Is it a boat? Owner Mr Mark Cann and his partner Loz think so but Carrick planning officials think otherwise so there was no other way forward but to prove it.

Mr Cann took advantage of a high spring tide near the Norway Inn, Perranarworthal, and with the help of a few friends and a lot of rope, pulled the huge 70 foot hulk, otherwise known as the Mistery, from her moorings within nearby woods out into the river.

There the Mistery stayed until the next high tide and with helpers back on the sc ene, she was pulled back into her home among the trees.

There was no shortage of onlookers and even those enjoying a drink in the nearby pub stood up to see what was going on. The traffic on the main Falmouth to Truro road was almost at a standstill. The upper reaches of the river had not seen such a large vessel for more than a century, the area having long silted up.

Now Mr is expected to appeal against a decision by Carrick council to take enforcement action after they claimed it was a permanent structure and make him take the "boat" apart as no planning permission had been granted.

Mr Cann who is a competent sailor as is his parnter, lives on a house boat in Penryn and began building the barge a few years ago. Many motorists regularly using the nearby main road have watched its progress through the trees over that time. Mr Cann says he uses the vessel as a storage facility.

Carrick council officials were invited to the launch but did not turn up. The authority insist planning permission is required and whether it floated or not, irrelevant.

The boat's owners plan to appeal, but on the next spring tide there is a good chance thast the Mistery will put to sea again if only for a few yards down river.

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To view more pictures of the barge Click Here