We have a petition on our facebook group come on board and sign it but first read this ;
www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=291068027297&ref=ts Hi.
I would like to bring to your attention a new Facebook group: “Bring the Royal Iris Back Home."
Our aim is to support the return to Liverpool of the “Royal Iris”, which is at present languishing in an extremely poor condition on the banks of the River Thames at Woolwich.
She appears to have been abandoned by her present owner and left to her own fate, which almost resulted in her sinking to the bottom of the Thames: she had been taking on water at every high tide and eventually lost her buoyancy.
Thankfully she has been patched up and made relatively safe, but it is only a matter of time before she sinks forever unless she can be renovated and brought back home.
At this point in the campaign, we don’t need to raise any monies, as a Wirral based business man (who, at this point, wishes to remain anonymous), has pledged to fund the purchase of the vessel. This has been a project for him for over two years now, but to date, he has been unable to contact the current owner. This is currently the most important part of the project, and we should be mindful that if the “Iris” becomes unsafe, other measures may be taken to remove her from her current berth. If that happens it may be done so quickly that it cant be stopped….
Some of the repairs that are needed for the Iris:
Asbestos removal
Hull repairs and survey work
Preparation for coastal towage
Towage insurance
Dry docking
Stripping of old Hull
New welded hull and painting
2 New generators
New propulsion system
Servicing of all steering gear
Servicing of all main winches
There will be added costs for berthing her and 24 hr security.
Once this is achieved, a Trust will be set up (in accordance with Trust legislation), and the vessel will be handed over to that Trust.
Following this, she will be fitted out (with the help of group members), to get her ready for licensing and sea trials. When all of this is complete, she will open for business once again for all to enjoy!
We need to raise awareness and get as much support as we can! All this can only be done with the help of all you people out there.
We are confident that the “Royal Iris” will once again be back sailing on the Mersey for the pleasure of locals and tourists alike. This is where she belongs!!!
If you need to contact me my details are:
Colin Lloyd
Mobile 07791 746 885
E-Mail
[email protected]Or the facebook group Bring the Royal Iris Back Home
