Orkney Image Library

K885-evelyn. The late alfie sinclairs boat.

That's the Enterprise K880 outside of the Bon-ami .

Apologies. It is the Enterprise not the Evelyn. I was more used to the Enterprise as LK447 and not K registered.

Bon-Ami and Enterprise at cable work in Stronsay Firth 1977. Jemie Stout owner o Bon Ami, Geordie Costie had the Enterprise. Geordie had the Bon Ami fa Jemie in 1979

Is this the same Bon-Ami INS 69 that was built at Jones Of Buckie in 1957 For Hopeman owners.? I believe that she is still on the go possibly on the south coast of England, can anyone verify where.?

Bon-Ami, was until very recently for sale for £20,000, about the south coast on Find a Fishing Boat..

The link is quite an old posting but the information could be helpful: click here

Added by Craig Taylor on 02 January 2010

Thanks to both of you for the information.

I was once working on board the sail training vessel Tenacious when we bearthed in Falmouth. The Bon-Ami was tied up along side as it had apparently been caught by the Customs with a considerable amount of drugs aboard. Not sure how true this is though. Might even have photos of it somewhere if i look.

The Bon Ami is for sale for £1000 in Plymouth. I'm considering buying it to live aboard and taking her back to scotland but i for the owners to get back to me about its condition etc. would be nice to own something with so much history behind it .

This is a bit o a long shot but someen asked me aboot a boat that wiz here in Longhope a long time ago and wiz owned by Sammy Doull. She wiz called "Hazel". Sammy wrought at her for years, and years,she hid a open rudder and was aboot 28 -30 feet I think maby Dentist Davy Dunnet might have owned her at wan time she gead away fae here late 60s doon tae aboot Helemsdale or miby further afield . Sammy pat a big diesel engine in her bit never realy got her in the water much.

Does anybody mind aboot her or her wheraboots??.

Weel John I can definately say that Davy Dunnet had a boat at wan time,a nd it would have been aboot the size you give. It was painted white all over, if I remember correctly, and I'm sure it's safe to say that they travelled across the north sea in her on at least one occasion.
The only person who could inform you for sure is his son Billy, who if he reads this (where ever he is) would surely do so.

John , was it no a brother o the dentist that had the Hazel? I'm near sure she lay at Millbay for years before Sammy had her- if I am right, the fella that had her bought 40 new creels and rigged them in singles wi bouy ropes only half the depth o' the water where he shot them up at the Bring.. he never saw one o them again, I think she came fae across the firth somewhere when the Dunnet fella bought her..

Did Gordie Kirkpartricks son in law Sandy Sutherland no buy her and worked at the clams with her working out of Helmsdale or Lybster?
I remember her lying in the noust below bluebell cottage for many years and if i remember right Sammy did have her in the water one summer but I cant remember when that was.

Geordie Kirkpatricks son in la owned the 'Lilly Flower' she wis the same breed if I mind rite,as the 'Hazel' both o them big able boats.

Weel done tae you boys for that info, yae ken there wiz a nagan feelin at the back o me mind aboot Mill Bay bit yae see I am a bit younger than you Jimmy and I dont mind aboot that! I jist winder if Sammy didna hiv that boat here afore the Williamson Family left the peedie hoose next tae the Doctors. She lay oot afore hid yae mind, I think they gead away in 1957.

Anither boat I wiz winderan aboot was the "Hoxa Head" or I think she was also named the "Bounty". Jock Smith owned her for a time, she had a big Kelvin engine in her and the damn thing was whint tae stick in gear- a very heavy hammer made o copper was in the wheelhouse tae lay hell intae the gear lever in such events!

Wid I be correct in thinkan she was owned by someen Gutcher or Goodsir fae the "Hup" at wan time? She had a full suit o sails. I mind gaan up tae Stromness Shopping Week on a gey dirty day wae all the sails set- Old Fred Johnston wiz at the wheel and wae seemed tae be gaan at a fair lick, I wiz only a peedie chap at the time.

Does any body know where she came fae or indeed what became o her I think she might hiv been gaey owld and a bit soft by the time she was here.

I think the Davie Dunnet that owned the Hazel was a harbour master somewhere in Orkney, and yes Sandy Sutherland and a mate owned and fished with her from Longhope Pier in the late 60s.

