YOU might need to have your sea legs ready when you worship at St Andrew’s Church in Hayling Island.

Sitting in the congregation might feel like floating on the Solent, now that its altar and font are shaped like the bow and stern of a wooden boat.

A brand new altar was created for the church by local boat-builders to match the existing font, and it was launched ceremonially with a mock bottle of champagne. It will be formally dedicated on November 29 by the Bishop of Southampton.

The idea came from the congregation who thought that the boat-shaped altar was appropriate for a coastal parish, and would complete the sense of being afloat. The sides of the altar are curved and hollow, and its surfaces varnished, to complete the nautical feel.

It was created for the church by Derek Abra and his colleagues Alan Bailey and Brian Carey, for Little Ship Projects Ltd, based at Wilson’s Boatyard near the church.

The vicar, the Rev Jenny Gaffin, said: “The congregation have been thinking about doing this since the 1960s, when they first built a pulpit in the shape of a boat, which later became the font.

“It came back to us when we told the story of how St Andrew was called by Jesus a couple of years ago. We arranged the congregation into the shape of a boat to tell the story, and they seemed to like it.

“I wanted it to be made on Hayling Island itself, and I found a boat-builder who would do it. Derek didn’t think I was crazy, so we went ahead. It means when I can stand behind the altar, the congregation will feel like they are looking at the front of a boat.

“It seems appropriate, given all the boating connections on Hayling Island, the fact that St Andrew’s is two minutes from the beach, and all the references to boats in the Bible. Those stories will now come to life even more.

“It does look like the real thing, and you can smell the varnish. There’s even a shelf under the altar, which is where we normally place the Nativity scene.

“For me, the Church and creativity go together. We need to proclaim the gospel afresh in every generation, and it has to come alive in different ways so people can interpret it in their own way.”

And boat-builder Derek Abra, 68, said: “Building boats is something we do every day, so this wasn’t really much different to that. It took three weeks from start to finish. We think it’s brilliant - boats are very important on Hayling, and it’s nice that the vicar has come up with an idea that may draw a few extra people into church.”