Replica Bronze Age Boat starts to sink in sea trial launch

A REPLICA Bronze Age Boat which was launched in Dover harbour this afternoon had to be winched back on to dry land when it started to fill with water.

The event was to mark the end of more than three months work by a specialist team, including Canterbury Archaeological Trust deputy director Peter Clark, on building the vessel using Bronze Age era tools.

The boat is a half scale replica of the 3,500 year old craft found in the centre of Dover 20 years ago. It will form the centre-piece of a three-year European exhibition starting in Boulogne next month.

The boat build and launch has been filmed as part of a Time Team special but series frontman and former Baldric actor Tony Robinson was unable to come up with a cunning plan to keep the vessel afloat.

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Instead of being paddled up to the slipway on the seafront the boat was brought on the back of a trailer to the promenade by the Dover Sea Sports Centre so that the gathered crowd could see it.

Among those waiting for a glimpse was DDC chairman Sue Nicholas, Dover mayor Ronnie Philpott and Cllr Nigel Collor.

Mr Clark revealed the team had been working to finish the boat this morning. He said: "I am terribly disappointed, especially after such a hard week but we faced challenges all the way along. We are going to go away, sleep on it and think about the lessons we have learnt.

"We will launch it again."

Mr Clark said the problem may have been due to the finish of two of the boat seams.

Mr Robinson, who has been in Dover since Friday filming with the Time Team for a Bronze Age boat special later in the year, said he was feeling "philosophical" about the failure of the sea trial.

Mr Clark and fellow team member Richard Darrah gave short speeches and christened the craft the Ole Crumlin-Pederson after the Danish expert who researched the craft and helped design the replica.

Mr Pederson sadly passed away in October.

*Full story in Thursday's Dover Express