Wide Awake: A Steam Launch Finds Her Way Home

For many years, Wide Awake was a much-loved part of life at Penarth Marina. Her owner, Brian Davies, kept her in beautiful condition - always gleaming, always cared for. She’d often appear at our Open Days, drawing admiring glances and quiet awe from passers-by.

But Wide Awake was more than just a boat. She was part of Brian’s world - a world shaped by curiosity, craftsmanship, and care. Brian gave his time generously to community projects like the Hetty coal mine restoration and Pontypridd Museum, where the stories he helped preserve now stand as part of his legacy.

When Brian sadly passed away in late 2023, with no surviving family, his friends and our team at Penarth found ourselves facing a difficult question: what would happen to Wide Awake?

She sat quietly in the boatyard for two winters while we searched for a new custodian - someone who’d love her as Brian had. Despite support from the Steam Boat Association and several adverts, the right person didn’t come forward... Time passed, and we worried that the boat Brian had so lovingly maintained might be forgotten.

Then came a phone call that changed everything.

A gentleman named Ken Wickham had heard about Wide Awake and wondered—could it be the steam launch he’d built over 50 years ago?

It was.

Ken came to Penarth with his son and a lifetime of memories. He’d chosen the timber as a standing tree, built the engine, cast the brass fittings, and even had his dentist engrave the nameplate. He spent nearly a decade bringing her to life before parting with her many years ago.

Brian had kept every detail intact.

Seeing Wide Awake again was emotional for Ken, but also joyful. A deal was agreed without hesitation, and on 25th July, the boat made her journey back to the Pennines—back to the man who created her.

Ken plans to get Wide Awake steaming again, as part of a local museum project. Her story isn’t over. In fact, in many ways, it’s come full circle.

We were sad to see her leave Penarth Marina, but we couldn't have hoped for a better ending—or a better new beginning. Brian would have been delighted.