TopmastsAugust 2012 No. 3 The Quarterly Newsletter of The Society for Nautical Research Chairman’s Column in 1911, as well as tracking down previous The 2012 Victory Medal owners and surviving descendants from the builder’s family from whom he could acquire When the late Austin Farrar conceived the idea direct knowledge, documentary and pictorial of the Society’s Victory Medal in the 1990s it information. He also spent many hours with was intended as recognition of the contribution the descendants of Lewis Alexander (the pilot that individual members of the Portsmouth who commissioned Kindly Light), learning Dockyard staff had made to the continuing about her working life and the way she would restoration and conservation work on HMS have been handled. Victory. In the Society’s centenary year Malcolm’s attention to detail has ensured Council decided that the terms for the award complete authenticity in the project, with of the medal would be altered so that it could Kindly Light now painted in her original build recognise the skilled and invaluable work that colour scheme, original accommodation layout, people put into the conservation of other ships, and pilot cutter deck fittings, incorporating great and small. The winner of the Victory parts traced from other vessels or replicated Medal this year was Malcolm Mckeand and the from surviving drawings or descriptions. medal was presented to Malcolm immediately Malcolm also took the challenging decision not prior to our dinner on board HMS Victory to install an engine so that the vessel will be following the AGM on the 16 June. operated completely traditionally. The lack of A piano engineer who travels the world an engine places great demands on both crew caring for concert pianos in major concert and skipper, especially when manoeuvring halls and opera houses, Malcolm has dedicated in confined waters or sailing in difficult 18 years of his life to masterminding the conditions, but is the only way to achieve a real reconstruction of the Bristol Channel Pilot understanding of the qualities and handling Cutter Kindly Light. He funded the work characteristics of these striking vessels. solely through his own earnings with no Kindly Light is a National Historic Fleet external grant aid. After considerable and vessel and was considered to be the fastest rigorous enquiries, he identified Gweek in and most successful of the one hundred and Falmouth as the best place to locate the project, sixty or so pilot cutters working in the Bristol under the skilled craftsmanship of boat builders Channel immediately prior to the First World David Walkey. However, with Malcolm’s War. She was re-launched in October 2011 and job based in London and the rebuild budget a dedication ceremony was held to mark the dependant on his earnings, he spent much of occasion of her 100th birthday at the National the 18 years travelling back and forth between Maritime Museum Cornwall. the two places. Malcolm has demonstrated a consummate In order to achieve the highest possible level passion for this type of vessel, and for of authenticity Malcolm carried out extensive promoting a real understanding and and dedicated research into Kindly Light’s appreciation of them in a wider context. He was history, visiting Fleetwood where she was built instrumental in setting up the Bristol Channel Title image: ‘Sixty Degrees South’ by John Everett (BHC2451) © National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, UK ISSN 2049-6796 Topmasts 3.indd 1 30/07/2012 12:56 Topmasts no. 3, August 2012 Pilot Cutters Association and has created an On the subject of Deptford, Helena Russell invaluable archive of all associated material has contributed an article on progress towards from his own research. In an age when there are the restoration of Deptford’s former Royal enormous pressures, Malcolm has been rock Dockyard and the warship Lenox. In a later steady in holding to the challenging standards issue, there will be a report on the launch of he set for himself in this project. By doing so he the restored Hermione (the boat project which has given the opportunity for the boatbuilding inspired the Lenox) which was launched last fraternity to experience at first hand the weekend in the French town of La Rochelle. extensive reconstruction of a Bristol Channel Last, may I commend to you, the calendar and pilot cutter to original specifications, thereby Christmas card from the National Museum of extending both national knowledge and skills. the Royal Navy, details of which are shown later in this issue. As always they are excellent value Admiral Sir Kenneth Eaton and there is a discount for SNR members. If you have any information that would be Editorial of interest to other members, please send it to me by email with any photographs and text to It was a pleasure to catch up with so many [email protected] members at the AGM and to hear the reports of the various sub-committees. Barry Coombs The new look digital newsletter