A special conference is to be held to celebrate the history of boatbuilders Crossfields of Arnside.
Crossfields of Arnside were leading builders of classic yachts and Morecambe Bay prawners (also known as Nobbies). They were active from the 1840s to 1940s.
There are around 40 Crossfield boats still in existence,.
They include 'Bonita', built in 1888, the oldest boat to take part in 2013 Round Britain Challenge; 'Ziska', built in 1903, which is now on the west coast of America, having been sailed across the Atlantic; and 'Moya', built in 1910, now in the Mediterranean, second in her class in the 1975 Fastnet Race.
Crossfields also built Lake District author Arthur Ransome’s Swallow. In the 1930 Swallow was owned by a local teenager and kept on the estuary at Arnside
The conference on Saturday, March 16, is being organised by Arnside Sailing Club, the RYA North West Sailing Club of the Year.
It explores the history of Crossfields and the different boats which they built.
During the conference there will be talks from visiting owners and skippers of Crossfields boats, including 'Bonita', shortlisted for the Classic Boat Magazine awards, 'Moya' based in Greece and 'Maryll', based in the Netherlands.
In 1928 Arnside Sailing Club purchased 'Severn', a 1912 Royal Mersey Rivers Class yacht with the help of thea Heritage Lottery to have an example of a Crossfield’s boat in the village.
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