Windward-sailing Barbary pirates

Xebec

Xebec pirate ship

!!This post now with added singing – see the bottom of this post!!Â

My canoe sailing and building pal Jim van den Bos sent me this link from The Times newspaper yesterday:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article1449736.ece

Here’s the TS Pelican’s website, which tells the story of her interesting rig; see also this article by Philip Goode, the designer involved in the TS Pelican project: http://www.weatherlysquareriggers.com

The whole thing led me to speculate how Continue reading “Windward-sailing Barbary pirates”

Steam umpire launch Consuta

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Consuta was commissioned in 1897 for use as an umpiring launch at the Henley Royal Regatta, and built using a then new method that gave a very light but extremely strong hull. She was also the first of the tunnel stern umpiring launches and was capable of 26 mph – an astonishing speed on that stretch of the sleepy old river Thames.

For more on the restoration of Consuta:
www.consuta.org.uk

If you can add to this story, please email us at gmatkin@gmail.com .

Consuta on umpiring duty