<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> T H E B O S U N ' S C H R O N I C L E <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> - IN THIS ISSUE - + Come and meet Julian - and help save the Cutty Sark! + Geoff Hunt talks about painting HMS "Tenacious" + Become a Shipmate Ambassador Welcome aboard the world of Thomas Kydd! VOL. 4, ISSUE 10, October 2004 1 NEWS & VIEWS 2 ASK JULIAN 3 BOOKSHELF 4 SALTY SAYINGS 5 FEATURE 6 COUNTDOWN TO TRAFALGAR 7 CONTEST 8 NAUTICALIA 9 NEW ON THE WEB ==================== 1 NEWS & VIEWS --- publishing happenings, Shipmates ahoy! --- + QUARTERDECK Cover Geoff Hunt's painting of the 64-gun ship HMS "Tenacious" graces the cover of QUARTERDECK, the fifth book in the Thomas Kydd series, which is out in the UK this month. We recently caught up with Geoff, just back from a whistle-stop tour of America promoting his new book "The Marine World of Geoff Hunt": "QUARTERDECK is the first title to carry a significant re-design of the Kydd series book covers. Hodder & Stoughton's Art Editor was attracted by the look of the publicity material for Peter Weir's film 'Master and Commander' and asked me to paint some artwork which could be fitted in with that kind of look; in particular, a ship in rough seas. "I discussed this brief with Julian, who supplied me with the manuscript for chapter 6, a splendidly pictorial piece of writing which has Tenacious going through as much rough weather as you could wish for! "And the sixty-four is a class of ship I rather like to paint, having depicted Nelson's 'Agamemnon' several times; I've also often come across sixty-fours in my researches into the American War of Independence." Geoff is president of the Royal Society of Marine Artists. Their Annual Exhibition is at The Mall Galleries, London, from 13-24 October. www.mallgalleries.org.uk --- Currently Julian is in negotiations regarding a new American publisher and as yet there is no firm publication date for QUARTERDECK in the U.S. + BOWSPRIT Read George Jepson's interview with Julian in the October issue. www.tallshipsbooks.com + SHIPMATE AMBASSADOR PROGRAMME After a number of Shipmates contacted us saying they loved the books so much they wanted to "spread the word" about the Kydd series in some tangible way we came up with the idea of "Shipmate Ambassadors". We've now launched the first stage, for Shipmates living in the UK. Sign up by emailing Bosun@JulianStockwin.com with your postal address (please put AMBASSADOR in the subject line) - and we'll send you a special pack of bookmarks, postcards and other material to distribute to friends, family, local libraries, bookstores - wherever you'd like to introduce Thomas Kydd. ===================== 2 ASK JULIAN --- a forum for Shipmates' questions --- James Schultz from Rochester, New York asks: "Could you discuss the common distance measurements used in the Royal Navy of Kydd's time? Also, where can I find the ranges of naval ordnance from pistols to the great guns?" Julian replies: "From shortest to longest of some of the most used measurements - a fathom is six feet (from the old English "faedm", to embrace, the distance between a sailor's outstretched arms); a cable's length is 100 fathoms; a nautical mile is 6080 feet (see also the June issue). Others include pistol shot (50 yards); half pistol shot (25 yards, and a typical range in a battle at sea) and league. A league is a measurement that was used since early days at sea; English mariners computed 20 leagues to the degree, making one league equivalent to 3 nautical miles. There's an excellent reference to 'range' in the 1815 edition of Falconer's 'Marine Dictionary', recently reprinted by Chatham Publishing." --- Shipmate Harry Chambers emailed that after having read the feature on animals at sea (January issue) he was seeking further information on Collingwood's dog Bounce in connection with research for a book he's writing - how he was acquired, where he died etc. We know that when he was quite old, Bounce fell overboard one night, and was lost at sea, but if Shipmates have any further information on Collingwood's much-loved pet, could they email Harry direct on ChambersCromford@aol.com. --- If you have a question you would like to ask Julian, just send an email with "ASK JULIAN" in the subject line. Each one published will go into a quarterly lucky draw for an abridged audiobook of QUARTERDECK. ==================== 3 BOOKSHELF --- books, magazines and journals about the sea --- THE AUDACIOUS ADMIRAL COCHRANE The True Life of a Naval Legend by Brian Vale. Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0 85177 986 7 Jervis, Earl St Vincent, said of Lord Cochrane that he was "... mad, romantic, money-getting and not truth-telling..." Royal Navy captain, radical politician, respected inventor, Vice Admiral of Chile, First Admiral of Brazil, Cochrane was nothing if not a controversial figure in his lifetime. In fact, his career was probably more amazing than any other Royal Naval officer in any period in history, and his exploits have formed the basis of many sea stories. Brian Vale's book sets the record straight on this complex, intriguing figure. --- And for something completely different... THE MARINER'S BOOK OF DAYS 2005 By Peter Spectre. Sheridan House ISBN 1 57409 178 6 Published annually, this delightful volume is not only an entertaining nautical desk diary but a unique reference in its own right. Each edition is completely different from its predecessors. We liked the quote by Mark Twain in the 2005 edition: "Throw off your bow lines. Sail away from your safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." ==================== 4 SALTY SAYINGS --- what today's English owes to Jack Tar --- First rate The origins of this phrase are definitely salty. Today, if we say that something is first rate, it is excellent - of the highest quality. In Kydd's day, the mighty warships of the Royal Navy were "rated" (classified) on a scale from one to six, based on the ordnance they carried. The system was set up by Lord Anson during the years 1751-1756. The largest of the ships, first rate, (like "Victory") carried 100 or more guns (second rate, 84; third rate, 70; fourth rate, 50; fifth rate, 32, sixth rate, 32 guns or less). ==================== 5 FEATURE Come and meet Julian - and help save the Cutty Sark! Richard Doughty, Chief Executive of the Cutty Sark Trust has invited Julian to be the guest of honour at two special fund-raising functions aboard the Cutty Sark next month. Friday November 19 + Wine and Cheese Evening The event will be held aboard the "Cutty Sark" from 7-9 PM. Julian will give a selection of readings from his favourite books about the sea, together with some excerpts from QUARTERDECK. There will also be an information stand with members of the Cutty Sark team on hand to answer questions about the future of the ship. Tickets are GBP20 and are available by calling 0208 8582698 Saturday November 20 + Family Day Aboard the Cutty Sark Julian and the Sea Cadets will hold two special "hands-on" sessions for children to learn about some of the skills needed aboard an eighteenth century sailing ship. There's a special Certificate for all those who can then demonstrate their mastery to Julian! The sessions are at 10 AM and 11 AM. Richard Doughty has a special message for Shipmates: "Cutty Sark is the most famous ship in the world and the only surviving tea clipper. She was the first ship in the world to be opened to the public since Drake's Golden Hind in the 16th century and she is a memorial to the men of the merchant navy, particularly those who lost their lives in the world wars. We are extremely grateful to Julian and Kathy Stockwin and to Julian's many fans who have demonstrated their support at a time when Cutty Sark's future is in peril. Please, please continue to do all you can to help us conserve the epitome of the great age of sail." When Julian last visited the ship he learned first hand of the main problems facing this grand old lady but Richard and his team have come up with an innovative plan to save her. This will cost GBP25 million; the target is to raise GBP13.25 million from the public and sponsors, and it is hoped the balance will be paid from a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. + Julian is once again urging Shipmates to email the Heritage Lottery Fund saying why you feel the Cutty Sark deserves the GBP11.75 million grant. enquire@hlf.org.uk. Mark your email for the attention of Ellen Dempster. Every voice does count! You can also go online and sign a petition to save the Grand Old Lady of the Sea: http://www.petitionthem.com/?sect=detail&pet=1263 As a thank-you for the efforts of Shipmates, Richard has donated two special mementoes. See CONTESTS. www.cuttysark.org.uk ==================== 6 COUNTDOWN TO TRAFALGAR + International Festival of the Sea 30 June to 3 July 2005 Ships, boats, music, crafts, arts, historic re-enactment, street performers, water activities, spectacular displays - and much more. Not to be missed if you are in Portsmouth around that time! www.festivalofthesea.co.uk ==================== 7 CONTESTS Emails to the Bosun; please include your full postal address with each entry and put "CONTEST" in the subject line. Deadline: October 25 + Cutty Sark Memorabilia In 50 words or less tell us why you feel the Cutty Sark is so important. There are splendid prizes for the two entries that best sum up the case to save her - a boxed ship-in-the-bottle model of the Cutty Sark, and a key ring made from the actual ship's mast. + "The Audacious Admiral Cochrane" In what year was Cochrane accepted back into the Royal Navy? Find the answer- http://www.conwaymaritime.com. A copy of the book will be sent to the first correct entry out of the hat. Congratulations to Emily Crabb, winner of last month's Conway Maritime book prize of "The Marine Art of Geoff Hunt". =================== 8 NAUTICALIA --- from courses to cruises --- Admiralty Collection Charts During Kydd's time methods of charting the seas developed rapidly. From the 1750s the Admiralty undertook the first comprehensive survey of the waters of the British Isles, as well as sponsoring the work of Cook, Bligh and others in their explorations of the Pacific Ocean. Toward the end of the century the Admiralty Board had accumulated a large body of information, but had actually done little to turn this into reliable charts for the Navy. The outbreak of war with France in 1793 had shown that the lack of charts was a major problem - for every ship destroyed by the enemy eight were lost through running aground. In 1795 Alexander Dalrymple was appointed the first Hydrographer of the Navy. His task was to catalogue the Admiralty's documents and to produce the charts needed by the Fleet. A number of these charts have now been attractively reproduced for framing. http://www.seachest.co.uk/acatalog/Sea_Chest_Admiralty_Collection_Charts_58.html =================== 9 NEW ON THE WEB www.JulianStockwin.com Why not try your luck to win a signed copy of QUARTERDECK? =================== Next Month: Special Re-Enactment Issue! Yours aye, THE BOSUN ++ Back issues of the newsletter downloadable from the website ++