Month: November 2009

Fear for sailors is a giant octopus – and has been for centuries

[ad name=”intheboatshed-post”]

Post header

A giant calamari afloat

‘When I was in Oregon, I was told there were several places along the coast where people were warned not to bathe, on account of octopods. In 1877, and Indian woman, who went bathing in one of these places, in total disregard of the advice of her friends, and was suddenly observed to sink. The next day her body was seem from a boat lying on the bottom of the sea in the embrace of a big octopus that was engaged in sucking every particle of blood out of her.’

Ben Crawshaw’s terrifying dream about a giant octopus (see the videos to understand this one!) reminded me of this rambling and scary chapter about this particular kind of sea-beast found in Elliott O’Donnell’s book Strange Sea Mysteries published a hundred or more years ago. These nightmares have been stalking sailors for many centuries, and no doubt will do so for centuries to come…

I hope reading this won’t make the dreams any worse Ben!

Cephalopoda 235 Cephalopoda 236 Cephalopoda 237

Cephalopoda 238 Cephalopoda 239 Cephalopoda 240

Cephalopoda 241 Cephalopoda 242 Cephalopoda 243

Cephalopoda 244 Cephalopoda 245 Cephalopoda 246

Cephalopoda247

There’s more on the Gadfly II story – but can anyone fill in the ‘missing years’?

[ad name=”intheboatshed-post”]

DSCF0107

DSCF0046 DSCF0049

The Kent-built Gadfly II

Simon Papendick has written to give us an update to the earlier posts about the small cruising boat he’s currently restoring, Gadfly II, and to ask for help in finding more information. (For more on Gadfly II, click here.)

Here’s what he has to say:

Hi Gavin:

Thanks to Classic Boat, I now have some new information about my yacht Gadfly II.

It would appear that the boat was build in the 1930s in Whitstable, Kent for a local builder, and that she was the second of three boats he commissioned. I have information about her first years in Kent from the 1930s through to 1949, and then I have more details about her whereabouts in the early 1960s – but then the trail goes cold from 1964 until the early 2000’s when the last owner purchased bought her.

If anyone has any information about Gadfly II’s whereabouts in the missing years, could they please let me know?

During the World War II I gather she had a small mishap when she was almost destroyed by German bombs that where dropped near where she was being stored.

The original owner of the boat only passed away a few years ago, as did the foreman of the yard that build her.

If any of your readers can come up with more information about the boat it would be most helpful.

Regards

Simon

Have you got a story to share or is there some information that you seek?

It could be about an interesting boat you own or are repairing, or a boat-building or repairing skill, or an adventure in a traditional or traditional-style boat? Why not do it through intheboatshed.net? Contact me at gmatkin@gmail.com.

Jaques Molinari’s Mouseboat project in Vietnam continues

[ad name=”intheboatshed-post”]

construction 8 nov 09 009

construction 8 nov 09 010 construction 8 nov 09 008

Jacques Molinari has sent in some more photos of his impressive Mouseboat, including a strengthened and raised mast step, and a self-bailing cockpit – he says he expects rough water in Nha Trang Bay.

See the last post and a link to the free plans for this little scow here.