Dockman is a historic tugboat, built in 1949 at Hessle on the River Humber. She remained in commercial service, until 2017, when I bought her, with the intention of refitting her and returning her to service. Last year, her hull was shotblasted, welded where necessary, and repainted, at a cost of £87 000, as the before and after photos show

. Unfortunately, work on her engine has gone seriously over budget, due to a firm of engineers failing to complete work on time and at the agreed price. A new engineer is due to commence work shortly, but a new generator is still needed, which will cost £2000 plus £300 for fitting. It is my intention to sail Dockman again, this year, but this will cost money which I no longer have.

In response to some comments on Facebook, my main interest is in Dockman herself, rather than in using her to make a profit. There are other vessels, which I could have bought, for far less than I spent on Dockman. If she can be used commercially, that is an advantage; boats belong at sea, not sitting idle except for weekends and holidays. However, I am equally happy to operate her as a preserved historic vessel.

Dockman is on the National Register of Historic Ships, registration number 3560.

Let's get her sailing again!