Lark, the 32' Cornish Pilot Gig, has its roots in the Scilly Isles, 40 miles off of the coast of Cornwall, England. It is recognized as one of the first shore-based lifeboats that went to vessels in distress with recorded rescues going back as far as the late 17th century. The boats were also used to transport the local pilot to incoming sailing vessels and needed to be both fast and seaworthy as
the first boat to reach the ship offshore got the job of guiding the vessel through the treacherous shoals in that area. This design is actively raced in Europe and the United States today and has been adopted by many youth and adult rowing programs. The Marquette Longboat Project built the 32-foot Pilot Gig and crafted its oars in Marquette, Michigan, through the means of a dedicated group of volunteers. Because a 32' wood boat wasn't enough, another group of relentless volunteers assembled a 22' St. Ayles skiff, which was a kit gifted to Marquette by Hands On Deck in Green Bay, Wisconsin. A handful of humans, some without any woodworking let alone boat building experience, met one night a week to craft the Scottish clinker style skiff and hand carve her oars. One year to the day, we went from piles of wood to rowing her in a storm with waves coming over the breakwall at Marquette's Lower Harbor. Spark is her name and her lineage is the small, lightweight fishing vessels of the North Sea. The volunteers gifted her to the Superior Watershed Partnership for citizen science use. Spark was presented at the Watershed's 20th Anniversary with esteemed guest, Dr. David Suzuki.
