Kalmar Nyckel

courtesy Privateer 26 website

Gazela

courtesy BococaLand

A J Meerwald

courtesy Stan Zagleski




As part of a month long celebration (Sept 8 thru Oct 8), the Independence Seaport Museum is hosting Pirate week, Sept 17-24. A highlight of the week will be a mock battle involving at least the three boats pictured here and there is the opportunity to sail aboard these ships! For more info visit the Museums website.

Kalmar Nyckel is a recreation of a 17th C. Swedish ship which brought early settlers to New Sweden, today known as Wilmington, Delaware. Built in the Netherlands c. 1625 and purchased by Sweden in 1629, she was (and is) a Pinnace. The replica was designed by noted naval architect Thomas Gillmer.


Gazela is a Portuguese fishing barquentine built in 1901. She had a long and successful career fishing the Grand Banks off Newfoundland. Her last commercial voyage was in 1969 and she came to Philadelphia in 1971. She sails out of Philadelphia.

AJ Meerwald was built in 1928. She is a Delaware Bay oyster schooner. She was commandeered in 1942 under the War Powers Act and returned to the Meerwald family in 1947. she remained in commercial use into the late 70's.

If you are in the area this weekend, lots to see and experience at the Seaport!

Original post Thomas Armstrong @ 70.8%

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At Whitehills harbour prior to leaving

Lashed battens

Approaching southern Jan Mayen

Morning mist at Jan Mayen

Jan Mayen's southern cape

The headland Eggoya, central Jan Mayen

Fulmars at the base of Mt Beerenberg

Looking back along the east coast of Jan Mayen

Jan Mayen's North-east cape

Landfall at Spitsbergen!

Becalmed off Prinz Karls Forland

Midnight sky over Spitsbergen

Glassy calm off Spitsbergen

Brunnich's guillemots off Spitsbergen

The mother of all noon positions

2AM calm in the high Arctic

Hitch-hiker 150 miles west of Norway "juvenile white wagtail"

The entrance to Whitehills Harbour 24 hours after our arrival


all photos and captions courtesy Roger Taylor

Roger Taylor aka The Simple Sailor and his lovely little Mingming have returned from yet another summer cruise. This year Roger acheived a long standing goal, reaching a position of 80° North. Bear in mind as you read Roger's comments below that Mingming is a 21' Coribee with bilge keels and a junk rig. She has been heavily modified by Roger for singlehand sailing.
Here's Roger's synopsis of the voyage:



Left Whitehills harbour on the Moray Firth at 1700H on Thursday 23rd June. Sailed north through the Fair Isle Channel, heading first for Jan Mayen. We crossed the Arctic Circle a week later. A few hours after crossing into the Arctic the stitching in two seams on the third panel started to fail, no doubt as a result of chafe against the topping lifts. One of the seams was in a very difficult position to repair so I dispensed with that panel entirely, lashing two battens together. We had covered c.550 nautical miles at the time and so sailed the remainder of the 3000 mile voyage minus one panel. This probably
disadvantaged us a little in the extremely light airs we were to encounter further north.
We met our first period of very calm weather about 80 miles south of Jan Mayen, with six days of virtually no wind. On Monday July 4th, just after midday, 65 miles south-south-east of the South Cape of Jan Mayen, a yacht, motor sailing, overtook us about a mile on our starboard beam. We reached Jan Mayen on July 7th, after two weeks at sea. As last time, had a fantastic day sailing up the east coast. I had a proper chart of the island this time, so was able to go in a lot closer. Unfortunately Mt Beerenberg, the 7000’ volcano, was once again under cloud cover, so I did not see the summit.
Headed north-east from Jan Mayen, bound for Spitsbergen. Two days later a northerly gale knocked us down quite badly. I was in my bunk at the time and felt the mast go way beyond the horizontal. A lot of chaos inside, but the only damage was bent framing on the spray hood.
We made our landfall at Spitsbergen, at Prinz Karls Forland on the
north-west coast, on Wednesday 20th July, after 26 days at sea. Sailed north up the coast, making sure to keep beyond the 12-mile limit (the regulations for yachts sailing in Svalbard waters are draconian).
Fantastic views of the Spitsbergen mountains, stretching to Albert 1 Land in the north. At one point I counted 73 peaks. Several times encountered relatively (for these days) large concentrations of whales along the continental shelf, mainly fin, with some humpback, minke and at least one sei whale. This surfaced very close and I was able to identify it from the photos I took.
I carried on north, hoping for the right wind to make a dart for 80°N. Had to be careful here, as there would have been ice to the west and north, and land and ice to the east: a potentially awkward trap. After some concernwith a hard blow from the south-west, the wind settled at west-north-west, giving me the perfect angle to sail quickly north, then south again.
Reached 80°N at midday on Sunday July 24th, after just less than 31 days at sea and nearly 1600 miles of sailing. Turned immediately south and began the long haul home. I had intended to sail a westerly route, using the East Greenland current, and giving us another look at Jan Mayen. However a week of south-westerly headwind out paid to that, forcing me to sail the direct route home, and putting us into the north-going North Atlantic current. Eleven days of strong northerlies helped break the back of the return leg, bringing us to within striking distance of Viking. The weather turned very sour, with a constant mix of calms and headwinds. As we approached the Shetlands the weather systems became increasingly unstable, with depressions springing up all round and following unusual tracks. Finally got to within 20-30 miles of Whitehills and were once more becalmed. I was very concerned,
as the forecast was for extremely strong northerly winds – not what you want when approaching the south coast of the Moray Firth. A fortuitous mix of a light easterly followed by a moderate north-westerly enabled us to cover the last few miles and get safely into harbour before the storm struck. Within less than a day of tying up in Whitehills it was blowing Force 9 to 10 straight onshore.
The voyage took 65 days (31 days out, 34 days back) and we logged just over 3000 nautical miles. This was an interesting contrast to last year’s voyage to west Greenland, in which we covered over 4000 miles in about the same time. Mingming has now sailed nearly 20,000 miles in six years, mainly in high latitudes. I am now thinking seriously about giving her a well-earned rest!

