<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> T H E B O S U N ' S C H R O N I C L E <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> DECEMBER/JANUARY BUMPER ISSUE Welcome aboard the world of Thomas Kydd! We've decided to combine the December and January issues of the Chronicle into one big bumper issue from now on, with more of everything for your Seasonal Enjoyment. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all. VOL. 4, ISSUE 12, December 2004/January 2005 1 NEWS & VIEWS 2 ASK JULIAN 3 BOOKSHELF 4 SALTY SAYINGS 5 FEATURE 6 COUNTDOWN TO TRAFALGAR 7 CONTESTS 8 NAUTICALIA 9 NEW ON THE WEB ==================== 1 NEWS & VIEWS --- publishing happenings, tallships ahoy --- + QUARTERDECK feedback Julian loves hearing from you and is very appreciative of the many emails he's already received about QUARTERDECK. Here are just a few of your comments:- "Once again I enjoyed the richness of your writing and ease of your inclusion of nautical minutiae in the story without disturbing the flow in the least. It is your special gift. Not only that, you show equal talent in handling similar matters ashore. Chapter one is great!" "I am half way through QUARTERDECK at the moment, and on one hand I cannot wait to finish the book, but on the other hand I will be at a loss as to what to read when I have finished it. Who can match Julian in his portrayal of seamanship in the great days of sail?" "Have just finished QUARTERDECK - same great standard as the previous four. Only one complaint - awful long wait for your next book!" "Wonderful book! I have always loved the sea and your work brings both the sea and history to life. I will be reading all five again ready for number six." "Like its predecessors, QUARTERDECK is another great sea novel. I loved watching Kydd deal with his new social responsibilities!" + KYDD in Japan Julian's books are published in Japanese by Hayakawa, with SEAFLOWER just out. Julian was honoured when Hayakawa chose KYDD to be their 1000th published title. Recently Julian and Kathy had the pleasure of meeting Yoko Omori, who translates the Kydd series. Yoko also writes a four or five page afterword, with the historical context of the books, and explanations of nautical details that may not be familiar to Japanese readers. It takes her about four months to translate one of Julian's books. A keen traveller, Yoko came to England as she wanted to visit the places Julian takes Thomas Kydd to, such as Guildford, Portsmouth and Plymouth. Yoko was born in Hakodate, a port town in northern Japan. Her grand-father was a dealer in marine products and her father worked for a sea food company. She says she has loved the sea and ships from early childhood. After graduating in English literature at Yokohama University Yoko joined a publishing company and also studied translation. She met the translator of Forester's books and as soon as she read "Mr Midshipman Hornblower" she was hooked on fiction of the great age of sail! After that, Yoko read whatever books she could find in the genre - then went to sea herself on a number of occasions - in a tall ship across the Pacific in a voyage lasting three and a half months; around the islands of Guam and Saipan; and the Arctic Ocean. She says that of Julian's books she has translated so far her favourite is ARTEMIS because she enjoyed the voyage around the world and the challenges of the sea. + Tallships Ahoy HMS Bounty 2005 One of the last full-rigged ships still sailing, HMS Bounty is embarking on a special voyage during 2005. Crew positions are open! http://www.tallshipbounty.org/main.html Inspiration Shipmate Nathanael Logsdon emailed that he enjoyed Julian's books so much that they have inspired him to sign up for a two-week voyage aboard the "Lady Washington", a reproduction of an eighteenth century square rigger. He's promised to report back to Shipmates at a later date. The Cutty Sark Over GBP 1000 was raised at the recent wine and cheese evening, at which Julian gave readings from QUARTERDECK and several other sea books. This month is the last chance for you to have your say about the future of the Grand Old Lady via the on-line petition. http://www.petitionthem.com/?sect=detail&pet=1263 ===================== 2 ASK JULIAN --- a forum for Shipmates' questions --- Australian Shipmate Peter Thomson wanted to know whether the wearing of earrings by sailors had any special significance. Julian replies: Sailors in Kydd's day often wore an earring in one ear. There was a belief that this improved their long-distance vision (and there may well have been something