Finlaggan and Islay

As O'Docker correctly spotted the previous days post was of the CalMac ferry on the way to Islay with the Paps of Jura in the background .

One of the top clues was the name of the ship, namely Finlaggan.

Finlaggan, the ruins of which can be seen in the photo above, is at the centre of Islay and was once the seat of the Lord of the Isles who ruled the Scottish isles from Islay to Skye. They controlled the sea lanes with Viking style galleys for around four hundred years from 1098.

The house we were staying in was nearby and often we'd walk down there in the evening, our heads enveloped by a cloud of midges.

During the day we'd go to the beach, for unlike the washout in London, we were lucky with the weather:

A wonderful island.

Boats and Bunting

Today I had a meeting in town, a tough one, but there were two silver linings.

Firstly the time and location meant I could get the Putney river bus into central London, following the same route as the Queen will on Sunday. Both banks were lined with red, white and blue, what must have been miles of bunting.

Secondly after it finished I could spend my lunch hour wandering around London and Tower Bridges camera to hand where the first of the Parade of Sail were arriving.

So here are a couple of pics for you:

Bonus marks for identifying the boats and their history.

It was all a lot quieter up river between Putney and Hammersmith, where the boats are due to arrive tomorrow:

Nelson's Ship in a Bottle at its new home

While it was disappointing to find the Cutty Sark closed yesterday I took the opportunity while in Greenwich to see Nelson's Ship in a Bottle at its new home outside the National Maritime Museum.

And very good it looks too. It links the navy and empire with the peoples involved, combining a historic sailing ship with fabrics in a way that really works next to the new wing overlooking Greenwich Park (currently filled with Olympics preparations).

This evening there was a reception where its artist, Yinka Shonibare, gave a short talk about his thinking behind the work and what he wanted to achieve.

Make people think was one of his objectives, but maybe as important was to make a connection, for that is where it excels. It opens up the NMM to a wider audience and that can only be a good thing.

You can already judge its success by the steady stream of visitors having their picture taken with it in the background, at home as if it was designed for that location in mind rather than the 4th plinth in Trafalgar Square.

The Cutty Sark is closed on Mondays

A top tip for those in London.

If the weather is great and you wonder if it would be worth taking Monday off work to visit the Cutty Sark, then don't.

The Cutty Sark is closed on Mondays.
 

The controversial restoration of the Cutty Sark

What could be controversial about restoring the beloved Cutty Sark?

It's a historic clipper, part of Britain's maritime tradition, as beautiful as it is functional in getting the first tea leaves back from China.

And yet the project has run into a host of difficulties and the decisions made created a storm equal to anything she saw when rounding Cape Horn.

The trouble was that the Cutty Sark was in a mess, even before it went up in flames. The iron frame had corroded away into thin air, her bones into dust. Resting the hull in a dry dock had stressed it further, warping it out of shape. Wood had rotted, as wood will.

That meant the only options available would be both brutal and expensive - £ 50 million or so was spent re-building her, or rather creating something that looks like the Cutty Sark. For there is a spanking new steel frame on which the hull sits like a 650 tonne coat on its hanger - but it is essential given the ship has now been lifted 3 metres into the air.

It isn't therefore something that could be sailed: it is an exhibit, and some are not at all happy. Indeed the Telegraph called the restoration a grade A turkey. Must admit there are worrying aspects - in particular the top deck is not authentic wood but instead uses modern composites.

I've yet to see for myself (planned for next week) but I have just watched this excellent BBC documentary: "Cutty Sark, a National Treasure Reopened". It reveals that in addition to the technical issues there were serious failings in management.

I'm very much looking forward to exploring the reborn Cutty Sark so I can see for myself whether the right decisions were made.

Ancient Egyptian discovers how to make rowing interesting

Many, many years ago when the world was young there lived in Egypt a Pharaoh named Sneferu, who was father of Khufu that built the Great Pyramid at Giza.

Being a time of peace and plenty there was little to worry this great lord as he lived in his great palace in Memphis by the side of the mighty Nile.

Indeed it could be said he was bored.

