We recently posted a video about climbing the rig on the Götheborg of Sweden. Here is an interesting application of “high ropes course” techniques and technology to allow the public to safely climb to the maintop and out on a … Continue reading
Tag Archives: Cutty Sark
A short video of Tradewind Voyages’ Golden Horizon sailing at night between Poole & Portland. Golden Horizon is the largest square-rigged sailing ship in the world. A 272 passenger, five-masted barque, she is 532 feet (162 meters) long, with a … Continue reading
In a few days, the composite clipper ship Cutty Sark will be graced with a new carved wooden figurehead carved by one of the last master carvers, Andy Peters. The figurehead, like its two predecessors, represents the witch Nannie Dee, … Continue reading
Great Britain’s Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, died yesterday at the age of 99. He has been referred to as a sailor prince. The grandson of an admiral of the fleet and first sea lord, he was commissioned as … Continue reading
On Monday, November 22, 1869, the composite clipper ship Cutty Sark, built for the Jock Willis Shipping, Line was launched from the Scott & Linton shipyard on the River Leven in Scotland. The Cutty Sark, one of the last tea … Continue reading
In February 1869, one hundred and fifty years ago, construction of the composite clipper ship Cutty Sark began on the banks of the River Clyde for the Jock Willis Shipping Line. The clipper ship sailed on its first voyage a … Continue reading
When delivered sometime in 2016, Dream Symphony will be a clipper ship for the 21st century. Like the 19th century clippers, Dream Symphony will carry an impressive cloud of sail and like the clippers, it will be built of wood. That alone is remarkable … Continue reading
The composite clipper ship, City of Adelaide, which had been renamed HMS Carrick, was officially renamed the City of Adelaide once at a ceremony on the River Thames at Greenwich near London. Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, was accidentally … Continue reading
Here is a video of the scuttling of HMS Implacable in 1949. She was originally the French Navy’s Téméraire-class ship of the line Duguay-Trouin, launched in 1800. The Duguay-Trouin fought in and survived the Battle of Trafalgar, only to be captured by the British in … Continue reading
The figurehead on the Cutty Sark is dramatic – a woman, all in white, wearing a flowing robe which leaves her upper body uncovered. He face is fixed in a scowl or grimace and she is reaching out with one … Continue reading
After a multi-year, £50 million restoration, interrupted by a near catastrophic fire, the composite clipper ship, Cutty Sark, reopened last April. Not everyone was impressed. Andrew Gilligan, the Telegraph‘s London Editor, called the restoration “a clucking, Grade A, … turkey.” In September, the British architectural trade journal, Building Design, awarded … Continue reading
In 2010, the headline read, Modern cargo ships slow to the speed of the sailing clippers. The article was subtitled, “Container ships are taking longer to cross the oceans than the Cutty Sark did as owners adopt ‘super-slow steaming’ to … Continue reading
In April, we posted about a scathing review of the Cutty Sark restoration by Andrew Gilligan, the Telegraph‘s London Editor. He referred to the restoration as “a clucking, Grade A … turkey.” I have not seen the ship but I share many of Gilligan’s concerns. (I will be visiting the … Continue reading
There is a new threat to our nautical heritage and our nation’s defense! In 2007, the composite tea clipper Cutty Sark, built in 1869, was ravaged by fire. An investigation revealed the culprit – an industrial vacuum cleaner. Now, it appears … Continue reading
Earlier today we posted about an article by Andrew Gilligan, the Telegraph‘s London Editor, in which he referred to the Cutty Sark restoration as “a clucking, Grade A, Bernard Matthews-class turkey.” For a more positive perspective on the restoration one could turn to the … Continue reading
After a long commercial career, the 1869 composite clipper ship Cutty Sark became a museum ship in a drydock in Greenwich in 1954. Then in May 21, 2007, a fire broke out that burned a significant portion of the ship. After a 5 … Continue reading
Here is a cute trailer announcing the reopening of the composite clipper ship Cutty Sark in her drydock in Greenwich, UK. The ship built in 1869, caught fire on May 21, 2007 and has undergone a full restoration. The ship … Continue reading
After being gutted by fire in 2007, the 1869 composite tea clipper Cutty Sark has been undergoing a methodical reconstruction. She reached a milestone recently when her foremast was restepped in the ship. The main and mizzen masts are expected to be … Continue reading
Last September we posted about an article in the Telegraph, Cutty Sark restoration turning into a fiasco. Thanks to Alaric Bond for passing on an update recently published in the Private Eye. The restoration of the Cutty Sark, after a major fire in 2007, … Continue reading
After rosy announcements about the restoration of the Cutty Sark an article in the Telegraph has a very different view of the ongoing project. Cutty Sark restoration turning into a fiasco The restoration of the Cutty Sark is turning into … Continue reading