in this if the piercing of the ear stimulated an acupuncture point). Word also spread that should a sailor be drowned at sea and washed ashore, the finder could keep the gold earring in return for providing a proper Christian burial. --- And several Shipmates have asked: Can you tell us the difference between the orders "Clear for action" and "Beat to quarters"? Julian explains: Clear for action is the order to prepare for battles. This involves quite a number of activities, such as: slaughtering or casting adrift any livestock on board, extinguishing the galley fire, stowing hammocks in netting around the upper deck to provide some protection against musket fire, taking down all bulkheads, stripping officers' cabins of furniture and stowing in the hold, sluicing the decks with water and sprinkling them with sand, scuttling a water butt with vinegar, rigging fire hoses, hoisting out all boats (which were often towed astern) and placing the arms chests amidships. In addition, the surgeon below would prepare his instruments in preparation for amputations and other medical treatment. There were many other duties but a smart ship could clear for action in fifteen or twenty minutes. Beat to quarters is the order given to the drummers on board a man-of-war to summon the crew to their stations for action against the enemy. In Kydd's day the drums were usually beaten to the rhythm of "Heart of Oak". However, if the enemy appeared unexpectedly, there was sometimes no real time to fully clear for action, and beat to quarters was sounded to get the hands to their stations for battle as soon as possible. Do you have a question for Julian? Just email the Bosun with "ASK JULIAN" in the subject line. Each published question goes into a lucky draw for a quarterly prize. ==================== 3 BOOKSHELF --- books, magazines and journals about the sea --- + The Line of Battle The Sailing Warship 1650-1840 Editor: Robert Gardiner. ISBN: 0851779549. GBP 16.99 Now re-released in large-format paperback, this is the best-selling title in Conway's authoritative series "History of the Ship". Although purpose-built fighting ships had existed earlier, the principal characteristics of the classic sailing ship were only defined in the mid-seventeenth century. Each chapter in "The Line of Battle" is by recognised experts in the field, including Karl Heinz Marquardt (the fore and aft rigged warship); Brian Lavery (the ship of the line); and Robert Gardiner (guns and gunnery). For a chance to win a copy see CONTESTS. ---- + Treasure of the National Maritime Museum Edited by Gloria Clifton and Nigel Rigby. ISBN 0948065427. GBP 25 The National Maritime Museum at Greenwich has the largest collection of maritime-related objects in the world. Over 300 beautifully photographed items are featured in this A-Z companion, each accompanied by an explanation of its significance. They range from the Caird Astrolabe (c. 1230) to a Zulu-class herring drifter (c. 1930). There are also some of the most treasured items from the Museum's collection of Nelsonia, including one of a pair of rings exchanged between Nelson and Emma Hamilton and Nelson's breakfast service. ==================== 4 SALTY SAYINGS --- what today's English owes to Jack Tar --- + In the doldrums Today, if we say someone is in the doldrums, they are in a state of depression or stagnation. The Doldrums is a belt of calm or variable winds which lie between the trade winds of the northern and southern hemispheres. As sailing ships passed through these latitudes there was often no wind to fill the sails or cool the living spaces and they were becalmed in sweltering conditions. + No room to swing a cat This saying is used today to refer to cramped conditions. There are a number of suggested explanations, ranging from the inability of a small sailing collier known as a "cat" to swing at anchor in the close quarters of a small port, to a corruption of the word "cot" (hammock) when describing a particularly cramped deck. But the most popular explanation originates from the infamous instrument of punishment, the cat-o'-nine tails - a whip consisting of nine pieces of cord with three knots tied in each. Nearly two feet long, the cat, plus the flogger's outstretched arm, required ample clearance. (The use of the cat was outlawed by the United States Congress in 1850 and the Royal Navy in 1879.) ==================== 5 FEATURES The Packet Service In QUARTERDECK, ashore in Falmouth in Devon, Lawrence Greaves talks to Kydd and Renzi about the post-office packets. He obviously does not have a high regard for