Tea Clippers like Cutty Sark , Black Prince and Thermopylae competed to get the tea to Bristol. Great Grandfather Hamish McInnes Mitchell was a Sea Captain of sailing ships out of Greenock.
Having been watching Sampson Boat Company's Tally Ho (single mast) project for the last five years, I can tell you for sure that I would seriously doubt that this monster is ever going to be restored to floating condition. To do so would involve replacing just about everything there just using the dried out hulk as a reference. It would be a massive and incredibly expensive undertaking. Even getting it cleaned up for static display is going to be a ton of work. Best of luck with this endeavor.
To the team that is trying to save the ship, I wish you luck. Just be aware that these type adventures have come and gone before you. Study the case of the MV Kalakala, recovered from Alaska and returned to Seattle in hopes of restoration. The man with the heart and money to bring the ship to the public lost everything when the board voted him out. From there it was all down hill until the boat was broken up for scrap. There is a lesson there...
The Scots let it rot, they never look after anything, including any of their own buildings, which have any history. They seem to suffer from spontaneous combustion. Scottish culture? There is none.
The UK has far bigger issues to deal with than taking care of this beautiful old ship. Unfortunately... In a perfect world we wouldn't have such issues and could live our lives restoring vessels such as this. Wouldn't it be wonderful
