Agnes’ History

Launched in 2003 from Luke’s yard in Gweek, Cornwall, 46ft Agnes was built along the lines of the original pilot cutter for St Agnes in the Isles of Scilly. Originally built for an American owner, after her launch, she was prepared for an Atlantic crossing to take her to a new home.

In 2006, Luke and Jo decided to buy her back and bring her home to Cornwall where she became the flagship of their boat-building company. After sailing her recreationally for a number of years, in 2013 Luke and Jo decided to launch Agnes as a charter boat to share their love of their boat and Cornwall, Isles of Scilly and Brittany.

She has taken guests sailing every summer since and is a well-known boat around her home waters of Falmouth and the Carrick Roads.

The Pilot Cutter

Ships sailing in from the Atlantic heading towards the rocky coasts of Cornwall eagerly sought local knowledge – hence the need for pilots. In all and any weathers, the Cornish seamen were taken out to sea ready to be put aboard to guide the ships in. Over the centuries, Cornish Pilot Cutters evolved to survive and sail in some of the wildest conditions of the seafaring world.

Pilot cutters were built to be fast and the competition was fierce with pilots sailing their boats from Falmouth and the Scillies out into the Atlantic in search of ships to see which to be the first one to get a man aboard the advancing ships. Each Pilot Cutter could carry 8 pilots and stayed at sea until all the pilots were aboard the incoming ships.