========================================= S T O P - P R E S S Win a Limited Edition print of SEAFLOWER! ========================================= "THE BOSUN'S CHRONICLE" --- emailed to Shipmates around the world --- VOL. 3, ISSUE 8, August 2003 Avast there - and welcome aboard from the Bosun of the Thomas Kydd Shipmates' Network! 1) NEWS & VIEWS 2) ASK JULIAN 3) RECOMMENDED READING 4) SALTY SAYINGS 5) WHO'S WHO 6) FEATURE 7) CONTESTS 8) NEW ON THE WEB ==================== 1) NEWS & VIEWS --- publishing happenings, shipmates ahoy! --- UNABRIDGED AUDIOBOOKS Books on Tape have just released the full audio recording of SEAFLOWER, superbly read by John Lee. The seven-tape set is $34.95. (KYDD and ARTEMIS audiobooks are also available.) BRAILLE EDITIONS The first three books in the series are now available in Braille. Kydd BR 13841 --- +Shipmates Ahoy! Desmond Nicholson, former Director of Nelson's Harbour, the restored Georgian dockyard in Antigua, wrote to Julian saying how much SEAFLOWER had made the dockyard come alive for him - so much so that he is considering suggesting some additions to the current displays there! Given Desmond's long association with the island, this is high praise. After the Second World War, his father, Commander V.E.B. Nicholson, emigrated from England to the Caribbean where he had served in a light cruiser. He sailed there with his wife and two sons (Desmond and Rodney)in a 70 ft schooner and landed at English Harbour for a refit after the long voyage. The dockyard buildings were sadly neglected, with just a few goats roaming around. Desmond was 23 years old - little did he realise that he would spend the rest of his life there. An opportunity arose to form a charter company. Desmond remembers sailing with Robert Oppenheimer, the inventor of the Atom Bomb, and also C S Forester - who complained that they didn't have enough ice! The Nicholson family did much to foster awareness of the importance of the area's heritage. Commander Nicholson formed a historical society and Desmond raised funds to interpret the story of English Harbour in one of the dockyard buildings, the Naval Officer's House. Later, he was appointed Director of the Dockyard, and although he has now retired from this position, he retains a close association with its new director Dr Reg Murphy. === The harbour at Antigua was first used in 1671 as a hurricane shelter and for careening warships of the Royal Navy. In 1725 the first Dockyard buildings were erected on the site. Today, English Harbour is both a world-class heritage site and a superb marina. ==================== 2) ASK JULIAN --- a forum for Shipmates' questions --- Bill Aves, from London, asks: "How is it that an anchor can hold a ship from drifting or moving because it is firmly fixed into the seabed but can be hauled up when wanted to get under weigh?" Julian replies: "The evolution of the anchor from just large stones attached by rope to a craft through to the instruments of Kydd's day and then culminating in the refinements of modern maritime practice is a fascinating story. Eighteenth century anchors were made from massive iron rods forged into the component parts - the shank (the vertical stem) and the arms, terminating in the blades or flukes. These were then welded together in a hammer forge. A wooden crossbar or stock set at right angles enabled the anchor to dig in no matter what way it hit the sea bed. Regretably, with no means of checking welds during those times, hidden defects sometimes meant that anchor arms broke off under severe strain. Now for the physics bit: it is not the anchor itself that holds ships in fixed positions against a current. The weight of the anchor cable, (120 pounds for each six foot length of a 24-inch cable) which acts like a spring, is also crucial. Ideally, its length is between three and a half and five times the depth of water. In the largest wooden warships, in addition to the two main anchors (bower anchors) there were two sheet anchors (which served as spares for the bower anchors); one stream anchor (lightweight, used in low tide); and two kedge anchors (again, lightweight, and used for such operations as warping the ship, hauling her to a fixed point). Weighing anchor in a ship-of-the-line like 'Trajan' was an extraordinarily complex evolution involving 200-300 men. Each main anchor stood the height of two or three men and weighed about 4 tons and each anchor cable itself weighted about 4.5 tons, making a total lift of 8.5 tons. This load had to be lifted manually, there was no mechanised means of providing power." Do you have a nautical question? Emails to: . Pls put "Ask Julian" in the subject line. There's a set of signed Kydd postcards for each published question. ==================== 3) RECOMMENDED READING --- books, magazines and journals about the sea --- Medicine Under Sail By Zachary Friedenberg. Chatham. ISBN 1861 762 127 A fascinating account of the grim medical conditions - including diseases such as scurvy, beriberi, typhus, tropical fevers - that prevailed at sea - and how they were resolved. The book also examines the influence of Nelson in bringing the medical revolution in controlling disease to the attention of the Admiralty. Nelson, of course, had a long history of ill health and at an early age learned to respect doctors. He also developed a superb record for maintaining the health of his crew, even after having been at sea for periods of up to twenty months. ==================== 4) SALTY SAYINGS --- what today's English owes to Jack Tar --- Taken aback Today, if we say someone is taken aback, he or she has been jolted by unpleasant news and is at a momentary loss, unable to act - sometimes unable to speak. The origins of this phrase are definitely salty. A very real danger faced by sailing ships was a sudden shift in the wind from an unexpected squall striking the ship head on. The sails could be blown back against the masts, resulting in serious damage to spars and rigging, and in the worst scenario, the masts breaking, leaving the ship helpless. Sails were laid aback purposely on occasion - to stop a ship's way through the water