Guernsey has the most amazing maritime heritage… but where is it?
In 2024, Marcel Lenormand was awarded a Churchill Fellowship, asking the question: “How do we revive Guernsey’s maritime heritage?”
His fellowship took him to France, Canada, the United States, and Tasmania, where he met inspiring people working hard to celebrate and expand their own maritime heritage.
The longterm dream is threefold:
• to build and restore Guernsey boats — in community;
• to operate a Guernsey boat for the benefit of all ages, locals and visitors.
• to establish a maritime heritage festival — a celebration of all things maritime.
Our first preview festival will extend Guernsey Arts’ Arts Sunday on 7 June.
We will take over the so-called ‘hammerhead’ end of the Crown Pier, with a static display of surviving examples of Guernsey boats. Some dating back to the early 20th century — some barely surviving, others lovingly restored.
Among them is Sport, a 19ft wooden boat found adrift during the First World War with no one aboard. She was brought to Guernsey and worked by several fishermen over the century, eventually being left in a barn until last year, when local shipwright Edmund Morgan was commissioned to restore her.
We will also feature a diverse array of floating boats in the marina, including the working fishing boat Sarada, still in use by fisherman Peter Lesbirel, and a Second World War work boat built in Scotland. This vessel served in the Mediterranean and originally carried an anti-aircraft machine gun!
On land, visitors can enjoy craft demonstrations, including forging (Nic Gee), steam bending (student shipwright JP Lenormand), capstan shanty singing (lead by Jerry Cobb), spar making (Pete Crossley), and willow basket and crab-pot weaving (Rae Bearder).
Our tent will house a display of local maritime heritage memorabilia from Lloyd Robilliard and Peter Brehaut, alongside a creative showcase (by Yasmin Atkinson) of the epic 1937–39 journey undertaken by 14-year-old Guernsey girl Anne Collins (née Brache) and her family, who sailed from Guernsey to Sydney, Australia. Now 102 years old, Anne still lives in Brisbane.
We are offering boat trips to Fermain and Saints Harbour with Guernsey Coastal Cruises and their wooden boat: Glad Tidings, at special festival rates from just £10.
Artists Richard Le Goupillot and Susanna MacInnes will also be painting around the pier for everyone to see and enjoy.
Join us on Sunday, 7 June, from 10 am to 5 pm.
Helen Glencross, Head of Culture & Heritage Services said: “Guernsey’s maritime heritage is central to our island’s identity, and it’s important that our history and traditions are shared and celebrated by the community. I’d like to congratulate Marcel and the organisers on creating this new festival and helping to ensure this legacy is passed on to future generations.”
Matt Harvey, Senior Curator – Head of Curatorial Team, Guernsey Museum & Art Gallery said: “The 1937–39 voyage of Anne Collins and her family is a remarkable story of courage, adventure, and resilience. It is just one of a myriad of incredible maritime stories our island holds and one that deserves to be told with the same spirit it was lived.”
Rebecca Booth, Head of Arts Development, Guernsey Arts said: “Maritime heritage isn’t just about history—it’s about creativity, identity, and the stories we carry forward. This extension to Arts Sunday will blend art, craft, and living memory to create a vibrant celebration that resonates with both locals and visitors alike.”
