====================================== S T O P - P R E S S Last chance to win limited edition print ====================================== "THE BOSUN'S CHRONICLE" --- emailed to Shipmates around the world each month --- VOL. 3, ISSUE 2, February 2003 Avast there - and welcome aboard from the Bosun of the Thomas Kydd Shipmates' Network! 1) NEWS AND VIEWS 2) ASK JULIAN 3) RECOMMENDED READING 4) SALTY SAYINGS 5) WHO'S WHO 6) CONTESTS ===================== 1) NEWS AND VIEWS --- Publishing happenings, Reviews, Shipmates Ahoy --- + PUBLISHING HAPPENINGS = Publishing News accolade Publishing News, one of the UK's leading periodicals for the publishing trade, chose SEAFLOWER to be one of their Special Selections in the 10 January issue, saying: "It is a first class tale of 18th century seamen and full of action. a very good read." = Books on Tape Discount Books on Tape, the American publishers of unabridged audiobooks of the Kydd series, are offering a great discount on a limited number of 8-tape sets of ARTEMIS, read by John Lee. Now $22.40. Details of their audiobook of SEAFLOWER will be announced later in the year. + SHIPMATES AHOY! Peter Swanson of Brisbane, Australia, got in touch with Julian after reading about his reminiscences of the "Flying Enterprise" episode in the 1950s in the December 2002 issue of this newsletter. Peter tells a pretty good sea tale himself. "At that time I was a Junior Ordinary Seaman on board the General Navigation ship the 'Albatross'. We were crossing the bay of Biscay on the 28th December 1951 and were 100 nautical miles from the 'Flying Enterprise'. We were carrying a mixed cargo including Ford Tractors loaded at Dagenham, a couple of sports cars, and at the other extreme, kippers for Italy loaded on Christmas Eve at New Lynne in Cornwall. We had bent our topmast on a crane going alongside Fords at Dagenham, our bosun cut the top of his finger off on the jumbo derrick in New Lynne on Christmas morning and a storm was brewing. We had spent 36 hours below hatches lashing cargo then left New Lynne on Christmas morning and anchored outside for Christmas dinner. At about 1955 on 28th December as I made my way to the wheelhouse a huge sea hit us on the starboard side, smashing the lifeboat and carrying away the gangway lashed to the after hatch with wire ropes. Drums of oil lashed on deck were also torn loose and smashed. My first few minutes at the wheel were terrifying - but as we headed out into the Atlantic to take the huge waves on the starboard bow, I felt a sense of exhilaration; the ship was handling the weather. Even though the waves were above the mast head and over 50 feet high and breaking, I felt safe. At 2200, when my trick at the wheel ended, I saw a different side of the story. The crew were on deck clearing up the terrible mess and rigging lifelines. One man was unaccounted for - my cabin mate Bill had been coming off lookout duty at the time the sea hit. Nobody missed him for two hours - had we seen him go nothing could have been done for him, so horrific were the seas. The 'Queen Mary' had to go about and head into the storm, her captain saying it was the worst he'd seen in 30 years at sea. It took us a week to cross Biscay, a trip which normally took 36 hours. On our way back from the Mediterranean we hit more rough weather and our 2nd engineer fell and fractured his skull." Peter wonders whether any Shipmates know what became of this old coal- fired ship. If you can shed light on the fate of the 'Albatross' - or sailed in her at some point, let us know and we'll put you in touch with Peter. We'd love to hear other Shipmates' tales. ==================== 2) ASK JULIAN --- A Forum for Shipmates' questions --- Birmingham, Alabama-based attorney David Roth emailed: "I have read about some of the great English captains and admirals such as Nelson, Cochrane and Pellew, and am also familiar with one or two prominent Americans. But what about the French and Spanish - were there any great historical (or for that matter, fictional) nautical heroes of that age?" Julian replies: "There were examples of heroism and bravery on all sides, which I do acknowledge in the Kydd series. In chapter one in ARTEMIS, for example, I write of the gallant act of a French captain trying to protect secret information. (This incident was based on the real-life Mullon.) And there were others I could have chosen such as Captain Lucas of 'The Redoutable' at Trafalgar. According to some accounts, as a mark of distinction in connection with his defense of his ship, his sword was returned to him in England, where he was detained briefly after capture. Whether this was really so or not, the sword has since disappeared. Other French heroes include Admiral Magon, who was killed in action, (some postulate that had Magon been leader instead of Villeneuve, the outcome of the conflict may have been very different) and Captain Infernet who turned back from the van into the fiercest of fighting in a forlorn effort to save the fortune of the day. At the Battle of the Nile, de Brueys, the losing French admiral was grievously wounded yet ordered that he be placed in a bran tub and continued to issue commands; he was lost when 'l'Orient' blew up. Admiral Latouche was an admired French admiral of the time. Latouche was directly opposed to