Traditional Boats & Tall Ships Magazine

2009: The year for Charles Darwin

2009 is a significant year for Charles Darwin. It marks the bicentenary of his birth and the 150th anniversary of On the Origin of Species.

The Beagle has become synonymous with both, but how was it that Darwin came to onboard? For the first time in a single volume, all the elements of the Beagle story have been woven together to reveal the background to the expedition and all of the key players involved.

This book by James Taylor, an expert on Maritime art and lecturer, is filled with first-hand accounts of live on board from personal letters and diaries. It is illustrated with artworks, sketches and charts that were produced by shipboard artists and surveyors.

The interest in the Beagle extends well beyond the realm of literature. The HMS Beagle Project is currently raising money to build a replica of the famous vessel that will complete the original journey made by Darwin and Fitzroy.

Published by Conway Maritime (an imprint of Anova Books) priced £20.00 in hardback. ISBN 978-1-844860661

The Frigate Surprise

The HMS Surprise is arguably one of the most well-known vessels in naval fiction. It features in Patrick O'Brian's celebrated series of sea stories that focus on the friendship between Captain Jack Aubrey and his ship's surgeon Stephen Maturin that are set during the Napoleonic Wars.

However, this 28-gun frigate had an equally eventful real career serving in both the French and Royal Navies following her capture by HMS Inconstant in 1796.

This book is a collaboration written by one of the world's leading naval historians Brian Lavery and Geoff Hunt, the current president of the Royal Society of Marine Artists and it reveals the complete career history and commentary of HMS Surprise in both her historical and fictional roles.

It is illustrated with over 50 historical illustrations, maps and photographs as well as some commissioned and prepartory sketches by Hunt.

Published in December by Conway Maritime (an imprint of Anova Books) priced £30.00 in hardback. ISBN 978-1-844860746

First complete study of Great Britain's Merchant Navy

Award-winning maritime author Richard Woodman has already two dozen novels to his name. With the recently released Neptune's Trident, Spices and Slaves:1500-1807 from The History Press, Woodman restores Great Britain's mercantile marine to its rightful place in the nation's history.

The book offers a detailed account of a forgotten aspect of British history that was full of both risk and adventure and skull-duggery and piracy. This first of five volumes takes the reader from the emergence of Tudor England on the world stage to the end of the Seven Years War in 1763 and has a foreword by HRH The Princess Royal.

An intelligently written and engaging account of a fascinating part of British maritime history. We will be reviewing the book more thoroughly in a future edition of the magazine and we are hoping to be able to secure an article by Richard Woodman, so watch for updates.

Published by the History Press, priced £30.00 in hardback

 

Weymouth's Seaside Heritage

Weymouth has been a popular holiday destination for over 250 years and often compared to both Montpelier and Naples for its natural beauty and healthy climate. A World Heritage Site, it will be host to the sailing events at the 2012 Olympic Games.

This book from English Heritage tells the story of the town's colourful seaside history. Founded by the unification of two Medieval ports, Weymouth and Melcombe Regis the town expanded at a rapid rate in the 18th century as it became popular with the sea bathing movement.

Like many seaside towns around the UK the onslaught of cheap holidays abroad took its toll in the latter half of the twentieth century. However a Town Scheme set up by English Heritage in 1984 has seen alot of restoration and preservation taking place in the last twenty years. The book is part of EH's Informed Conservation series that highlights the importance of understanding historic buildings and landscapes.

Published by English Heritage, priced £7.99 in paperback. ISBN 978-1-848020-08-5

Asgard II to be raised?

According to recent reports in the Irish press, a plan to raise Asgard II will be presented to the Irish cabinet before Christmas.

Willie O’Dea, the defence minister, hopes to commission a salvage company to raise the  government’s training vessel so that it can be restored.

Officials are in negotiations with a specialist firm which submitted a “favourable” tender to raise the ship, which was designed in the 1980s by Jack Tyrrell from Wicklow.

