Category: Restoration and repair

Photos from Looe Lugger Regatta

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Looe luggers regatta

I’ve just found this page of photos from what must have been a magnificent event down at Looe last year. I haven’t found any evidence of anything similar in 2010, but it would be great to know whether there are any plans for the future.

In the meantime, there are three web pages that are particularly interesting in relation to the boats themselves that the Looe folks invited, including some celebrated craft:

PS – Here’s a link to the 2013 regatta and a nice gallery of photos.

The sad end of HMS Implacable

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The sad end of the Implacable Trafalgar battleship

This clip shows the story of how the British Navy allowed a Trafalgar fighting ship to rot and then, just 60 years ago, blew her up. The officers and men entrusted with the job appear to be nearly in tears.

My thanks go to Chris Partridge of Rowing for Pleasure for pointing out the link.

If you can’t follow the link above to the BBC story about the destruction of the Implacable, try this Pathé newsreel piece from the time (my thanks to Claire Goodwin for spotting and sharing this link).

Afterwards, the World Ship Trust adopted the motto: ‘Never again!’ referring to the sad and unnecessary loss of the Implacable.

Jantje goes back to work – at the zoo

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Jantje on the River Vechte, old church in the background

Manfred at the helm while passing low bridge, note the way the helm is put down passengers boarding Jantje Jantje leaving mooring

a warm welcome with local schnaps at the zoo Jantje a meeting on the lake Jantje on Lake Vechte

Jantje performing ferrying duties on the River Vechte and Lake Vechte – note the handy way Jantje’s tiller is lowered when passing under a low bridge

Jantje has been back to work raising money by helping to carry people to and from a local zoo after a freak summer storm raged through the Duchy of Bentheim causing severe damage and one death.

Regular correspondent Hans-Christian Rieck tells the story of how the tjalk got involved:

‘The zoo near Nordhorn was heavily hit, resulting damages valued at about €500.000. The Graf Ship Association, together with the local tourist board and the donors who enabled us to purchase Jantje, decided to organise a relief service for the zoo’s animals and staff.

‘Within a week we turned Jantje into a temporary passenger ship and even managed to obtain all the legal documents for this purpose from the district administration – this was necessary as the stretch of the  River Vechte that Jantje would need to follow to reach the zoo is normally prohibited for motor vessels.

‘So on Sunday the 15th of August a freight ship cruised the River Vechte upstream of Nordhorn for the first time since 1839.

‘At the end of the day, we collected about €2000 for the zoo – though I think we would have made more money if we had charged all the people who photographed Jantje from the banks of the river! Just €1 for each photo would have made the zoo rich!

‘Nevertheless it was a fine day and the popularity of Jantje increased further, with many people asking us to use her to provide a permanent ferry between the town and zoo. But, as the Graf Ship Association is a registered charity, it’s not possible.

‘By the way, plans to get her rig in working order are well on the way; we are in contact with our local sailing club to get a crew. Next year we will begin trials on Lake Vechte and maybe in 2012 we’ll have her sailing on Jantje’s traditional water, the Ijsselmeer.

‘Yours

‘Hans-Christian’

Thanks Hans-Christian! I trust your leg is improving after your break some weeks ago.