"I'm bored" he said.

Hence he called forth his Chief Magician, Zazamankh, to entertain him.

"O Pharaoh: life, health, strength be to you!" said Zazamankh. "My counsel is that you go rowing or sailing upon the Nile".

"Yawn" said the Pharaoh. "Been there, done that, got the t-shirt."

So Zazamankh called forth the officers and attendants of the Pharaoh Sneferu.

"Bring me twenty oars of ebony inlaid with gold, with blades of light wood inlaid with electrum" said Zazamankh. "And for rowers choose the twenty fairest maidens in the Pharaoh's household: twenty virgins slim and lovely, fair in their limbs, beautiful, and with flowing hair. And bring me twenty nets of golden thread, and give these nets to the fair maidens to be garments for them."

So it was done as to the words of Zazamankh and presently the Pharaoh was seated in the Royal Boat as the maidens rowed him up and down the stream.

And the heart of Sneferu was glad at the sight of the beautiful rowers.

"Zazamankh, you are the greatest of wisest of magicians" said the Pharaoh. "Your reward shall be all that you desire."

And thus it was that rowing was made interesting.



Editors note: there was a bit more about a broach being lost (see here) and Zazamankh's wand work to retrieve it which you can read all about in Roger Lancelyn Green's book Tales of Ancient Egypt.

Photo from: The Metropolitan Museum

Nelson's Ship in a Bottle - Victory!

Its a good day for art and the National Maritime Museum (NMM)!

The Art Fund has successfully raised enough money to keep Yinka Shonibare's sculpture Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle for the NMM in Greenwich.

It looked good on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square (above) and it will look equally impressive outside the NMM and as a campaign supporter I'll be no doubt be down in Greenwich some time to admire it.

What's more it will be in place in time for the Queen to see it when she visits Greenwich for the opening of the Cutty Sark and the NMM's 75th anniversary on the 25th April, which is this Wednesday.


Updated: The Queen in Greenwich as reported on the BBC web site here.

The Titanic remembered at the NMM

Today is the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, proving yet again that ice and ships are a bad combination.

Its one of those stories for which interest seems to grow with time rather than decrease, and so you have a choice as to which Titanic exhibition you go to.

One such is at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, which I visited when I was there for the Nelson's Victory in a Bottle meeting.

To be honest titanic is not the word I'd use, as its a single room show, concentrating on some of the huge amount of material gathered by Walter Lord when researching the incident for his book A Night to Remember.

On display are the very shoes that were worn by one of the survivors, Edith Russell, a fashion writer. Its a spooky connection to that fateful voyage.

There's also the telegram she sent to New York from the Carpathian telling of her rescue:

There's been a cold northerly wind here today, but that must have been nothing compared to the deadly icy waters that killed so many on that tragic night.

A sombre thought that makes me glad to be warm and safe indoors.

Is the "Pirate Captain" William Dampier?

On the Independent web site there's an interesting theory relating to fantastic new movie "The Pirates: an adventures with scientists" (pictured above) which I reviewed here.

This article notes that there was indeed a pirate interested in science, one who wrote books on meteorology and ocean currents, who dined with the likes of Samuel Pepys, visited the Galapagos islands and described many plants and animals in a best selling book.

This polymath was of course the famous buccaneer / pirate / slave trader / travelling / writer / scientist / alleged relative William Dampier.

The dates were very different, as Dampier sailed around the world in the late 17C / early 18th while the film overlaps with Queen Victoria and Charles Darwin, so must be roughly mid 19C - that is, very roughly. This film definitely lives in its own parallel universe.

But there is one thing would worry the Pirate Captain himself, which is the beard issue (or "beard-gate" as no doubt it would be called).

The Pirate Captain was most proud of his beard ("luxurious" he described it) but as can be seen by the picture below that was something that Dampier lacked:

But it doesn't matter: I'm happy to simply have an excuse to say hello again to an old friend.



Picture from: The Independent

The restoration of the Cutty Sark

I was down in Greenwich last Thursday for an update on the campaign to save Yinka Shonibare's Victory in a Bottle (newsflash - its looking good!) but my attention was immediately grabbed by the sight of three masts breaking into the evening skyline.

