AN HISTORIC lugger often seen in the waters of Mount's Bay has returned to west Cornwall after a major overhaul.
Fittingly named the Happy Return, the vessel left Penzance at the end of last season and headed to Gweek for major repairs to her keel.
Ridden with gribble worms, the Mount's Bay Lugger Association (MBLA) owned vessel, had to be completely torn apart and rebuilt before sailing back into home waters on Friday.
"It is like a heart operation when they open the chest of the boat and take everything out," said Bob Glanville, founder member of the MBLA.
The only remaining Mount's Bay lugger and mackerel driver with a dipping lug, the Happy Return is listed on the National Register of Historic Vessels. After the MBLA formed in 1993 with the aim of resurrecting a fishing lugger, they acquired the vessel in 1998; five years later she was relaunched following a full restoration.
She can be seen sailing around the coast throughout the season and is a familiar face at events including the annual Boats in the Bay event at St Ives and the Painting Party on the pier at Newlyn.
