Category: Traditional carvel

Traditional carvel plans and boatbuilding

HMS Pickle moves to Gibraltar

It’s the bowsprit that hits you between the eyes. Clock the size of it: with something like that you could sail her into port and knock the back wall out of a dockside crimper’s best bedroom…

The 73ft schooner HMS Pickle is a  replica of the 1799-built original HMS Pickle, which had the honour of bringing the news of the battle of Trafalgar back to Britain. It was a big, bittersweet moment: one one hand it was victory in the war with the French, but on the other hand the commander of the British fleet, Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté, had been shot and killed.

The excuse for publishing these striking photos is that from mid-September the superyachts at Gibraltar’s Ocean Village Marina will have HMS Pickle for a neighbour. Gibraltar’s gain is the UK’s loss, but there’s something appropriate about the move.

HMS Pickle’s is to sail from the UK to her new home in Gibraltar via Cape Trafalgar – a route that the original Pickle would have followed many times.

The ship’s operator, Robin James said ‘The connection she has with Gibraltar and the part they both played in British Naval history is a great story to share and I am sure her arrival will be a real boost to tourism… We have received fantastic support from the government of Gibraltar and Ocean Village and can’t wait to get there.’

Robin comes from a family of mariners, and in 2004 took time off work to set off around Europe and America in search of a tall ship of his own – and then found Pickle in Gloucester where she had recently arrived from Russia.

‘Pickle had real appeal because of the original’s rich history and adventures in the Caribbean and Europe.  The first Pickle was wrecked and sunk off southern Spain in 1808 but this 1996-built replica is uncannily similar and gives us a great insight into the methods and technologies of the time.’

Artist James Dodds talks about this work, the sea and rebuilding the deep sea smack Pioneer

These YouTube clips make up a film about the Wivenhoe shipwright-turned-artist-and-book-publisher James Dodds, and includes material about the deep sea smack Pioneer, which was rescued from the mud and rebuilt in the town.

It’s striking to see the state she was in when the work began, and to compare that with the proud and smart vessel she is today (see some recent shots in this gallery of photos).

I wasn’t previously of the story of the Wildman of Orford, but it was great to find out about it. I must learn more – and there’s a bit more here.

My thanks to Otis Luxton for leading me to this one!

 

River Colne oyster smack repaired by Star Yachts

  

  

While we’re on the subject of the River Colne, Win Cnoops and his colleagues at Star Yachts have recently been working on a boat built in the area.

Win says Wanderer II was built as an oyster smack right beside the Colne at Rowhedge  1901. Originally called Maude (CK489), in 1950 she was sold to the Pearson family and has been in their possesion ever since, and has been kept at Milford Haven.

She doesn’t appear in the Smackdock website’s list of known fishing smacks, but I guess she might be added at some point.

Win reports:

‘Wanderer II was in a bit of a state when she arrived: we had to cut down what was left of the keel and then added to it using the durable West African timber ekki, and replaced the stem that was in 13 bigger and smaller pieces. To hide a little hogging we put in a fair wale, and painted the bulwarks in the same colour – which, contrary to the theory, makes her look much sleeker as well.

‘We also took the steel floors out and replaced them with grown oak, and replaced 11 stanchions and a range of other hobs. The sternpost was not fastened to anything and could be moved by hand once the rudder heel fitting was off!

‘The cabin top is not the prettiest, the frames need doing and the under-deck is starting to go but for financial reasons they will have to wait for another time – but at least she is back on a solid foundation.’