ONCE only a biennial treat for those visiting South East Cornwall, the new-look Looe Lugger Classics is now an annual event.

And this year’s regatta of sailing action, starting on Friday, July 31, promises to be bigger and better than ever before.

Weather permitting, a large ‘armada’ of historic fishing luggers will assemble in the harbour over the weekend, joined by several traditional ‘old gaffers’ yachts. The ‘lugger’ is a formidable working fishing boat, taking its name from its distinctive canvas ‘lug’ rig or sails, and many of the original boats are now more than 100 years old. Until the Cornish Lugger Association was formed in 1989, Looe’s last official sailing regatta for these traditional fishing vessels took place way back in 1911.
Sadly, during those intervening 78 years, the Cornish lugger, as a true working vessel, had become almost extinct.

The methods of fishing, usually drift netting and long-lining, had been superseded by modern-day trawlers. But prompted by his keen personal interest, well-known Looe born-and-bred skipper and maritime author Paul Greenwood had vowed to re-kindle the pride and passion of bygone days.

Right up until the mid-1950s, the familiar outline of the Cornish lugger had been a regular sight up and down the home waters of the South West.
But one by one, they were sold off or retired; some had been in the same family for two or three generations, so memories of them were still vivid in the harbours from which they set sail each evening.

In days gone by these huge fleets worked deep out in the Channel, for conger, ray, turbot and the like, or were shooting miles of nets to catch pilchards, once the mainstay of the country’s fishing industry.