them: "A nest of villains...They carry the King's mails, but should they spy a prize, they will not scruple to attack at risk to their cargo - and worse! Even under the strictest post office contract, they weigh down their vessel with private freight to their common advantage. And should this not be enough, it is commonly known that while the post office will recompense them for a loss at sea to an enemy, profit may just as readily be won from the insurances." The term "packet" derives from the fact that state letters and dispatches were historically known as "the Packet". There were several packet stations in British ports but Falmouth was the hub of the Packet Ship Service, which carried mail to all corners of the British Empire. Mail came down from London by postboy or stagecoach. It was then sealed in leather portmanteaux of varying sizes which were lead-weighted so that they could be thrown overboard at the prospect of imminent capture. The English Channel was often infested by French privateers but England relied on the Packet Ships to maintain communications with India, Ceylon, the East Indies and her interests in South America. A Packet Service operated out of Plymouth for over 160 years between 1689 and 1851. For a considerable part of this time packet ships were privately owned on a share basis and contracted to the Postal Service. The packet vessels were two or three-masted 10-gun brigs. Although armed, they were not designed to engage in combat, but had the capability of sailing fast. They frequently carried huge sums of specie and bullion; between 1729 and 1731 one contractor named Fray carried in excess of GBP 636,000 from Falmouth to London. A lucrative business for all concerned - Fray received one-half a percent, GBP 1200 per annum, the Post Office GBP 1060 and the packet commanders and their investors GBP 2120 gross, each commander receiving some GBP 132.10s, at a time when his annual salary was about GBP 78. In 1810 crews of the Post Office Packet ships mutinied when their privilege of carrying their own personal freight on board was withdrawn. Eight packets were escorted under the guns of three RN ships to Plymouth, but it was recognised that the move from Falmouth was a mistake and the packets were returned to their original port. In 1823 control of the Packet Service passed to the Admiralty which seconded Royal Navy vessels, although the remaining private contracts were allowed to run their course. Needing to find employment for the large number of half-pay lieutenants left out of work at the conclusion of the wars, the Admiralty claimed it could provide a cheaper service than the civil contractors (which it could not). The Packet Service continued until 1851 when the Postmaster General decided that giving mail contracts to the new steamship companies offered a cheaper and more reliable service. + Julian Looks Back on 2004 "With each successive book in the Thomas Kydd series, the time seems to fly faster. Perhaps this is because I am enjoying life so much as a writer! But the literary world is not just writing. Kathy and I had a fascinating research trip early in the year to Minorca, which will feature in TENACIOUS. This year also saw book signings and author events around the UK. It is always a special pleasure for me to visit Cutty Sark and I was honoured to be invited aboard for several events, including a session taped for BBC Radio 4 in which authentic eighteenth century sea foods were cooked and served. In November I visited HMS Collingwood, the largest naval establishment in western Europe, where I had been invited to give the after-dinner speech for Pickle Night, which commemorates the arrival of the news of victory at Trafalgar, and Nelson's death, thanks to a fast passage by the schooner HMS Pickle. Pickle Night is celebrated by Warrant Officers and Chief Petty Officers Messes in Britain and elsewhere in the Commonwealth. At Collingwood the evening was a splendid affair. A mock ship had been recreated in the Warrant Officers and Senior Rates Mess and Kathy and I were piped aboard, over a gangway. The fare would have done Kydd proud - Bosun's Deepwater Trawl, Gunpowder Gruel and Cannonball Dumplings, Below Deck Duff & Rum Ration Sauce, Pusser's Store Mousetrap & Hardtack and Yankee Wet Stuff & Mouth Shutters. During the evening Dispatches about HMS Pickle's famous voyage were read out. This year the Bosun introduced the Shipmate Ambassador Programme in the UK and Canada - for readers who want to help "spread the word" about the Kydd series. This has proved very popular and we hope to include