So, I’ve just about finished the recovery of Lord Harlech’s Montagu. Interestingly my father was also a TS Mercury boy and I wondered if he’d used Montagu for sailing and pulling? Currently down at Mears Boat Yard Seaton, the hope is to put her in the Great River Race 2021, also some thoughts of a Channel dash on the Dunkirk delayed 80th anniversary using a serving and ex serving crew to try a channel crossing as fast as possible with a handful of sand grabbed off the Dunkirk beach. I’m still triggering to get any real info on the history of this boat but she is numbered E109. 1940.
   Any help would be greatly appreciated in information.... now trying to find 17 and and a 16ft oar (seem really big but according to TAMoS Vol 1 1937 that’s what she needs. The only other info I ad on her was the name Topaz/e. Possible connections there with HMT Topaze or HMT Kingston Topaz. Likewise since she was owned by Lord Harlech HMT Harlech Castle may have had a possible connection but I think Topaz is the stronger one for now.Not sure if or how to link a picture but Mears have done a superb job of the restoration, my input has been a lot of paint scraping and sanding. There were multiple layers of paint in grey primers and undercoat, Battleship Grey Top coat then Dark Green, Maroon, some kind of a black tar type thing, a dangling orange then white and finally a sort of light Turquoise. Not always it seemed in the same order. Many thanks in advance for any expansion of Whaler information. Incidentally Swan is now at Bristol and I saw her there only a few months back.
TSG