Sea King, the launch getting ready to fuel up for Bryher.
30th May 2009
The Boatmen's Association was started by my grandfather's cousins Jeff, Frank and Vernon Thompson in 1958, along with the Hicks family (Gee Hicks and Mike Hicks), Golden Spray was my cousin's boat under IoSSCo ownership originally. Lewellyn (Lew/Lou) Hitchens eventually bought the Golden Spray, and then bought the Black Swan from the Island Hotel, selling off Golden Spray, late 1960s. Lewellyn retired and moved to Penzance in 1985. Mike Hicks bought Black Swan. The owner of Sea King is the son of Mike Hicks, Fraser Hicks; Sea King was built in 1947, she is 57 feet long; The Black Swan was a RN Liberty launch and is still working at the NMM at Falmouth.