other countries in the New Year. [Just email the Bosun with your postal address if you'd like to sign up; please put "AMBASSADOR" in the subject line.] Throughout the rest of December I will be putting the finishing touches to the manuscript of TENACIOUS, which I have to deliver to my publisher by January 1. Then, Kathy and I will take a short break - before travelling to Malta for location research for book six. It's been a busy and eventful year and I would like to thank all of you who have taken the time to email me about my books. Your emails are always very special to me - please keep them coming! I do promise to answer them all." ==================== 6 COUNTDOWN TO TRAFALGAR International Fleet Review 28 June 2005 Fleet review by the monarch is a 600-year old British tradition, but these days it is a rare event, the last occasion being in 1977. Next year, as part of the bicentenary commemorations of the death of Nelson at Trafalgar, the Queen will review RN ships in the Solent at Spithead, joined by naval ships from some 40 nations, along with merchant vessels, tall ships and thousands of sailing craft. There will also be a Son et Lumiere on the water off Southsea, culminating in a spectacular fireworks display. ==================== 7 CONTESTS Lots of goodies this issue! Emails to Bosun@JulianStockwin.com. Please put "CONTEST" in the subject line, and include your full postal address. Deadline: January 25. + CONWAY'S HISTORY OF THE SHIP THE LINE OF BATTLE If you'd like a chance to win a copy of this book, name another title in this series. www.conwaymaritime.com + UNABRIDGED AUDIOBOOK OF SEAFLOWER This is the second recording Christian Rodska has made of Julian's books. Here's the question to answer if you'd like to enter this contest for the audiobook: Around how many radio programmes has Rodska recorded? www.audiobookcollection.com + THROUGH THE LAND OF FIRE Julian's description of rounding Cape Horn in ARTEMIS brought shivers to the spines of even the most hardened sailors! Here's a modern-day mariner's experiences. For your name to go into the hat for a copy, name the author. www.seafarerbooks.com + MYSTERY PRIZE Julian has donated a mystery prize (all we'll say is that is to do with the sea...) Just let us know who was the carpenter in MUTINY. + KYDD MEMORABILIA Signed postcards of QUARTERDECK to the first 12 Shipmates who email in with the name of Julian's sixth book (yet to be published). Please include your postal address and put "Postcard" in the subject line. --- Congratulations to A N Godfrey, winner of last month's prize, "The Naval Occurrences of the War of 1812". =================== 8 NAUTICALIA --- from courses to cruises --- Wylie's magnificent "Panorama of the Battle of Trafalgar" is one of the world's most impressive sea battle paintings. It is now available as a print from "The 200th Collection". The painting depicts the battle at its height during the early afternoon of the 21st October 1805 when the British, lead by Nelson in HMS Victory, had broken the line of the combined French and Spanish Fleets. Image size is 675 x 175 mm. http://www.victory2005.co.uk/trafalgar/victory.htm =================== 9 NEW ON THE WEB < www.JulianStockwin.com > As we mentioned in the August issue of the newsletter, Mr Riley Warren, Headmaster of Macarthur Anglican School in Sydney, is a great fan of the Kydd series. It was Julian's special pleasure to donate a signed copy of QUARTERDECK to Lachlan Hodgson, the winner of a writing award recently launched at Macarthur. You can see a photo of Mr Warren presenting the book to Lachlan. -> AUTHOR -> ALBUM We've also added a picture of a young (and slimmer) Lt. Stockwin aboard ship in the ALBUM. =================== Correction to last month's issue: The reference to Conrad and the "James Craig" was an error. Conrad's old command was the "Otago", but which also lay in Hobart. --- Yours aye, (until February when we'll be back with lots of new features in the Chronicle; we may be a couple of days late publishing due to the Malta expedition). THE BOSUN p.s. SOON WE'LL BE FIFTY! We'll be celebrating the 50th issue of "The Bosun's Chronicle" in July 2005 with another Bumper Issue. We'd love to hear from you which has been your favourite issue, or indeed, favourite item. We'll publish a selection of your comments - and there's a paperback of QUARTERDECK (due to be published in the UK in March 2005) for each comment in print. ++ Back issues of the newsletter downloadable from the website ++ And, if you are changing your email address, it's easy to update us via the website.