Endeavour in Isolation as Virus Halts Work

Endeavour, Leigh's iconic Dunkirk Little Ship will not be back in town thanks to the corona-virus. The boat is currently in a shed at St Osyth where urgent repairs have been put on hold as the yard is in lock-down.

March Maintenance Update

We wanted to share some more photos of the work being done on Endeavour at Brian Kennell Boatbuilders at St Osyth in order to have her ready to be re-launched next month.

We'd already decided to work leaks in the decking, then Brian discovered the rot behind the locker in the cabin, on around the stern post.

As you can see from the photos, there really has been a lot of work necessary to get Endeavour shipshape for the upcoming season, but she's starting to look back to her best!

Brian reckons they’ll be done with the replacement work within the next 2 weeks – it’s nice to see some deck and the transom appearing! We’re planning another members' maintenance trip  during the last weekend of March to oil the mast and blocks and antifoul her bottom with some ‘Tiger Red’.

We'll then have her top sides caulked and painted, and she’ll be ready to return to Leigh outside the Peter Boat around the end of April.

Feb Maintenance Update

Some more photos of the team hard at work on Endeavour at Brian Kennell Boatbuilders at St Osyth getting her ready to be re-launched in April.

Finlay Marshall, Rob Everitt, Chris Burls, Andy Leonard and Cameron McGregor donned their overalls and got busy sanding the decks and painting to get Endeavour back to the desired state.

January Maintenance Update

A small team of dedicated folks went over to Brian Kennell Boatbuilders at St Osyth today to scrape, sand and prime Endeavour's bottom.  

The poor thing is looking rather sad inside the shed without her transom and lots of decking missing, but Allan Barttram, Chris Burls, Andy Leonard, Finlay Marshall, Paul Burden  and Rob Everitt spent the day scraping, sanding and painting. It was very hard work, we're informed, but Endeavour looked a lot better when the team left… although they didn’t!!

There are plenty more jobs to do, but the plan is to have her back in Leigh in April, looking her best for the year ahead.

Endeavour Christmas 2019 Merchandise

Hello Trust supporters – have you considered Endeavour Merchandise for your Christmas presents?

All cards £3 for 10 (a selection of 4 types of cards.  All cards contain lovely photos of Endeavour and some of her history on the rear).

Endeavour bag for life - £5

Mugs - £5

Leigh-on-Sea Tea Towel - £3

Endeavour engraved pens - £2

Endeavour keyrings – mixed photo - £2

Endeavour Colouring book (very limited availability now) £4.

Canvas prints –

(Small) 10cms square - £10

(Med) 20 cms square - £11

(Large) 20cms x 30 cms - £12

All the above will be delivered, with a smile, free of charge in the Leigh-on-Sea or the neighbouring area.

Postage is available – depending on delivery address - please contact Rob Everitt to order or to enquire further.

Prices correct at the time of posting, but please be aware that they may change after Christmas 2019 - ask Rob for details!

Welcome to the Winter Newsletter

This edition contains a lengthy report on Endeavour's trip to  Antwerp, the discovery of rot in her transom, AGM news and details of one of Endeavour's Dunkirk movie co-stars!

Please drop us a line if you have any comments, or visit us on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/EndeavourTrustLeigh/

It's a Long Way to Antwerp in a Cockle Boat - by Paul Gilson

Above: Endeavour in the procession up the Scheldt in Antwerp during the liberation celebrations. Photo credit: Oostende Voor Anker

Endeavour set another record when she went to Antwerp in Belgium to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the city's liberation from German occupation by Canadian forces. The voyage amounted to over 400 miles!  

Endeavour and five other little ships also accepted the invitation to join in. The following is based on the Endeavour’s log book entries by her captain, Paul Gilson.

The plan was simple, gather at Ramsgate and cross to Nieuwpoort, Belgium. Well three of us did, Mimosa, Mary Scott and Endeavour. Tom Tit, Elvin and Hilfranor would be catching us up.

The Boat has Rot!

Endeavour will not be on view in Leigh for three months while she undergoes repairs to her decks and hull in St Osyth.

Rot was discovered during an inspection by shipwright, Brian Kennell, the man who rebuilt her in 2004. We had already decided to work on the deck to trace leaks. An initial view was that the caulking on the seams needed replacing, a job which would take time and labour.

AGM News

The Leigh-on-Sea Endeavour Trust’s Annual General Meeting has much to discuss this year.

Endeavour will be going to Dunkirk with the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships, but, only once urgent repairs are completed.

Hollywood Star Falls On Hard Times

Above is a photograph of the Revlis, whom you might recognise as Moonstone, the boat Mark Rylance’s character takes across the Channel in Christopher Nolan’s 2017 film Dunkirk, in which Endeavour also had a role.