<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> T H E B O S U N ' S C H R O N I C L E The official Ezine of the Thomas Kydd Shipmates' network <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> VOL. 5, ISSUE 11, December 2005/ January 2006 SPECIAL BUMPER ISSUE - All the news about Thomas Kydd and his creator, great prizes and books discount offers - plus a bonus contest to tackle over the holidays... Avast, Shipmates and anchors aweigh! 1 DISPATCHES 2 BOOKSHELF 3 QUIZ 4 SALTY SAYINGS 5 FEATURE - CUTTY SARK UPDATE 6 CONTESTS 7 JULIAN'S YEAR IN REVIEW 8 QUIZ ANSWERS ==================== 1 DISPATCHES + Hodder & Stoughton's Publishing Director Carolyn Mays, on TENACIOUS: "We've had an enormously fun time publishing the sixth Kydd novel, TENACIOUS. Higher than ever initial orders from Waterstone's, Books Etc, Borders and Amazon have been followed by very fast repeat orders from those chains as well as the independents, which means we've had to go back to press just over a month after publication. I think it must be the perfect Christmas present this year." + Christmas discount offer for Shipmates Tall Ships Books specialises in nautical/historical fiction and maritime/naval history, and carries all the Kydd titles. From December 1 to 24, TSB is offering Shipmates a 10% discount on any product. Just identify yourself as a tie-mate of Thomas Kydd when you order! While you're browsing, you might be interested in Shipmate Robert Squarebriggs's review of TENACIOUS. www.tallshipsbooks.com + More than just a great read... When we heard that a pastor was using the KYDD books as inspiration for his sermons we just had to follow it up... Ian Hewes, minister of Harefield Baptist Church in Middlesex, UK, told the Bosun: "When faced with the KYDD novels I feel like Aladdin in the cave of treasures! So many gems - how can I do him justice when using little snippets in my sermons?" Ian went on: "The British Navy in Kydd's day was no place for sentimentality, as we saw in the sad demise of the Reverend Peake in TENACIOUS, but many sailors, including Nelson, had a real and robust faith - so I feel it is appropriate to apply examples from that world to my spiritual musings for the benefit of my small rural congregation. "To date, I have used three incidents: the men fried by lightning in the rigging to illustrate that in this world, sometimes fact is stranger than fiction; the burning ship surrounded by sharks brought home that on rare occasions there really is only a choice between two evils - and the scene that greeted Kydd and Renzi at dawn at the lifting of the siege of Acre showed that perseverance in the face of apparently overwhelming odds can bring victory." As a lad, Ian was a keen Sea Cadet but due to a physical disability was unable to make a career of his first love, the sea, and "ended up a Baptist minister via a short career as a rock drummer and a long sojourn in the printing industry." Ian says he still dreams of sailing the deep ocean. Anyone know of a square rigger that needs a chaplain- rated ordinary seaman? + Trafalgar tributes We can't print all the emails you sent about how you commemorated Nelson's life and achievements this year, but here are two more: > Piers Williamson, who works in London just a quarter of a mile from St Paul's, was drawn on Trafalgar Day to pay his respects "to the man who in many ways was responsible for the growth of the City of London as we know it today." Paul said he was moved to see, at the base of the memorial, a number of notes of remembrance from relatives of those who had fought at Trafalgar. "One was to Alexander Palmer, a midshipman who was killed aboard HMS Victory, from his great, great, great nephews. Another was from the great, great granddaughter of midshipman James Johnson, killed in HMS Spartiate." > American wargamer Tom Oxley played a special Trafalgar Day Game, with 'Fire As She Bears' rules at the Wexford Hill Hobby shop in Dayton, Ohio. Tom reports "the players had a wonderful day but ran out of time when the shop had to close at 5:30; we took stock of our losses and called it a draw. The victory conditions for the scenario require the British to take at least five more ships than the Franco-Spanish fleet, and our tally was five Franco-Spanish and one British vessel. A similar game was run in a museum in Norfolk, Virginia, on the weekend following Trafalgar Day. They ran the game to completion in two days of gaming." http://www.fire-as-she-bears.com/ + Trafalgar Miscellany > There were in fact +eight+ other Nelsons at the Battle of Trafalgar, two of whom came from Denmark, and one who deserted! > Contrary to popular belief, only one in six of the sailors in "Victory" were press-ganged - the overwhelming majority were volunteers. > Nelson's fleet was certainly multi-national - some 1400 (about ten percent of the total) came from over 25 