A £50,000 appeal has been launched to aid “a damsel in distress”.

The lady in question is Lady Daphne, a historic ship which has been caught up in the calamity that has befallen the heritage harbour at Charlestown.

A storm in September caused damage to the ageing lock gate at the entrance to the harbour at the UNESCO World Heritage site which led to it failing.

After the damage, water flowed out of the harbour at low tide for the first time in many years.

The owners of the harbour, Charlestown Harbour Ltd, have reacted swiftly to the situation and, as part of a short-term plan, Lady Daphne along with other vessels have left the port.

Lady Daphne now finds herself in Penryn, away from the visitors, tourists and volunteers who have supplied the cash and support to help keep her going.

Her predicament is a far cry for the situation in the summer when she was presented with a pennant and brass plaque in recognition of the fact that she had been chosen as a flagship for National Historic Ships UK.

The 101-year-old vessel was awarded the status in recognition of an extensive planned programme of events which included open days, floating fairs, music and quiz nights, artist studios and the launch of the vessel's own ale and spirit range.

Sam Howe, who co-owns Lady Daphne with Andy Taylor, said: “Like all classy vintage ladies, Lady Daphne is in need of some very expensive spa treatment!

“She is an historic wooden Thames sailing barge, one of only a handful remaining today. We were already planning to get her into dry dock in spring 2025 to have a full check over and freshen up – a challenge in itself, given the enormous cost of this type of treatment and a lack of surplus income to pay for it.

“The recent storm damage to the lock gate at Charlestown Harbour meant we had to urgently relocate Lady Daphne to a safer place to avoid damage from the now-tidal harbour.

“This unplanned relocation has left us with additional berthing costs as well as a lack of income from our planned winter events programme. Added to this, we suffered damage to her propshaft, which snapped as we headed to her temporary berth at Penryn.

“We are immensely grateful to local venues and supporters of Lady Daphne for helping us continue as many events as possible, and every little bit counts.

“However, a combination of a reduction in our income and unforeseen outgoings in the short term, on top of already daunting plans, has driven us to hope that a crowdfunding effort will help rescue Lady Daphne from an uncertain future.

“Lady Daphne is one of the remaining Thames barge sailing vessels from the heyday of maritime cargo transportation of yesteryear. At the peak, there were thousands in service, now only around 30 remain.”

Sam and Andy have owned the vessel since 2016 and they have spent much time, effort and money maintaining and restoring her.

In April 2022, Lady Daphne undertook the journey to her new home at Charlestown, where she has since become part of the local scene.

Sam continued: “In 2023, we embarked on a busy schedule of events. This extended from shanty groups singing onboard to cinema showings, jazz, open days, craft workshops, pop-up art shows, book events and festivals. These events have continued and expanded during 2024. We have built up an amazing group of volunteers and we rely on these lovely folk to help keep Lady Daphne going.

“All the funds we raise from our events have gone on the continuous maintenance and upkeep of Lady Daphne, and covering the costs of mooring, services, water, electric, insurance etc. Sadly, once all these costs are met there is nothing left in reserve.

“The most pressing need for our lady is to get her into an appropriate dry dock. In the interim, we also need to survive at another berth outside of Charlestown Harbour with little or no income.

“Due to the significant damage to the lock gate at Charlestown, the restoration project there is probably going to take longer than expected, meaning that we are unlikely to be able to return Lady Daphne back into public service as early in 2025 as we hoped.

“We would use £40,000 to visit a dry dock for a specialised out-of-water survey, hull cleaning, inspection, painting and anti-fouling, and repairs to her prop shaft. We are expecting funds will be needed for significant repairs to the bottom of the hull given recent events.

“The remaining £10,000 would cover the urgent help we need with the significant additional costs of keeping her berthed somewhere safe until an unspecified date next year.”

Details of the Go Fund Me campaign can be found at gofund.me/069d5dd7