or to assist in tacking - but these were controlled manoeuvres. ==================== 5) WHO'S WHO --- bio details of the characters in the series --- Quashee In Chapter one of ARTEMIS, Kydd joins his mess and is introduced to Quashee: "If yer wants to raise a right decent sea-pie, he's your man..." Quashee's ancestors were Akan-speaking Ashanti, sold into slavery by Arabs and eventually brought to Jamaica. A revolt by a kinsman, Cudjoe, resulted in a treaty with the British that established the Maroons, escaped slaves who had set up their own settlements in the mountains, as free people. Quashee's easy nature came from his family; his mother was renowned for her peach-fed iguana while his father's talent at gaily decorated yabba pots and gourds ensured they would not have to toil in a grung (smallholding). As a young man Quashee tired of the posturing of the proud Maroon youth and shipped out in a coaster trading with Charleston in the US. There, to his dismay, he was several times mistaken for a notorious escaped slave, and to avoid this had to sign on as a cook in a humble Honduran mahogany drogher. War came to the Caribbean, and the Port Royal naval base filled with men-o'-war. Quashee was quite taken with the pomp and ceremony, and offered his services to a large frigate where he was told that a cook in the Royal Navy was a warrant officer, but that if he volunteered as a landman he would soon make a fine sailor. The frigate sailed for home and paid off in England, her company turned over into "Duke William". ==================== 6) FEATURE Julian's Favourite Sea Painters - Part One This extended feature came about as a result of an email Julian received from Austin Hawkins, an avid reader of nautical fiction, and former publisher of John Chancellor prints. Austin told Julian, "No writer has quite got to grips with the period and made me feel so close to the people as you do." He went on to compare Julian's artistry with words to the work of the maritime painter John Chancellor, concluding, "John would have been enormously enthusiastic about your novels, seeing you as a kindred spirit." As it happens, Julian and Kathy have a print of Chancellor's magnificent "Victory in Pursuit of Nelson" hanging over the fireplace in their living room. Julian admits to standing with his legs firmly apart when he's in front of this painting, so realistic is the feeling that he is back at sea! In this painting, Chancellor, as was often his practice, is portraying a definite moment in time, 25 May, 1803 at 3pm. The wind is W by S, 4-5, she's steering south by west, making 6-7 knots. There's a swell from W by N due to the previous days being dominated by N to NW winds. Nelson was keen to have "Victory" as his flagship, and sent a request to Admiral Cornwallis. "Victory in Pursuit of Nelson" shows this magnificent ship, having been released by Cornwallis, now sailing off to find him. After an early career in small ships at sea, Chancellor turned to painting in 1971. Sadly, he died at a relatively young age, in 1984, having finished fewer than 100 oils. Chancellor always painted the seascape first, then the ship. He built up the painting in layers, painting parts of the ship furthest away first; everything that followed was superimposed over what had already been painted. Hugh Scully, in a documentary made in the 1970's about Chancellor, asked John what was the secret of his fine paintings. "It's the 850 hours they take to paint," he replied. Two excellent books about Chancellor's work: "John Chancellor's Classic Maritime Paintings" ISBN 0 7153 9192 5 "The Maritime Paintings of John Chancellor" ISBN 0 7153 8598 4 ----- Do you have a favourite Age of Sail marine artist? The Bosun would love to know Shipmates' selections. We'll share your thoughts in a future issue of the newsletter. ==================== 7) CONTEST There was an enthusiastic response to last month's Kydd Memorabilia offer of the new bookmarks and we extended it to the first 50 Shipmates who emailed. For those who weren't lucky this time, there'll be a Bumper Issue in October - with more Memorabilia and special prizes. + Win a limited edition print of SEAFLOWER + Art Marine has just published a print of Geoff Hunt RSMA's original painting that was commissioned for the cover of Julian's third novel. There's one of these stunning prints as a prize in this month's contest. As Geoff told "The Bosun's Chronicle" in September last year, when he was working on the cover painting, "It's quite different to KYDD and ARTEMIS; be prepared for colour." He also explained that he wanted to give a strong sense of place, and also a feel of the mystery and excitement - and perhaps apprehension - connected with preparing for night operations. For a chance to win, email the Bosun with your answer to the following question: In the print, upon which Caribbean island is "Seaflower" putting ashore a landing party? Hint: Deadline: August 30. First correct entry out of the hat wins! =================== 8) NEW ON THE WEB In POETRY, we've added "Casabianca" by Felicia Dorothea Hemans, which tells the story of the French admiral's heroic son who stayed at his post aboard the flagship "L'Orient" during the Battle of the Nile. The boy perished in the explosion when the flames reached the powder. New, too, is Masefield's "Roadways" - with its memorable lines - 'My road leads me seawards To the white dipping sails'. There's also a revamped GALLERY with a link to the new National Maritime Museum site . This is an impressive undertaking - a searchable database of over 500 paintings, along with essays, artists' biographies and much more. And in HISTORIC SHIPS AND MUSEUMS - the fascinating story of the "Cutty Sark" . Julian has been invited to do a Reading aboard this famous ship in October. More details later. --- + Coming Next Month: Shipmate Reviews of MUTINY! + Just before closing - The Annual Exhibition of the Royal Society of Marine Artists, October 15-26, the Mall Galleries, London, is well worth a visit if you can make it! +44 (0)20 7930 6844. Yours aye, THE BOSUN ++ Back issues of the newsletter downloadable from the website ++