Chance from her launch until we have became her custodians'

1948 the year Chance when she was launched

Chance was launched in the spring1948 at Rosneath in Scotland for her first of many owners Lovatt Crossley and his wife Rose Hignall would have over the next 73 years until we became her latest custodian's in 2021. While my son was doing our family history found out that Lovatt Crossley's wife Rose Hignall is a distance ancestor of mine on my mother's side of the family. So there is a family connection with Chance going back to when Chance was launched in 1948. So the circle of ownership as gone full circle.

Chance over the years as gone through many owners

CHANCE was built in 1948 by James Silver at Rosneath Boatyard, Argyll & Bute. Scotland. Lovat Crosley was a tenor chorister with D'Oyly Carte Repertory Opera Company from some point in 1914 until February 1916, and again for the July 1916-June 1917 season. She was designed by John Bain, his first true Motor Sailer design for James Silver. The design was called Western Isles – Chance was one of two vessels of this design. The whereabouts of the other Western Isles is unknown at present, although research is ongoing to track it down if the vessel still exists to this day.

Between 1950- 1955, her name changed to TOKEN when she was owned by Captain (S) S.J. Read mm, CBE, R.D, R.N.R port of Southampton. She was then bought by Edward Donald Boxall and Edward William Boxall from Hercules Engineering Co. Ltd. Later from the early 1970s CHANCE was moored at Moody's Boatyard on River Hamble for use as liveaboard.

Then it when from the River Thames for a short while as a houseboat again, then it moved to Membury where it was in a car park of a public house, it then when to Egham in Surrey to have some work done on the hull, then it made its way to Wadebridge in Cornwall and then to Woodplumpton in Lancashire. Then it finally moved to Walton on the Naze where it is now under going its restoration by Simon and his family with help from friends and other family members.

Chance since she been down in Walton on the Naze Essex

Since 2022 Chance as been down at Titchmarsh Marina near to Simon's own small boatyard. Between working on Chance's hull and other work on the structure of Chance. Simon with help form other people has worked on rebuilding much of the interior furniture of Chance, so it is going to be possible later in the restoration to put much of the interior back in its original position once the other work on the interior and the hull is completed. At the moment Simon is working on rebuilding the bow section of the hull where a far amount of work is being undertaken to remove a lot of rotten and broken parts around the deck edge and the upper planks on the hull where a far amount of damage and rot as taken place due to poorly undertaken repairs in the past.

So now Simon using his many years of experience is putting right these poorly repairs sections and using many of the traditional methods that were used to construct Chance back in 1948.

The Restoration services, I are using to restore her beauty

Expert Boat Repair Services

The Chance restoration project we are restoring as much of the original equipment as possible & sourcing other missing parts difficult to get these days. Where possible we are refitting parts which are still in good condition & refitting as much of the original equipment to keep Chance as close to original as possible.

We are refitting much of the original parts after they are refurbished during the course of this restoration

We are wherever possible using the original equipment after they are checked over and when found to be in good order refitting the parts.

We are also removing old equipment which can not use and trading these in for new parts which will be able to do the job that the old equipment can not do because of its size and design and are only getting new parts when necessary.

Cleaning the parts as they are removed and serviced

The all of the loose engineering parts that came off the boa have been checked and catalogued and shored and put on the workshop shelves so when it is time to refit they will be ready to be put back on when that parts are needed further down the line on the restoration project.