A piece of Anguilla’s traditional boat-building craftsmanship was lost when the MV Silver Still, the only remaining wooden vessel in service in its class, was destroyed by fire early Saturday morning, September 10.

The remains of the MV Silver Still

The fire, of unknown origin, is thought to have broken out aboard the boat before six o’clock as it stood at anchor just off the shore in the Blowing Point Harbour. The boat was at its moorings for about two weeks in need of certain fittings to resume its cargo service between Gallis Bay, St. Martin, and Blowing Point, Anguilla.

Early risers moving about in the vicinity of the harbour reported that the boat was on fire, following which efforts were made to put out the flames. Much extinguishing work was done by the captain and crew of the ferryboat, Link Cat, assisted by personnel from the Police Marine Base at Sandy Ground. However, the cabin and the rest of the deck were destroyed, making the boat a write off.

The vessel was built in 1971 by Raymond Connor of Blowing Point, one of Anguilla’s well-known boat-builders of the time. It was then owned by him and Floyd Lake and was later purchased by Percy Romney and Hubert Connor. The Silver Still served as one of the first ferryboat operating between Anguilla and St. Martin, taking some 45 minutes to cross the channel.

With the advent of better equipped and faster passenger ferries taking 18 minutes to travel between the two islands, The Silver Still was eventually converted to a cargo boat. It has been serving very well in this capacity until recently when it was found to have certain inadequacies.

Though fast becoming obsolete and to the end of its long seafaring life, the Silver Still embodied an Anguillian tradition and culture that was unmatched on the island. Its final resting place might well have been in the possession of the Anguilla National Trust had it not been for the destructive fire.

The boat’s hull was pulled ashore with the assistance of heavy equipment owned by Greig Hughes. The name of the boat, boldly written on both sides of its bow and un-scorched by the inferno, seems defiant of the fate of the vessel and determined to maintain its claim to the cultural history of Anguilla.

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