Background
The following is taken from an Eyemouth Boat Building Company brochure from the early 1970s.
The Inchcape class of MFV yachts was introduced in 1963 to meet a growing demand from yachtsmen whose main considerations were sea-keeping ability, spacious and comfortable accommodations and low running costs. As a class, the Inchcapes are perhaps unique in that they are built on the lines of the traditional motor fishing vessels used by fishermen for seine-netting and trawling off the coasts of Scotland and North East England, with only minor modifications allowed by the naval architect to improve the craft for service as a yacht. Their sea-kindly hull form and bold sheer will always catch the eye-and-the-heart of the seamen - and indeed all who appreciate that here is something staunch and genuine.
In 1965, the "Border Minstrel" was introduced to meet the requirements from owners for a vessel to sail single-handed over long distances. The prototype of this vessel was sailed immense distances and crossed the Atlantic twice in her first year of commission, including a crossing in the tremendous gales of 1966.