I have heard tales o her lyan up in Millbay for some time I mind her at Longhope as weel did shae no hiv a engine that made a terrible racket.And the Dunnet man was he a Capt. They said that he used to go aff tae the skate in the firh and got good hauls regularly cathing skate that was so big that the weengs were touching the watter on both sides o the boat lol.

Further to my comments above and to help clear up any mystery as to which Dunnet actually owned said boat.
Davie,who was the Kirkwall dentist at one time,had a brother, who if memory serves me correctly,was called Jimmy.
Now Jimmy was Harbourmaster at Stromness for a number of years possibly about the 1950's.
Now this may not solve the mystery completely,but it may jog memories,somewhere in the Sooth Isles.
What's my interest in this you may ask,well my Greatgrandmother was a Dunnet from South Ronaldsay originally, and her son William (my grandfather) and Davie Dunnet were lifelong friends.
By the way John, There was a vessel in Kirkwall at one time too called the Bounty,which was owned by the local Sea Cadets in the days when Capt.John Sinclair harbour master at Kirkwall was in charge. Could have been aboot the 1950's.

I was interested in your story in paragraph 2 and seen to think it could very possibly be the same ship

The name Jimmy Dunnet is in my mind, that had the Hazel in Millbay, and nearly sure he worked on the M.F.V's at Lyness, maybe a Skipper on them, but its so long ago, job tae mind right, and think it wid be before 1950.

I vividly remember Davie Dunnet (Dentist) having a seine-net type boat which lay in the Basin in Kirkwall during the early 50's. Her name was the "Ebenezer" when Davie bought her and that name remained during Davie's ownership. On one occasion, Davie's eldest son, Bruce, and family set off for Norway, via Shetland, but had to return mid-way across the North Sea because of very bad weather. I used to go to the haddocks at the back of Rousay with the Dunnet family and many a happy day we had. The younger son, Billy, who was around my age, emigrated to South Africa where I believe he continues to reside.

I think the boat you are all speaking about that belonged to Davy Dunnet the dentist was named the"Ebenezer". She had a white painted hull and Davy and family used to anchor up in Rackwick Bay where he had a cottage which is still in the family. Before the"Ebenezer" Davy had a very able yole called the "Diadem" which he sold to a Rackwick man and former Kirkwall Harbour Master Capt.John Bremner. By coincidence he took over the Harbour Master's job from Capt.John Sinclair. I had many a trip on the"Bounty" in my young days with the Captain's sons Billy, Donald and Ian. The Bounty always broke down when we were out but the boys were good at getting her going again, a very contrary Kelvin Poppet Engine. Davy Dunnet had a brother called William who owned property on Queen Street and he left it to Davy's youngest son Billy who still lives in South Africa, Billy was last home in Orkney about eight to ten years ago. Added by Phil Brough.

As the Irish Comedian said there's more!! What can anybody mind aboot the the boat that also lay up near tae the Mill in Mill Bay? She was owned be the Sutherland man who was a engeneer at Lyness Naval Base. I think he lived aboot Thurvoe and it was said the boat had Midget Submarine engines fitted. She had a eleptic starn and a fair turn o speed bit was seldom afloat. I think he took here away maby tae Rosyth or some other Naval Base.

Does anyone mind her name or any other information about her. Jimmy Hamilton this is something you would be the ane tae help wae or miby Alan, no more skate stories. We need the facts only!! Folk will think whur daft!!. Ah na they wid never think that shurly !!. [I can run a poll on this on www.allaboutorkney.com if you want - Steven :-)]

Why do folk git me tae fin oot aboot these boats they must think aam soft Ned,!!.

PS. Maby they are right !!.

I do mind the boat your speakin about John, she was narrow and a bit like the Von Reuter except she had the type o stern you mention, and as you say she was seldom in the water, dont know what became o' her... there was also an old wartime landing craft lay below the Mill, Think Vic Baikie did some plating on her to get her seaworthy again, and think it was Ronald Leith that took her away maybe to Kirkwall, there you go John another one to follow up on ..

