Eye of the Wind: E.A. Mitchener 0959128603, 3926598980, 9783865863799, 9780959128604

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THE SHIP THAT CHANGED A THOUSAND LIVES Over a century of history and stories

In memory of Lesley Reiter, Jean Dixon and all other friends of ‘Eye of the Wind’ who have crossed the bar.

A joint project of the friends of the Eye Collected and published by Ina Koys Second edition 2019

History is not written down by the ones who do it best. It’s done by the ones who do it. Kay Jaumees

Contents 2017: Sicily ..................................................................................................................................................... 1 She and I.................................................................................................................................................... 3 Us .............................................................................................................................................................. 4 1911 – 1973: The Early Years........................................................................................................................ 7 Lühring Shipyard ....................................................................................................................................... 8 Germany .................................................................................................................................................... 9 Sweden......................................................................................................................................................14 Account of Elsa Martinsson, daughter of Arthur Carlsson: .......................................................................16 1955 – Boys on board ...............................................................................................................................25 2017: Reunions .............................................................................................................................................33 1973 – 1976: Revitalisation ...........................................................................................................................39 Faversham .................................................................................................................................................45 Putting Eye of the Wind together..............................................................................................................48 The sailmaker ...........................................................................................................................................54 A first encounter .......................................................................................................................................59 1976 - 2000: World travels............................................................................................................................65 1976 - The first voyage ..............................................................................................................................66 1978 - Saudades ........................................................................................................................................76 Operation Drake 1978 – 1980 ..................................................................................................................85 Girls, No Bikinis! ......................................................................................................................................93

In between: The Eye’s first film job -

‘Blue Lagoon’ in 1979 ...............................................................98

A very brief memory of a very long voyage… ............................................................................................103 Visit at Lühring’s .....................................................................................................................................104 Bunnies all over ......................................................................................................................................108 Savage Islands / Nate and Hayes .............................................................................................................114 From One and All on the Eye of the Wind ............................................................................................117 Master fills the breach .............................................................................................................................120 Bruce and his fan club ............................................................................................................................126 1985 - In Cooks Wake............................................................................................................................127 Filming of ‘Tai-Pan’ ................................................................................................................................133 The Iwa Canoe .......................................................................................................................................138 1987 - Meeting the Locals .......................................................................................................................141 The Toa Maru wreck ..............................................................................................................................144 1987 S : O : S - Save Our Ship ................................................................................................................145 The last five months........ ........................................................................................................................150 1988 – First Fleet re-enactment ...............................................................................................................153 Teeth and how to deal with them ............................................................................................................160 1988 – The storm off Lord Howe Island ................................................................................................161 Ode To The Eye ....................................................................................................................................163 Newsflash ................................................................................................................................................165 Emma .....................................................................................................................................................166 10 December 1991 - Cape Horn, ...........................................................................................................170 Cape Horn voyage abstract ....................................................................................................................175

Eye of the Wind diary entry - Cape Horn ...............................................................................................175 Irene's Mystery Tour...............................................................................................................................181 Refit in Gloucester ..................................................................................................................................183 No way! ...................................................................................................................................................190 White Squall ...........................................................................................................................................192 Cape town to Gloucester 1995 – 96 ........................................................................................................197 Fred's bit... ..............................................................................................................................................203 In the dock..............................................................................................................................................204 Two Italians on board .............................................................................................................................205 3 Weeks turned into 3 Years ..................................................................................................................216 Wheels on fire ........................................................................................................................................220 Captain’s log............................................................................................................................................225 Captain’s log............................................................................................................................................227 Nessie and the Tiger's Eye ......................................................................................................................229 A perspective from the Galley .................................................................................................................234 2001 – 2009: The Danish intermezzo .........................................................................................................239 Sunset voyage ..........................................................................................................................................240 The transformation .................................................................................................................................244 Eye of the Wind sailing with friends again? ............................................................................................248 Reunion voyage on Søren Larsen ...........................................................................................................249 Sailing summer of 2005 ..........................................................................................................................250 The journey home ..................................................................................................................................251 Eye of the Wind for sale again! ...............................................................................................................262

