Practical Boat Owner - July 2018

times and was in a poor condition, and
was bought by Isabel Robinson for £3,000.
In 1987 Peggotty was purchased by Joe
and Penny Eves and moored at Swan
Island, Twickenham. Later, still in need of
major repair she was bought by Ruth
Rossington, who continued to moor her at
Swan Island where she was used as a
houseboat. However, when her hull was
damaged in a collision, she again sank on
her moorings.
At this stage plans were mooted to
break her up for scrap. Luckily, she was
found by ex-heart surgeon and Dunkirk
Little Ship enthusiast Donald Longmore,
who has owned several classic Dunkirk
Little Ships. Longmore made it his mission
to search out a new owner. Through his
contacts he arranged for a journalist to
write a feature on Peggotty, which was
published in The Sunday Express
newspaper. She was described as being
an essential piece of marine history for the
part she played in Operation Dynamo; a
boat definitely worth saving.
Over Sunday lunch the article was read
by friends Paul Levack and William Moore
and their wives Hilary and Pauline. The
prospect sounded fascinating so they
made the decision to investigate Peggotty
further. They travelled from
Nottinghamshire to take a look at the boat
which had been hauled up the slipway at
the Francis Newman yard, Swan Island. A
deal was done and they purchased the
once elegant looking craft for £1.
At this point arrangements were made
for her to be transferred to Dunkirk Little
Ship specialist Michael Dennett’s yard at
Laleham Reach, Chertsey. Michael then
spent several days working on Peggotty at
Twickenham, making the hull as watertight
as possible patching her with plywood
sections and layers of plastic.
A local marine engineer proclaimed that,
despite being submerged in Thames
water, the old four cylinder Ford diesel
engine was still serviceable and capable

of moving her upstream to Dennetts’ yard.

“Several people thought we were mad to

attempt the passage,” says Dennett with a

grin. “Nevertheless, at 7 o’clock in the

morning we slipped her back into the

water and watched to see how much

water she’d take on board. In fact, we

were pleasantly surprised by the limited

amount she absorbed.

"Reasonably confident, we started her

engine and switched on the heavy duty

bilge pumps, and began the slow journey

upstream. At Hampton Court we realised

the generator was low on fuel so we had

to stop, moor up and run over to a local

garage for more petrol.

“Despite all the doomsayers, we made it.

As soon as we arrived at my yard at

Laleham Reach we pulled her out of the

water and began work.

Work begins

Boatbuilder Abbey Molyneux began the

mammoth task of repairing Peggotty’s

very rotten hull. Most of the planks were in

such bad shape that Abbey says she

could have put her finger through some of

the soft timbers.

The first task was to remove the totally

rotten transom and after a couple of

mighty swings with a claw hammer it

disintegrated. Within five days the aft deck

beam and four fashion pieces together

with a 9ft-wide and 2in-think transom

panel had been shaped out of iroko and

were in position, the operation giving

Abbey the pleasure of seeing some

progress and an impression of how

Peggotty was going to look when the job

was finished.

With strength reinstated at the rear of

Saviours of Peggotty: William and Pauline Moore, and Hilary and Paul Levack

Allied troops waiting to board one of the ‘Little Ships’ on the
beach at Dunkirk in 1940

Boat details

Name Peggotty (formerly Nayland)

Type Motor yacht

Length 37ft

Beam 10ft 8in

Draught 4ft

Displacement 16 tons

Engine Ford 4-cylinder diesel

Construction Clinker

Boatbuilder R J Perkins & Sons, Whitstable

Year 1937

CLASSIC RESTORATION

‘A deal was done, and they purchased the

once elegant looking vessel for £1’

➜