Marine Quarterly, autumn 2017

I’m currently ploughing through a 764-page text book on English folk song, but when I’m done there’s a treat in store: the autumn 2017 edition of the Maritime Quarterly.

We’ll all have our favourites, but items that catch my eye in this issue include:

  • Uffa Fox sailing the Atlantic, singing as he goes (I’ve got a CD of his sea songs, so I know how that goes)
    Max Liberson reflects that his first efforts at anchoring were made very easy by mud of the Thames Estuary (surely not that easy – there are anchor-robbing chains and who knows what down there)
    Tom Cunliffe takes a relaxed look at Lecky’s classic instruction book ‘Wrinkles’
    Illustrator, artist and boat dweller Claudia Myatt goes cruising
    John Rousmaniere takes part in the intense conversation of the New York Yacht Club Book Group

The tragedy of the Jeanne Gougy – and film of an amazing rescue

This is a stunning piece of film of a clifftop rescue of sailors aboard the Jeanne Gougy, which capsized between Sennen Cove and Land’s End. At 5am on 3 November 1962 the Coastguard, the RNLI and a a helicopter from RAF Chivenor rescued six out of eighteen trawlermen.

RAF Sergeant Eric Smith winched Michel Pade and Napoleon Bertin to safety and received the George medal for bravery. Victor David, Jean Ridel, Maurice Fromentin and Christian Anthore were rescued by breeches buoy.

According to tradition the lost fishermen’s coffins were laid out on the quayside at Penzance, and the Gougy Roseline trawler accompanied them home to their final resting place.

My thanks to John  Lockwood for passing the the tip along.

A video about caulking skills by Tom Cunliffe in Denmark

Tom asked if I’d like to post this video about caulking from his latest series of videologues – and of course I’m delighted to do so!

I particularly take his point about the skill involved in caulking and traditional boat building generally. Folks caulking upwards from under a hull have long had my particular admiration…