Historic boats back in St Ives

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Jumbo boat launch film

There have been celebrations in St Ives at the launch of a historic sailing boat - the "Jumbo".

Thirty eight thousand pounds has been raised to build the 'William Paynter'.

She's the second of her type and that means a whole new race class for enthusiasts.

The St Ives "Jumbo" was a small wooden fishing boat with two masts, popular around the end of the 19th Century.

The small fishing boats are now back on the water at St Ives

They were pointed at both ends and were flat bottomed, so they could be left 'beached' in St Ives harbour when the tide went out.

They're classed as Luggers,but are much smaller than the port's famous mackerel boats

The St Ives Jumbos fell out of fashion and had virtually disappeared by the 1920s.

It's thought the nickname 'Jumbo' was a reference to their size, as the original Jumbo the African elephant was living at London Zoo at the time, causing a sensation in the Victorian newspapers.

Their revival owes a lot to boatbuilder Johnny Nance and his family. All that was left of the Jumbo design was a sketch from the yard of master boatbuilder William Paynter and archive photographs held by St Ives Museum.

Taking those documents as a guide, and using his own knowledge of woodworking techniques, Johnny Nance was able to bring the Jumbo back to life, together with local enthusiasts under the banner of the 'St Ives Jumbo Association'.