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Mounts Bay Lugger Association

Registered Charity No 1050517

The Association's History All About The "Happy Return" Major Events Since Restoration Sailing Programme 2008

What's New In 2008? Newsletters West Cornwall Luggers East Cornwall Luggers Members Meetings MBLA Events & Archive Falmouth Marine School Become A Member

Local Links What's New On This Site? This Month's Sailing ProgrammeBi

New web site features include this MBLA site search, a site map and a "What's New On This Site" link.

iograThis site is about a particular Mounts Bay Lugger, the "Happy Return" - the only remaining Mounts Bay mackerel driver with a dipping lug.

It includes an archive of other historic fishing sailing luggers from West Cornwall that still exist today and the history of these unique craft.

Help in the preservation of the "Happy Return" by joining the Mounts Bay Lugger Association & safeguard this unique heritage.

Click here to become a member and you can now sail on "Happy Return" for only £15 pa!

THIS MONTH'S SAILING PROGRAMME

MEMBERS 2008 SAILING PROGRAMME

Please note we are taking bookings for members on our current Sailing Events in 2008 - they often over-subscribed!

Please contact the skippers - the contact numbers are on the Sailing Programme

(With thanks to Peter Gauntlett taken at Looe 11/06/2005)

More Pictures of the Happy Return Sailing

The Mounts Bay Lugger Association's goal to own and operate a Mounts Bay Lugger was conceived in the Spring of 1993 by a small group of local enthusiasts with a strong interest in the part the fishing industry has played in the economic and social life of the far South West of Cornwall.

For hundreds of years, fishing has been one of the main activities in Mounts Bay and was of primary importance in the origin of the harbours of Penzance, Mousehole, Newlyn and Porthleven.

A particular type of vessel evolved during that period which was unique to this part of the world. Very little remains of the vast sailing fleets which filled the local harbours and sailed the seas following shoals of pilchard and herring until the early part of the twentieth century.

Mounts Bay has a special place in the fishing history of Britain which is retained to this day, with Newlyn landing the highest value of fish landings annually.

Despite many set backs the Mounts Bay Lugger Association found an original 40' Cornish lugger in Folkstone which had been built in 1904 at Kitto's Yard, Porthleven in Mounts Bay.

(With thanks to Alan F Taylor - Happy Return at Folkstone between 1930 and 1933)

It was the oldest registered fishing boat when the owner decommissioned her in 1998. The Association saved her from being broken up under the decommissioning policy and she was brought back to Mounts Bay under her own power in May 1998 and was the subject of a total restoration. She is aptly named the Happy Return!

Learn about her history and follow her progress on this site

We will outline the aims and objectives of the Association with the Happy Return and will ultimately incorporate a definitive archive on these unique vessels as well as our sailing schedules and ideas for young people and the local community to become involved in experiencing the methods of the folk who worked the sailing luggers of bygone years in Cornwall.

Website of the month May 2005 in "Cornwall Today"