Congratlations to Roger and Mingming on another fantastic voyage, a great achievement.

Original post Thomas Armstrong @ 70.8%

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Folk Engineered

Ryan Reedell and Marie Pasquariello

Ryan brazing a bike frame

Ryan has recently restored two brothers bicycles,the first a 1971 Raliegh International
(old)

...and new

The second restoration was a 1972 Motobecane Le Champion
(old)

...and new

Though Folk Engineered is primarily a custom shop, in 2010 they brought out an all rounder production bike.
The Marsupial,
a practical and adaptive sport touring bicycle for daily commuting, pleasure road riding, light touring, and adventure.

Family Boating

Some photos of Marie's life in boats

Teaching boatbuilding

Boat launch 2010

Some of Marie's students

Family boatbuilding

More students at work

Discovery 2011 building an Oughtred Acorn skiff


all images courtesy Folk Engineered or Marie Pasquariello

Here's an interesting couple. They have a bikebuilding business together and Marie teaches boatbuilding to kids. I first learned of this duo when Marie left a comment on my second boats and bikes post on Chris Kulczycki. Through a series of emails and facebook interactions a picture began to emerge of a rather dynamic pair. Ryan Reedell and Marie Pasquariello are Folk Engineerded Bicycles. Marie has been sailing and boating since childhood, and was kind enough to respond to some questions I posed on the business, her involvement in the boat programs and a rather romantic story about her and Ryan's relationship. I'll let her tell the story:

First, I'd like to hear a bit about your family boating experiences.

"As I told you, my grandparents had a beach house at LBI, and every summer I got to spend time by the water. We had a Sunfish, and my mom taught me to sail on that. It's the same Sunfish that my mom learned to sail on. The Sunfish was purely for adventure, and I loved sailing in the bay. My Grandad also had a small pontoon boat. The whole family (me, my 3 siblings, mom, dad, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc) would pile in and go gunk holing. We'd explore inlets. And, of course, we'd stop to find some food. Some days, this was crabbing. We were low tech crabbers, using string, a hook, and some fish carcasses. And, some days, we'd hop in and dig our feet in the gunk looking for clams. Either way, we'd usually come home with some shellfish.
When I got into my teens, my grandparents were diagnosed with cancer. Within a couple years, their beach house was sold. The Sunfish made its way to my home town, and I'd take it sailing solo in a lake nearby. I don't know where the pontoon boat went, but my uncles all got modern 20-25' fiberglass sailboats and took up the tradition of taking us gunk holing each summer by their homes. My Uncle John has a house in Maryland on the Chesapeake, my Uncle Bill is in Maryland as well, and my Uncle John has a beach house in Brick Township."

I'd also like to hear a bit more about the semester of cycling, how it led to romance and marriage and the job at the bike library, which I am assuming is a community cycling resource similar to Neighborhood Bike Works in Philly.

