Arnside Classic Boat Regatta took place last weekend on July 15/16/17 in warm sunny weather attracting 8 traditional boats. Arnside has a long sailing history with the village’s first sailing set up in 1852 and the Victorian’s holding regattas. The event attract 8 boats including a Lune Pilot, Devon Potter and an 11 foot long Limpet.
Hearts of Oak arriving
A key feature of the regatta was the arrival of Hearts of Oak, a 34 long Morecambe Bay Prawner built in Ulverston in 1912 which made the difficult voyage up the Bay from Roa Island, near Barrow. In the 1900s there were large fleets of Morecambe Prawners at both Morecambe and Fleetwood. They were fast sailed powered fishing boats that were designed to get a catch of perishable fish back to market as quickly as possible. Crossfields of Arnside were the leading builders of Morecambe Bay Prawners. We hope to repeat the event in 2023.
Hearts of Oak leaving Arnside
The event was organised in partnership with the North West area of the OGA the national association for gaff rig sailing. Their next event is at South Windermere on Aug 20th