The National Small Boat Register, set up in 2006 to record vessels of historic significance under 40ft (12m) has gone online. The list has been collated by the National Maritime Museum Cornwall, and aims to provide a counterpoint to the National Register of Historic Vessels, run by National Historic Ships (NHS), an advisory body that receives government funding.

This register is restricted to vessels over 40ft, so the small boat list was initially conceived by George Hogg, an employee at the Cornish museum, to plug the gap. The small boat list now counts over 1,200 small craft, chosen from a list of criteria that includes rarity, historic and cultural value.

Under this premise, the list can – and does – include Ben Ainslie”s Olympic Laser, the first Mirror dingy and traditional workboats like a 1912 Falmouth quay punt. Readers are encouraged to register their own yachts online at The Cornish Maritime Museum. See November’s Classic Boat for the full story.