Tuesday 10 March 2009

Luke Powell and Working Sail

Working Sail offer classic wooden sailing vessels for the connoisseur. Based on the lines of the pilot cutters from the Isles of Scilly, which were renowned for their seaworthiness and performance, each vessel is individually designed by designer/shipwright Luke Powell.






We build our vessels in a traditional boatyard in the small village of Gweek which lies at the top of the beautiful Helford river in Cornwall, Southwest England. Visits to view our vessels during construction are always welcome and an opportunity to view our previous vessels can usually be arranged. A four hour train ride from London, we are also forty-five minutes drive from Newquay airport.

Established in 1994, Working Sail is run by Luke Powell, drawing on a lifetime of experience in boatbuilding. Luke served his apprenticeship in Thames Sailing Barges, going on to rebuild Pilot Cutters and Smacks. He also spent some years in Greece and Turkey sailing around in an old engineless cutter that he made his home. This was followed by building new fishing boats in France.

After years of this, Luke Powell felt it was time to build a new generation of Pilot Cutters. Setting up the business with the help of Sara James who did the historical research, the reputation of Working Sail has grown and become a tradition in itself.

Luke now employs a crew of shipwrights to help him create these fine vessels. He has surrounded himself in an environment of nineteenth-century wood and sail and spends all his time either designing, building or sailing his cutters..

No comments:

Post a Comment