The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Smugglers’ boat ready for round the world adventure
A SAILBOAT with an inglorious past is proving to be a star attraction at Arbroath harbour where she has newly been allocated a winter berth.
The 45ft Girl Pat class motor sailer, by the Jersey registered name of Ann too, was used in one of the biggest maritime cannabis smuggling operations of the 1980s.
She was recently dropped into position at the Angus marina by a 120-tonne crane with proud owner and restorer, Mearns engineer Dave Clark, anxiously supervising her relaunch after eight years.
It was a momentous milestone after more than £50,000 and 10,000 hours of labour spent on giving the craft a new lease of life, and then an eventful journey from dry dock, which has been the driveway of Mr Clark’s Laurencekirk home.
“She has been taking in some water, but that’s to be expected as the timbers take time to swell and knit,” said a jubilant Mr Clark from his new quarters on board. “Let’s hope there’s nothing more sinister and there has been no damage from the lift.”
The Ann too has had a colourful 66 years since first being launched in 1947. She was the first post-war motor sailer and was given the design name Girl Pat after the hilarious exploits in 1936 of the captain and crew of a Grimsby trawler in an act of piracy.
In 1980 customs officials seized the boat after one-and-a-half tonnes of cannabis resin was found stored on board when she berthed in Guernsey.
She was purchased by Mr Clark in 2005 with the goal of returning her to seafaring condition and then sailing the world.
Nicknamed Captain Noah by fascinated local residents watching his work, he has devoted every minute of his spare time realising that dream.
An intrepid adventurer, he travelled the world overland in the ’60s with his Japanese Canadian-born wife Michi, an artist. He has also undertaken marathon cycling and running events in Israel, China, India, Brazil and the Sahara, raising in excess of £15,000 on behalf of the charity Enable.
Quite undaunted that he has not been sailing for nearly 30 years. He said: “I will have to get my papers again and I will need somebody experienced to come with me.
His ambition had been that by the time he reached 70 he would have sailed to seven continents and skied in seven continents. While he is now 71 and all of that may not be possible now, he still intends doing as much as he can, and hopefully still arrive in Australia by the time he is 74.
“My philosophy has always been to try and do as much as you can. Life is so short. I have just scratched the surface,” he said.
Eventually he expects to spend most of his life on board the Ann too. He said: “I have always wanted to live on a boat. What other way can you get more freedom than that. The world is your oyster.”