A woman is on a mission to celebrate our maritime history and ensure the artistry and craftsmanship of traditional boat building is kept alive.

Over the next six weeks Gail McGarva, a traditional wooden boat builder from Lyme Regis, will be touring the UK as part of a programme called Disappearing Lines.

Visiting 11 of the UK’s maritime museums and organisations from the Lake District to south-west Cornwall, she will be leading a series of one-day hands-on workshops, designed to inspire participants about the craft of wooden boat building and share the history of traditional working boats in the UK.

The centuries-old tradition of traditional wooden boat building is becoming an increasingly endangered profession, as the knowledge and skills required to build and restore these historic craft are fast disappearing.

Gail said: “I’m passionate about traditional boat building, but we need to attract a new generation of boat builders to pass on expertise that will otherwise be lost. Generating wider public awareness is obviously essential, alongside providing training and securing funding to offer bursaries where needed. I’m also a strong advocate for creating more opportunities for women to enter the boat building industry.”

Gail graduated from the Boat Building Academy in Lyme Regis in 2005, realising her ambition to become a traditional wooden boat builder.

She specialises in the building replicas of traditional wooden boats, which are facing danger of extinction from our shores

Gail not only builds ‘by eye’, but also constructs boats using designer drawings and plans, as exemplified in her building of Cornish Pilot Gigs.

The late Ralph Bird who led the revival of traditional gigs, was Gail’s mentor in the building of her first gig, Rebel, for Lyme Regis Gig Club in 2008. In 2009 and 2012 Gail went onto build two sister boats for the club, Black Ven and Tempest.

Bridport and Lyme Regis News:

The tour she is involved with, which is supported by National Lottery funding through Arts Council England, will see her run one-day workshops giving participants the opportunity to try their hand at two key processes in traditional wooden boat building – steam bending and copper-rivet fastening.