Name Silvery Light

SILVERY LIGHT, herring drifter, was built in 1884 on the beach at St Ives, Cornwall, by William Robert Williams and launched on 10 July. Having missed the early tide that day, the superstitious refused to launch on a Friday. However, the owner would not wait until Saturday and pay them to do nothing in the meantime, so SILVERY LIGHT was launched at 23.45 on the Thursday night. Her official number was 89055.   Her hull was carvel built with oak frames and oak planking fastened with iron nails and treenails.

She began work as a herring drifter at Great Yarmouth but, in 1890, she was sold to a Norwegian for cod fishing, re-named RAUST and converted to a trawler. She was considerably strengthened at this time, with additional oak frames and thick planking of three to four inches instead of the normal two inches. She was also re-fastened with treenails. By 1922, she had retired from fishing and began work as a coastal freighter, supplying isolated settlements in North Norway and the Arctic. An engine was fitted in 1931 and a counter stern was added in 1949. She was later abandoned but was bought by a new owner in 1988. He brought her to England for restoration and changed her name back to the original.

SILVERY LIGHT was re-caulked and fitted with a new steel bulkhead and accommodation for up to twelve people. Other work was subsequently carried out to bring her up to MCA standards. Her owner, an educational psychologist, used the boat to help treat his patients. She spent six years chartering in the Azores, where she was also hired for whale watching and research. SILVERY LIGHT was brought back to the UK in September 1999. She worked as a sail training vessel with her home port at Eyemouth, Scotland. In 2008, SILVERY LIGHT was based at Amble, Northumberland, pending restoration.  In October 2022, she was dismantled in Northern Ireland.