Whitby's Endeavour replica must be moved due to sewage concerns, council says

The replica of Yorkshire’s most famous ship, Captain Cook’s Endeavour, will be removed from Whitby harbour due to financial problems and concerns about sewage.

The lifesize replica of the 18th-century boat, famous for its expeditions to Australia, has been moored in the harbour since 2018.

Over the past eight years, it has served both as an educational attraction and a food and drink venue.

But the business running the ship went into liquidation earlier this year and it has been closed to the public since April.

Last week it was revealed that its asking price had been slashed by liquidators to just £100,000 having previously been on the market for £1.5m.

But the lower price comes with a catch after North Yorkshire Council made it a condition of sale that the mooring agreement for it to stay in the harbour would expire.

The ship is not seaworthy and cannot sail - meaning the new owner would have to tow it at their own expense to its new location.

A spokesperson for the council said: “The last three companies operating Endeavour have failed, and the council has had to write off sums owed to it by the owner or operator.

“There are also safety concerns around maintenance and potential repairs required, as well as environmental issues from the discharge of grey water and sewage leaks.”

Grey water means wastewater from sinks and washing machines, but excludes toilets.

No deadline has been imposed on liquidators to have the sale completed by.

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.”

In its advertising brochure, Sanderson Weatherall states “The business traded as a licensed bar and restaurant, accommodating passing tourist trade and function based trading activities including weddings.

“For the financial year ending 31 August 2025 the business generated a turnover of £483,034.”

The boat is one of just two replicas in the world, with the other copy based in Sydney, Australia.

The boat currently in Whitby was built in 1993, and docked at Stockton-on-Tees before being sold at auction for £110,000 in 2017.

The original Endeavour was built in Whitby in the 1760s by Thomas Fishburn.

The replica now housed in Australia’s National Maritime Museum in Sydney has made two trips to the North Yorkshire coast in 1997 and then again in 2002.

It comes weeks after North Yorkshire Council announced the town’s famous whale bones would be replaced by a replica set.

Bronze replicas have been selected as the preferred solution to replace the current bones, which are in a state of decay.

The new structure will replicate the appearance and scale of the existing arch while providing a durable, sustainable and long-term future for the landmark, the council said.

To allow work to take place, the current bones will be

removed in September, with the new bronze arch expected to be installed early next year.