Category: Boating, boats, ships and the sea

A postcard from Torquay, March 1914

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Torquay postcard, dated 1914

The latest addition to Jeff Cole’s wonderful collection – a postcard from 1914

This postcard is a new item in Jeff Cole’s collection. It’s a postcard that was sent on the 5th March 1914 to a Miss J Crookhall, Tasmania. Just months from the outbreak of World War 1, it seems so long ago but now that many people live well into their 80s it’s little more than a lifetime away.

The message reads ‘In this one you can see the little pleasure steamer from Torquay. It is about to go across I think. Best wishes, Eadie.‘

The boat number in the centre of the photo BM127, which would make sense in a picture of Brixham. If you’d like to see more old photos from the days of sail at Brixham and along the Devon coast, I would recommend this link Old photos of Devon from the Francis Frith Collection – there are some fabulous photographs in these books, and the prices for many of them from ABE very reasonable.

Thanks Jeff!

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The concertina at sea

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Dan Worralll article Concertinas at sea

This weekend I was lucky to meet Dan Worrall, an anglo concertina player from Texas who has written a series of fascinating articles about the instrument.

His latest paper examining the widely-held perception that the instrument has a strong connection with sailors is required reading for those of us with an interest in sea songs and music!

For some years there has been a widely held view that the ‘tina-playing sailor was a myth – they might bring a concertina bought on the quayside home as a present, but they would be impractical instruments on a boat because steel reeds would be subject to corrosion. With no real evidence to work from, I tended towards this view myself.

However, from the evidence Dan has found, it turns out that sailors in times past did play concertinas. In a way, that should be no surprise when one considers the limited options sailors have had for entertainment during their precious leisure hours at sea – ask a ex-merchant navy seaman over fifty years old who remembers voyages made before video players were widely available, and he’ll usually tell you how important music making was on board ship.

That being so, then why shouldn’t an instrument as popular as the anglo concertina in the late 19th and early 20th centuries be an important part of the music-making scene on board ship, if a way can be found of keeping the instrument dry? After all, many types of instruments are susceptible to damage from damp and salt, not least the fiddle.

For shanties and other sea songs, see Stan Hugill’s books at ABE Books

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My Bluestone schooner design in the spotlight

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It’s quite a few years since I drew the small two-masted Bluestone, but I’m delighted to see that she has turned up in a review of small schooner designs published by Paul Austin.

It’s great to know she hasn’t been forgotten. I drew her as my entry for a design competition run by the excellent Duckworks, and a certificate that still hangs on my wall reminds me that she won!

For those who prefer a simpler build, there’s also a set of drawings for a simpler multi-chine version of the hull.

To learn more about Bluestone, click here, and here