"I went to Rutgers College in New Brunswick, studying art and engineering at first. In my second year of college, I met Ryan at an artsy warehouse event in Philadelphia. He had long dreads and beard, was dirty and smelly, talked about the Buddha, and was amazing. Ryan had been traveling around the US for a couple years (hiking, hitchhiking, riding trains, riding bikes, etc) and was home to visit his sister, who had just had a baby. His most recent travels included a couple (of) long bike tours on the West Coat and in the Midwest, his last through the desert and ending at Burning Man. There was an immediate attraction and "world view" connection. Ryan and I spent a couple months together in New Brunswick. Then, we parted ways... well, Ryan actually rode his bike away, I waved, then drove home for Winter break. I left to study abroad in South Africa, and Ryan went out West for more adventure.
I spent 6 months studying and traveling in Africa. Ryan and I sent a couple emails back and forth, but I didn't expect to see him again. I attended the University of Pietermaritzburg and, every time I had a chance, I'd explore the region - visiting new friends' houses, doing what the locals do, hiking, camping, going to markets, horse back riding, adventures, etc. I extended my stay a couple months so I could trek around Lesotho, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Botswana. My travels in Africa inspired an interest in sustainability, particularly in the US, my home. It also confused the hell out of me. What did I want to study? How did I want to contribute to my home society? You know, a normal existential college crisis.
A week before my plane ride home, I found out that Ryan was back in NJ. My goodness! But, my thinking was, who knows, he'll probably be leaving in a month anyway. I went down to New Brunswick to visit. He was on a friend's property digging a foundation (for what was supposed to be The Bike Library). We shared our adventures, slept in a van, and the connection was indeed still there.
We talked about my existential crisis and came up with a crazy idea - to go on(a) bike tour together on the west coast. This would mean I would have to drop out of school. On the other hand, it didn't mean that I wouldn't learn anything. So, I talked to a Professor at college, and we figured out I could do a research project. It was supposed to be about sustainable architecture, but evolved into sustainable transportation.
Ryan and I did a Craigslist rideshare out to California and landed in Santa Cruz. I had my backpack and me. Ryan had a bike and panniers and a trailer. Every morning we'd go to a cafe, where I'd hand sew parts of my panniers together, made from scraps from an awning store, pieces of a plastic bucket, and some hooks and straps. In the afternoon, we went to the Bike Church and I converted a too-small Trek 800 into a touring vehicle using their tool collective hours and work trade system. Ryan learned to work on bikes there (and on the road) and taught me to work on bikes there. Mind you, I'd never worked on a bike before... actually, I hadn't ridden a bike since I was 10. Thus, every evening was bicycle boot camp. Ryan would lead me all around, always having to camp at the top of the highest hill. I was tired, to say the least, but I was also getting strong. Of course, it wasn't all work... there were also farmer's markets, ice cream, family dinner experiences, etc.
After a couple weeks, we were prepared to leave. We headed north. Yea, the first couple days were painful, but we pushed on. We ended up zig-zagging all the way to Olympic Peninsula, stopping at various intentional communities and bike collectives along the way. The whole experience inspired my love for bicycles.. and made me learn to fix them. What a great way to get around. It's pretty fast and you feel great when doing it. I especially appreciated all the bicycle resources along the way and fully understood the vision for the Bike Library in New Brunswick.
When it was time to talk about coming home, again, I didn't expect Ryan to come. But, he did. That's when I knew he really liked me. At this point, we were making a decision to be together.
Upon returning to NJ, we starting volunteering a couple nights per week to keep the Bike Library open. The Bike Library is a volunteer-run bicycle tool collective... similar to Neighborhood Bike Works, but much smaller and only the co-op part. Depending on how many people are involved, it was open hours when people can come to learn to fix their bike or buy refurbished bicycles. There was always a constant flow of people during open hours. It lives in the basement of our friend Wil's house, and is yet to move to a structure built to house it.
I also changed my majors to art and math and got more research funding to do a pedal powered research project. Ryan and I worked on this together, despite the fact that Ryan wasn't in college. It was just our passion together. We designed and built about 10 function contraptions, including a food processor, recumbent trike, and kitchen trailer. I had the opportunity to take a chromoly framebuilding course at the United Bicycle Institute in Oregon. This is when we started collecting the tools we needed to build frames.
After graduation, Ryan and I worked on a small farm in upstate New York... and kept collecting tools. There, we decided we wanted to get married... some day. Then, we decided we wanted to move back to New Jersey... to the biggest city in NJ... Newark. A couple of my friends from high school lived there, so we moved in with them. Ryan was working at a machine shop and I got my job at Project U.S.E. We soon found a better place to live... a huge warehouse. It was 14,000 ft2 of communal living, work spaces, and tons of stuff.
In the warehouse in Newark, Ryan and I were able to build a shop a LOT and finally build frames. Since Ryan was working at a machine shop, he learned about precision and tool making. Our first fixtures and jigs were made there, until we finally got some machines of our own. We made our friends bikes. Then, we started getting requests from people we didn't know. It was then that we knew we had to take Folk Engineered to the next level.. and try to make frame building a livelihood.
We also got married in the warehouse on Sept 12, 2009. Ceremony in the alley behind the building, reception of the 4th floor, and celebratory bike ride to follow."

I'd like to hear about your husbands arc with cycling and the establishing of Folk Engineered and have you speak also to your involvement with the Co.

"I lot of Ryan's story is included above. But, you may like to know that Ryan was a track runner in high school. He's just naturally athletic. Thus, riding bikes.. and riding them fast.. is just a natural pleasure for him. Also, Ryan went to art school and studied printmaking... unrelated to anything he does now.
When FE started, Ryan and I shared all tasks, planning, designing, building, finances, etc. We did everything together. But, as FE grew, we had to specialize. Now, Ryan definitely leads the tool and fabrication department. He manages the shop. I definitely lead the communications and financial department. I manage the business. But, when it comes to bicycle engineering and vision, we work together... every bike is designed with both of our input. And, usually, both of us gets our hands on it in some way.
Also, the situation right now is that Ryan is able to work at FE full time. I work at Project U.S.E. and FE is my second full time job. For this reason, I don't get to do much frame building currently. We hope, in the next year or so, I can also work for FE full time and build frames."


What are the boats being built by Discovery 2011?


"We had 2 wonderful launches this year. All 6 boats floated with pride! The Discovery 2011 is a 10'2" Acorn Dinghy designed by Iain Oughtred. It has a round hull and is made with traditional lapstrake construction (albeit with marine plywood, still a lot of planing). This is my first endeavor at lapstrake... as well as the students. It was built by the Discovery Charter School in Newark, NJ and this was their 3rd boat (the first was a canoe and the second was a Salt Bay Skiff). It is named the Spodoxy. The Spodoxy is a mythological name representing the superheros at Discovery Charter School - Epoxy Girl, Sawdust Girl, Duct Tape Girl, Metal X, Sharp X, the Manager, etc. Each Boatbuilder has specific superpowers. Together, they form the Spodoxy team. Their boat, the Spodoxy, leads them to their secret lair in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Oh, and it can also fly. As you can probably infer, the Boatbuilding room was full of imagination at Discovery this year.
The 2 other boat designs you see are the 6-hour Canoe and the Salt Bay Skiff."

(Editors note: here is Marie's description of the project from2008)

"I joined Project U.S.E.'s boat building program this year. The Boat Building Project is a unique initiative by Project U.S.E. that is presented through a longterm, on-site relationship with participating schools and agencies. Students of middle- or high-school age explore the maritime history of their region and learn the science and art involved in boat building. The Project combines standard curricula, (math, physics, history, etc.) with rigorous and exciting experiential learning - a hallmark of Project U.S.E.'s programs. The Project culminates in the building and launching of wooden canoes or sailboats constructed by the students."

