Peel Castle was built in 1929 in Porthleven, Cornwall by Gilbert & Pascoe and was one of only three 50ft luggers built at the time for long line fishing.
 

She fished out of Newlyn until 1940 when she was requisitioned for war service as a harbour defence patrol boat. After the war, she was sold and fished out of Brixham, Devon and registered as BM17.
 

Peel Castle was bought from Tecwyn Williams in Holyhead, Wales in 1999 by her current owners, father and sons, Clive, Alan and Graham Bailey and brought to Ireland. Between 1999 and 2008 shipwright Graham Bailey carried out an extensive rebuild at the old Verome Dockyard in Cork Harbour where she was craned out and then at the iconic Hegarty’s boatyard, Skibbereen, West Cork.
 

Today the Peel Castle carries a three masted standing lug rig. This type of rig was prevalent from the 17th to the mid 20th century. It was a favoured rig of smugglers in the English Channel as they could outrun the revenue cutters. In fact, it became outlawed to have a three masted lugger in England because of their speed.
 

Since her rebuild, Peel Castle has sailed extensively in European waters, and has attended many maritime festivals where she attracts much attention. In 2008 she embarked on a 3 year cruise of over 10,000 nautical miles, crossing the Bay of Biscay and down the Atlantic sea board of Spain and Portugal, travelling through the Straits of Gibraltar to the Aeolian islands, Sicily and the Ionian islands of Greece. She then voyaged back via Sardinia and the Balearic islands, visiting Madeira and the Azores, arriving safely in her home waters of West Cork on the 3rd July 2011. Subsequent cruises took her around Ireland to the Hebrides and return visits to the Isles of Scilly, Brittany and Spain.

 

Her longest voyage was from the island of Graciosa in the Azores to Ireland, covering 1300 nautical miles in 11 days.

 

Her present owners have been dedicated in preserving an important piece of maritime history and have given many people an opportunity to get involved in sailing a traditional lugger.