Fishermen in South East Cornwall have been venturing out to sea daily for centuries, departing on the morning tide and returning with the evening currents, sailing on beautifully crafted boats that are tested by the storms and winds that batter the coast.

Historians often disagree over the exact year a fishing industry was established in the picturesque resort of Looe but it’s fair to say that fishing boats have been casting off since the 16th Century when Royal Charters were granted to the old boroughs.

A new reunion event to celebrate the plethora of remarkable yachts built in the Cornish town of Looe is to be held on the weekend of 14-16 June, when craft from
around the south coast and further afield are heading home for three days of events.

The reunion event is being organised by the Looe-based Cornish Lugger Association which, since 1989, has been staging biennial regattas for wooden, sail-powered fishing luggers (named after their unusual sailing rig), many of them now more than 100 years old.

Launch of the 65ft trimaran Brittany Ferries GB in Looe harbour 1981. It was built at Curtis and Pape boatyard, West Looe. Photo: Barry Pickthall/PPL

The Association is working in conjunction with Looe Sailing Club, which has been shortlisted by the RYA as a Club of the Year, Looe Rowing Club and Looe Boat Owners Association.

In addition, the Looe Harbour Commissioners are waiving mooring dues for the duration of the weekend, which will also feature live music on three nights and a fun-filled raft race on the final day, organised by the Boatowners’ Association.

Voyageur, a Cornish Lugger motor yacht built at Curtis and Pape boatyard, West Looe. Photo: John Collings

‘We have enjoyed such a great boatbuilding tradition in this town over the years that we felt it was long overdue that it was celebrated with an event of its own,’ said regatta chairman Jeff Penhaligon, a former submariner and Cornwall and Isles of Scilly harbourmaster.

From the early 20th Century builders like the Angear, Pengelly and Ferris families have passed on Looe’s historic craftsmanship to the Pearn brothers, Norman and Gerald, and through to Arthur Collings, Ray Dann, Clifford Adams, Brian Porter, Mick Marshall, Robert Newton and Andy Skentelbery, among others.

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A boatbuilding Cornish legend

More recently father-and-son Jim and David Currah’s hand-built wooden Cornish Pilot Gigs have filled eight of the top 10 positions at the World Pilot Gig Rowing Championships on the Isles of Scilly.

But perhaps the best known of all the many master craftsmen from Looe was naval architect Alan Pape, whose designs and builds can still be found in many of the marinas in this country and even farther afield.

Alan Pape, who died aged 83 in October 2004, had joined the Curtis and Mitchell team when the yard moved upstream from the Canning Factory at Millpool, West Looe, to West Quarries.

Renowned Cornish craftsman, Clifford Adams, who died in May 2023, aged 98, was still building Redwing sailing dinghies at his ‘back street’ workshop in East Looe, well into his ninth decade. Photo: Neil Richardson

The new Curtis and Pape operation was soon building more than 1,000 boats for the War Department, including boom defence vessels, minesweepers and steel and wood barges.

After the Second World War, Pape continued to be responsible for vessels of all shapes and sizes, among the better known ones being Sir Chay Blyth’s 65ft racing trimaran Brittany Ferries GB, designed by John Shuttleworth.

Launched in 1981, Brittany Ferries GB was floated down river on the early morning tide before being craned over the picturesque arched bridge that links the East and West Looe communities. Sadly, the race-winning trimaran is long gone but many other vessels from the same yard could return to Looe this summer.

An esteemed guest list

These include Bob Shillito’s Swift, a 1962-built Chesford Yacht & Launch Co boat, designed by Alan Pape, that is based nearby on the River Fowey.

‘Although Chesford was based in Kingsbridge, Devon, I understand that many of the boats were actually built in Looe,’ said Shillito.

‘I was astonished when an elderly guy came up to me in Fowey the other week and asked about the boat. It turned out that he was an apprentice boat builder in Looe in the 1960s and may have worked on Swift.’

Yachts built in the Cornish town of Looe are being invited to return home to celebrate the coastal town’s remarkable history of boatbuilding.

Another Fowey visitor could be Guide, a 22ft motor launch believed to be built in Looe by Richard Pearce in 1916, whose owner is keen to learn more about her.

Tim Newcombe’s Millbrook-based May Queen, now the UK’s oldest shark-angling boat, built on East Looe Quay by Arthur Collings in 1936, is another planning to be at the weekend.

Many other boats are also heading home: Mark Haynes’ speedboat, Superstar, built by Gerald Pearn at Morval, near Looe, in June 1972; Cecil du Valle’s Composer, a 1978 Seadrift by Norman Pearn; Gill Vivian’s Freddy, an 18ft clinker-built Clifford Adams 1954 boat, now in Fowey; Jack Styche’s Joelle B, another Adams boat from the 1980s, and Paul Steeper’s Redwing, Songbird, join many Adams-built sailing dinghies likely to be present.

Yachts built in the Cornish town of Looe are being invited to return home to celebrate the coastal town’s remarkable history of boatbuilding.

Guide, a 22ft motor launch thought to be built by Richard Pearce in Looe circa 1916. Photo: John Collings

The new event is being organised by the Looe-based Cornish Lugger Association, which has been staging biennial regattas for wooden, sail-powered fishing luggers since 1989. Many of the luggers are more than 100 years old.

The Association is working with Looe Sailing Club, Looe Rowing Club and the Looe Boat Owners Association. The Looe Harbour Commission is waiving mooring dues for
the duration of the weekend. To register your interest, please email Paul Pengelly at: office4luggers@btinternet.com.

Made-In-Looe Reunion June 14-16 Regatta Timetable

All weekend:
There will be crab pot-making and oar-making demonstrations as well as refreshments and more.
There will be historical and photographic displays at Looe Heritage Centre, West Looe.
There will also be live music daily from 1530 to 2230.

Looe Harbour Commissioners are waiving mooring dues for the duration of the weekend. Photo: John Collings

Friday, June 14

Registration and reception

Saturday, June 15

All day – Looe-built boats moored alongside West Looe Quay
14:30 – Looe-built sailing dinghies racing in the bay (River start)
15:00 – Looe-built Cornish Pilot Rowing Gigs racing in the bay (river start)
Afternoon – ‘Parade of Sail’ (entry optional and subject to weather and tide conditions)

Sunday, June 16

All day – Looe-built boats moored alongside West Looe Quay (but river movements restricted because of raft race)
13:45 – Looe Boat Owners’ Association charity raft race, Looe Beach, around Banjo Pier, upriver to Looe Bridge and return to finishing line off RNLI slipway

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