Victor was built here, in Ipswich, worked here and has been part of our town's story for generations. Now it's our turn to look after her.
Our mission is to raise £100,000 by 30 December 2026, plus operating capital, to buy Victor and secure her future as a community-owned maritime heritage asset for Ipswich and Suffolk.
SB Victor has been part of Ipswich for 130 years. Built here in 1895, she worked the waterfront and carried cargo along the East Coast. Since returning in 2006, nearly 100,000 people have stepped aboard. Now her future is uncertain. Her skipper is retiring and, after more than two years on the market, she still has no buyer. Without action, Victor could leave Ipswich for good. We don't think that's her future. We think Victor belongs here.
“Our aim is simple: Keep Victor in Ipswich. Keep her working. Ensure she remains accessible to future generations.”
Save our victor campaign launching soon
Save our victor campaign launching soon
On our way to £100,000…
Campaign launch TBC
More Than a Boat
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LEARNING
We want to build on the successful Key Stage 2 education programme developed through the Heritage Harbour Project in 2025. In 2025/26, the programme generated more than 3,500 youth contacts, with more than 600 Ipswich and Suffolk pupils visiting Ipswich Wet Dock and over 400 experiencing a trip aboard Victor. We want to take that further, with an ambition to welcome 1,000 students a year aboard Victor. Giving young people the chance to understand the history of their town, their waterfront and the industries that shaped East Anglia.
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SKILLS & FUTURES
Victor can also help introduce young people to careers they might never otherwise encounter. Maritime careers are often overlooked, yet Victor provides a unique opportunity to develop practical, skills-based pathways into the industry, including future Thames sailing barge skippers and mates. She can also help keep traditional skills alive, from wooden boatbuilding and traditional rigging to sailmaking. These are skills increasingly recognised as being at risk of disappearing. Saving Victor means saving more than a boat. It means keeping knowledge, skills and stories alive too.
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COMMUNITY
We want Victor to be a place where people can come together. A programme of activities afloat, events and practical projects will bring new communities onto the Waterfront and create opportunities to spend time together in a unique blue-space setting. We're keen to work with community partners to create welcoming opportunities that support connection, confidence and wellbeing. And at the heart of it all will be a Victor volunteer community, people helping to maintain and repair the vessel, learning new skills and joining passenger voyages to help keep Victor sailing.
“Sailing Barge Victor epitomises the working dock that Ipswich used to be. For children and young people, it’s the pirate ship — the boat with red sails that looks different to every other vessel in the dock. The ropes, the wheel, the huge, exposed anchor invite them in. Watching young people onboard Victor under sail is magical: working as a team to set the gear, then finding quiet moments of peace on the water. She’s a vessel that connects people to Ipswich’s maritime heritage, while building a respect for the elements and a love of the river that makes them want to protect it.”
