Seized - the historic schooner that was simply abandoned

It's not everyday that £120,000 worth of boat is abandoned by its owner who then disappears without a trace.

When Johanna Lucretia sailed into Nielsen's Dry Dock in Gloucester three years ago it made for an astonishing sight. Built in 1945 and 75-foot long, she was a thrilling throwback to a bygone age of sail for the residents who flocked to see the vessel which soon became a local tourist attraction.

But for British Waterways, who maintain Gloucester docks, the historic schooner was a major headache. Shortly after mooring it with Tommi Nielsen, one of the country's top wooden boat restorers, the owner promptly disappeared and abandoned the vessel as casually as someone might discard a fridge by the side of the road.

Two years of searching ensued before the proprietor was finally contacted but he still refused to collect the vessel or pay up for the mounting license and mooring fees. Now the Johanna Lucretia has been seized by British Waterways and will be sold in order to recoup the costs of keeping it safely moored for the past three years.

British Waterways believes the 63-year-old two-masted ship is the largest boat it has ever had to impound and is now looking for a buyer willing to part with £120,000 for the dilapidated vessel.

Enforcement manager Paul Griffin said yesterday: "Taking possession of unlicensed boats is very much a last resort for us. We work very hard with our customers to help them keep on top of their payments and usually avoid a sale. In this case, it was unavoidable, but I'm really pleased to see her up for sale at last.

He added: "She's a great boat and deserves to be taken on by someone with the time and money to return her to her former glory."

Built in Belgium at the end of the Second World War, the Johanna Lucretia spent much of its working life sailing around the Caribbean and East Africa but its recent history is much murkier.

The boat's sailing log is missing, making it hard to trace its recent voyages, but it has appeared in a number of films and television series, most recently the 2006 film "Amazing Grace" - a drama about William Wilberforce's campaign to end the slave trade.

British Waterways declined yesterday to release the name of the current owner, who is thought to be a British national, but Olivier Van Meer, a Dutch naval architect whose father bought the Johanna Lucretia as a fishing vessel in 1954 and converted it into a sailing schooner, wrote online recently that his family sold the boat 10 years ago to a British couple with the surname Henning. The vessel is thought to have been sold on at least once more before being abandoned.

Dominic Miles, a ship broker from Rugby Boat Sales who is involved with the sale, said yesterday that despite its condition, the Johanna Lucretia had already had an offer made on it.

"So far three parties are interested and one has made an offer," he said. "It's worth remembering, though, that the purchase price is just the beginning. A large wooden ship like that needs ongoing care and attention. It's a fantastic ship but unfortunately it has been left in a dock for two years. It's not by any means a wreck but it will need a lot of work."

Local residents have expressed hope that Gloucester City or a local philanthropist might even put in an offer to restore the schooner and keep it as a museum piece but Mr Miles yesterday said that that was unlikely to happen.

"Obviously I can't say who wants to buy the boat but the offer we've had so far is from a private charter company who will most likely return it to service," he said. "I wouldn't be surprised if the other two potential buyers are charter companies as well."

British Waterways hopes that the sale of the boat will be one of the few occasions when it actually recoups the costs of an abandoned vessel, which in this case is likely to have amounted to tens of thousands of pounds. In Gloucester alone the organisation seizes more than a dozen boats each year.

Susie Mercer, from British Waterways' south-west offices, said: "Because the value of the boat is estimated at £120,000 there's a good chance we'll get our money back and the owner might even get a return. This sort of thing happens fairly regularly but the boats are not normally this size."

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