A friend made a post on Facebook and alerted me to the immanent launch of this new Falmouth Pilot Cutter which has been under construction for the past two years at the Rhoda Mary Shipyard in Truro. The project has been led by shipwright Luke Powell, who has an amazing team working around him.

I made a visit to the yard whilst Christobel and I were holidaying just outside Truro in the autumn of 2019 and have been following her progress since.

See: http://nickardley.com/ditch-crawler-visits-the-rhoda-mary-shipyard-in-truro/

This is the yard to which one of the east coast’s larger smacks has gone to – the Stormy Petrel – as a yard project under the ownership of Luke’s partner. The Stormy Petrel is a much loved vessel loved, known by many an ‘east-coaster’. She is due to be fully restored.

See: https://www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk/register/840/stormy-petrel

The vessel, the Pellew, is on the verge of her launching.

See: https://workingsail.co.uk/pellew

There isn’t much to say other than I wish her a successful launching and first season, which begins with her first sail programmed fro early May.

What next for the yard … the Rhoda Mary perhaps…

See: http://www.rhoda-mary.co.uk/

Whatever it is, one can only wish them all the very best…