Where are you guys headed?

"FE plans to continue the tradition of custom bicycle building, because we believe it's our way to push the bicycle design industry. Our most challenging custom design of the year is the Oregon Manifest, designing the ultimate utility bicycle with 4th-8th grade students from a Newark charter school. This year, we came out with our first production bicycle, the Marsupial, a sport touring bike. We plan to do more manufacturing in the future, bring the tradition back to the US, and create jobs in the bike industry.
As for Project U.S.E., I'd love for the Boatbuilding Program to expand to have a Boat House facility. It would not only house our workshop but also be home base for on-water programs (paddling, navigation, community boating, etc). I am also working to�start a job training / re-entry program in bicycle mechanics and frame building.
In our personal lives, we'd like to be happy, healthy, and one day have a farm (near a waterway of course) with chickens and children.
I mean, inevitably, bikes and boats will always be a part of my life, whether with FE or Project U.S.E. or nothing."

I hope you'll enjoy this story as much as I did.

Comment (1)

Bloom, Harold. (ed.). AHAB, MAJOR LITERARY CHARACTERS. NY. 1991. 247 pp. VG in dust jacket. $28
List 204

Ashley, Clifford W. THE YANKEE WHALER. Bos. 1926. b/w and color plates. 4to. xxiv, 379 pp. First Edition, a limited edition of 1625 copies, and one of the key books on American whaling, with Ashley’s inimitable illustrations and much technical information on whaleships and whaling, as well as scrimshaw. Forster 160. A fine copy in dj with one tape repair, in original slipcase. $250
List 202

Kemp, Dixon. YACHT DESIGNING: A TREATISE ON THE PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF THE SCIENTIFIC PRINCIPLES UPON WHICH IS BASED THE ART OF DESIGNING YACHTS. Lon. 1876. b/w folding plates, ills in text. Folio. x, 118 pp. Toy says, “Kemp was a central and extremely important figure in yachting and yacht designing. His work is of great historical importance.” This book precedes the more common “Yacht Architecture” by two decades, and is his first work to include the scientific principles put forth by Scott Russell and Rankine. It features XXIV (actually forty) numbered plates, most of which are folding. Toy 4761. Unlike “Yacht Architecture” which was printed on horrible paper, this volume uses higher quality materials and has held up quite well. In fact, this is an immaculate copy, clean and fresh as the day it was printed, with six original folio illustrated advertising pages bound in at back. Sturdily rebound in half blue morocco over marbled boards. $2000
List 203

Manuscript. “JOHN WILLIAMS BOOK ON BOARD THE SHIP HECTOR ON THE OFFSHORE GROUND - LAT. 05.23 S, LONG. 100.26 W. JUNE 14, 1846 - 30 MONTHS OUT 1100 BBLS SPERM.” 12mo blank book, 4 x 5 3/4 inches. 105 pp. manuscript entries. The Hector was a 225 ton bark from Warren, RI, William Martin, master. She sailed on July 8, 1845 and returned December 4, 1847. In June 1846, cruising the line off the Galapagos Islands, crewman Williams found himself with some time on his hands. He got hold of Taber’s “New Bedford and Fairhaven Signal Book,” probably not hard to find aboard a whaleship, and copied its contents into a small blank book in ink and watercolor. Not satisfied with that accomplishment, he then copied flags of maritime nations (source unknown, but probably also from a book, with some creative additions by Williams). The result, though it may not add anything to our knowledge of flags, is a stunning little piece of folk art, done aboard a whaleship. One hundred five pages of color illustrations, with captions. $2500
List 203

Manuscript. YACHTING JOURNALS OF THE WILLIAM CARTER FAMILY, ALLSTON, MASS - MONHEGAN ISLAND AND MAINE COAST, 1915 - 1915. William and Isabelle Carter and their daughter Jamie lived in a comfortable but not over-the-top Victorian house in Allston, Mass. They owned a comfortable but not over-the-top yacht (it looks to be about a 35 foot motor cruiser). In those days the Charles River was still open to traffic down as far as Allston, and they tied their boat “Isabelle” up at “Carter’s Landing” along the Charles in that city. In the summers of 1914, 1915, and possibly other years, the three of them made family trips in the Isabelle down east to Maine. If the Carters had been upper class people, these cruises would have involved yacht clubs and lots of socializing and drinking. But they were not. Their adventures centered on the natural beauty of places along the way, of humorous adventures and mishaps - they were avowed amateurs - and a few visits with friends. All this is recorded in five hand made journals measuring about 6 1/2 x 7 inches and bound in limp leather. The pages are good heavy watercolor paper, watermarked 1914. One of the voyages is recorded in mock epic style, two in rhyming couplets, one in straight narrative, one in blank verse. All have captions, sometimes humorous, to photos and drawings. Some of the drawings are elaborate double page spreads. Four of the journals are 64-76 page in length. The fifth is 35 pages long. In total they contain 177 snapshot photographs of coastal scenes from the lock in the Charles to Monhegan, passengers and the Isabelle, and 70 colored drawings (ink and watercolor) of descriptive, decorative and humorous subjects. An intimate and charming look at recreational yachting in the early 20th century $4500
List 203

