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Marine / Watch historic boat begin new life after restoration

The Maggie Helen in the water on Thursday evening. Photo: Shetland News

A FORMER fishing boat has set sail for pastures new after being restored by a group of visiting shipwrights.

Maggie Helen – or Loki, as she is known locally – departed Hay’s Dock in Lerwick early this morning (Friday).

Thanks to Dirk Robertson for sharing the time-lapse video below of the boat setting off.

Maggie Helen was built in 1904 as a fishing boat.

She had been sitting in storage since 2007 after the historic vessel had been bought by Shetland Amenity Trust for an undisclosed sum and in somewhat controversial circumstances.

Museum curator Ian Tait said were no takers when the trust tried to sell the boat – or when it tried to give her away locally.

But an international team of shipwrights expressed an interest and they quickly got to work on restoring her. Their aim is to use her to sail around Europe.

Read more about the restoration and the boat’s history in a Shetland News piece published this week in the link below.

Maggie Helen gets a new lease of life

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