The owner of an historic boat has thanked the fire crews and volunteers that saved it from the point of sinking in Peel harbour at the weekend.

The 45-foot wooden vessel White Heather, or PL 5, is an unassuming sight during the winter when sheâ??s covered with tarpaulins and tucked quietly away by the Peel harbour swing bridge.

But the boat is a remarkable example of living history. She was built in Peel in 1904 and is still sailing thanks to the care of a succession of dedicated owners.

An unusual combination of stormy conditions and surging water left the stern of the boat sticking out at the highest point of the tide on Friday, drifting over a concrete edge which punctured the hull below the waterline as the tide dropped.

Iâ??ve never seen her half full of water before, it was a gut-wrenching feeling,â?? said 62-year-old Mike Clark, the boatâ??s owner.

Inside it was up to the saloon tabletop, it was like my worst nightmare.

Fortunately the fire brigade came in the nick of time and their pumps made short work of the water inside the boat. They were brilliant, they couldnâ??t have been more helpful, I have the greatest admiration for themâ??, he said.

Of the dozens of Manx fishing luggers - or Nobbiesâ?? - that were built in Peel between 1895 and 1920, White Heather is just one of four still in existence and the only one that resides here. She was built with no engine and is one of the last of a generation of sailing fishing boats which gradually disappeared in favour of steam powered boats and trawlers.

White Heather and the kipper yard are pretty much all thatâ??s left of one of the Isle of Manâ??s principal industriesâ??, Mr Clark said. At one time one in three people earned their living, either directly or indirectly, from the fishing industry.â??

The boat has been in Mr Clarkâ??s care since he brought her back to Peel in 1989 and took on the endless task of maintaining a vessel that was built just a few months after the Wright brothersâ?? first flight. As a fishing and then a leisure boat sheâ??s had to move with the times: previous owners have fitted an engine, installed electronics and built a wheelhouse on the deck. But Mike has restored the original rig design and sail configuration to bring her back to her roots - at least as much as possible when virtually everything on the boat must be repaired or replaced sooner or later.

Unlike most artefacts, itâ??s not something you can preserve in a glass case,â?? Mike explained. You could put a classic car in a garage for 10 years and itâ??ll do no harm. But a boat just canâ??t be left, youâ??ve got to keep on top of things.â??

Mr Clark refused to calculate just how many hours of his time, or pounds of his savings, he has invested over the years, but itâ??s likely to be many thousands in both cases. And for all the alterations, the boat still has Peel in her bones - the replacement deck beams and structure is made from repurposed timber from the harbour bridge, while virtually all the replacement planks and materials have been sourced locally.

Mr Clark is one of the driving forces behind the long-standing Traditional Boat Weekend, which brings dozens of historic boats to Peel every year.

Often when you have a wooden boat, youâ??re the odd one out,â?? he said. Sometimes you feel like a bit of a nutter, putting in all this work! The Traditional Boat Weekend is a way to bring all these people to one place and make a fuss about them. You find out that youâ??re not alone.â??

He reiterated his thanks to the fire crews and volunteers Dave Lancaster and Dave Faulkner who helped in the crisis. They were both already on board when I got thereâ??, he said. Sheâ??ll be back in time for Traditional Boats this year, but thereâ??s a few hours of repair work to do before thenâ??, he said.