Sundowner Lloyds

[Susan Morrison]

Now this is such a wierd left field query I'm almost embarassed to post it.....My attention was caught recently by a very strange murder in the South of England - a retired millioniare had taken a prospective buyer out on his boat with a view to selling it. Well, sadly the boat and prospective buyer made it back to port, but not the retired millionaire (how do you get a 'retired' millionaire, anyway ? 'I used to be a millionaire, but I've given it up' ?) his body was washed up on the beach a few days later, and the would-be buyer promptly arrested.

Now, and here we finally get to the point...the boat in question is called 'Sundowner', the same as Lightollers famous little boat, which of course, made the run to Dunkirk and back. I was under the impression that Lloyds of London would not insure two boats with the same name, and even as far as I can tell, the same spelling. Lighthollers Sundowner is now in a maritime museum - would that mean that she isn't insured anymore, since she doesn't go to sea ?

Right. This is a deeply embarrasing question now that I think of it, and I'm sure you are all far too busy doing festive things to worry about this..... I really must find another way of putting off the post Christmas clearing up !

 

[Pat Winship]

In the 1998 edition of Pat Stenson's bio of Lightoller, Titanic Voyager, there is a mention of Lightoller's Sundowner being involved in a murder case, with no details given. Looks like you found it! Good research, there, Susan!

Pat W

 

[Pat Winship]

Oh, forgot to mention, Susan, that the Sundowner still sails, and is quite necessarily still insured by Lloyd's. She has participated in commemorations of the Dunkirk evacuation-- we saw the briefest glimpse of her in US news footage of the 2000 one, with son and me screaming simultaneously "THERE SHE IS!!!! See these websites for pictures of her as she is today.

http://www.ekmt.fsnet.co.uk/images/ships.html

http://www.burrill12.freeserve.co.uk/DunkirkPics.htm

Pat W.

 

[Dave Gittins]

Lloyd's, or any other insurer will insure, regardless of duplicated names, which are very common among pleasure craft. Duplicated names of merchant ships also appear in Lloyd's register

What you can't do is register two ships of the same name with government authorities. This usually only concerns owners of commercial ships, but in some countries, e.g. Australia, a private yacht going to foreign waters must be registered under her national flag. An owner may be requested to submit a list of possible names when requesting registration. I suspect that in Australia Sundowner has long been taken and an owner of a yacht with that name would have to rename her to get registration.

 

[Susan Morrison]

Dave - I really should have answered this and thanked you ages ago - please accept my apologies ! Thanks so much for this, it clears up the mistaken notion I had that Lloyds would not insure a vessel with an existing name.

And Pat, I can't tell you how jealous I am that you have actually seen Sundowner ! Despite her rather dowdy description in the books I have ('Lights') I think she looks like a fine old dear, and I'd love to see her. And again, my apologies to you for not thanking you earlier.

 

[Pat Winship]

Susan, I wish I had! I've only seen the pictures posted on the Internet. She is on display at the East Kent Maritime Trust in Ramsgate, although I understand that you have to make an appointment to actually go on board. Perhaps some day I'll make it over there, but it's not in the immediate future.

Pat W.