Restored Puffing Billy back on Model Yacht Pond
A 100-year-old model boat has returned to the waters of Guernsey after decades on dry land.
Puffing Billy set sail this week on the Model Yacht Pond.
It was made by the late Thomas Charles, who was a gardener and went by the name of Charlie, in the 1910s or even earlier, powered by a steam engine.
It was then refitted with an electric motor in the 1930s.
Charlie stayed in Guernsey during the Second World War, while his son was evacuated to Buxton and never returned.
Having constructed and lived in a house in St Martin's, the Corbet family stayed in Guernsey until 1972, when Charlie died.
His grandson, Stephen Corbet, who now lives in Essex, refurbished Puffing Billy when he found himself with extra time during Covid lockdown.
He was sure to keep the Corbet family crest on each side.
‘I decided to have a go at refitting the boat with the intention that when I finished I would bring it back to Guernsey for it to be used on the Model Yacht Pond, where it had probably been first motored,’ he said.
‘It took me four or five months to refurbish. I think it was made in the late 1910s but it could be earlier.
'I've still got the electric motor which was fitted in the 1930s, I tried to make it work but it wouldn’t.
'When I looked at it I didn’t know what the superstructure was so I designed and constructed a new one.
‘The boat has had a couple of outings on a boating pond near my home in Essex – accompanied by my son.
'This is great fun,' Mr Corbet said as he lowered the boat into the Model Yacht Pond to complete his historic journey.
