Small craft
The Society encourages the restoration, preservation and use of historic small craft, and the recording of existing small craft before they disappear. The National Maritime Museum, Cornwall holds the Society's watercraft recods within the Bethell Watercraft Resource
The term small craft covers a wide range of boats from a tiny coracle to a 68-foot gunboat used in the 1939-45 war. It includes any craft that work between ship and shore, as well as river boats. Old tenders, cutters and barges; modern inflatables (RIBs) with speeds of 40 knots and sophisticated navigation equipment; fishing boats and whalers; small sailing boats: all come under the heading of small craft.
The Small Craft Committee was instrumental in setting up the Institute of Seamanship in 2001.
HMS Victory's 1805 cutter
The committee organises the regular use of HMS Victory's 1805 Cutter, one of two historic cutters reconstructed by the Society. It uses the twenty-five-foot cutter to publicise HMS Victory and the Society for Nautical Research, and to encourage young people to participate in the work of the Society and keep alive the skills of seamanship.
You will find details of our 2011 programme here.
We welcome volunteers to help with HMS Victory's Cutter and other historic craft. If you think you might like to join the crew, see the Small Craft Committee on our contacts page.
For more information contact the Sailing Master.
