BUILDER OF BOATS | TELLER OF STORIES |
KEEPER OF MEMORIES
LATEST NEWS
Gail has been awarded an Endangered Crafts Fund grant in support of her new project The Traditional Boatbuilding Beacon in a barn in Galloway, Scotland. The Beacon will shine a light on traditional wooden boats conserved in the barn and through hands-on workshops pass on the endangered skills of traditional wooden boatbuilding.
If you would like to support the Beacon please be in touch with Gail through the contact page.
If you would like to support the Beacon please be in touch with Gail through the contact page.
Gail was interviewed by Dan Richards in Episode 5 of BBC Radio 4's The Bare Necessities as one of "the tradition bearers and carriers of ancient knowledge who actively choose to live in close connection with the natural world around them." Broadcast on 07.08.26, you can click on the image to listen.
Following on from Dumfries and Galloway's Spring Fling Open Studios event, the 'ghost ship' installation in Galloway House Gardens, Garlieston, will remain in position for summer visitors to see. It is a lament to the disappearing lines of traditional wooden boats along the shores of Britain.
The Making Waves article below was produced by Royal Museums Greenwich. Click on image for link to the article.
- Standing on the shore of Haroldswick in Unst, Britain’s most northerly inhabited island, Gail McGarva watched as a wooden boat plied the waters of the North Sea.
- It was a landmark moment: the first vessel she had built, gliding through the water after months of intensive work. “It was the most incredible feeling,” Gail says.
In 2009, Gail was awarded a scholarship by Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST) to build the lerret daughterboat Littlesea. The National Historic Ships on the National Replica List awarded her official replica status.
Gail has been interviewed by BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour and her work has been featured in the BBC 2 Heritage Heroes series and BBC 4 Beach Live. You can hear Gail's Woman's Hour interview here
Gail has been interviewed by BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour and her work has been featured in the BBC 2 Heritage Heroes series and BBC 4 Beach Live. You can hear Gail's Woman's Hour interview here
Photographers
Becky Collis - www.rebeccacollisphotography.com
Martin Haswell - www.martinhaswell.net
Nick Matthews - www.nickmatthewsphotography.co.uk
Simon Tutty - www.simontutty.co.uk
Main image by Martin Haswell
Becky Collis - www.rebeccacollisphotography.com
Martin Haswell - www.martinhaswell.net
Nick Matthews - www.nickmatthewsphotography.co.uk
Simon Tutty - www.simontutty.co.uk
Main image by Martin Haswell