Endeavour: Replica of Whitby's most famous ship slashed to just £100,000

For the thousands of tourists who park each day at Whitby Harbour, the replica of the town’s most famous ship, the Endeavour, is one of the first sights they see.

The boat, modelled on that used by Captain James Cook on his exploratory voyages in the 18th century, has previously been an educational attraction and, more recently, a pub restaurant.

But its future is now in jeopardy after its owners went into liquidation - and the asking price for the ship, which was built in 1993, has plummeted to just £100,000.

The boat has been moored in Whitby Harbour since 2018, when it was towed in from Middlesborough. It is one of just two replicas in the world, with the other copy based in Sydney, Australia.

But whoever buys the replica has a major job on their hands as North Yorkshire Council has indicated to liquidators that the boat can no longer be moored in the harbour and must be towed to a new location.

According to Sanderson Weatherall, managing the sale, “The current mooring agreement will expire at the point of a sale and the local authority have confirmed that they are unwilling to grant a new mooring agreement to a new owner.

“Therefore the vessel will need to be towed to another location at completion.”

The price reduction marks a significant cut from when the boat was put on the market for £1.5m in 2024.

The business has been closed since April this year.

The original Endeavour was the first European ship to be sailed to Australia’s eastern coast, and the seaworthy replica was greeted in Whitby Harbour by huge crowds on two visits in 1997 and 2002.

It is now housed at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney.

North Yorkshire Council was contacted for comment.