Polperro Gafffer
Polperro has been described as a place best entered by sea rather than by land for it seems that the harbour is a mere fault in the rocks. Once in and around the small breakwater, the harbour is little more than a creek surrounded by quaint buildings and hillside.
However, although it did have its own fleet of luggers, their existence was short lived. Before the late nineteenth century the fishermen preferred to rig their boats with spritsails. Up to about 1860 these craft had been clinker-built, thus showing influences from further east along the channel and Plymouth with its Royal Navy associations where clinker construction and the sprit were more common. At about 30 feet in length, they also set a foresail and in some cases a topsail and small mizzen. Due to severe weather in 1891 when most of the fleet of some dozen vessels had been wrecked, the fishermen turned to gaff-rigged carvel boats when replacing their craft, many of these coming from Looe and Mevagissey boatbuilders. Rigged with a boomless main and topsail, these boats were about 25 feet in length and became known as the Polperro Gaffers.
Sources: 9
If you would like to see the Author’s notes and sources, please download the PDF below.
If you would like to return to the list of boats, please click HERE