Month: May 2008

A man called John Short

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John Short, otherwise known as Yankee Jack, sitting on the breakwater at Watchet

John Short, otherwise known as Yankee Jack, sitting on the breakwater
at Watchet. Thanks to the EFDSS/Cecil Sharp Collection for
allowing us to use this image

John Short statue by the harbur at Watchet

The John Short statue by the harbour at Watchet

Still on the theme of Watchet, I’d like to introduce readers to a man I hadn’t even heard of until my parents decided to buy a holiday cottage in the little town some years ago.

My ignorance that was my loss. John Short is commemorated in Watchet as Yankee Jack (he earned the nickname sailing in Yankee ships during the American Civil War) and is remembered for being a great seaman. However, he was an even greater singer: Yankee Jack had a tremendous memory and had learned many songs during a widely-travelled seagoing career. In fact, he provided the English folk song collector Cecil Sharp with a splendid collection of sea songs and shanties, many of which have become the standard versions we still know today.

These days, John Short the sailor and singer is represented by a fine statue by the harbour in Watchet, but I think his greatest memorial must be the songs, which from Sharp he sang in fine style with lots of melisma – that is, frequent changes of note within syllables. I only wish I knew of recordings that we could hear!

There’s an impressive list of his songs at the English Folk Dance & Song Society website.

The horrific burning of the British East-Indiaman Kent off the coast of Bengal


Burning of the British East-Indiaman Kent by Theodore Gudin

Burning of the British East-Indiaman Kent Burning of the British East-Indiaman Kent Burning of the British East-Indiaman Kent

Burning of the British East-Indiaman Kent

The burning of the British East-Indiaman Kent, pictured by Théodore Gudin in 1825

I won’t be able to put up many posts at intheboatshed.net this week as we’ll be sailing on the Norfolk Broads for the next few days – though you can be sure I’ll try to come back with with a collection of stories and photos!

In the meantime, here are some more of my promised shots from the wonderful Paris Musée de la Marine.

Like the previous featured painting of Napoleon being feted by crowds at Antwerp, this is also by Théodore Gudin – but the subject couldn’t be more different.

Instead of a successful and adored leader surrounded by a cheering admirers, The Burning of the Kent shows the British East India Company ship sinking and burning in a storm off Bengal. The story goes that during the storm a lamp fell during a powerful gust and set fire to the ship close to the area where the gunpowder was kept.

Gudin pulls no punches in presenting the horror of the disastrous sinking, or the heroism of the rescuers from another British ship, the Cambria.

For more intheboatshed.net posts featuring Paris, click here.

1950s Motor Torpedo Boat P1041 Gay Archer in Watchet harbour

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MTB HMS Gay Archer in Watchet harbour

Motor Torpedo Boat HMS Gay Archer in Watchet harbour

Did you, dear reader, wonder what might be lurking below the harbour wall behind the Ancient Mariner monument in the last post?

These days Watchet harbour is a marina complete with a lock, and has become is a popular spot for local boating enthusiasts. It’s often a good place to spot interesting craft, and one of the regulars is the 1950 Motor Torpedo Boat P1041 named Gay Archer.

Read more about owner Paul Child’s project to restore MTB P1014 at the Friends of HMS Archer website, which also offers a film including reminiscences from veteran Navy personnel of the period.

I was intrigued by the unusual junk-rigged steel-built blue-water cruiser in the top left-hand of the photo – can anyone tell us about it? And what about the cute Dutch-looking small cruiser painted red? It think my partner would have liked to take her home…