Crew of Victorian yacht built in village near Lancaster set off on celebratory round Britain voyage

Bonita, which was built by Crossfields of Arnside in 1888, embarked on the OGA (The Association for Gaff Rig Sailing) Round Britain Cruise from Ramsgate in Kent yesterday (May 1).

She is one off 22 boats taking part in the event being organised by the OGA to celebrate their 60th anniversary.

It should take just under 100 days to navigate round Britain.

Crossfields were leading builders of yachts and Morecambe Bay Prawners, also known as Nobbies. They were active from the 1840s to the 1940s.

Bonita was built by them for Edwin Wrigley, the owner of Holme Island off Grange-over-Sands. She competed regularly in races for the Royal Barrow Yacht Club coming second in the Dukes Cup in 1889.

She is currently owned by Mike Beckett, the President of the OGA. Bonita was bought by his father Allan Beckett in 1938 and has remained in the family ever since. Allan was involved in the design of the Mulberry Harbours used in Normandy Landings in 1944.

It will be the second time that Bonita has sailed round Britain. She completed the voyage in 2013 and in 2016, Bonita sailed from Kent to the Baltic.

Alasdair Simpson for Arnside Sailing Club said: “We wish Mike, Bonita and his crew well in their voyage round Britain. It is a magnificent achievement to sail round Britain, let alone in a yacht built 135 years ago in 1888.”

For anybody wanting to take up sailing, Arnside Sailing Club have a Try Out Day on Sunday May 21. They also run sailing courses at Arnside and Killington near Sedbergh for adults and children, and Arnside Classic Boat Event is on June 4 and 5.

The club owns Severn, which was also built by Crossfields of Arnside in 1912. Severn is currently being restored with the help of a National Lottery Heritage Fund Grant and should be back on the water in 2024.

"Arnside has long been a sailing centre with the village’s first club formed in 1852,” added Alasdair.

You can follow Bonita’s progress on the OGA’s website and on the owner’s blogsite http://bonitayawl.blogspot.com