More information : Described as a brig.
Ordered to Liverpool, she was heading along the north Cornwall coastline in deteriorating weather. At about midnight on 20th November she was struck by a squall which almost rolled her over; she shortened sails to double-reefed topsails and staysails. By two in the morning the wind was at gale force, with a very heavy sea, and at three o'clock it began snowing. When the wind backed to the north-north-west she closed the land, which was sighted soon after daybreak. As she did so, she shipped a particularly heavy sea which swept a marine overboard, who was drowned. Now off Padstow, North Cornwall, she stood to the south under storm sails, another heavy sea hitting her at about 1.30 in the afternoon, which carried away her best bower anchor and the cathead. It became clear that she could not weather the Man and His Man Rocks, and with the ship in poor condition, she put her head to the southward and was run ashore on a sandy beach near Perranporth. (1)
Tender of 6 x 3pdr, 181 tons, lost 20th November 1807 by being run aground near Padstow. (2)
Hired tender 16-JUL-1803, wrecked at Perranporth 03-NOV-1807. (3)
The tender BOLINA was driven ashore during a NNE reportedly on the 20-NOV-1807, all the crew were saved apart from one marine who was swept overboard. (4)
NB: There is some confusion as to when the vessel was lost, sources (3) and (5) stating 03-NOV-1807; sources (2) and (4) stating 20-NOV-1807; and source (1) stating 21-NOV-1807.
Either date is equally plausible, storms in the West Country having been recorded on both dates:
'Portsmouth, 3d Nov. During the whole of last night it blew a violent gale at about W.' (6)
'Liverpool, 3d Nov. Last night, between 9 and 10 o'clock, it came on to blow a most tremendous gale at W...' (6)
'Penzance, 20th Nov. It has blow a gale all last night, and still continues. Several vessels are reported to be lost at St. Ives.' (7)
No reference to the BOLINA is made in Lloyd's List for 1807; however, it is not uncommon for wrecks not to be accounted for after a storm, and Lloyd's does not always list warship wrecks, particularly in the smaller classes of vessels.
The date confusion in source (3) may be partially explained by the fact that much of the record for the BOLINA in that source appears to relate to the SEA ZEBRA, en route from Swansea to Devoran with coal. The mention of the crew's rescue by breeches buoy indicates an incorrect date of loss, which cannot be 1807, and is likely to be a straightforward transposition of the final two digits, viz. 1870.
The only things which relate to the BOLINA rather than the SEA ZEBRA are the date of 03-NOV-1807; the tonnage, cited as 181 net, the identical figure given as the Builder's Measurement tonnage for the BOLINA, and the name itself.
Letter Truro Tuesday December 8th 1807, from Captain John Betton 3rd Dragoon Guards, to his Mother Mary Betton at Shrewsbury. "On the 20th of last month, just as I had received a note from Mr Vivien a magistrate, requesting I would send a strong party to protect two vessels wrecked about 8 miles from hence, and before we could turn out I received another application for a party to protect another vessel wrecked about 4 miles to the Eastern end of the other two. I immediately dispatched my Quarter Master and a party to the last, and went myself with the rest of the troop to the other two and quickly arrived before the tide had ran out sufficiently for the natives to get to them, who were assembled to the amount of several hundreds for the purpose of plundering, very fortunately when the ships came ashore it was a fine hard sand at the foot of very high cliffs which we led our horses in a dark stormy night by a winding narrow path not two feet broad, and as neither of them went to pieces, when the tide was about half way out we were able to ride alongside, and get the crew out of one of them a Welsh vessel laden with tallow and hemp. The other proved to be a gun brig of 10 guns, and as she had received but little damage and the weather was becoming more moderate the crew did not quit her. I went on board between one and two o'clock and got some broiled ham and wine with the Lieut. who commanded her, which was very acceptable as it was a very cold night both freezing and snowing: I sent the crew of the Welshman to a public house in the neighbourhood and placed the Dragoons between the natives and the vessels by which means we prevented them being plundered, and the next day they began to get the stores and cargo out of them and saved the whole, in the course of three or four days; we were obliged to mount a guard over them the whole time. Both vessels have since been got off; the one the Quarter Master went to went to pieces, and three out of the five crew were drowned. " (8)
Compilers note - It is believed that the vessel the Quarter Master went to is the ANN and that the gun brig referred to is the BOLINA.
“one of the other vessels which stated to in danger off Perranporth proved to be the BOLINA tender, Lieutenant Claribut. She came ashore, and continues, having had a marine washed overboard and drowned: but may also got off.†(9)
Hired: 1803 (1)(2)(3)
Armament: 6 cannon (1); 6 x 3pdr (2)(3) 10 guns (8)
Commanding Officer: Lieutenant Edward Claributt/ Clarabut (1)
Crew: 6
Crew lost: 1 (1)(4)
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