Welcome to Progress of Whitby

This is 'Progress of Whitby'. She is the sole survivor of a Walter Reekie built Scottish fishing boat from the transition days of sail and steam giving way to diesel power.

Her history includes a succesful 25 year fishing career with one family in Whitby and 4 years of Naval service including her involvement in the D-Day landings.

Following two years of restoration including the reinstallation of a Gardner LW5 engine similar to her original she has been back to Whitby as these stories show.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-10986787

http://www.wisbechstandard.co.uk/wisbech-life/fenlander-historic-fishing-boat-gets-30k-refit-at-wisbech-yacht-harbour-1-567671

'Progress' was found in the Kingston Yard at Cowes bearing the name of 'Oakheart' and within weeks of becoming a bonfire. At the time of purchase nothing was known of her history other than she was a Scottish built boat. 

In fairness to all this is not a project for the absolute amateur. I have a lifetime of working on boats and commercial shipping so I had some idea of the task before us. Even so I was not fully prepared for just how heavy some of the work would be. Nor were we prepared for the historic revelations that slowly came to light.

Purchased initially as a live aboard for both of us she was clearly a major project. Purchase of the potential bonfire was followed by several months of weekends at the Kingston yard working to return her to seagoing condition in order to make the journey to Wisbech, Cambridgeshire.

Three months of intensive work got her back in to the water to take up and ready for sea trials.

Unlikely though it seems we had to undertake our first sea trials during Cowes Week which was an interesting experience in itself. However all went well and we made it to Wisbech under our own power a few weeks later.

The intention of this website is to give the public access to the history of this unique little vessel and to encourage a wider public involvement in her future. 

'Progress of Whitby' is registered with the National Historic Ships register number 820. 

http://www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk/register/820/progress-of-whitby

To date, January 2020, restoration has been undertaken using the skills and finance of the current owners although a wider ownership through shares would be considered.

'Progress' is now part way through the final phase of her refit - she is having her upper timbers (boards) replaced due to a combination of age related decay and historic repairs which had contributed to some loss of integrity.

Full recognition of the technical and financial support received from National Historic Ships is registered here.

Here we are in winter 2020 and we have completed the starboard side. One thing you learn very quickly when working on vessels such as 'Progress' is just how long everything takes. Also the cost of professional help. I have learned a great deal from Paul Lake who undertook the first part of the restoration and my gratitude for his guidence  will last forever.  Through Paul I am now tackling the work my self and take pride in the results which hopefully will show in the gallery in due course.

Repairs to the port side have begun and the issues are significant decay to the after quarter boards and timbers plus the number of short timbers that have left us with a series of butt joints all too close together for structural integrity. 

Hopefully she will be back in the water this year to celebrate her 85th birthday. Sadly she will have to be recategorised as renovated and no longer significantly original. Although had she remained in service all these works would have been undertaken as maintenance. So when is original not original? A question that will be debated for decades to come.

I still work to finance this wonderful old lady of the sea giving me two days each week and term time  holidays to work on her.

 We are now all confined because of the Covid-19 lockdown which includes me and the boatyard so all work suddenly came to and end. I suspect therefore she will not see the water this year now.

So it is now  winter 2022 and sure enough we are still ashore. I have completed all the frame repairs and replacements and really need to get the last bolts and fastenings into the portside gunnel and beamshelf. I so want her in the water. We have missed some really stunning chances to see the East Coast over the last months if only on single tide trips. 

I will upload a few more pictures showing just how much work has been done. If nothing else it will just show how far the madness has penetrated my brain!   

January 22nd 2023 - a significant date. It is the day the last plank went in. At last the time has come to fair in the boards , prime them and start caulking!!

Well that joy was short lived, started cleaning beow ready for caulking when Carol called me over and asked 'is this right?' An entire plank in the portside forrd quarter below water line was suspect. Looked fine but behind it was rotted out including two sections of frame. In order to manage joints and replacement frame sections this led to 4 meter x 2 meter section coming out. Scarfing in 3 new frame sections and learning yet more about working on these splendid vessels. 

it is now Easter 2024, still ashore, still caulking and fairing boards.