FAVOURITE - Starboard Light Alley, Whitstable, Kent, UK - Landlocked Boats on Waymarking.com

Favourite is the last of the traditional wooden Oyster Yawls remaining in Whitstable and the only yawl in public ownership. In many places a yawl would be known as a smack. The oyster yawl’s design is well suited to the farming of oysters in the shallow, estuary waters off Whitstable. At one stage the oyster trade with London flourished and the Whitstable fleet reached 150 boats.

Favourite was built by the Whitstable Shipping Company in 1890, close by her present site in Island Wall, for Edward 'Pikey' Carden the proprietor of the one time public house, Fisherman’s Arms, which is now just along from the boat at 34 Island Wall.  A working life of 54 years came to an end when she was machine gunned by a prowling Luftwaffe aircraft in 1944 and beached. There she sat until 1952 when she was purchased for £100 by Harry Hurford-Janes.

Favourite was to be moved up the beach in to Harry's garden beside Favourite Cottage. At that time his garden merged gently into the beach, but the planned (1953) new sea wall defences had been approved by authorities and would have prevented the move altogether. The first attempt involved a winch and dogs (greased planks placed under the hull). Ropes were obtained and labour engaged, but disaster struck as the winch being used pulled out of the ground.

A couple of weeks later a number of tractors and a lorry with a motor winch were engaged by Hurford-Janes and Favourite was hauled safely into his cottage garden. The sea wall was completed, but the next winter,February 1st 1953,the sea overtopped the new sea wall, which had to be raised still further with the wave wall in place today.

With funds received from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Favourite underwent her first stage of restoration in 2006, but it is hoped future projects will continue to restore her to her full glory with the additions of masts and stays.