Florence

Current boat name

Florence

Boat class

7050

Sail number

31

Function

Fishing and Hunting

Type

Length (m / ft)

8.76 / 28ft 9in

Beam (m / ft)

2.67 / 8ft 9in

Leeward

Keel - long

Masts

1 Wood

Rig type

Gaff Cutter

Propulsion

Sail

Designer

Ferris W

Date of build

1895

Place of build

Pill Creek

Present use

Racing

Believed to have been built in 1895 by William (Foreman) Ferris on Pill Creek near Falmouth. FLORENCE was one of only three Falmouth Working Boats that he built in a long career of boat building and it is said that he designed her with a view to racing. She was owned by one of William’s sons, John Tensive Ferris who used her for oyster dredging in the winter and fishing in the summer (plus some racing). She was at that time the fastest local boat. When ‘Tensey’ Ferris became too old to race, the boat slowly rotted away until bought by Tom Burley in 1955 who had her rebuilt by Bart Moore and returned to the dredging fleet. She was raced by John Sawle in the summer. In Falmouth Week of 1970 she entered six races and took first place in every one. There followed another period of decline and use only for work until sold to Alun Davies who commissioned a refit in which new iron floors were installed and old frames replace with laminated iroko. In 1997 she was purchased by a syndicate of locals organised by Andy Tyler. She has resumed racing in summer and is refitted in winters with the work supervised by Pat Crockford. November 2007 (Archive)