Name Lindy Lou

LINDY LOU, was built as a pilchard drift netter Curtis & Pape of Looe in 1947 and was worked by the Butters family until sold to the Blamey family of Mevagissey in 1955. She was decommissioned by MAFF in 1998. The Blamey's did not wish to see LINDY LOU destroyed and after the intervention ot the National Fishing Heritage Centre and Andy Campbell a local photographer she was saved. The National Heitage Fishing Centre at Grimsby agreed to accession the boat and lease her back to Mr. Campbell as a marine photographic charter boat There are restrictions on what she can do and she must remian in her original configuration with her leasor paying her upkeep. LINDY LOU was one of two similar craft built just after World War II to the highest specification. She was worked by the Butters family for eight years. When Spencer and Geoff Blamey saw her, she was for sale. The brothers offered less than the asking price because she needed re-painting and considerable repair work. She had a 3 cylinder hand-start Lister J Series engine of 30bhp, mounted on the starboard side with is shaft passing over to the port side, a traditional arrangement for boats of this era. There was a big net room and she carried 33 pilchard drift nets, stacking up to half the wheelhouse height. She was worked by 4 hands and became the top netting boat in Cornwall. In the summer 18 baskets of long-line gear were carried each basket carrying half a mile of line working ling, turbot, conger and ray grounds . The gear was shot in two 4.5 mile lengths. A third engine was installed for hauling longlines, a single cylinder 4hp Britt petrol engine driving through a universal coupling in a box in the fish room. LINDY LOU was re-engined in 1971 by local boat builder John Moor with a Lister HRW 4MGR2 main engine. The shafts still crossed and the controls of the wing engine were still in the engine room, with a long cane attached that reached to the wheelhouse. LINDY LOU remains based in Falmouth GH Feb 2009