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Revival of the pilot cutter

You could be forgiven for thinking that this wonderful-looking yacht has been the subject of some sort of intricate restoration, but you would be wrong. This handsome gaff cutter is brand new, just launched in Gweek, a tiny village tucked away on the Helford River in Cornwall. Ezra is the fifth new pilot cutter to be completed by Luke Powell's Working Sail boatbuilding company and she represents a small but significant trend towards building new cutters based on the simple but effective principles established almost 150 years ago.
We visited Powell's yard late last year. When we set eyes on Ezra, then nearing completion, the photographer's shutter finger became a blur.
With her 44ft LOA, 13ft beam and displacing 22 tons, Ezra is immediately recognisable as a vessel based on pilot cutter lines. Luke Powell refers to her as an "Isles of Scilly pilot cutter from the 1840’s, very true to her type, even down to being tiller-steered with a flush deck (no cockpit) and a wooden handspike barrel windlass for raising the anchor".
She is built of 2in oak upper planking and one and five-eighths inch larch lower planking on grown oak frames and her deck and deck beams are of opepe, an African hardwood. She is fastened with bronze screws and her 1,6ooft2 of sail is hand-sewn by sailmaker Patrick Selman.
Ezra, laid out below with a considerable number of berths, will be based on the Craignish peninsula 20 miles south of Oban on Scotland's west coast. According to www.SailEzra. co.uk, voyages will incorporate mountaineering, wildlife exploration and creative writing.
Luke Powell does not seem short of business and is starting his next pilot cutter in September. Although these yachts might look daunting to manage, their history of safety and speed speaks for itself.
The accommodation is extraordinarily comfortable and simple. The use of timber and simple furnishings throughout creates an ambience which is warm and welcoming. Luke Powell's pilot cutters include Hesper, Agnes, Lizzie May and Eve. In 1838 there were four shipyards in the islands, working flat out building pilot cutters, but when steam arrived their future was doomed.
One of the last was broken up and turned into fencing on Bryher. But pilot cutters have always held a place in the hearts of those who find economy, speed and efficiency an appealing combination. We will be taking a closer look at the re-emergence of the pilot cutter in an upcoming issue. Contact: Luke Powell. Tel:+44 (0)78140 083290. www.workingsail.co.uk