Iconic yacht Lively Lady in a sorry state as storm grows over failed restoration

Lively Lady appears to be in a sorry state at Portsmouth International Boatbuilding Training College following what is claimed to be a botched refurbishment project.

The 36ft yacht arrived at the centre in November 2015, where it had been hoped she would be restored to her former glory ahead of the 50th anniversary of her first round-the-world trip next year.

But 18 months on and all that remains is a wooden hulk, with her deck ripped up and rubbish scattered inside her leaking cabin.

Now, no longer able to leave under her own power, Lively Lady faces an uncertain future.

The situation has infuriated Alan Priddy, who sailed Lively Lady round the world between 2006 and 2008 and is once again at her helm.

A spokesman for the ocean racing legend said: ‘Worryingly, Lively Lady has been allowed to significantly deteriorate.

‘How on earth was this allowed to happen by a charity that claims to care about our maritime history?’

The college, in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard’s Boathouse No 4, teaches students traditional maritime skills.

The IBTC said it only agreed to restore Lively Lady’s deck and that demands from Mr Priddy to carry out further work on the boat’s interior had delayed the project – something Mr Priddy’s team contests.

IBTC trustee Hereward Drummond claimed that after the deck had been removed, Mr Priddy asked the college to take on further improvements to the cabin.

He said that as the boat was leased by Portsmouth City Council to Mr Priddy’s charity, Around and Around, the council needed to grant permission for further work, adding that a shipwright hired by Mr Priddy had been overseeing the attempt.

But Mr Priddy’s team said the work had always been about ‘restoring the whole’ boat and not just the deck.

The project was eventually scrapped by the project manager from Mr Priddy’s team, Mr Drummond claimed.

Around and Around is now hunting for a new team to take on the restoration work.

Alistair Thompson, spokesman for the charity, was furious. He claimed about £12,000 had been raised for the project and said he wanted to know how this money had been used.

He said: ‘What has happened is just disgraceful.

‘The real losers here are the young people of Portsmouth.’

Mr Drummond said Mr Priddy had signed a contract to ‘rent out space’ for Lively Lady, adding that Around and Around was ‘responsible’ for supplying its own materials, scaffolding and paying for a project manager.

He added: ‘It is with sadness that we say farewell to Lively Lady as she is a well-known vessel of historic importance and she was an eye-catching attraction for visitors.’

Lively Lady is now expected to be transported to Mr Priddy’s base on Hayling Island.

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