Brixham Trawler Torbay Lass

As of November 2020, Heritage Marine Foundation has received funding from the Culture Recovery Fund to put Torbay Lass into a dry dock and have a survey completed whilst she awaits further funding to undergo a full restoration. Torbay Lass will be moved into her new home in early 2021, ready for the next stage of her life.

Heritage Marine Foundation recovered Torbay Lass BM163, previously Kenya Jacaranda, from Tilbury Docks to prevent the vessel’s disposal and subsequent loss. Although she is not an East Coast built vessel, she has spent more time working the East Coast than in her original home port of Brixham. She now sits safely in a mud berth in Maldon. The removal of debris and installation of pumps and power supplies have ensured the vessel remains afloat and in a stable condition. Now awaiting restoration she is subject to the Heritage Marine Foundation’s lottery bid to restore her to sail again. Our long-term plan for Torbay Lass is to restore her as far as possible in her original design and configuration, both above and below deck, using traditional methods and materials where possible. The future use of the Torbay Lass is not intended to be as a conventional sail training vessel but be a more unique learning platform to promote the objectives of the charity, including education on maritime history, and researching marine pollution and environmentally friendly methods of cargo transport and fishing.

More About Torbay Lass.

Torbay Lass was built in Brixham in 1923 by R. Jackman & Sons for Alfred Lovis, a well-known Brixham fisherman and able mariner, as he even sailed her to victory in the 1936 King’s Cup, footage of which can be seen below. She was converted to a yacht shortly before World War II, and eventually came to be used as a sail training vessel by the Mayflower Sail Training Society. She is of special significance as she is one of the last of many hundreds of Brixham sailing trawlers built from the late 19th century onward. In view of this symbolic significance she holds the present status of being one of some 200 vessels of all types and functions listed by the National Historic Fleet.