Reminiscences ........................................................................................................................................263 Sad news .................................................................................................................................................265 At last: Eye now sold back to Germany!..................................................................................................265 2009 onwards: Back in Germany ................................................................................................................267 A ship with its own mind and soul – or how she came to get a Bavarian owner ......................................268 Supercargo to Denmark ..........................................................................................................................270 Getting into shape ...................................................................................................................................273 100-year celebrations...............................................................................................................................275 Hobart ....................................................................................................................................................276 Sydney ....................................................................................................................................................279 The Forum Media Party in Elsfleth ........................................................................................................282 Hooke and the Centenary Charter..........................................................................................................285 Leg one - the relaxed start ...................................................................................................................285 Party time in Hooke............................................................................................................................286 100 years old this year .........................................................................................................................288 Leg three - Great Yarmouth to Kiel ....................................................................................................290 Pirate Day ...............................................................................................................................................292 Refit in Turkey 2013 ...............................................................................................................................294 Preface ................................................................................................................................................294 Didim, Turkey 2013 ...........................................................................................................................297 Decisions ................................................................................................................................................312 How the Eye went into a bottle ...............................................................................................................313 Stockevik.................................................................................................................................................314

Family visit in Sicily .................................................................................................................................316 Brigantes .....................................................................................................................................................321 Stamps ........................................................................................................................................................323 Manual ........................................................................................................................................................324 Models and replicas ....................................................................................................................................328 Nigel Woodstock ....................................................................................................................................329 Roderick Anderson.................................................................................................................................331 David Bond ............................................................................................................................................334 Thekla Borchert .....................................................................................................................................335 Frank ‘Franky’ Beerens ...........................................................................................................................337 Hans-Peter Bleck ....................................................................................................................................340 Texts ...........................................................................................................................................................341 Pictures .......................................................................................................................................................342 Acknowledgements .....................................................................................................................................344 For the second edition I also wish to thank: ............................................................................................345 Sources .......................................................................................................................................................346

2017: Sicily |1

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She and I There she lies. As black and beautiful as if no time had passed since we first met in England, 23 years ago. At first sight, I couldn’t really imagine we’d ever come together. The gap was too wide between my experience and what she had to offer. I wouldn’t be able to afford it. Still, I could. Then, I had no idea that within a short week at sea my life would change. That may sound dramatic, but she did that as a rule. She changed the lives of many and it’s a bit sad I know only a couple of them. Many of us first fell for her beauty, some had a hard time re-discovering it. Dealing with her was always about money, always about legal conditions, very often about dreams and irrational decisions. It is not reasonable anymore to continue with her after more than a hundred years. But so far, she has always managed to find somebody to provide safe haven. She survived the world she was built for. She was a working horse in her early days, nearly wrecked, evolved anew as an adventurer and now enjoys her most distinguished time ever. What a history. What a ship. Welcome back in the Sicilian harbour of Palermo.

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Us It is a funny situation. Returning to her after a couple of years she looks almost the same as she did long ago. Well-groomed, glossy, unmistakable. Still, she’s a lady of more than a hundred years and it’s not just time that has changed. On a picture, only insiders could tell the difference between this era in her life and some former ones. Indeed, when getting closer, one finds her atmosphere changed so much that I hardly find similarities to the time when I used to sail in her. But that’s the way she survived. Going through her history she changed her face many times. And most likely, all her human companions over the years believed that they experienced the ship at her best. We come aboard and feel at home from the beginning. It’s only 6 years ago when we last sailed in her– only a glimpse compared with the nearly 40 years some of us know her. And now we find people who are with her for 7 years now and regard themselves as regulars. For good reasons – we did the same after a shorter time. We’re here for a reunion. A threefold reunion: with some old shipmates, with the ship and with her elder sister. Only a couple of years ago, we discovered that she was also still extant, even though with a pretty different history. Her sister began her life as ‘Meta’ and led a rather stable life as a cargo vessel first in the North Sea and Baltic, later in the Mediterranean. The younger sister would be the Jack of All Trades and often change her name. 4|

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1911 – 1973: The Early Years

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Lühring Shipyard In 1911, Lühring shipyard in Brake on the river Weser in Germany had a good reputation for highquality steel vessels. 12 years ago, the first schooner built of that new material was launched, already with the unique shape that all following Lühring schooners would take on: not like other smaller sailing vessels of the time, more like the larger barques and fullriggers. The ships were made for coastal and estuarine trade as well as for Atlantic crossings to South America. They were

Scheme of a typical Lühring Schooner

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the last vessel type that was often owned by its captain. Built to exceptional quality, they were easy to handle, had a large cargo capacity and additionally, were beautiful. Intriguing ships that would seduce buyers, operators and customers for decades to come. Lühring would be the last German shipyard to build steel schooners even after the First World War. For the following decades they went on with the technology of the time until they shut down in 1988. Their shipyard was retained and the site is still operated according to demand.

Germany In 1911, a ship’s captain aged 24 entered the Lühring shipyard. His name was Johann Friedrich Kolb (born May 5th 1887) and he came from Fockbeck near the Kiel canal, where his father Ferdinand operated two schooners. On these, Ferdinand trained his two sons and some of his nephews, descendants of his brother who lived nearby. Johann Friedrich’s brother, Jürgen, had died in 1907 in the Pacific whilst with the four-masted barque ‘Alsternixe’. Johann Friedrich was now Ferdinand’s only son.

