Vigilo was built at Rocquaine in 1890 for George Le Couteur, who supplied the stone to build the Hanois Lighthouse.
With local crew onboard, she was brought back from Carteret in Normandy on Saturday, leaving at about 9am and reaching the Little Russell by about 2pm, but rough conditions meant she had to be towed for part of the journey, including the final stretch into St Peter Port Harbour.
Ian Lihou has been involved in the repatriation of the boat and said it marked an important moment in preserving the island’s maritime history.
‘The family were significant in Guernsey and this boat was built for George Le Couteur personally and its history is completely documented through its life,’ he said.
‘The boat was initially restored in the 1990s, but after that moved over to France where it has been for the last 20 years.’
He said he had considered buying the boat himself at that time because of its importance to local heritage.
Vigilo is now owned by a group dedicated to restoring and preserving historic vessels.
‘The strength of that is that a group of people carry a greater enthusiasm for conserving and looking after it,’ said Mr Lihou.
‘That’s absolutely fantastic from my perspective and I can’t help but applaud the guys who made the decision to bring it back.
‘The sooner we start to realise that our history is important, we will be in a better place.’
James Piprell of the Guernsey Historic Wooden Boat Association was among those sailing her back to Guernsey.
He said it was ‘pretty rough’ and the conditions added an extra challenge.
‘She’s a lovely, traditional stable boat and completely of its time,' he said.
‘Originally, she wouldn’t have had an engine, so it’s a credit to the people and the skill needed to sail them.’
Vigilo is not the group’s oldest vessel, but is its only one currently afloat and able to sail.
‘It was a fantastic and special moment to come through the pier heads, marking the first time it’s been back since we think 2002,’ said Mr Piprell.
‘We’re going to strip it all back and empty it, and we’ve got some planks to change. We’re going to play around with the rig and really give it some TLC, which it’s been deserving of for a few years now.’
The long-term future for Vigilo is yet to be determined, but the goal is to keep her on the water as a working example of Guernsey’s maritime history.
Mr Lihou said the group wanted to make sure old vessels were enjoyed by people, and having it in use would allow those interested to see and experience it in action.
‘It’s not only about what we do with it, but about what future generations do with it,’ he said.
‘Our aim is to try and make these boats self-sustaining so they pay for themselves. We’re quite a way off that at the moment, but that’s the process we’re currently going through and it’s evolving all the time.
‘Getting Vigilo back is momentous because it’s a physical piece of our effort and can be seen as significant, showing people what we’re working towards.’
Local boat builder Edmund Morgan will play a large part in repairing and restoring the vessel.
Previously, the island lacked the skills needed to maintain historic wooden boats locally.
‘He really is a first-class boat builder and I’m excited because we haven’t had that on the island for a very long time,’ said Mr Lihou.
‘The fact that we now do and the boat has come back is really exciting. We’ve never been in the position to do that before but now it’s really happening.’
The ultimate aim remains to have Vigilo in the water as she was intended to be.
‘She’s a working boat and the idea would be to have her dressed as a working boat,’ said Mr Lihou.
‘Just watch this space.’