Allen, Glover. THE WHALEBONE WHALES OF NEW ENGLAND. Bos. 1916. b/w gravure plates. 4to. pp 108-322. Natural history and physical description of species inhabiting New England waters, as well as sections on early whaling from various New England ports, drift whaling, shore whaling and whaling by Indians. First edition. Jenkins p. 74. Bound in original printed paper wrappers, lightly chipped, with tear on front cover. $125
List 202

Gower, Richard Hall. A NARRATIVE OF A MODE PURSUED BY THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT TO EFFECT IMPROVEMENTS IN NAVAL ARCHITECTURE. Lon. 1811. b/w plates. 126 (2) pp. This is essentially Gower’s proposal for a new design of a more stable and efficient vessel - a four masted barkentine, the Transit. The three engraved plates make her design elements clear. Gower’s text argues for her advantages, and advises how to sail and man her. Scott 500. First edition. Light water staining around edges of title and plates. Tidily rebound in modern buckram. Scarce $400
List 203


all photos and descriptions courtesy Greg Gibson

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The Dutch three-masted schooner Oosterschelde on a visit to Stornoway for Sail Hebrides. She is being escorted out of the harbour by two traditional Hebridean fishing vessels, Jubilee in front and An Sulaire behind. These two boats were participating in a race as part of the Sail Hebrides Maritime Festival.

courtesy Donald Macleod

Jubilee arrives at the Old School site in Lionel, Ness where she remained until repairs were carried out in 2005

courtesy Falmadair

Jubilee makes a welcome return to Port of Ness, where she was originally launched in 1935

courtesy Falmadair

Stressful sailing. Onboard Jubilee

courtesy Franzi Richter

An Sulaire

courtesy sulaire

An Sulaire and crew in the inner harbour.

courtesy Donald Macleod

Aboard An Sulaire

courtesy Franzi Richter

An Sulaire

courtesy Franzi Richter

The crew hauling Mayflower up the slipway at Skigersta pier in the early 1950s. Read more about Mayflower here.

courtesy Falmadair

The 20 foot keel length Pride of Lionel was owned by Norman Campbell (Tabaidh), 6 Lionel, and registered as SY 455 on 25 May 1918.

courtesy Falmadair

Mairi MacLeod's Runag...


courtesy Mairi MacLeod

build underway...


courtesy Mairi MacLeod

at the Lyme Regis Boat Building Academy in 2009.


courtesy Mairi MacLeod

Mairi chose to build a half-size Sgoth Niseach. Full size boats were just over 30', the boat that Mairi built is 16' 6". The translation of Sgoth Niseach is 'Ness-type skiff', Ness being the northernmost part of the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides where the boats were used for fishing. 'Runag', Gaelic for 'little sweetheart', was planked in Alaskan yellow cedar on oak, the planks and ribs fastened with traditional rose head copper nails.

courtesy Mairi MacLeod




Sgoth Niseach translates into English as Ness Skiff, at type of small fishing vessels which evolved in the region of Ness, northernmost part of the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. They are double ended like their Norwegian ... but have a distinctive large dipping lug rig which some have likened to a lateen sail. I asked Iain Oughtred about his view of the evolution of this boat type and especially that big sail. Iain's reply:

" I think the evolutionary process went from the faerings etc, with short horizontal yards, to some later Nordlandsboats, which exended the luff far forward, still with a short yard.  Up to about 10-oared boats.  Then the Shetland Sixareens and Yoals,  which peaked up the yard – though still calling it a square sail, but by now very asymmetric.  Very efficient sail, especially in the racing yoals.  In Lewis,  the yard got even longer, and the sail as large as could be contained within the length of the boat, which was different in being big, beamy, heavy.  That yard was really a handful.  They must have been giants."

These boats had nearly died out completely by mid 20th century, but some worthy restorations and new builds are keeping their heritage alive.

Jubilee was built in 1935 by John F. Macleod. By 1978 she was in need of restoration, was purchased by a group on behalf of the Ness community, funds were secured and work begun. She was re- launched in1980 at Ness Harbour. Further repairs were undertaken in 1995 to coincide with the building of a new Sgoth, An Sulaire. The 28' Jubilee is currently the ward of Falmadair, the North Lewis Maritime Society.

An Sulaire is a 'new' 30ft. sgoth, commissiond by the An Sulaire Trust, built by John Murdo Macleod, assisted by Angus Smith. Macleod is the son of John F. who built Jubilee. He is regarded as a master boatbuilder and the BBC produced a documentary of the build. She is currently in Ullapool on the Scottish mainland for some repair work.

In 2009 Mairi Macleod of Stonaway was completing her course at the Lyme Regis Boatbuilding Academy. She chose to build a half size sgoth as her final project and was helped by John Murdo Macleod. It's a beautiful boat as you can see in the above photos. After graduating other concerns intervened and the boat is still unfinished, but it back in Stornaway, awaiting Mairi's finishing touches, planned for next summer.

There's a Facebook page for these boats here.

Finally, here's a link to some closely related boats I've written about previously.

A big thanks to Iain Oughtred for his insight.

Original post Thomas Armstrong @ 70.8%

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Once the keel was laid and the stem attached we realized that the stern post had sprung and no longer would work for the boat. We didn’t have the oak to replace it right away so we moved on to the next step of attaching the molds in place and squaring them up.

Our oak showed up last week, so right away we went to work bending a new stern post.

It took 4 tries to get it right, but we got it.

Final stern post ready to cut it’s rabbet.

With all the oak in we moved forward milling the oak for the 100 frames we need to bend.

Jack and Rachel getting oak stock ready for milling.

Jeff and George determining the right length to cut stock.

