Name Baden Powell

BADEN POWELL, named after the South African military leader who later founded the Boy Scouts, is a double ended topsand cockler, a fishing vessel built using traditional timber carvel construction.  She was the first boat built in King's Lynn by Walter Worfolk and was purchased by the Cook family for £50. Walter's schoolboy sons, Gerald and William, watched her launch in 1900. The Worfolk brothers later continued their father's business, which operated for a further 80 years and built around 600 vessels.

BADEN POWELL is the last remaining double-ended top sand cockler afloat in King's Lynn and is believed to be the last of her type on the East Coast. She remained in active fishing service until the 1980s, when she was presented to True's Yard Fisherfolk Museum in King's Lynn.  In 2011, ownership passed to the King's Lynn Worfolk Boat Trust. 

The Trust's volunteers had already begun restoring the vessel with the aim of returning her to the River Great Ouse, where she could once again take passengers onto the water.  These trips would allow visitors to view the waterfront and gain a greater appreciation of the river's importance to the development of King's Lynn from medieval times to the present day.

What began as a renovation soon became a complete rebuild when volunteers discovered that the original timbers were too deteriorated to be repaired effectively.  With the support of a Heritage Lottery Fund grant, the vessel was entrusted to St Osyth Boatyard in Essex, where her frames, planking, and decking were replaced.  She returned to King's Lynn in 2016 for completion of the decks, installation of the engine, construction of spars, and painting.  BADEN POWELL was relaunched in August 2017 and began offering river trips the following month.  New sails made by North Sea Sails were fitted in spring 2018.

Today, she helps tell the story of King's Lynn's rich maritime heritage, including its fishing, trading, and exploratory traditions.  River trips take passengers to the mouth of the river to view seals and other wildlife while enjoying the town's attractive waterfront from a unique perspective.

BADEN POWELL continues to benefit from the generous support of many local companies and individuals.