Waterwitch is a wooden Morgan Giles rowing and sailing gig owned by the Sea Ranger Association, a registered charity based in Portsmouth run by volunteers. Waterwitch is believed to be the only one of her kind left - 6 were built for Sea Rangers but this will be the only one afloat. She has a range of provenance and may even have been rowed by the late Queen, although direct evidence of this is yet to be found. Being laid up throughout Covid and beyond did her no favours, and now every effort is being made to get her back in service ably assisted by a professional boatbuilder, Peter Collins, who is giving up his time freely to oversee the project. Once completed, she will return to providing training and experience to sea rangers enhancing an already impressive suite of outdoor activities including camping, rowing, kayaking and sailing - indeed anything on the water. With the training of young people in outdoor pursuits, the teamwork involved in crewing and coxing a boat such as this and the mental health benefits that the outdoor provides make such a project very worthwhile and the National Transport Trust is delighted to add its support by way of a restoration award.