Yes, the restoration of that wonderful old tea clipper the Cutty Sark is nearly complete after a terrible fire almost destroyed it. The ship is now masted and rigged just like it was before the accident - but now there's an additional feature of a lower viewing gallery to see the hull.

You can sort of see it in this picture that shows its illumination but when its ready you'll be able to walk truly all around this amazing ship.

It's due to open later this month and no doubt I'll be down there soon after.

In the mean time there are some really good photos on the Telegraph web site here.

Build your own Cutty Sark!!

G'day all! Buff Staysail here! Buff by name and Buff by nature!

Now that the truth is finally out (see previous post) we can move this blog to a higher gear! And what better place to start than a build your own boat project to keep you busy now the evenings are getting longer!!

And Buff's got a cracker for you - nothing less than construction of a replica of the famous Cutty Sark!

Can you imagine the excitement you will get as you set sail for the first time in your brand new tea clipper! Watch your neighbours go green with envy as this three masted classic is put together piece by piece in your driveway!!

Over the next 3293 weeks we will be learning the key skills of boat building. To prepare you need just a few basic tools:
- hammer
- nails
- saw
- iron foundry
- rock elm wood
- pitch pine wood
- canvas (misc)
- tar
- paint
- brush

Sign up now!!!

This is Buff Staysail, master ship builder, over and out!!

Film review: The Pirates! In an adventure with scientists

Aha me hearties, 'tis movie pieces of eight, so it be!!

Talk yea not of the hunger games, compared to this 'tis as dead as a dodo - or Polly as we call her!

Be there grog? I hear someone ask - me think that be O'Docker's croak. Aye, there be grog lad, barrels of it.

Be there wenches? Aye, Tillerman, for I know yon voice, there be the surprisingly curvaceous pirate and Queen Vic as you've never seen yon lass before.

There also be pirates, and the greatest pirate of them all, the PIRATE CAPTAIN!!! Arrrrr!!!!

His crew be a mottling gang, including the pirate with a scarf, Peg Leg (*), and the pirate with gout (ouch) but also a Blue Peter badge, aha!!

Me hearties 'tis entertainment through and through, aye, 'tis so, upon my word.

'Tis also educational as you learn how Mr Charles Darwin came up with his BIG IDEA and why he grew a beard. You also learn the benefits of travelling by airship (you can look down lady's tops).

Aha, 'tis a masterpiece, and starts with an aaaah-awesome example of stern-to mooring, aye, that it does.

Five gold doubloons stars, aha me hearties, yes it be!!!




(*) not this Peg Leg

The Sacred Boat of Queen Mutemwia

This is a very, very old boat.

Ok, its actually made of stone so wouldn't really float, but its a sculpture of the sacred boat of Queen Mutemwia (otherwise known as Mutemwiya). You can see it if you go to the British Museum where it can be found just north of the Rosetta stone.

It's from about 1400 BC, so that's around 3,400 years ago and I'm guessing it was actually made of reed.

Its strange to think that people just like us once sailed them and long, long ago this might have been cutting edge technology.

Book Review: The Watermen

I'm always aware when writing a review that the author could be in the audience. So its hard to know what to say when you don't enjoy a book, particularly when the author, Patrick Easter, was a police officer for 30 years, including some years working on the River Thames.

You can just imagine him - or a colleague - stopping this humble kayaker with a "hello, hello, hello, what's all this then?" and then charging me under some obscure 18th Century by-law.

And he'd know all about those, for this book is about the life on the waters of east London in the years leading up to 1800, and the conflict between the criminal gang leader and his nemesis on the newly formed police force.

I really did want to enjoy this book and had picked it up at Heathrow airport with high expectations. And yet I gave up half way through, having had enough.

But what put me off? It could be style isn't one I go for. Maybe where I picked it up was a clue as it does have an airport thriller air about it, the sort of thing Bonnie blogged about (and not this one with my comment that must have seemed cryptic to those that hadn't seen film the devil wears Prada).