She was owned by Tommy Sutherland and she eventually went to Altbea or somewhere like that down the west coast. What happened to her after that I have no idea. She did have midget submarine engines in her and had a fair turn of speed. He did live at Thurvoe at one time but they moved to Rosyth when Lyness partly closed down. He was married to Bella Graham and they had a daughter Marlene who now lives in Inverness

Ah well that owld landing craft Jimmy was used tae ferry sheep fae Fara tae the mainland and was owned by the late Gordon Muir- miby the "scouws" o her are still aboot Holm??.
Dinna ken whit became o that boat o the Sutherland man ??. Diz aneyane mind aboot the engines? Thats an entrieging bit, I am sure they were something tae do wae Submarines??.

The Diadem was sold by Davy Dunnet to Davy Garson of Eday about 1949

The work on the owld barge was done by Vic Baikie, Stanley Thomson, and Jimmy Wylie for Ronald Leith Think she had two new Perkins fitted as weel. Gordon Muir had her for a time and then perhaps Gray Thomson for shae was apparantly beached at Shapinsay where shae was full o holes and the tide went in an out o her daily. Bought by Flaws Ferries she was used to serve Rousay, Wyre.Egilsay and Gairsay untill shae wis done,the scouws o her are lying on the beach at Wyre or wis till short ago.

The boat belonging to Tommy Sutherland used to lie on the beach below Haybrake Cottage, in Millbay, when I was a peedie lass. It was moved from there to Millburn beside the 'barge' owned by Ron Leith (owner of Leith's butcher shop in Kirkwall) Vic Baikie, Stanley Thomson and my dad worked on the 'barge' to get it ready for back to sea. Plating, painting, new engines, steering - the lot! I remember the day that Edwin Flaws fae Wyre, with his young family, came over to Lyness to look at it before the Flaws family bought it. Callum was six months old! Mid 1960's if my calculations are accurate?

Davy Garson must have sold the"Diadem" to Capt.John Bremner in the late 50s', she stood outside our workshop at the Peedie sea for a while after being repaired on one side obviously after a grounding. Added by Phil Brough.

For Bob Kelday: The "Diadem" owned by Davy Dunnet was I think in Scrabster during the war and was owned by the man who ran the explosives across to Lyness for the blasting of the tunnel in "Wee Fea".

A book was written about the transporting of such a hazardous cargo. The ferries that served the Pentland Firth route were not allowed to carry it due to the danger it posed.

I passed a copy of the book to Bruce Dunnet and he must still have it as I never got it returned to me. Later the gentleman whose name I cannot recall used a small yacht for the run and older folk here remembered the sails of the yacht coming in sight. Sorry I cannot be more informative but perhaps someone will be able to fill in some more about this event.

PS think the book was called something like "White sails on the water"

Maybe there is a bit of confusion about the barges here. Ronald Leith had an old powered landing craft that lay below the mill. I think Gordon o Fara used a wooden one. I remember it lying below the Binks for Ikey to do something to.I seem to remember it or something like it lying in Holm.

My name is Mark Owens now the owner of Bon Ami. I am converting her into a live aboard but not changing the structure, also glad to know i own a piece of history. Anyone interested in buying her call me on 07596 707 199 thanks... best offer buys!

I wanted to pick up on Jimmy Hamilton's reference tae Jimmy Dunnet - he did indeed work on the MFVs as a skipper and moved on to be harbour master at Stromness (I think!)

Where is the Bon Ami now - still in plymouth? What sort or money are you looking for for her?

I took a photo of a Bon Ami from radford in Plymouth. She sadly is sunk and abandoned. You can find my images on 500px look for my name - Ian Bradburn

[It's here: http://500px.com/photo/7072298 - Steven]

In the late seventies the Bon Ami was owned by Billy Rendall of Burray, originally from Roadside in Stronsay. He was married to Robin, who was the headmistress of the Burray school. Initially he fished with the Bon Ami, then had a contract ferrying oil workers to Flotta. I don't know at what point he sold her on.

Bon Ami built in 1957 for Doddie Jack, Hopeman.

The Bon Ami was sold before 1980 and I think to Jimmy Stout of Stronsay who then sold it to the Costies of Westray. Does anyone remember the Venture owned by Billy Rendall in the sixties ??

Bon Ami came to a sad end, does anybody know about the Venture which was on the go in the sixties?

The Venture became the Girl Linda in Wick ,she was back in Orkney after that as I think Robbie Mainland?? had her before ending up doing charter fishing at Inverkip on the Clyde

Would appreciate any photos of Bon Ami or the Venture as all our photos were lost in a house fire in 1981.