A historic fishing vessel commissioned for the Young’s family fishing business almost a century ago is to be restored with help from the modern seafood giant.
The Grimsby-headquartered firm, with a legacy dating back to Eliza Young’s whitebait sales by the River Thames in 1805, will support a preservation project of Saxonia, likely to cost more than £30,000.
Currently berthed at Pinmill in Suffolk, she was commissioned by William Joseph Young, the great, great nephew of Eliza in 1929. The 35ft ‘bawley’ vessel - a broad-beamed shallow-draft cutter-rigged fishing boat used especially for shrimping around the Thames and Medway estuaries - was bought for £475 to fish for whitebait, continuing the tradition.
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Spotted by 15-year-old Jamie Bellamy-Booth, in mud close to his home on Mersea Island, Essex, he located the owner using the National Historic Ships register to pitch his interest in restoring the vessel, having always dreamed of having a boat. Impressed by his passion, they came to an arrangement where he became a co-owner.
Now 19, he has been joined in his quest by Peter Gilder, a furniture business owner, who is equally passionate about preserving historic vessels.
Paul Craft, chief commercial officer for Young’s Seafood owner, Sofina Europe, said: “At Young’s we are proud of our history and heritage, and to be able to support the restoration of what was once one of our fishing boats is a great opportunity.
“The Saxonia is an embodiment of Elizabeth Young’s legacy, a female entrepreneur who started selling whitebait and prawns from her hat and went on to found a fleet of Young’s family boats, paving the way for the modern day Young’s seafood business.
“When we heard about Jamie’s story and saw his determination and commitment to restore Saxonia, we knew we had to aid him on his journey. We look forward to supporting Jamie through the next phase and seeing the restoration progress in the years to come.”
Jamie and Peter are aiming to restore Saxonia so that the public, including school and educational groups, can experience what life would have been like on a fishing boat nearly 100 years ago.
Jamie said: “The restoration of the Saxonia has been a passion of mine since I found her decaying in a mud berth four years ago. Since then, we’ve come a long way but there’s so much more we want to do, and Young’s Seafood's support is integral to us being able to complete the work needed to restore this amazing piece of history.
“Young’s is also supporting me personally by sponsoring me to take training courses such as RYA Navigation, VHF Radio and Sea Safety, bringing me closer to my goal of being able to take visitors out on The Saxonia and show people what life was like on a fishing boat 100 years ago.”
Further support is being sought for the restoration. Visit the fundraising page here .
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