Houseboat LORNA at West Mersea. She was built as LORNA in 1875, renamed VERA and then on her centenary renamed back to LORNA. The stern has been cut back in recent times.

A former owner of the LORNA tells us:
"She had been a luxury sailing yacht and sailed around the southern oceans which is why her Hull was clad in copper. I'm afraid to say we did take out walls which divided up the cabins, saloon and chart room but left the captain's cabin intact - each was lined in a different wood. There were also a couple of pieces of her original China which were monogrammed with her name "Lorna".
"She had been used for many years at Tollesbury as a paint store and workshop before she was brought to West Mersea and laid on the mud there, as her back was broken and the reason for the original counter stern to be removed. We also put up the second bit of deck house as the rear deck leaked so badly.

"Unfortunately after we moved off she moved out of her mud berth in a high spring tide and storm and came down on her side and didn't come up on the next tide causing a lot of damage internally and sprang some planks. We had these repaired but she was a mess when we sold her at the end of the 1970's.

VERA ex LORNA, ex ANTILOPE ON 68577 Yawl,Owner F.A. Cohen, Rickmansworth [LRY 1900].
VERA ex LORNA, ex ANTILOPE ON 68577 Yawl, wood, 71.5ft oa, built Gosport 1875 Camper & Nicholson. Owner F.J. Clerke, London [LRY 1914].
VERA ex LORNA, ex ANTILOPE ON 68577 Yawl. Owner Alfred C. Adams [LRY 1926].

ANNA MARIA on the right, replaced the OTHONA in 2021.
Date: 22 Sep 2021