While everything else was going on, we still found time to start spiling the garboard planks. In the above photo you can see them resting on the molds waiting to be finished.




all photos and captions courtesy Gina Pickton

Well, as you can see here, things are moving along at the Workshop. Gina has once again told the story rather smartly. Looks as though planking will have begun as you read this or soon after, as the garboard planks are already cut. I'm hoping to hear from Geoff McKonly soon on the New York team's progress.
Originally posted @ Whaleboats for the CW Morgan

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We’ve made some progress on the Whaleboat in the past few weeks. Going has been a bit slow as we have been waiting for our oak to be milled. We’ve made jigs and patterns in preparation.

Vincent and Salim are working from plans to make patterns.

George Clark is working on the pattern for the rudder

We’ve shaped the keel...

and attached it to the Strongback in place

Mystic Seaport sent down planking cedar and green oak for the stem and stern posts and the next couple weeks were filled with milling the cedar.

Jake Davidson and Alex Miller getting the cedar ready for resawing




We’ve also posted a video of resawing the cedar with the jig that Jeff designed.

Once the mess from the cedar milling was done, the crew got to work on bending the stem and stern posts

Stem and Stern post bending jig.

The whole crew gets in on the steam bending action.

While on the jig we drilled and riveted the posts to help them keep their shape.

Nick Pagan and Charles Bernstein getting ready to attach a strap to the post to help it keep it’s bend over time.

Charles Bernstein and Jeff Huffenberger attaching the stem post to the keel. Jeff welded up a bracket to help support and keep it in place while the build happens.



all photos courtesy Gina Pickton





Thanks to Gina Pickton for this update on the progress of the whaleboat build. The captions are all hers and pretty much tell the story. This I think brings us up to about 2 weeks ago, as I can see that work has gone beyond what's seen here, with molds in place and planking to begin soon.
You can follow the progress on a daily basis by visiting the webcam. More soon!

Originally posted @ Whaleboats for the CW Morgan

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All photos courtesy Iain Oughtred

In a discussion with acclaimed small boat designer Iain Oughtred about the taxonomy of certain Norwegian boat types, he casually mentioned that he was involved with a Nordlandsbåt that had recently been discovered on Skye, his home. Piqued my interest, he did. After some wrestling with google translate we more or less resolved that issue and Iain responded to my request for some info on the 'rescue operation'. It's a rather interesting story.
Iain contacted Gunnar Eldjarn in Norway to ask for help both in identifying the boat and how to proceed. Gunnar builds traditional Norwegian boats and his website is here. Gunnar identified the boat as a Krumstevning, which he elaborates a bit below. He further named it a Ranværingsboat, a boat built in the Rana area, a little more that halfway up Norway's west coast. They are dating the boat anywhere from 1840 to 1890, pending further investigation. Iain had originally envisioned a restoration, but Gunnar went on to say:

"It is a krumstevning. A treroring and has had six oars.
A small treroring like this is actually a 2 1/2 room boat with 3 rooms. This is not very special, but is a northern Norwegian specialty.
I see now that it has a very special keel, a gatakjøl which has both the keel an the keelstrake in one peace. This I have heard about, but never seen on a small boat like this.
Then, most of the strakes are probably hewn, and almost impossible to shift, at least very difficult.

I would actually be careful and keep the old boat without much repair, and also use it very little. All the old material is brittle and cant take much beating. Making a copy is a good idea. But it is not a very easy boat to build. But if the old boat is kept untouched, 100 copies may be built and used. If the old one is much repaired, the original is gone. The boat should be thoroughly documented, lots of good pictures, measurements etc.
The boat is worth a lot, not much money, but as a cultural document.
Please take care of the boat.!!!!"

The 18' x 54" boat is on the grounds of large estate in southern Skye, a district named Sleat, and the owner contacted Iain at the urging of one Fergus Walker, who I've written about before. Lucilla (said owner), Iain, and some other interested parties are in the process of securing a tent to protect the boat from the elements and commencing preservation strategies. A little more from Iain, first a portion of his reply to Gunnar:

"Many thanks for your message. It is a valuable contribution to our quest, and we are privileged to have this authoratative statement which confirms our feeling that this is a rare and special boat that deserves to be cared for properly. And measured up, recorded, photographed, drawn up as Bernhard F would do. That will be my job."

Plus this to me:

"Lucilla wants to keep her close to home, ultimately on display with all relevant information presented in English, Norwegian and Gaelic.

I have found a nice board of Scots Pine to replace the missing capping piece on the starboard gunwale. And some scraps of oak for missing and damaged bits of frames. We will have tollepinnar (thole pins) for the keip/'kabes'/oarlocks. I got the Norwegian Varnol thin penetrating oil. I hope that Mark Stockl, the boatbuilder from Ullapool, may be able to do much of this work, after setting up the cradle, which will support the hull comfortably all round. She may even need to gently settle into her rightful shape before new pieces are fitted!

I do not think the boat will actually be used. She's quite fragile. But hopefully we could just launch her and take some nice photographs." I will see if Lucilla is up for asking Gunnar about a replica that she can play with.

Iain has consented to keeping me updated on progress made good on the 'bonny wee boat' and
I'll be letting you know.

Original article posted @ 70.8% by Thomas Armstrong

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Artwork from the logbook of the ship Iris while on its voyage from 1843-1847. The painting depicts a sperm whale upending one of the whaleboats chasing it.

Courtesy Girl on a Whaleship

This detailed painting of the killing of a whale by a whaleboat crew was done on the inside cover of a logbook. The logbook covers two voyages; the ship Alexander Barclay, 1837-1840 and Charles W. Morgan, 1841-1842.

