Arctic Corsair

Access to the Arctic Corsair is by a free guided tour only. The Arctic Corsair is berthed on the River Hull between Drypool Bridge and Myton Bridge, at the rear of the Streetlife Museum.

The Arctic Corsair was built in 1960 at Beverley Shipyard for the Boyd Line, and was the last of the Hull side fishing vessels or 'side winders'. She had a long and successful career despite the decline of the local fishing industry after 1975. A veteran of the Cod Wars, the Arctic Corsair was rammed by an Icelandic gun boat in the 1970s. After a lay-up of seven years she achieved a record breaking return to fishing in 1986 before being finally laid up in the winter of 1987. The vessel opened to the public in 1999 and has since attracted in excess of 20,000 visitors.

Before each tour starts, a short 10 minute action film of Life at Sea is shown in the Fishing Heritage Museum. Starting at the stern of the vessel, the tour takes you through the crew accommodation area, into the mess and galley, to the bridge and wheelhouse before going down to the foredeck, into the fishing storage room and finishing back on the foredeck.

Access to areas on the Arctic Corsair is by several very steep stairways, narrow companionways and through watertight doors with eighteen inch raised thresholds. Unfortunately, because of these restrictions, the vessel is not suitable for wheelchair users, those with mobility problems, unaccompanied children under sixteen or children under six.