countries outside the UK, including 58 Frenchmen, 430 from USA and Canada and 156 from the Caribbean > It was a predominately young fleet. Over half the sailors were in their twenties and there were 274 boys aged between 10 and 14. The oldest was Walter Burke, purser of Victory, who was sixty-nine! > After Trafalgar, John Nelson collected his prize money of one pound seventeen shillings and eight pence, then promptly deserted the Navy. ==================== 2 BOOKSHELF Sea Charts of the British Isles A Voyage of Discovery Around Britain & Ireland's Coastline by John Blake. Conway Maritime. ISBN: 1 84486 024 8 Splendidly evocative of Britain's sea inheritance, with details trawled from a thousand years of colourful nautical history, this is a book to open the eyes. Using the device of a circumnavigation Blake shows how a mariner's perception of these shores has varied over the centuries, and includes fascinating detail of the charts and instruments that have contributed. This wonderfully illustrated book features rare and detailed charts from the ages which will handsomely repay the armchair sailor poring over them with a magnifier. + Special discount offer for Shipmates You can order your own copy of "Sea Charts of the British Isles" for only GBP 17, including free p&p in the UK. Order line : 0870 787 1613, quote reference CH491 === With so many excellent non-fiction books on the age of sail out this year, it's easy to find some of the "classics" overshadowed. However, here are two that have stood the test of time, and are often recommended by Julian as "must-haves" for any nautical fiction buff's reference shelf. + Seamanship in the Age of Sail Shiphandling of the Sailing Man-of-War 1600-1860 By John Harland. Conway. ISBN 0851771793. RRP GBP 40.00 A superb treatment of the historical development of seamanship in the major sailing navies of the world. + Nelson's Navy The Ships, Men and Organisaton 1793-1815 By Brian Lavery. Conway. RRP GBP 35.00 ISBN 0851775217. A very readable, authoritative coverage of the workings the Royal Navy during the period of the French and Revolutionary Wars. We have a copy of each of these two titles to give away. See CONTESTS. ==================== 3 MUSIC QUIZ See how you go in this music quiz; it's just a bit of fun! All the questions have something to do with the sea [answers are at the end of the newsletter] 1. Vaughan Williams wrote "The Sea Symphony" - from which American poet does much of the text come from? 2. For which TV series did Richard Rogers compose the background music? 3. In which of Julian's books is this sea song: "Turn to thy love and take a kiss This gold about thy wrist I'll tie And always when thou look'st on this Think on thy love and cry." 4. When did Claude Debussy's symphonic portrait of the sea, "La Mer", premiere in Paris? 5. Name the Finnish composer who wrote "The Tempest" 6. What is the venue for the Annual Sea Music Festival, which celebrates its 27th year in 2006? 7. What is the difference between a sea shanty and a forebitter? 8. Who wrote "Rule Britannia"? 9. What dance is most associated with Jack Tar? 10. Which character in the Kydd series is known as "the prince of ballads"? And, for a chance to win a CD of traditional English sea songs and shanties from the last days of sail, see CONTESTS ==================== 4 SALTY SAYINGS Swing the lead When we say someone is "swinging the lead" we mean he is skiving to avoid work. The origins of this phrase are definitely salty. In Kydd's day, the depth of water was measured by lowering a lead weight on the end of a rope over the size of a ship. It was necessary to twirl the line and shoot it ahead so that by the time the lead had sunk to the bottom the ship's headway would have brought the line perpendicular and the correct depth could be seen. Some seamen would make a great display of twirling the lead around their heads, pretending to be active rather than doing the job properly. ==================== 5 CUTTY SARK UPDATE In February, we announced that the "Cutty Sark", the last surviving tea clipper in the world, had been saved. The Grand Old Lady has a unique place in our maritime heritage - and a personal pull for Julian. His great uncle Tom Clay sailed in her around the Horn, and was, in no small part, responsible for his great passion for the sea. Julian and Kathy have visited the ship many times, and Julian has been honoured to have been invited to give a number of talks aboard. The Stockwins recently returned to Greenwich for an update for Shipmates on the conservation and regeneration of this special ship. The Cutty Sark Trust has certainly been a hive of activity since The Heritage Lottery Fund made their GBP 13 million pledge at the beginning of the year. This was conditional on the Trust raising the balance of the GBP 25 million project and is subject to The Heritage Lottery Fund