Courtesy Girl on a Whaleship

Diagram ({{Information |Description={{en|1=Side and interior plan of whale-boat equipped with apparatus of capture, &c. Noted on the drawing as Plate 192. sec 5 v ii pp241, 252. not clear why the file name says fig 193.}} |Source=NOAA Photolibrary Image ID: figb01)

Courtesy NOAA

Azorean whaleboat racing

C0urtesy Azorean Whaleboats

The Queen's Ranger's whaleboat after its trip from Crown Point to Fort Ticonderoga
(courtesy David Michlovitz)

Courtesy Fort Ticonderoga Brigade

The past--a district Missionary's whaleboat

In early days the work of the "Southern Cross" was supplemented by the district missionaries in their whaleboats, but in recent year these have been replaced by launches and schooners

Courtesy Anglican History Oceania 1849-1949

from 'Into the Deep', a documentary by Ric Burns
The history of the American whaling industry from its 17th-century origins in drift and shore whaling off the coast of New England and Cape Cod, through the golden age of deep ocean whaling, and on to its demise in the decades following the American Civil War.
Find here, and here.

I just happened to catch the airing of this documentary on PBS, I rarely watch TV so it was extremely fortuitous. I was deeply moved and impressed by this work.
Ric Burns is without doubt a most discerning and articulate documentry filmaker. I recommend this film highly. It focuses acutely on the wreck of the Essex, an American whaleship and more generally on American whaling. The wreck of the Essex is reputed to be one of the inspirations for Moby Dick, and the documentary focuses quite a bit on Melville's celebrated work. Do not miss this!

Courtesy Ric Burns, PBS, and Mystic Seaport

Aquatic Mammals
Caption: Darting Harpoon into Sperm Whale
Image Date 1926
Subject Whaleboats
Whaling
Harpoons
Sperm whale
Image Source Author Cook, John A.
Image Source Title Pursuing the Whale : a Quarter-Century of Whaling in the Arctic
Pub. Info. Boston, MA : Houghton Mifflin Company, 1926
Page No./Plate No. Facing page 8
Digital collection Freshwater and Marine Image Bank
Repository Most materials are located in the University of Washington Libraries. Images were scanned by staff of the UW Fisheries-Oceanography Library
Copyright Materials in the Freshwater and Marine Image Bank are in the public domain. No copyright permissions are needed. Acknowledgement of the Freshwater and Marine Image Bank as a source for borrowed images is requested.
Ordering Information The University of Washington Libraries does not provide reproductions of this image. This record contains a citation for this image. If you want to use the scanned image, acknowledgement of the Freshwater and Marine Image Bank as a source for borrowed images is requested.
Type Image

Courtesy University of Washington Libraries

Courtesy Girl on a Whaleship




From the introduction to ' The Whaleboat A study of Design, Construction and Use from 1850 to 1970 by Willits D. Ansel, published by the Mystic Seaport Museum:

The term "whaleboat" properly describes boats used for hunting whales, lthough it has also been applied to other boats having similar features, generally sharp ends. Whaleboats ere used by the thousands aboard American whaleships in the middle of the nineteenth century and, in lesser numbers, aboard the vessels of toher nations and at shore stations around the world. The whaleboat was a double ended, light, open boat with a length at that time of between twenty-seven and thirty-one feet and a beam of slightly more than one-fifth the length. It was pulled by oars and sailed. It was a fine sea boat, not only adapted to its function but also handsome. Though there were variations in size, lines, and construction, the general characteristics were well defined.
The whaleboat was once the most widespread of all small craft. In the late 1800s it was known in the Pacific in such widely separated places as Easter Island, Tasmania, the Bonin Islands and the Aleutians. In the Atlantic, it appeared in the north off Greenland, in the Azores, the Grenadines, and south to Tristan da Cunha and still farther south to Antarctica. In the Indian Ocean it was seen in the Mozambique Channel, Kerguelen Island and Cocos. It was used in the Arctic Ocean at Herschel Island on one side and Spitsbergen on the other. Whaleboats were seen in the most remote places in the sea.
The last voyage of a whaleship that carried whaleboats was in the 1920s. At a few far scattered places the boats continued to be used for shore whaling, as at Tong and Norfolk Island in the Pacific and at Bequia and the Portuguese Islands in the Atlantic. Two whaleboats are still maintained at Bequia and whaling on Pico and Madeira.* In 1969 there was whaling at Fiji. Elsewhere on remote islands the type survived for carrying cargo and passengers.
In the United States, where the whaleboat was carried to its final stage of development and where the boats were build by the thousands, very few remain outside of museums, although an undermined number survive in Alaska.
Much has been written in praise of whaleboats:
Their shape "ensures great swiftness as well as qualities of an excellent seaboat." 1
The boats were dry and rode "as gracefully as an albatross...for lightness and form, for carrying capacity compared with its weight and sea-going qualities, for speed andfacility of movement at the word of command, for theplacing of menat the best advantage in the exercise of their power, by the nicest adaptation of the varying length of the oar to its position in the boat, and lastly, for a simpicity of construction which renders repairs practicable on ships, the whaleboat is simply as perfect as the combined skill" of generations of boatbuilders could make it. 2

As surf boats the whaleboats were "without rival, better than a lifeboat which is a compromise because it has to carry a larger number of people...The whaleboat was the best seaboat that man could devise with no limits to size, weight, or model. "3 A whaleboat type, locally called a longboat, was adapted on Tristan da Cunha around 1886, after fifteen men were lost in a lifeboat. The longboat coxswains conider their light, canvas covered boats fine surf boats. 4
Howard Chapelle cites the whaleboat's reputation for good performance under oars and sail under all conditions.5 Others noted their maneuverability and speed and, last but not least, the cheapness of their construction.
Such praise was deserved. However, the whaleboat was the product of compromises, and was excelled in some functions by specialized boats. There were faster pulling boats, such a certain ones used in nineteenth-century smuggling in southern England, and certainly some lifesaving boats were safer in surf or a breaking sea. In terms of all-around performance, however, the whaleboat rated very high.

