A 116-year-old yacht built in South Lakeland has completed the 750-mile Race to Alaska in 16 days.
The race from Port Townsend on the west coast of America to Ketchikan is designed to showcase the latest technology for human and wind-powered boats.
Ziska, which was built by Crossfields of Arnside in 1903, finished 22nd overall out of 35 starters. The yacht was a long way behind the winners, Team Angry Beavers, whose crew completed the race in four days and four hours in their modern, lightweight, high performance boat.
Whilst Ziska coped well with gales, when the wind dropped, the crew had to row her 15 tonnes.
Ziska was built in the Crossfield Brothers’ boatyard on Church Hill. From there she was rolled down the hill past the Albion and launched from the beach.
Ziska was bought by a 19-year-old in 1997and sailed across the Atlantic to the Caribbean. In 2006 she was transported across America by road to Port Townsend on the west coast of America.
In 2017 she was purchased by shipwright Stanford Siver who has spent the last two years restoring the boat before entering her in the Race2Alaska.
Crossfields of Arnside were leading builders of Morecambe Bay Prawners and yachts from the 1840s to the 1940s. In 2018 Arnside Sailing Club, RYA North West Club of the Year bought Severn, a yacht built in Arnside in 1912, with the help of Heritage Lottery funding to have an example of a Crossfield boat in the village.
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