We’ve made it through another year despite all the challenges! 

Covid has had a profound impact on the sail training industry, and several unlucky organisations had to shut down temporarily. 

Like all heritage vessels Excelsior LT472 needs constant care, and we were fortunate indeed to have a loyal and devoted crew, who stuck by The Excelsior Trust to ensure that our remarkable Centenarian received the loving attention that she requires.

The day sails we were able to offer enabled us to take a group of young carers from Break Charity on a couple of trips as well as a party doing their Duke of Edinburgh Gold Residential Award on a voyage.

We are so very grateful to both the crew and all our lovely volunteers who never gave up and as a result Excelsior is looking in pretty good shape for next season!   

As reported in our previous newsletter we had the Freedom of the Town of Lowestoft awarded to John Wylson and also to Excelsior herself. 

 How proud we were to see John and then the crew accepting the awards from The Mayor, Cllr Alan Green. 

Over the same weekend, as part of Lowestoft’s Heritage Open Days 2021, our Trustees organised a Maritime Heritage Festival at Lowestoft’s Heritage Quay on the harbour’s South Pier, as part of Lowestoft’s Heritage Open Days 2021. This was a huge success, not least due to wonderful weather! 

 Local businesses displaying their maritime heritage work included:

The International Boatbuilding Training College

(maintaining traditional boatbuilding skills)

 CEFAS 

 Rope Making - Des Pawson

 Net Making - Alice Taylor

 Gansey Knitting - Jan Whitehead

 Books and Prints – Hugh Davies

 Ship’s Blacksmithing - John Mallett

 Fish smoking - Gerry Skews

 Another Angle Studio – Maria McNevin   

There were also musical performances by The Lowestoft Longshoremen and the excellent John Ward Trio.

Excelsior was open to the public and there was a constant queue of visitors wishing to look around the boat. The Maritime Heritage Fair attracted a significant attendance, estimated at being between 2,000-3000 many of whom had not been previously aware that Excelsior LT472 was Lowestoft’s heritage icon.

The funding we received from Covid Recovery enabled us to significantly raise our awareness, and publicity through local and social media resulted in far greater interest from the local Community. This has seen more locally based volunteers coming forward to get involved and an increase in the number of enquiries received to experience a trip on board this 100-year-old authentically restored Lowestoft Smack.       

First Mate Charlotte Hathaway  joined us in the summer. 

Before coming to sailing, Charlotte worked for 10 years with young people - more specifically, in traditional music in Scotland. 

She found her love of sailing in the Caribbean where she had her own boat and sailed singlehanded round the region, before getting her Tickets and working on the charter boats, before going on to take her Yachtmaster in the UK.

Charlotte is passionate about ocean sailing and has crossed the Atlantic twice, north Atlantic once for some punishing heavy weather experience.

Alice Taylor joined us as a Trustee this year. 

Alice was born in Norwich but has lived all over the world and retired to her hometown of Lowestoft. 

She has trained and worked in Military Intelligence as a Russian language interceptor, in marketing and advertising, and as a lecturer in digital graphics, animation and video game design. She has a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice Administration and is a qualified teacher in both the US and the UK. 

Mrs Taylor has worked in a variety of professional settings and has served on the Lowestoft Town Council and as the Mayor of Lowestoft. She is presently a Trustee in the Excelsior Trust and the Deputy Chair of Lowestoft Vision. 

Her hobbies include a deep interest in Art, Lowestoft maritime history, and the art and science of running a retail business.