Category: Restoration and repair

Flica site now has a news weblog

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Do you know the identity of any of these characters?

The America’s Cup Masters website now has a news weblog about Flica and the Flica project, bits of history that come to light and the rest – take a look now.

In the meantime, do you know the identity of any of the rogues in the photo above? The crew member standing at the extreme left of this photograph is William Page, a Tollesbury man, who sailed with Fairey from 1932 onwards; the names of the two crew members standing next to him are still unknown but to the right of them are Herbert Diaper, Fairey’s skipper, and Sir Richard Fairey himself.

If you can, please contact the Flica project.

Nancy Bloom’s photos of wonderful schooners

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Alabama as she crossed the finishing line at this year’s Great Provincetown Schooner
Regatta & Yacht Races

Hindu, complete with dancing man in white

Roseway and Lettie G Howard

Lettie G Howard


Nancy Bloom, official photographer for the Great Provincetown Schooner Regatta & Yacht Races held along the coast of Massachusetts has very kindly got in touch to offer some samples of her photos of the fabulous schooners that take part in the event. Thanks Nancy – they’re absolutely super. I particularly like the guy in the Hindu photo, who seems to be doing a dance that says ‘I’m finally doing something I really enjoy’.

See one of Nancy’s movies at YouTube.

Keep ’em coming Nancy!

Saving the SS Columbia

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SS Columbia – as usual, click on the thumbnail for a
larger photo of this amazine craft

The project to restore the SS Columbia, the USA’s oldest surviving passenger steamer, is a seriously big one – but she’s an astonishing vessel. She was designed in 1902 by the naval architect Frank Kirby and artist Louis O Keil to transport people from the city into the countryside, and was adorned with mahogany panelling, murals, glass artworks, gilded mouldings, a grand staircase and an innovative open-air ballroom.

She was powered by a massive 1200 horsepower steam engine that could be viewed by the public.

Once restored, the restorers plan to put her to work as an education resource, as a cultural venue and museum, and to provide regular excursions visiting the Hudson River and New York’s harbour.

It’s an awesome project, and I’m sure we all hope they’re successful. The photo below of the Columbia’s bridge and project president Richard Anderson gives some idea of the work that needs to be done.

Read more at the project weblog: http://www.sscolumbia.org

Project president Richard Anderson standing by Columbia’s
bridge. There’s a lot of work to do!