The Boat

A 50 foot open pleasure boat, Skylark IX slipped into Bournemouth Bay in 1934 as people flocked to enjoy Britain’s new ‘seaside resorts’.

Over the next seventy years, she became a much-loved sight, taking people out on the water at Bournemouth, Margate, Morecambe and Portobello as well as a welcome emergency ferry during the National Rail Strike! She then spent over thirty years cruising on Loch Lomond where, in recognition of her wartime service, she also became a moving symbol of commemoration on Remembrance Day.

After retiring from service, Skylark sank in the River Leven. There she lay half submerged for two years before being recovered by the local community. Today, as she approaches her ninetieth birthday, Skylark enters a new chapter of her life, inspiring people on their own journey of recovery, from addiction, social isolation and personal challenge.