Orkney Image Library

Mirror Dinghies possibly belonging to Westray School as they had some in the 70s and they are alongside "Coriander" a motor-cruiser built & owned by the late Councillor Jack Scott of Skaill Farm.
The boat at the Corn Slip is "Ewing McGruer" built at Pia Anderson's boatyard in Stromness about 1969. She was built for a Commercial Boat Show in London I think and though steamed across to Wick was taken south by road. She was initially powered by a 150hp Volvo Penta engine which was considered to be a very powerful angine for her size in those days. After Show use she was initially sold to Tim Stout of Westray who fished with her for a good number of years and she has since a had several owners in Orkney. A tribute to her solid construction is the fact that she is still going and is presently(2008) undergoing a major refit alongside current owner Brian Pottinger's house at Scapa. No doubt he is being ably assisted by his father in law Smith Foubister who was one of the original well-handed men who built her at Pia's.

I see the Silver Fern's bow - there's a story about her back in 1974 or aboots, I was about 10 years old. I was down at me grandad's house, Charlie Craigie's in Wyre at Russness, lookan out the back window towards Egilsay and I seen men waving orange buoys in the air and the Silver Fern was nearly ashore at Skersie on Wyre. I said "Da, theres a boat in trouble and mens waving orange things in the air", and he said "Ah dont be daft." Then he jumped to his feet and looked out and seen it for himself, so we went of down to the pier, got the dinghy and went out to his boat the Evelyne (a Duncan built boat).

Off we set to the Point o' Skersie and threw a rope to them and towed them back to the Wyre pier. Quite a blashey day and a northerly wind right on the shore - anyway they had lost their rudder and had no steering. They got a tow back to Kirkwall later on, happy chappys. Had we seen them another 10 minutes later they would have been aground as their anchor was dragging. Think they marked it and left it for another day - another true story fe Wyre.