If a deal is agreed, the company could raise the vessel from the seabed as early as next spring, weather and tidal conditions permitting. The operation could be paid for using money from the ship’s insurance policy.

A survey of the sunken ship by a Remotely Operated Vehicle in September showed that Asgard II is largely intact and could be saved, although it lies under 80 metres of water 31 km off the French coast in the Bay of Biscay.

O’Dea told the Dail that the underwater survey found damage to one of the ship’s hull planks, but it was not possible to determine whether this had resulted from impact with the seabed, or had caused the sinking. The spot on the seabed where it ended up, with a sandy bottom and no rock formations, is thought to have helped to keep the vessel’s hull intact.

“It is hoped that a deal can be reached some time next week to begin the process of raising Asgard II,” said a government source. “The minister believes the vessel is a national treasure and it’s his intention to present an action plan to the cabinet which would see the ship being raised and
restored.

The cost of commissioning a new sail ship would far exceed the insurance payout, and would reach €10m if an exact replica was created. That is unlikely, given the state of the public finances. The vessel was bought by the state for €635,000 in 1981.

O’Dea’s plan is supported by the board of Coiste an Asgard, the committee which maintained and operated the state owned vessel before it sank en route to La Rochelle to participate in a maritime festival last September.

Suzanne Coogan, a defence spokeswoman, said a decision on the tendering process was likely to be made shortly

Tacoma wins Port of the Year for 2008 Tall Ships Festival

Tacoma was recently named Port of the Year for its hosting of this summer’s Tall Ships® Tacoma Festival in July.  This is the second time that Tacoma has received this prestigious honour from the American Sail Training Association; Tacoma was also named Port of the Year after the 2005 Tall Ships® Festival.

Tacoma fought off stiff challenges from larger host cities participating in the Pacific Coast Tall Ships CHALLENGE® including San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego. 

“We are excited at winning this award for the second time,” said Stan Selden, Tacoma Tall Ships® Organization board member and spokesperson.  “We worked so hard to make this event a success, not only for the visiting ships but also for the community, that it is really gratifying to be recognized in this way.”

The Port of the Year Award is awarded to a city that demonstrates significant success in supporting ASTA’s Tall Ships CHALLENGE® race.  It is based on the overall performance of a host city and award criteria includes services provided to the ships and crews, community involvement, volunteer participation, and overall operations.  A significant portion of the award is based on voting by the captains and crews of the participating ships making the award all the more important.

Tacoma is already well underway in its plans for hosting the next Tall Ship event which is scheduled for 2011. For more information visit their website at www.tallshipstacoma.com

New video launched to attract new sail trainee crews

As part of a campaign to encourage younger sail trainee crews to get more involved in the Tall Ships Races, Sail Training International launched a new video at their recent Annual Conference.

Sail Training and Tall Ships Conference attended by 400 delegates

Four hundred delegates from 28 countries around the world converged on Halifax, Nova Scotia last week for the International Sail Training and Tall Ships Conference 2008. Organised by Sail Training International in collaboration with the American Sail Training Association (the biggest of Sail Training International’s 25 member national organisations), the conference had an overall rating from delegates of close to ‘Excellent’.

Sail training vessel operators from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and throughout both Europe and North America attended, along with representatives of host ports from Europe, the Caribbean and North America. The conference comprised a mix of plenary sessions for all delegates and an á la carte menu of 16 ‘focus group’ sessions. These covered a range of topics from dealing with the current ‘economic tsunami’ and navigating the regulatory seas, to recruiting trainees, the development of a successful sail training programme, and the ingredients of a successful Tall Ships event. The conference also included a session for the Sail Training International Youth Forum, attended by 40 young sail trainers from 15 countries. 

The Rt Hon Rodney MacDonald, Premier of Nova Scotia, opened the conference and a dramatic new two-minute film aimed at attracting young trainee crews to participate in Tall Ships events was premiéred.  (This can now be seen on http://www.sailtraininginternational.org/page.asp?partid=959)

It was also announced that Sail Training International’s Conference in 2009 will be held in Istanbul, Turkey, in November, one of the host ports for the Historical Seas Tall Ships Regatta, being held in 2010.

