ONBOARD
Classnotes East Cornish luggers BY VANESSA BIRD
© VANESSA BIRD
I
t is the shape of the stern that distinguishes East Cornish luggers from their West Cornish counterparts. East Cornish luggers are identifiable by their transom sterns, whereas the West Cornish boats are double-ended, or ‘doublebowed’. The East Cornish luggers, which were all built and fished out of ports east of the Lizard Peninsula, were also more lightly built, with finer lines, more tuck in the bilge, and a long bowsprit. The design differences were dictated principally by the geography of the boats’ home ports. The main harbours of Looe, Polperro and Mevagissey offered excellent shelter from the prevailing winds, in which the luggers could either stay afloat or dry out on legs, whereas the harbours to the west were smaller and more exposed, requiring boats to raft up in tighter spaces or dry out unsupported. The building of a rail bridge over the River Tamar in 1859 helped shape the luggers’ development, too. Demand for fish was high, and whereas in the early 19th century the majority of the pilchard fishing was done inshore, now boats had to go further afield to seek their catches of herring and mackerel. Until the early 1800s, the open boats had been rigged with squaresails, but as they were peaked higher to sail faster and closer to the wind, so the lugsail developed. By 1875, the distinctive and now well-known two-masted, decked lugger had been developed, and with it a burgeoning industry that in 1889 saw an East Cornish fleet of 218 boats, employing 823 men. As with most working boats, no two were the same; they were built by eye and incorporated details specific to the fishermen’s requirements, or those of its builder. However, most were between 38ft-42ft (11.6m-12.8m) LOA, 12ft (3.7m) on the beam and 15 tons displacement. Looe and Mevagissey
luggers could be distinguished by their transoms, the former having plumb transoms and the latter raked. Mevagissey was home to around 80 boats during the late 1800s, including the Toshers – 19ft 11in (6.1m) open gaff-rigged boats. However, the big luggers remained popular for their speed and handiness. Rigged with a dipping forelug and mizzen, the sail plan was very versatile. When fishing, the foremast was often lowered to deck, and the mizzen, set on a long boom steeved at a jaunty angle, allowed them to lie head-to-wind. On passage, a jib and mizzen staysail could also be set. Inevitably the heyday of the East Cornish lugger was soon to pass with the advent of engines in the early 1900s. Although many were retrofitted, a number of motor luggers were built to replace their sailing siblings. Under motor, a single lugger could land the equivalent catch of two sailing boats, and consequently many were laid up for good. A number were, however, converted to yachts and in recent years the luggers have seen something of a revival thanks in part to the reformation of the Looe Lugger Regatta, an event that originally ran from 1897-1911. Now a biennial showpiece, it has spurred on many restorations and new builds. Interestingly, too, the boat that won the Kelpie Cup in 1911 – the Ferris-built Looe lugger Guide Me – is still the fastest lugger around. Now engineless, she has proved unbeatable for the last three regattas.
Above: the 1911 Ferris-built Guide Me – the fastest lugger in the West Country
OVERSEAS In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it was not unusual for East Cornish luggers to sail hundreds of miles to the North Sea to fish during winter. More recently, both Guide Me and Guiding Star have crossed the Atlantic, and Guide Me even sailed to Brazil, returning via Cape Town and America.
DEVIL ON THE PORT Fishermen are superstitious souls, and on many luggers it was believed that you would bring the Devil aboard if you hauled your nets over the port side.
BLACK TARRED Until around 1910 all Cornish luggers had black tarred hulls.
BUILDERS
SPECIFICATIONS
LOA
38ft-42ft (11.6m12.8m) BEAM
12ft (3.7m) DRAUGHT
5ft 10in (1.8m)
Builders of the luggers included Peter Ferris, Dick Pearce, Hugh Stephens & Sons, Jas Angear and RH Shapcott at Looe, the Frazier Brothers, Henry Roberts & Co and William D Lelean at Mevagissey, Dick Pill at Gorran Haven, and Percy Mitchell at Porthleven.
SAIL STOWAGE East Cornish lugger fishermen stowed their sails on deck, on the port side, whereas those on West Cornish luggers stowed them in raft irons – giant rowlocks attached to the bulwarks.
DISPLACEMENT
33,069lbs (15 tonnes)
Vanessa’s book, Classic Classes, is out now. For more details, go to www.classicboat.co.uk CLASSIC BOAT AUGUST 2013
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