It reminded me of my writing classes and that old saying "show don't tell". This was tell, tell, tell. Take the "nemesis" bit: just in case you didn't work that out it was in the text - indeed the lead two characters used that word to described how they felt about the other.

Do you remember those children's books full of adventure that you loved when young then came back to and winced at the technique? It reminded me of that.

I must admitted a lot happened in each chapter, but when there was a death or at least an assault in each after a while I got a bit tired.

It might just be me: there were good reviews in both the Guardian and the Express.

Sorry Patrick!



Picture from Waterstones here

Oscar Wilde's Impression du Matin

THE Thames nocturne of blue and gold  

  Changed to a harmony in grey;  

  A barge with ochre-coloured hay  

Dropt from the wharf: and chill and cold  

  

The yellow fog came creeping down

  The bridges, till the houses' walls  

  Seemed changed to shadows, and St. Paul's  

Loomed like a bubble o'er the town.  

  

Then suddenly arose the clang  

  Of waking life; the streets were stirred

  With country waggons; and a bird  

Flew to the glistening roofs and sang.  

  

But one pale woman all alone,  

  The daylight kissing her wan hair,  

  Loitered beneath the gas lamps' flare,

With lips of flame and heart of stone

Impressions? Interpretations? References?

Cargoes by John Masefield

Quinquireme of Nineveh from distant Ophir,
Rowing home to haven in sunny Palestine,
With a cargo of ivory,
And apes and peacocks,
Sandalwood, cedarwood, and sweet white wine.

Stately Spanish galleon coming from the Isthmus,
Dipping through the Tropics by the palm-green shores,
With a cargo of diamonds,
Emeralds, amythysts,
Topazes, and cinnamon, and gold moidores.

Dirty British coaster with a salt-caked smoke stack,
Butting through the Channel in the mad March days,
With a cargo of Tyne coal,
Road-rails, pig-lead,
Firewood, iron-ware, and cheap tin trays.

SS Robin wins funding

In amongst the plastic mega yachts of the London Boat Show show there was a silhouette across the other side of the docks that caught my eye in the late afternoon light.

It was the SS Robin, a relic was from another age, built by the grand sounding Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company way back in 1890 on the banks of the River Lea.

She is a coastal steamer and is considered so important she is in the core collection of the National Historic Ships Register, up there with the Cutty Sark and HMS Belfast.

And today it was announced that she has won nearly a million pounds of funding to complete her restoration together with a visitor centre.

I look forward to inspecting her more closely when they open for visitors.

Lake Geneva's Neptune

This is the La Neptune, built in 1904 and still sailing on Lake Geneva.

She was originally used to transport sand and stones but is now available for charter. Apparently La Neptune has 3 sails with a total area of 275 square metres.

I think she uses a form of lateen rig as can be seen on this site.

The Boat Project

As O'Docker correctly identified, yesterday's picture was of "The Boat Project".

This is an art installation / boat being constructed as part of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad from 1,200 pieces of wood donated by the public, each piece meaning something to the giver.

It might be the drums sticks of a band, the hairbrush from the father who worked at Pinewood Studios, parts of HMS Invincible, a cribbage board, teak packing board from China, fragments of Brighton's West Pier, part of Jimmy Hendrix's guitar ..... the list is nearly endless.

Together they tell a story, a patchwork quilt of wood of the people of Britain. The boat is at present unnamed but you can vote from a short list on the boat project's web site.

She'll be launched on the 7th May and then make her way along the south coast of England stopping at places like Brighton and Portsmouth before reaching London.

Friggin' in the riggin'

One of things to do at the 2012 London Boat Show was an opportunity to get a feel for the high life - or to be more accurate, to climb the rigging.

And they didn't have any old square rigger but the actual foretopmast of HMS Victory herself.

I had one of those "must get round to doing that" moments and then moved on, never to return. Nelson would not approve, being a great believer in seizing the day.

Though to be honest it wasn't that dramatic given the mast wasn't moving, there wasn't a breath of wind, nor rain or spray. 

I think doing it for real would be much more interesting.