It has been a labour of love and, after two-and-a-half years, a famous floating restaurant will return to Wells next year following the completion of a major restoration project.
The Albatros is currently in the final stages of the extensive renovation, which is being undertaken by Bob 'Rob' Richardson and his family in Essex.
It is hoped the ship will be back quayside in north Norfolk by February 2023, before reopening as a restaurant and B&B.
Mr Richardson purchased the Albatros from its former captain, Ton Brouwer, in April 2020.
By then, the Dutch sailing clipper had fallen into a state of disrepair, prompting the new owner to enlist the help of Jim Dines from Heritage Marine in Maldon.
The vessel was moved from Norfolk to Essex in August 2020, with hopes of it returning to Wells by Easter this year.
But the refit has taken far longer than expected due to issues surrounding labour availability, increased costs and delays to the supply of key materials.
Despite going through plenty of ups and downs in recent months, Mr Richardson was positive about the experience.
He said: "I wake up in the night and think, ‘why did I do this?’. But then another day I'll be out working on her, the sun is shining, and you think 'this is why'.
“Doing anything like this you have your highs and lows, and we have undertaken a major renovation - rather than a cosmetic refurbishment.
"Some other people might have just given her a lick of paint and a facelift, but we wanted to give her a proper renovation.
"Our work should make her good for the next 50 years and she remains fully seaworthy."
Over the past 12 months, work has included refurbishing the former galley/deck saloon, including scraping grease from the original wall cladding prior to sanding and re-varnishing, a process which took six weeks.
The team has also designed and made brand new oak-topped steel tables.
The 100-footer will have the capacity to sleep eight people in four en-suite double bedrooms.
There will also be a restaurant on board and, although the menu is yet to be finalised, Mr Richardson is promising 'simple, seasonal' food.
The boat will have facilities to sleep eight people, with all four double rooms including en-suites.
History of the Albatros
Built in 1899, the two-masted clipper earned a living for four generations, ferrying cargo around Europe for almost a century.
In the 1930s an engine was installed and the rigging was reduced to just steadying sails, allowing her to sail as a tramp until after the Second World War.
During the interim conflict, the Albatros smuggled Jewish refugees and political dissidents out of Denmark and brought weapons for the resistance back into the country.
Having purchased the ship in 1941, a hard-drinking Danish sailor named Rasmussen transported molasses from Nazi-occupied Denmark to neutral Sweden alongside his shipmate, Jansen.
The Germans dismissed them as a couple of harmless alcoholics and only subjected the Albatros to cursory checks as she entered or left.
Under Mr Brouwer's stewardship, the Albatros left Wells from 1998 to 2000 to be chartered and rebuilt by Greenpeace, and was used as an environmental education centre for children.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here