This March marks 10 years since the start of the restoration work on the Scottish fishing vessel Margaret Alison at the port of Arenys de Mar. A few months earlier, in August, the boat had arrived at the facilities of the ARESA shipyard, towed from the port of Premià. The vessel was in very poor condition, and the entire structure was severely deteriorated.
The first step was an assessment of the hull’s condition out of the water, as in its final years in Premià, it had suffered multiple leaks and even had to be refloated. Several professionals with experience in wooden shipbuilding, both active and retired, came to inspect the Margaret Alison and provide their suggestions and proposals on how to approach its restoration. Undertaking a full restoration project was the most optimistic option, as most already considered the vessel beyond repair.
The ARESA shipyard provided space to keep the boat on land and begin work on reinforcing the structure, which, with each intervention, confirmed its poor condition and the challenges that would need to be overcome to return it to the water. With the collaboration of some volunteers, work began, and that same March of 2015, the first secondary school students from the Institut Els Tres Turons joined through the Aula Oberta program, in collaboration with the Arenys de Mar City Council.
The carpentry and mechanical work progressed in different phases, while being combined with other activities at El Moll. The boat was later moved to another area of the port, and a comprehensive restoration plan was developed with the Canarian master shipwright Agustín Jordán, who began work in early June 2018. What started as a restoration eventually became a complete reconstruction, which continued until December 2022.
In January 2023, the Margaret Alison was returned to the water at the port of Arenys.
