Archive of: Reaper

Reaper restoration continues at Rosyth and you can be a part of the story by joining our crowd-funding appeal

Exhibition of the extensive restoration work our historic flagship Reaper

REAPER is a 70’, 116-year-old herring drifter owned by the Scottish Fisheries Museum in Anstruther, Fife. She is maintained and sailed by the Museum’s Boats Club members. The Boats Club is now looking for one or more Skippers. We hope that we will attract more than one Skipper so that skippering duties can be shared.

Planning for the long-term major refit of REAPER, the iconic flagship of the Scottish Fisheries Museum, began in early 2015 with the aim of keeping her safe and seaworthy for another 30 years, but a series of events has meant that it was only in autumn 2017 that the refit could begin.

An important step forward in the planned refit of Reaper, the Museum’s 1903 Fifie Herring Drifter, was made on Friday 5th August 2017 when Fiona Hyslop MSP, the Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs came aboard Reaper to announce that the Scottish Government have awarded the Museum a grant of £500,000 to enable the refit of the boat to go ahead.

This coming year promises to be another important and interesting year for Reaper, as the long-planned major refit is organised and planned to ensure that she can continue to play her outreach role for Scotland’s fishing communities.

Reaper arrives home safely In perfect weather, Reaper was welcomed home by cheers and applause from a large crowd gathered at Anstruther Harbour.

Reaper - masts out Members of the Museum Boats Club went to assist with taking the masts out of Reaper in preparation for her going onto the slip in Mackay Boatbuilding, Arbroath.