Plans to host a Fife museum in Fairlie have been shelved, organisers say.

Last year, a property in Bay Street had been purchased directly across from where the old Fife boatyard used to be based for three generations of the family.

However, directors and trustees of Fairlie Community Trust have decided to sell the house at 54 Bay Street, after originally setting their hopes on the location for a heritage centre relating to the Fife yacht design and building which lasted in the area for nearly 120 years.

The decision was taken after there has been 'insufficient interest in the project', together with the continuing cost to the Trust of owning the property.

The property will be placed back on the open market in the expectation that the purchase price will be recovered.

A full explanation of the reasons which have resulted in the decision to sell the property and abandon the heritage centre project will be given to members at the Annual General Meeting in February, 2019.

Plans for a Fairlie Heritage Centre at the former Primary School building were also dropped in recent years.

The boatyard was demolished in 1985 with very little reminder left in the village of the proud legacy of the 'Fast and Bonnie' racing yachts which were built in the yard, other than four acclaimed Fife Regatta events, and the Latifa yacht weather vane on Fairlie Yacht Haven.

A Fife Memorial model was built next to the new housing and is on display in Bay Street, next to where the boatyard was situated.

Some years ago a TV crew from Germany visited Fairlie to try and capture some historical features but had little joy, although American news giant CNN and the BBC did film some footage in Fairlie and interviewed local historian John MacFie on Fairlie beach.

We recently reported that the original vessel 'Powerful' built in the Fife boatyard was returned to the Maritime Museum in Irvine last month.

The award-winning Scottish Maritime Museum is home to Scotland’s national maritime heritage collection, which features ships, vessels and engineering designs, which influenced the course of maritime history across the world.

The collection features some of the country’s most beautiful and historic vessels including Golden Orfe, another yacht built at Fife of Fairlie.

There are believed to be only fifty William Fife yachts sailing throughout the world today, with another 150 lying in a state of disrepair.

Powerful was restored by Tim and James Morton in memory of Desmond and Jim Morton.

For more information about the Scottish Maritime Museum’s maritime heritage and art collections and year round events programme, visit www.scottishmaritimemuseum.org

The Fife boatyard in Fairlie was demolished in 1985 with very little reminder left in the village of the proud legacy of the 'Fast and Bonnie' racing yachts which were built in the yard, other than four acclaimed Fife Regatta events, the Latifa yacht weather vane on Fairlie Yacht Haven.

A TV crew from Germany even visited Fairlie some years ago to try and capture some historical features but had little joy, although American news giant CNN and the BBC did film some footage in Fairlie when they interviewed local historian John MacFie on Fairlie bay.