An exciting new venture to celebrate the legacy of the Fife boatyard in Fairlie has been launched in the village.

Villager John Riddell, who is a director of the Fairlie Community Trust, looks back at the Fife legacy and the Trust's involvement in purchasing a property in Bay Street for a new heritage centre...

Surprise has often been expressed that Fairlie has so little to remember the succession of William Fifes who designed what have been described ‘as the most beautiful, the fastest, and the most prestigious boats in the history of yachting’.

Over three generations of Fife these boats were built by teams of skilled craftsmen in the yard in the village’s Bay Street, providing a range of employment and contributing much to the village’s early development. Some of the yachts still exist and are much sought after with their accolade ‘Fife of Fairlie’.

That absence of any place to tell the story of Fife and the ‘fast and bonnie’ boats built in Fairlie may now end with the recent acquisition by Fairlie Community Trust of a house in Bay Street opposite the site of the former Fife yard. The Trust described the acquisition ‘as presenting a real and unique opportunity for those interested in the Fife yachts to develop a centre to keep alive the Fife contribution to sailing and to the village. It is ideally located for such a project.

It is large enough to provide varied exhibition space but small enough to be easily converted and run.

Bringing the project to fruition will require input from people with a wide range of expertise, some likely to be living in the village and some from the wider commercial, heritage, and sailing world.

The project will need strong support from those who wish to see the heritage of three generations of William Fife as yacht designers and builders, added Mr Riddell, ‘if that support does not exist the project will not exist.

At this early stage the Trust is seeking to identify persons with relevant skills, experience and above all enthusiasm who would wish to progress the range of activities needed to deliver a 21st century community heritage centre able to attract and inform visitors of all ages about the famous yachts, their designers and builders, and the importance of the Bay Street yard and Clyde yachting to Fairlie. If anyone feels they can help, know of others who might help, or wish to learn more about the project please contact the Trust’s Secretary via email at jcf30@btinternet.com