Rescue Wooden Boats and North Norfolk’s maritime heritage

The traditional wooden crab boats and whelkers of North Norfolk are unique to a short 40-mile stretch of coast and were built by eye by local boatbuilders to the fishermen's specifications. They are double ended with oak keels and frames for strength, and larch planks to provide some flex in the structure. Sadly, only 50 of these boats survive and of these fewer than 30 are seaworthy.

To help ensure their survival, and to share the history of the local boat building and fishing communities in which they were based, the charity Rescue Wooden Boats was started 11 years ago by two boat builder brothers and two heritage boat owners.

In addition to this work, Rescue Wooden Boats has also restored the Lucy Lavers, a Liverpool class lifeboat and Dunkirk little ship which now provides pleasure trips for visitors to Wells Harbour.

This talk will highlight the importance of the traditional wooden fishing boats to the history of North Norfolk, the restoration of the Lucy Lavers and the current work that Rescue Wooden Boats is undertaking to conserve another whelker and Dunkirk little ship, Bessie.