Norfolk sailor from Nelson country needs £500 to bring Thames barge home for restoration

Work being carried out on the Growler in days gone by. Pictures: supplied by Ash Faire Ring (Image: Archant)

He has been in love with the sea since he was a toddler, and he was just 10 when he made his first boat.

For his current project he needs to raise £500 to transport an historic Thames barge from Dedham, Suffolk to his home village of Burnham Overy Staithe to restore it.

The 17-year-old fell in love with the 32ft Thames sailing barge Growler when he first saw it, and the owner gave it to him to restore.

The Gresham’s School pupil said: “The first project is to transport her to Burnham Overy Staithe where we can build a tent over her. We can then conduct a survey as to how much work is needed.

“Growler is 32ft-long and was built in Ipswich in 1922.

“She is a very unique vessel as she is a scaled-down version of the mighty racing barge Sara of which only one was ever built.

“She spent many years sailing on the Swale and around Benfleet harbour before falling into a state of disrepair.”

Growler was then rescued by a local boatbuilder and put in a barn in Dedham for restoration.

The youngster added: “My cousin took me down to see it and I fell in love with it. Twenty-five years later the owner very kindly gave it to me to finish off the project and get her sailing again.

“Growler epitomises the golden age of sail. This is a dream come true for me and I want as many people as possible to share it with me.”

He said the vessel needs a couple of finishing touches to get her back in the water.

He added: “I want to restore her to full sailing conditions and then use her for leisure cruising. I’m also very interested in the Ocean Cleanup project to rid the world of plastic. I want to promote the use of recycled products.”

England’s greatest naval hero Horatio Nelson was born in Burnham Thorpe.

for more, see www.crowdfunder.co.uk/transport-bargegrowler