GAIL MCGARVA

Awarded the British Empire Medal for her services to clinker boatbuilding and heritage crafts, Gail McGarva devotes herself to building boats that are in danger of extinction, creating replicas, or ‘daughter boats’.

“I was very fortunate in that when I finished my training in 2005, there was an explosion of interest in Cornish Pilot Gigs and clubs were commissioning new boats,” she says.

Since then, though, she has also sought out funding for a wide range of heritage projects, encouraging communities to participate in the building of boats, teaching traditional boatbuilding skills and sharing the narratives behind the vessels.

“I have a very strong philosophy that if you involve people in the building process, they will have a connection with the boat and then they will ultimately become custodians of it,” she says.

Gail had lived on boats for many years and decided to look into the course at Lyme Regis Boatbuilding Academy after careers working as a sign language interpreter and an actor/teacher.

“I walked in the door and I knew immediately, that’s what I wanted to do. It was one of those life-changing events.”