Major new Titanic exhibition to open at National Maritime Museum Cornwall

National Maritime Museum Cornwall will be playing host to a major new exhibition from 6th March to 21st June 2009 telling the story of history’s most famous ship and her tragic sinking.

Titanic Honour and Glory will be an evocative show which depicts the tragedy of the giant vessel that sank on April 15, 1912.

The exhibition will feature many rare artefacts from Titanic’s passengers and crew including a silver pocket watch that stopped working at 02.28am -  the exact time the Titanic slipped beneath the icy waters of the Atlantic. Other artefacts will include a Stieff teddy bear, a good luck charm, belonging to William Moyes - the highly recognised senior engineer who struggled with many others to keep the ship afloat as long as they could.

An 18 carat Hunter pocket watch, a silver sugar dish, floor tiles, a baggage label and a solid silver cup belonging to the Titanic’s Captain, Edward John Smith, in recognition of his 25 years faithful service to the White Star Line, are just a few of the artefacts that will be on display.

The exhibition will also bring a bit of Hollywood to Falmouth with a number of props and costumes from the James Cameron blockbuster Titanic. Kate Winslet’s dress and Leonardo DiCaprio’s costume are also on display and visitors to the exhibition will have the chance to wear the beautiful Heart of the Ocean necklace worn by Kate Winslet in the movie (pictured).

Jenny Wittamore, Assistant Curator at the Maritime Museum says: “It’s incredibly exciting to be able to bring this major new exhibition to the Museum and really important to us that we extend the existing display to include local connections to this epic moment in history.

So if anyone has a connection with the Titanic, the Museum wants to hear from you. You could share your story as part of the new exhibition. Cornwall has a number of families who have some link to the Titanic and to be able to feature their experiences would add unique insight to the history of the ship.

The Titanic Honour and Glory exhibition is dedicated to preserving the legacy of the White Star line and their fleet of ships which included the Olympic, Titanic and Britannic and many objects from all three ships are on display.

Please contact Jenny Wittamore on ++44 (0) 1326 214538 or email jennywittamore@nmmc.co.uk to discuss any history you may have with the Titanic

Set a Course for a Scientific Voyage Adventure

The Jubilee Sailing Trust and the Challenger Society for Marine Science are teaming up for the second time to offer the chance for anyone with an interest in science and adventure to be a part of a fascinating scientific voyage around the idyllic Canary Islands in January 2009

Following a successful voyage last year, scientists from around Britain who are researching the world's oceans will be sailing in January 2009 and performing a variety of research projects reflecting the historic voyage undertaken by HMS Challenger when she traversed the world's oceans making invaluable scientific discoveries from 1872 to 1876.

The ship chosen to honour this huge scientific triumph is Tenacious, a beautiful three masted tall ship similar to HMS Challenger. She was chosen by the Challenger Society due to her similarity to HMS Challenger and due to the fact she will be predominantly sailed rather than running under power, thus reducing the harmful impact on the environment.

Tenacious and the Jubilee Sailing Trust's second ship, Lord Nelson are the only ships in the world which have been specifically designed and built to enable both physically disabled and able-bodied people to sail together on equal terms.

As with all JST voyages there are no passengers, everyone on board, including scientists will help run the ship by being a part of a watch, helming, setting sails and many other tasks onboard including cleaning and working in the mess.

Anyone can sail on this voyage regardless of physical ability or previous sailing knowledge, all you will require is an interest in science, discovery and possess a great sense of adventure.

To find out more about this amazing scientific voyage, what experiments will be taking place, cost per person and how you can get involved, contact the Voyages Department at the Jubilee Sailing Trust on 023 80449138 or email voyages@jst.org.uk

To find out more about the Challenger Society and the historic 1872-76 voyage
check out their website at
http://www.noc.soton.ac.uk/OTHERS/CSMS/About.html