The Boats
CK 79 Gipsy is the last of two original sailing oyster skiffs.
Built for Banks Oyster Co. of West Mersea in 1930 by Stones of Brightlingsea
GIPSY
One of eight remaining original sailing bumkins. Built to dredge for winkles off the coast of West Mersea.
Built in 1921 by Kidby of Brightlingsea.
I rebuilt her in 1979 then have continued to look after her for her owners.
WINNIE
CK 59 Mystery is a C1900 21' skiff built to carry sprats ashore from the smacks laid off the shore.
Built by Kidby of Brightlingsea she had a long working life.
I restored her in 2017 and now is a proud member of the successful fleet at West Mersea
MYSTERY
Alice is another c1900 sprat skiff. She has had some restoration work done over the years but is now awaiting her time in the boatshed to bring her up to a standard to join in the racing again.
Bit of a film star though as she has starred in a production of The Essex Serpent.
ALICE
Lilian is our latest restoration project to come out of the boatshed. She is one of the four remaining sprat skiffs left in existence.
Built by Kidby, she worked hard for most of her life, then was laid up as a finished workboat many years ago.
LILIAN
Jack is one of the eight remaining sailing bumkins.
She has been in the ownership of the same family since being built in 1920 by Kidby.
These sturdy little boats are built to carry a huge weight of shellfish from the lanes to the shore.
JACK
Ripple is a 1910 Thames One Design.
She is No.2 but its recorded that No.1 was a prototype which was changed to the design of Ripple, which the Royal Alexandra YC then adopted as their One Design of the time.
RIPPLE
The youngest of the skiffs built in 1960 at West Mersea for the dredging of oysters.
I restored her over a number of years for her previous owner and now her current owners.
She is the largest one in the fleet and was replaced by modern fibreglass dredging boats on her retirement in 2000.