Name Berneray

BERNERAY was built in 1952 by William Weatherhead of Cockenzie as a lighthouse tender boat to provide supplies from the Isle of Barra to the neighbouring island of Berneray to the south, which is known as Barra Head.  The vessel was designed along the lines of a Scottish fishing vessel and fitted originally with a Kelvin J3 engine.

She was used by the Scottish Lighthouse Service, where she was known as 'Bernera' and was later replaced by a helicopter relief.  When the Barra Head lighthouse became automated, 'Bernera' was sent up to Stromness in the Orkney Islands to be used to ferry materials to a new unmanned lighthouse that was being built at the time on the notorious Vee Skerries island.

'Bernara' was sold out of service from the Northern Lighthouse Board in the 1980's and was purchased by a hotelier in Oban, who converted her to a gaff schooner and renamed her BERNERAY.

In the 1990's she ended up for sale in Essex and was given new decks, superstructure, refitted and re-jigged by her owners.  She was purchased in 2007 by her current owners as a home for their family and was sailed for a few years before undergoing a major rebuild, which is ongoing.