We are a newly formed trust that is restoring an 1892 42 foot yacht in Southwold harbour for sail training local youngsters. We have so far raised £50,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund, £2000 from the National Maritime Museum and £40,000 from private donations. We are now appealing for the last £30,000 for extra unforeseen hull repairs.  We will then raise funds for sending youngsters to sea.

£5 buys a 10 inch bronze bolt for the frames       £10 buys a foot of mahogany planking            £20 buys a new dead eye of lignum vitae                 £50 buys a box of bronze screws                      £75 buys 10 litres of linseed oil                           £100 buys a large wooden block                                £200 buys a new diesel fuel tank                                     £500 buys a staysail                                          £1000 buys new standing rigging

The Leila Sailing Trust

The Leila Sailing Trust was set up in July 2008 and registered with the Charity Commissioners in September, number  1126165. The Trust’s aims are to restore Leila and equip her to Marine Coastguard Agency standards, thus preserving the marine heritage of the East Coast as well as providing opportunities for the education and personal development of young people from Southwold, Lowestoft and Yarmouth through sail training. There are five trustees: the chairman is Colin Worboys, a Cambridge businessman; Pam and John Alison from Yarmouth who owned the boat; Richard Dowdey a retired accountant is the treasurer: and Rob Bull, a Southwold architect who discovered the boat on Yarmouth quay last summer.  David Beavan, of Southwold, is the skipper and will be running the sail training.

Historic Ships Grant 

The National Historic Ships Register list Leila as the fifth oldest sailing yacht in the UK, number 759, and gave us a grant of £2,200 to survey and repair the hull. With thehelp of a private donation of £2000, we brought her from Yarmouth, lifted her out in Southwold, had her surveyed by Hugh Lamb of Shotley and started to repair the hull with the technical assistance of Harbour Marine Services in Southwold harbour. All contractors so far have generously supported us by charging an expenses-only fee.
Our timetable has been set back by extra rot in the hull, stem and stern, but we will be ready for the Tall Ships Race with seven local youngsters in 2011.

Removing the rot, before going inside for re-planking and re-framing, October 2008

BUDGET, November 2008

The Hull will actually cost £60,000 more