The photograph above shows the local fishing boat "Kingfisher" (FE 366). She is the very last traditional wooden clinker-built boat working from Littlestone and was constructed at Newhaven in about 1933.
The boat is used for coastal work and normally sails about two miles from the shore. If she went any further than this, it could result in her missing the tide and having to be dragged across the soft sand to reach the safety of the shingle bank which would be a difficult task.
The "Kingfisher" was fitted with a new Lister engine in 2006 and so hopefully will see service for several more years. There are other wooden herring boats which have been dragged up on the Littlestone shore but they are not expected to sail again.
With grateful thanks to John Hendy
