A kind-hearted boat owner has donated a yacht he has owned for 20 years to Fisherrow Yacht Club.

Jim Baird gave up the helm of the small Kinsman yacht called Wee Mo knowing she would be given the care and attention needed by club members.

In return, he received complimentary membership of the club as a thank you for his “very generous gift” of Wee Mo, which is easily recognisable as looking like a large dinghy amongst the boats tied to moorings at Fisherrow harbour. Mr Baird still hopes to continue to sail Wee Mo as a club member.

The yacht complements an identical class boat – a small six-metre day sailing yacht with no cabin –which was acquired by the club last summer.

As it has a lifting keel, it can lie on the mud and low tide and, when out on the open water, has 700kg hull weight to give the boat great stability so is “great” for family sailing and sailing novices.

This first Kinsman had no name until Wee Mo was donated to the club at the end of the 2021 sailing season. Club members started calling the unnamed boat Wee Jo – a play on Mojo.

Inez Visser, club spokesperson, said: “Both Mo and Jo were built approximately 35 years ago and, with continued exposure to elements, both require some renovation to ensure another 30 years of successful sailing.

“The most effective way to renovate a boat is to call upon a team of volunteers but few club members have any boat renovation skills, so it was decided that a workshop-based programme of practical classes would be held from January in the club yard.

“The workshops will be supervised by Stuart MacDonald, who leads practical construction projects at Castlebrae High School but, perhaps more importantly, Stuart knows Wee Mo very well, as he had actually owned her himself for a few years and had rebuilt the interior completely in marine ply. Stuart intends to teach the technique of plywood construction as part of the renovation programme.”

Mr MacDonald said of the first workshop last Saturday: “It’s great to see everyone working on their own initiative. It’s also good to get ideas on how we should refit the boats for the comfort and safety of the members.”

Fisherrow Yacht Club’s 2022 programme is being drawn up and will soon be published at fisherrowyachtclub.com