1. Charles M. Scammon, The Maritime Mammels of the Northewest coast of North America and the Whale Fishery, rev. ed. (Riverside: Manessier Publishing Co., 1969), p.224.

2. William Davis, Nimrods of the Sea, rev. ed. (North Quincy: The Christopher Publishing House, 1972), pp157-58.

3. Clifford W. Ashley, The Yankee Whaler, (Garden City: Halcyon House, 1942), p.59.

4. Notes on the Tristan da Cunha boats were provided by the island's administrator, J. I. H. Fleming, in 1973.

5. Howard I. Chapelle, The National Watercraft Collection, (Washington, D.C., Goverment Printing Office. 1960), p. 262

* Whaling was banned in the Azores in either 1986 or 1987, even though other small groups of shore based whaling, such as the Inuit and the Bequian whalers were allowed to continue as their whaling is considered 'indigenous'. It's my belief that the Azoreans should also be allowed to take whales based on their long standing practice. (ed.)

While not meant to condone the wholesale industrial slaughter of whales by, in particular, Japan and Norway, I do feel the history and development of the whaleboat a legitimate area of inquiry.

Currently I am writing a weblog about the construction of two whaleboats being built to fit out the restoration of the Charles W Morgan underway at Mystic Seaport. The boats are being built to historic standards at both the Indepen

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Clodia in Ramsgate prior to the crossing

Giacomo sailing out

crew Bruno rowing out of Ramsgate

Giacomo amidst the Channel







video and all photos courtesy Man on the River/Giacomo De Stefano



Our Man is back on the River, rather, this time on the sea. After a hiatus from his ambitious project, Giacomo De Stefano has triumphantly resumed his adventure after a bout with a rare and potentially deadly virus. High congratulations are in order. Giacomo and his crew Bruno Porto successfuly navigated the English channel in about 9 hours, sailing from Ramsgate Uk to Gravelines France aboard their 19' Ian Oughtred designed Ness Yawl, Clodia.

Here is Giacomo's report of the crossing:

"We did it!

Crossing the English Channel is something special:
To make it real we had to rely on many friends and on our best commitment and effort. Not to mention lots of luck.
I thought to all those people who lost their lives in these cold and troubled waters, even in the best weather conditions as we were so fortunate fo find yesterday.
Streams, sea beds,shallows, big ferries and commercial ships: A lot to worry about for a nutshell like Clodia.

We could never have done it without the help of Chalky, a sailor friend, who escorted us all the way from Ramsgate to Gravelines.

A support boat is required by maritime regulations to cross the Channel for a small boat, engine free, like our Ness Yawl.

This is the report of our day: We leave from Ramsgate at 6 o’clock after a rainy night that didn’t seem like a good omen. Chalky already offered us a good coffee.

We get out of the harbour by rowing, under a bright sun: In the meantime Paolo is filming us from the top of the pier.

To cross the shipping lanes at 90°, Chalky asks to tow us, because the wind is contrary and he wants to get to Gravelines before 4.30 p.m. for the high tide. We can’t turn his offer down, even if it doesn’t stick to our values: We could have easily made it without any help, but not following the regulamentary 90°.

We need to get out quickly from the routes of the big ships, that need many miles to stop, so we accept to get towed for what is strictly needed.

When the shipping lanes are at our back, the wind calms down. The green power of Bruno comes very handy and we row for a couple of nautical miles: Then, when we have to cope with an opposite stream of nearly 2.5 knot (faster than us!), the wind comes to our help at about 12-16 knot, keeping constant for the following hours.

We can now swiftly sail for hours: The day is beautiful and Clodia doesn’t seem to care much about the sea, running fast toward the French coast.
The last 12 miles are fantastic: We literally fly over the waves caused by streams and shallows, and by a stronger wind, reaching 6.3 knot speed.

We enter the canal of Grand Fort Philippe al 4 p.m. local time, after 9 hours and 35 nautical miles of navigation from Ramsgate. A little thrill: The gaff jumps over the peak of the mast, hit by a naughty wave. I quickly turn down the mainsail and leave the rope, avoiding any further trouble. Everything goes well, but it could have been very dangerous.

The access to the channel leading to Gravelines is a bit difficult, but we enter quite well, then we sail for the last 3 miles and dock in the wonderful Marine. Fantastic!

Gravelines welcomes us with all its peace and beauty. The fortress of Vauban is very nice.
We also discovered a 57 metres vessel, replica of the 18th century original, under construction: Impressive! Here you can find more info.

Thanks to all of you for support and help, we felt your presence every time. We dedicate a special thought to Roland, Silvio and Jacopo that should have been aboard with us.
Shortly, we’ll set sails to Saint Omer. A big hug.

Giacomo and Bruno"

You'll find map of the crossing, more on the project, and full documentation with a link to the project Flickr site at Man on the River.

See previous posts on the adventure here.

Giacomo, it's lovely to see your triumphant return, welcome back and my deepest congratulations on the successful crossing!

thomas

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