We Bought an Abandoned Ship 4 Years Ago... This Is What Happened

Four years ago, we bought Flying Coney, a neglected 82 ft historic steel trawler, with the dream of turning her back into a traditional sailing ship. What followed was much bigger than we ever expected. In this one-hour recap, we take you through the entire journey so far: from buying Flying Coney and bringing her to the shipyard, to discovering severe electrolysis damage, removing most of the interior, and repairing the riveted steel hull. We share the setbacks, the decisions, the lessons and the small victories that brought us to where we are today. Flying Coney was built in the Netherlands in the 1950s. She is a former fishing trawler and later became a sail training ship, taking part in the Cutty Sark Tall Ships Races. Sadly her sailing rig was removed in the 1990s, so our long-term dream is to restore her as a traditional schooner brig. One day, we hope to sail around the world, teaching traditional sailing, seamanship and the skills needed to maintain a historic ship. But before that can happen, there is still a lot of work ahead. This video is the complete story of our restoration journey so far. Thank you to everyone who has helped us, supported the project or followed our journey over the past four years. We could not have come this far without you. ⚓ Support the restoration of Flying Coney Patreon:   / sailingflyingconey   Patreon members receive: • Ad-free videos and early access • Real-time restoration updates • Access to our WhatsApp community • Biweekly online Crew Meetings • The opportunity to become part of Flying Coney’s story 📷 Follow the restoration Instagram:   / flyingconey   🌐 Learn more about Flying Coney Website: https://www.flyingconey.com 📧 Get in contact: sailing@flyingconey.com #FlyingConey #ShipRestoration #HistoricShip