approving the Stage II plans which will be submitted in March 2006. Individual donors, as well as trusts and foundations, have also played a major part in the fundraising process, including a pledge of GBP 2 million from one gentleman and an anonymous gift of GBP 250,000. The Trust's plans are impressive - as well as treating the fabric and creating optimum structural supports, they will incorporate an exciting new gallery space in the dry berth, the roof to which will be a glass "sea" surrounding Cutty Sark, which will protect the hull and provide space for group visits and events. The ship will be raised by 1.5 meters and it will also be possible to view her from underneath. The lower hold will contain a flexible auditorium for concerts and performances. With the available space effectively trebled, multiple income streams will reduce dependency on visitor income alone and ensure reserves can be built over time for the maintenance and future conservation of the ship. There are some special events coming up this month: + Extended opening on 8 December, with carols and nautical ghost story-telling. + Carols in aid of the ship in Trafalgar Square, 15 December at 5pm. + Father Christmas will be aboard on 11th, 17th and 18th December, 11.30am - 15.30pm. Despite all the activity this year, a further GBP 6.9 million still needs to be raised for the future of the Cutty Sark to be secured - and a priceless treasure handed on to future generations. If you would like to make a donation, please send a cheque to The Cutty Sark Trust, 2 Greenwich Church Street, LONDON SE10 9BG. Or you can donate online via https://secure.efundraising.org.uk/tailored/donation.asp? charity=71294 www.cuttysark.org.uk ==================== 6 CONTESTS Four great prizes this issue from Conway Maritime and Seafarer Books! Email contest entries to the Bosun, deadline December 28. "Nelson's Navy" For a chance to win a copy of "Nelson's Navy" email the name of the author who wrote the Foreword. "Seamanship in the Age of Sail" Who illustrated this book? Emails to the bosun for your name to go into the hat. "Sea Songs and Shanties" CD featuring historic recordings of such favourites as 'Farewell and Adieu' and 'Stormy Weather Boys'. Here's the contest question: Name the fisherman's chorus that features in this production. + "Mariners book of days 2006" A wonderful nautical desk diary full of fascinating sea lore. We have a copy to give away to the first correct entry drawn. Here's the question: When was the first edition of this diary published? Congratulations to last month's winners: Jonathan Bedford won a limited edition print of the original artwork painted for the cover of TENACIOUS by Geoff Hunt, "Lt Kydd at the Battle of the Nile" (Art Marine is located in Tisbury, Salisbury). John Harvey's entry was the first correct one out of the hat for a copy of "The Illustrated History of the Royal Navy" from Conway Maritime (it was William Blackstone who said: "The Royal Navy of England hath ever been its defence and ornament."). www.conwaymaritime.com www.seafarerbooks.com =================== 7 JULIAN'S YEAR IN REVIEW "2005 was a very special year for me, the Year of the Sea and the bi-centenary of the death of Nelson and his glorious victory at Trafalgar. As I travelled around the country giving talks and undertaking store book-signings, I was amazed at how many places - often miles from the sea - have links with Nelson. Birmingham, for example, was the first English city to erect a memorial to Nelson - and a foundry there produced the medals for the Battle of the Nile. In October, Kathy and I visited the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich to view the magnificent Nelson and Napoleon exhibition. We were both deeply moved by Nelson's personal effects, particularly the last letter he wrote to his daughter Horatia. Despite all the analysis of Nelson's consummate seamanship and skills in battle that came out this year, it is Nelson's humanity, above all, that I think will ensure his memory endures forever. Trafalgar fever certainly gripped the nation over the Trafalgar weekend (21-23 October), with around 6000 events in the UK alone. I believe that more than 500 bells rang out across the world, starting in Nelson, New Zealand. My own Trafalgar Night was spent with naval friends at a private dinner where we of course toasted the Immortal Memory. Early this year I was delighted to announce that McBooks Press is my new American publisher. They have brought out the hardback of QUARTERDECK and paperback of MUTINY this year, and are working towards simultaneous publication of future books with my UK publisher. My author events in 2005 have ranged from World Book Day to a discussion session at a prisoners' reading group to a talk to an Italian cultural group on Italy through the eyes of a novelist! It has been a great pleasure to meet