sponsor for Falmouth Classics 2020.
Votes can be made online at awards.classicboat.co.uk
The award scheme is run annually by Classic Boat, which originally operated from Falmouth and was founded 33 years ago.
Falmouth Classics is one of the largest heritage and classic boat events in the UK, which welcomes traditionally built and rigged vessels as well as Classic Bermudan rigged boats and classic motor and steam boats.
The 2020 event takes place from June 12-14. Further information can be found at www.falmouthclassics.org.uk
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