LIVERPOOL.- The pilot cutter Edmund Gardner – one of the world’s 50 most important preserved ships – re-opens to the public for the first time since 2006. The iconic ship, part of the Merseyside Maritime Museum’s historic vessels collection, is located in one of the Canning graving docks. Free guided tours are held every Thursday and Saturday between 4 August and 1 October 2011. Edmund Gardner has been closed to the public for five years during building work linked to the new Museum of Liverpool which opened on 19 July 2011. Volunteer guides take members of the public around the ship that was home to River Mersey pilots between 1953 and 1981. Three tours take place on Thursdays and Saturdays at 1100, 1230 and 1430 and last about one hour. There is a limit of 10 places per tour – places must be booked in advance on 0151 478 4788. Some restrictions apply as the boat is not fully