Other Boats on the Bay

As well as Spray there are two other historic boats based on Morecambe Bay - Hearts of Oak and Severn. (scroll down for Severn)

Hearts of Oak

Like Spray, Hearts of Oak is a 32 foot long Morecambe Bay Prawner. She is owned by the Hearts of Oak Trust and kept at Roa Island, near Barrow.

Hearts of Oak offers a programme of half day voyages from Roa Island. She has also sailed to North Wales, Arnside and Isle of Man in the Trust's ownership. She is a regular at the Royal Barrow Festival of the Seas.

Built in 1912 she is the last boat to made in Ulverston.

Her first owner was Peter Butler, the Guide to the Sands for the Levens Crossing between the Cartmel Peninsula and Ulverston. He used her for fishing and for taking people out sailing.

Between 1920 and 1939 she was a pilot boat for Ulverston. A wheelhouse was added during this time. During World War 2, Hearts of Oak was an air sea rescue boat based at Millom. From 1945 to 1986 she was used for fishing based at Askam, Morecambe and Maryport. In 1986 she was moved down to Liverpool, converted to a yacht with a cabin added. Like Spray, she took part in "Nobby Races" on the Mersey and at Conwy.

At the end of 1999 she returned to Ulverston and the Trust was set up.  Between 2005 and 2008 Hearts of Oak was restored by Scott Metcalfe at Port Penrhyn near Bangor funded by £50,000 Heritage Lottery Grant. She was restored to her original appearance with an open cockpit..

In 2019 she part in BBC Wales reality TV programme "1900 Island" about four families living as a fishing community in a remote island off Anglesey.

To find out more visit her facebook site https://www.facebook.com/heartsofoakboattrust/

Severn

Like Spray, Severn was made by Crossfields in Arnside. Severn is owned by Arnside Sailing Club but kept at Roa Island near Barrow. She comes up to Arnside on a regular basis in the summer.

Seven was built in 1912. She was one of ten Rivers Class yachts built by Crossfields for the Royal Mersey Yacht Club. She is 23 foot long. Severn was acquired by the Sailing Club in 2018. Between 2022 and 2026 she was restored at the cost of £160,000 by David Moss Boatbuilders at Skippool near Blackpool supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and other grants.

Severn sank in a race in 1914 just days before the start of the First World War. She lay underneath the Mersey for 13 years till rediscovered and raised to the surface. Severn was sold by the Receiver of Wrecks for £25 to Joe Wallace age 25 of New Brighton and sailed again. During her long career she has been based on Merseyside, North Wales, Essex and Kent before coming back to Arnside in 2018.

Visit Arnside Sailing Club's website to find out more about Severn. http://arnsidesailingclub.co.uk/severn/