Nelson twice in his career (in 1801 when he beat him at Boulogne and in 1804 when he commanded the French Mediterranean fleet which Nelson was blockading in Toulon.) Within the Spanish fleet, Commodore Churruca of the 'San Juan' was certainly a man of remarkable bravery. Mortally wounded, his last order was that the flag be nailed to the mast. Don Cayetano Valdez was another officer who represented his country with distinction. However, I cannot help but feel that all these men, while undoubtedly of great personal courage, were in the main really gallant losers, not the legendary heroes of the calibre Britain seemed to produce at that time. I'd be interested in the thoughts of other Shipmates on this question." There's a signed set of the Kydd series postcards - KYDD, ARTEMIS and SEAFLOWER - for every published question. Email your questions to . Please write ASK JULIAN in the subject line. ==================== 3) RECOMMENDED READING --- Books, magazines and journals of the sea --- "Maritime Life and Traditions" Published quarterly, this beautifully illustrated journal is one to keep. Two fascinating pieces that caught our eye in the last issue - "HMS Foudroyant and The Immortal Memory" by Andrew Lambert, Professor of Naval History at King's College, London and "Snow Squall, the last American clipper ship" by Maine-based maritime historian Nicholas Dean. +Subscriptions UK and international - PO Box 3030 Swindon, SN3 4WN, UK. (GBP20 UK, GBP30 international) US, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand and Canada - PO box 78 Brooklin, ME 04616 USA. (US$35 in the US and its possessions) ==================== 4) SALTY SAYINGS --- What today's English owes to Jack Tar --- Slush Fund Today, "slush fund" means a reserve fund, often used for political bribery and corruption. The origins of this phrase are definitely salty. One of the perks of the sea cook was the fat skimmed off the cooking liquor as meats were boiled. This murky fluid was solidified and then sold to the purser for making candles. (Remember the foul-smelling, sputtering "pusser's glims" in KYDD?). It was also used in merchant ships to grease standing rigging, a practice that continued until early in this century. The slush fund came in handy to pay for such items as extra rum rations or tobacco. ==================== 5) WHO'S WHO --- Bio details of the characters in the series --- Bowyer Joe Bowyer befriends Kydd shortly after he arrives in "Duke William", and although he is killed in a tragic fall from the mast, his sea ways and beliefs have a profound and lasting influence on Thomas Kydd. Joe's father, a London drayman, disappeared when he was eight. His mother could not cope with her five children and Joe was given up to Jonas Hanway's Marine Society. There he was properly clothed and with rudiments of education was sent to sea, where he spent the rest of his life. His first ship was the twelve pounder frigate "Arethusa" and he began his career as the gunner's servant. He was eager to please and did well, coming to love the sea life. Later he signed up for three voyages to India with the Honourable East India Company, their near-navy discipline and seamanship serving him well for the future. Hearing of James Cook's voyage to discover the North-West passage, he managed to ship aboard "Resolution" for a stirring voyage of exploration. Cook was killed by natives on the homeward voyage. Nine years later he was a topman in the First Fleet, the voyage that ended with the settlement of Botany Bay and the nation of Australia. He served in "Supply" and other store ships that sustained the new-born colony until war with France threatened, when he was turned over into "Duke William". ==================== 6) CONTESTS We are again offering a fabulous prize of a signed limited edition print from "The Kydd Collection" by Geoff Hunt RSMA. Geoff has been specially commissioned to produce original oil paintings for all the covers of the series. The prize, "Coming Aboard HMS Duke William", may be viewed at http://www.artmarine.co.uk>. Drawing inspiration from the first few pages of Julian's book, this is one of Geoff's most atmospheric images of fighting sail. It shows vessels at anchor in the Thames Estuary at the British Fleet anchorage of the Great Nore. The changeable light of January sparkles through clouds and over the sea and there is a real sense of enormity of being alongside these huge weapons of war. Here's the question: In Geoff Hunt's limited edition print "HMS ARTEMIS" what is the location of the ship? Deadline for entries: February 28 Mark your emails "PRINT CONTEST" --- And there's a prize draw contest on the website on the SEAFLOWER page. Six lucky winners will each receive a signed copy of the First Edition of the book when the book is published April 4. ================== KYDD MEMORABILIA The first 20 Shipmates to email the Bosun with their name and full postal address will be sent a stunning colour postcard of SEAFLOWER, personally signed by Julian. Please write "Postcard" in the subject line. NEXT MONTH Coming, in "The Bosun's Chronicle" in March: Julian talks about some of the highlights of the research trip he and Kathy made to the Caribbean in preparation for SEAFLOWER. Yours aye, THE BOSUN ++ Back issues of the newsletter are downloadable from the website++