Topmasts has received a compliment from Randy Mafit News who is the North American Secretary of the Caird Library 1805 Club and co-editor of Kedge Anchor, their splendid quarterly magazine. He writes to say Eleanor Gawne, head of archive and library at ‘Congratulations on the new electronic format the Royal Museums Greenwich, has written to for the SNR newsletter. VERY nice looking and say that the Caird Library will be closed from with all of its advantages over the print edition. Monday 2 July to Tuesday 4 September 2012 We are considering similar delivery of The inclusive owing to the preparations and hosting Kedge Anchor in an electronic version for all the of the London 2012 Olympic Games Equestrian reasons you outlined in issue no. 1 of Topmasts. and Modern Pentathlon events. For further It also makes SNR developments and news more information, please see the notice on the website accessible.’ at http://www.rmg.co.uk/researchers/library/ Please note that this issue contains visiting/caird-library-temporary-closure-due- information on the closure of the Caird Library to-olympics. The archive and library staff and restricted hours at the National Maritime apologize for the inconvenience caused to users; Museum during the Olympics. The SNR they will be using the closure period to re-house website also carries information on these topics. offsite collections to bring them onsite, and to During the games the NMM link is http:// reorganize stores to make future retrievals more www.rmg.co.uk/visit/latest-info/london-2012- efficient. olympic-games/ for up-to-date news. Flinders Bi-Centenary The Cutty Sark is now open on Mondays as well as Tuesdays to Sundays from 10.00 to Peter Ashley reports that there have been no 17.00 as previously announced. There was a further developments on his venture to have very interesting exhibition table on the Cutty some sort of plaque/stone erected in London Sark restoration at the AGM provided by to mark the death of Matthew Flinders and Colin Burring, who is a freelance lecturer and a the publication of his work A Voyage to Terra specialist guide for the Cutty Sark, who really Australis in July 2014. Discussions are ongoing knows his stuff. If you would like to make use with the British Australia Society. Any further of his services, you can call him on 01322 220520 progress will be reported in later issues of or write to him at 8, Marcus Road, Deptford, Topmasts. Kent DA1 3JX. 2 Topmasts 3.indd 2 30/07/2012 12:56 Topmasts no. 3, August 2012. ‘The Boat Project’: Collective Spirit The Mary Rose (1545), Invincible (1758) and Victory (1765) Sail Again! Perhaps it is stretching a point to say that Mary Rose (1545), Invincible (1758) and Victory (1765) have sailed again at over 20 knots, but this has been achieved through participation in one of 12 art projects commissioned for the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad. Over the past year at Thornham Marina at Emsworth, West Sussex, ‘The Boat Project’ built Collective Spirit from 1,221 pieces of donated wood. She was officially launched on Monday 7 May 2012 after carrying out sea trials off Hayling Island where she achieved a speed of over 20 knots. The 30-foot 2-tonne day boat was built to a twenty-first-century design using ‘ultra- light racing machine’ techniques. The planing hull was constructed from western red cedar strips using ‘edge-glued strip planking’ coated either side by a thin layer of glass fibre. Her lifting keel had a similar design to those used in the ocean-going Volvo yachts; and her sail configuration was designed with furling gears for the jib and mainsail for easy operation. To accommodate the 1,221 donated wood pieces, half were made into 10 mm veneers to cover the vessels sides while the remainder were crafted into the internal structure of the hull. Pieces of oak from Victory (1765) and Warrior (1860) were incorporated in the bottom of the boat increasing her displacement by a further 10 kg. To qualify, each piece of donated wood had to have an interesting or historical provenance. These provenances varied from a piece of 3–4,000-year-old Irish ‘bog’ wood to twentieth- century objects. Besides timber from Victory (1765) and Warrior (1860) already mentioned, pieces came from 146 other vessels including the Mary Rose (1545) and Invincible (1758). Other well-known vessels were: Sir Alec Rose’s Lively Lady, SS Great Britain, paddle steamer Medway Queen – who made seven crossings to the beaches at Dunkirk (1940) and rescued 7,000 troops – Sir Robin Knox-Johnson’s yacht Suhaili that completed the first solo non-stop circumnavigation of the world in 1968–9, former Prime Minister Sir Ted Heath’s ill-fated yacht Morning Cloud III (after she foundered off Top, Caption required please Brighton a piece of wreckage came ashore with Below: Michael Austen’s photograph of Collective Spirit sailing half her name on it, Morning) and Peter Goss’s off Hayling Island 3 Topmasts 3.indd 3 30/07/2012 12:56 Topmasts no.