COURTESY OF GARRY FLASHMANJULIE HOWARDNICK BURHNAM96 CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2016LETTERS
Send your letters (and also any replies, please) to:
Classic Boat, Jubilee House, 2 Jubilee Place,
London SW3 3TQ
email: [email protected]Thornycroft launch
Load of old balls
Sensationalist and pointless
My family and I are trying to research the history of our
recently acquired Thornycroft gentleman’s motor launch. It
was built in 1926 and still has the original 30hp RA4 petrol
paraffin Thornycroft engine, build number 410. The hull
number appears to be missing and it has been renamed at
some point. We have the SSR certificate from 1994, but
speaking to the registrar, they cannot find a record of
Cloud Nine before this SSR 65359. No HI number was
registered with them at that time. We would love to know if
the engine number could unlock her history, or if anyone
knows anything about the boat. It has spent several years
on the Broads, but was originally from London. We have a
hand-written letter that suggests it was a Dunkirk Little
Ship. Any information would be gratefully received.
Julie Howard, via emailFurther to the article on Lady Hertha and Mr
Hawkins’ letter in January’s issue, the soft iron
spheres on each side of the ship’s magnetic
compass are called ‘quadrantal corrector’, because
they compensate for quadrantal compass error (i.e.
deviation). They are mounted on grooved brackets
so that their distance from the compass may be
adjusted appropriately. They form part of a
drastically improved scheme of compass
compensation devised by that brilliant scientist,
mathematician and engineer William Thompsom,
ennobled as Lord Kelvin in 1892, which greatly
reduced the effects of deviation in iron and later in
steel ships. That they are often referred to as “Lord
Kelvin’s balls” is a manifestation of the sailor’s ribald
sense of humour, of which I could give other
examples but had better not.
Anthony Rendell, Master Mariner, South AfricaI have been a purchaser of your magazine for years have boxes of them
which I periodically re-read. Thirty-five years ago I read an article on
Rozinante and the appeal was instant. There and then, captivated by her
beautiful lines, I made a pledge to myself that I would build one. The years
passed but my resolve remained strong. The more I read about Rozinante,
the more convinced I became that I was right and in over 30 years I have
never read a criticism of the design.
On picking up the February issue of your magazine you can imagine my
excitement when on the front cover Rozinante was there for all to see.
I then read the article by Mr Theo Rye. There is nothing new, everything the
writer said was obvious. I really did not see the point of the article at all. It is
simply written in a negative view just to be sensational.
I am having a Rozinante built by experts – the backbone and moulds were
constructed by Doug Hylan, Maine, and shipped to New Zealand. I thought
that I could complete her myself, but soon came to the realisation that her
complex lines could be completed only by an expert. I was lucky enough to
be introduced to Marco Scuderi, boatbuilder and qualified naval architect,
who took over the project and will give me a yacht to be proud of.
If you visit mcnshipwrights.com/wainamu you can view her progress and,
it’s to be hoped, your readers will agree.
I am one of Mr Rye’s few people who are perfectly suited to the ownership
of a Rozinante.
David Cranwell, New Zealand, via emailThames
skill
Your article on bringing
the handsome gaff
cutter Aeolus up the
tidal Thames and under
Tower Bridge brought
to mind the skill of
bargemen and sailors
of old, for whom
reaching the Port of
London was a
commercial necessity.
They did so with far
more cumbersome
craft, although Aeolus
sounds quite a
handful at times and
her crew deserve the
greatest praise.
David Esuer, BarcelonaI was fascinated by Vanessa Bird’s piece on The Zulu in the
February issue. In 1970 I was a member of a small team
which dived Loch Ness to survey an unknown wreck that
may have been of historic significance. It turns out she was
probably a Zulu, having sunk on her mooring.
As you can imagine the diving was challenging, working
at 120ft in very cold water and near zero visibility. The
water was pigmented, a bit like whisky, and absorbed
rather than reflected the light. We defined a centreline and
set up a series of reference points from which features of
the boat could be positioned by 3-D triangulation.
Fascinating work, even in these conditions. The timberwork
was in excellent condition. Even the spars were intact. The
water in the Loch is almost exactly neutral electrolytically
(pH7), and as such it appears not to support the organisms
that rot timber. It is almost certain therefore, that our friend
is still lying on the bottom, in close to pristine condition.
Garry Flashman, via emailDiving for Zulu