many of you at these. Something that I always look forward to each year is seeing the first proof of Geoff Hunt's wonderful cover artwork, and he certainly excelled himself with the cover for TENACIOUS. I'm eager to see what his creative brush will come up with for COMMAND! The next four weeks are probably my busiest time of the year as I put the finishing touches to the manuscript of COMMAND, which I will deliver to my UK editor Carolyn Mays on January 1 for publication in October. After that, Kathy and I will take a short break and then drop off our two Siamese, Chi and Ling, at their cat retreat and head off to Polperro in Cornwall for two weeks' location research for book eight. Obviously I can't give too much away at this stage - but smuggling, political intrigue and a sweet Cornish lass may well figure in the plot! We'll be visiting some pretty remote parts of the area, so bear with us if you don't get an answer to emails until after we return home towards the end of the month." =================== 8 QUIZ ANSWERS 1. Vaughan Williams wrote "The Sea Symphony" - from which American poet does much of the text come from? A. Walt Whitman (1819-1892) "Behold, the sea itself; And on its limitless, heaving breast, the ships..." 2. For which TV series did Richard Rogers compose the background music? A. "Victory at Sea." Six years after the end of the Second World War the well-known Broadway composer Richard Rogers was asked "If you were approached to do some work for the United States Navy, we'd like your assurance that you wouldn't refuse to consider it." The "work" was writing the score for a 26-part television series called "Victory at Sea". Rodgers was awarded the US Navy's Distinguished Service Award in 1953. 3. In which of Julian's books is this sea song: "Turn to thy love and take a kiss This gold about thy wrist I'll tie And always when thou look'st on this Think on thy love and cry." A. KYDD, chapter 4 (anonymous sea ballad from about 1760) 4. In what year did Claude Debussy's symphonic portrait of the sea, "La Mer", premiere in Paris? A. 1905. To this day, conductors are divided as to how to approach the piece, which was quite revolutionary in its approach to composition. 5. Name the Finnish composer who wrote "The Tempest" A. Jean Sibelius. In 1925 he composed incidental music for Shakespeare's play of the same name, later arranging this music to form two orchestral suites. 6. What is the venue for the Annual Sea Music Festival, which celebrates its 27th year in 2006? A. Mystic Seaport. Next year's event will be June 8-11, over 5000 people attend each year to celebrate the classic musical traditions of the golden age of sail. 7. What is the difference between a sea shanty and a forebitter? A. Sea shanties were not sung in the Navy in any official way, they were used to regulate the physically demanding work done by crews of the merchant service. Forebitters, on the other hand, were songs often of a more poignant nature, sung in the crew's free time in both naval and merchant ships. 8. Who wrote "Rule Britannia"? A. The poem of the same name was written by James Thomson (1700-1748) and put to music by Thomas Arne about 1740. It became very popular in Georgian England, and to this day is sung as an unofficial national anthem. 9. What dance is most associated with Jack Tar? A. The hornpipe, of course! The instrument known as the hornpipe consisted of a wooden pipe with spaced holes and a mouthpiece made of horn. The earliest reference made to the dance was in a stage direction to the "Digby Mystery", performed about 1485. It may have been about this time that the dance became associated with sailors and the sea. The small space required for the dance and the fact that no partner was necessary made it particularly suitable for shipboard use. Samuel Pepys referred in his diary to the dance calling it: "The Jig of the Ship", and many captains in Kydd's day ordered the seamen to dance the hornpipe as exercise. 10. Which character in the Kydd series is known as "the prince of ballads"? A. Ned Doud. Tom first comes across the light tenor in KYDD, chapter three, when he climbs to the maintop with Bowyer. =================== + And, here's the bonus contest to take a stab at over the holidays: To mark World Book Day on March 2, 2006, there are six paperback sets of the Kydd series from Hodder & Stoughton to win. To enter, just tell us (in no more than 100 words) what the world of books means to you. The winners will be those entries judged the most apt and original. Don't forget to include your postal address. Deadline is midnight GMT World Book Day 2006. Winners will be announced in the April Bosun's Chronicle. We'll be back in February, with several new features, as well as old favourites... Have a Happy Christmas and a Great New Year! Yours aye, THE BOSUN ++ Download back issues from the website ++