The Rankin Revival
by Maurice Kidney
Beginnings
The Rankin Revival as it came to be called was started in 2014 when Conor English and Maurice Kidney got together and put together a database of Rankin boats and their owners. Much of the boat information came from a meeting of boat owners that was held 4 years previously in Peg Twomey’s bar in 2010. Its aim was to revive interest in what was a well-loved local boat. This meeting was unsuccessful, and another meeting was organised in Jan 2015 in the Donkey Bar.
The objectives of the meeting were -
- Expand boat register
- Provide help to boat owners by shared knowledge
- Direct unused boats to new owners
- Set up a structure to save/repair damaged boats
-
Build up the historical profile of the class
And most importantly - - Arrange fun events on the water to encourage use of boats
The meeting, being well attended by boat owners and the objectives being well received, the Rankin Group/Class as we know it today was formed.
Finding and repairing Rankins
The first success in the search for missing Rankins came when the Helga 🔗 – Eric Rankin’s own boat was located and bought from Mick Brennan in Kinsale in 2016. Owen O Connell and Eithne Twomey became the new owners.
A big regret looking back is turning down the ‘Flower Pot’. This was a Rankin in Guileen, in East Cork. She was in bad condition and deemed too far gone to restore. When we had a change of heart and went back to get her she had been turned into a Garden feature and planted up accordingly. Lesson learned.
The next Rankin acquired by the group in 2016 was Damien Ahern’s R16 🔗 – Starship Enterprise. Bought out of Nohoval from Myles Cogan and previously owned by the Burke family, Top of the Hill, Cobh.
February 2017 saw another success in the finding of the missing prototype boat – The Reynold’s boat. This was an exciting find as she was a boat that had disappeared off the radar. She was the sister boat to Eddie Twomey’s Fiona 🔗. She was started in Eric’s Boatyard in 1956. She was found at the back of the Crosshaven Boatyard (in very bad condition) owned by Dick Gibson. A deal was done, John Horgan was the new owner and began the extensive re-construction. After 18 months meticulous restoration work, Freedom V 🔗 took to the water.
Traced and converted by the group
2017 also saw the finding of the first of four restoration/ conversion boats traced and restored by the group.
Boat no.1
A punt in bad condition which needed to be converted to a sailing dinghy by the addition of a centre board casing. The skilled repairs and woodwork were led by Dave O’Keeffe. She was bought by the Kenny/Doyle/Russell consortium and took to the water in 2018 as R25 🔗.
Further restored/converted boats followed.
Boat no.2
Found in Kinsale, through contacts of Conor English in 2019 and now owned by the Hudson family as R6 🔗.
Boat no.3
Acquired by the group from the Robert’s family in passage West in 2020, converted to a sailing dinghy and sailed by Stephen Barry and family in Cobh as as R31 🔗.
Boat no.4
Acquired by the group from Michael O Driscoll in 2022 – she had been sourced in Cork from friends of Damien and Anne Ahern. Converted from a punt to a sailing dinghy. New owners, Eric Johansson and family. Scheduled to launch Season 2023 R39 🔗.
While the Rankin restoration work was ongoing from 2017 to 2023 other boats were sourced and added to the fleet.
Most Notably.
- The French boat, R34 🔗, sourced in France. Repatriated and now owned by Ruiri and Clare Allen.
- R13 🔗 - Dominic Losty’s find in Ardmore – beautifully restored by Jim Walsh in Nohoval.
- R4 🔗 - Michael O Driscoll’s lovely Bermudan rigged Rankin bought from Tom Crosby.
- R30 🔗 - Sourced and repatriated from England by Richard Marshall and beautifully restored.
- R21 🔗 - Bought by Colm O’Connell from Eddie Coakley. Previously owned by Tommy Noonan. Converted to sail and expertly helmed by Fiona O Connell.
Other Rankins bought that are ‘works in progress’ – yet to see the water are owned by Jason Losty and James Burke.