Ian Woodford plans to build Falmouth Packet Ship

Ian Woodford, managing director of Falmouth Packet Ship CIC, a not-for-profit community company intent on building a full-size replica Packet Ship, has spoken to The Packet about the company's plans for the build. 

Ian told The Packet: "Last April I went to the National Maritime Museum and saw the display about the Packet service, which is what built Falmouth into what it is today.

"I was looking at all the different boat types that were used around that period, rowing gigs, pilot cutters, punts, and we've got replicas of all of those, but we haven't got a packet ship.

Falmouth Packet Ship CIC intends to build a full-size replica Packet Ship (Image: Ryan Morwood)

"So I thought we really need a packet ship, Falmouth needs a packet ship as it really was the hub of communications for the UK. A lot of people don't even know what the packet service was."

"So I thought I'd build one, and that's how the idea started."

Ian has since started a community interest company and has been researching how best to go about building the ship.

As part of raising the profile of the company, Ian re-enacted the delivery of a set of documents by dressing in a period costume and handing over a suitcase to the skipper of the Maybe, one of the ships taking part in the Falmouth Tall Ships event.

Ian handing over the documents that would have been on a packet ship (Image: Ryan Morwood)

Ian added: "With the Tall Ships coming this year, I thought it would be really good to re-enact giving the documents over to a ship that would then be going off to Lisbon."

The company now plans to restore a seperate boat, the Boy John, in order to help gain some traction on the project and eventaully use it as one of the packet ship's tenders. 

Ian continued: "What we've started to do, and to help the project gain some traction, is we've got a boat to restore that we can then use as a tender to the ship.

The Maybe (Image: Ryan Morwood)

"A ship the size of a standard packet ship, which is what we intend to build, would have had two or three tenders. One for cargo, one for the captain etc.

"We had a grant from Falmouth Town Council to get started on the restoration of this 100-year-old boat that we've got, it's helping us get a team together to start the restoration. 

"We've got a team of young people who are interested in getting involved with the packet ship build.

"We're hoping it's the start of something big."

If you'd like to get involved and contribute to the project, you can find the Just Giving page at: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/restore-boy-john