Around the time Johann Friedrich Kolb was born, this was the house of his uncle, who happened to have the same name. Quite likely, ‘our’ Johann Friedrich Kolb grew up in a similar place.

Johann Friedrich Kolb sought a new ship. He had lost his 3-masted wooden schooner ‘Maria’ on the Weser river one after only a couple of months. Now he wanted something more reliable, a ship from the most reputable shipyard of the time. Thus, he went to Lühring who were then in their heyday. When entering the shipyard, the iron vessel no. 114, the future ‘Meta’ was under construction. It had been ordered by the local shipping company Oltmann, who only operated Lühring vessels. Importantly, it was a sister to a ship they already ran. There could be no better recommendation for the design. Therefore, Captain Kolb ordered another copy with only 5 cm increase in draft, thereby extending the displacement from 225 tonnes to 235 tonnes. Apart from that, Lühring no. 115 would be a gaff schooner with 348 sqm sailing area: main sail (100 sqm), main gaff (28

sqm), fore sail (79 sqm), fore top (25 sqm), main top staysail (19 sqm), fore staysail (32 sqm), jib (21 sqm), outer jib (18 sqm) and flying jib (26 sqm). There was also a possibility for a running foresquare. Her documentation declares her hull as iron, but in fact, it’s steel. According to Herbert Karting, that distinction wasn’t made in that time in the same way as it would be today. She was registered in July 1911 in Hamburg as No. 4072. She would be operated by 6 people. The quarter deck had a length of 5.5 m, with accommodation below and the galley was in a deckhouse behind the fore mast. Friedrich Kolb named her ‘Friedrich’ – a fashionable name at the time and traditional to the Kolb family – and operated her himself. The Captain and First Mate lived aft, while four crewmembers had their accommodation in the fore castle. |9

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The intention was to trade salt across the Atlantic Ocean to La Plata, Argentina, and to return with hide and leather. La Plata was a desired destination at the time, but it’s uncertain whether Friedrich ever went there. We don’t even know what else he did or how long exactly he managed to sail on his new ship. In 1914, World War I began, and his skills were required by the German Navy. It is difficult to imagine that an independent skipper sought duty on a warship, more probably, he was drafted. Anyway, captain Kolb now was reserve AB on the merchant raider ‘Greif’. No good place to be, as the ‘Greif’ was sunk in the battle with HMS ‘Alcantara’ on February 29th 1916 off the Faroe Islands. The death declaration of August 6 , 1916 th

The battle of HMS ‘Alcantara’ and the merchant raider ‘Greif’ – artist’s impression

His parents declared him killed in combat some months later. That battle is judged one of the most important in WWI. Apart from HMS ‘Alcantara’ it involved two more raiders. It is well documented, and the details can be read at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_of_29_February_1916 Ferdinand Kolb had already given up his trade and the fairly new ship of his son would rot away if nothing happened. To prevent that, he sold the schooner ‘Friedrich’ on May 10, 1916 to Friedrich Mentz of Rostock, a couple of days after his son would have been 29. Three months later, Ferdinand and Maria declared their last son dead. | 11

Germanischer Lloyd 1922

The pursuit of the new owner Friedrich Mentz began in a discouraging fashion. The Mentz family from Rostock seemed to be extinct. But the town of Rostock’s archive is open to the public. Maybe somewhere within the files I could identify a person behind the name. The traces go back a long way in Rostock history. The oldest source I found was a last will dated 1476 by Abigail Dierks, nee Mentz. This was the first time I ever heard of a German named Abigail. Maybe her parents were Hanse traders with connections to the London Steelyard? Anyway, she Eldest known picture of Friedrich: 1923 in Rostock

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was married to a court jeweller and did not need to take precautions against poverty. For centuries, the name Mentz appears every now and then, often quoted as skippers, sometimes along with a barque or different vessel with their family name. Then, starting from 1850, favourable political conditions let the Rostock harbour prosper and made it the busiest in the Baltic. Good times for the ropemaker Helmuth Joachim Friedrich Mentz to run a side business as a ship broker. Maybe it did not remain a side business: in the records of Rostock registered ships, his name appeared so frequently that I stopped counting! When his son Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig August Mentz was born in 1881, ropemaking remained the profession mentioned for his father. The address book of 1916 records Friedrich Wilhelm Mentz as ship owner and ship broker. In 1910, he had purchased a steamer, but lost it in the same year. Being the son of a rope maker, he may not have been too happy with the upcoming steam technology anyway. With ‘Friedrich’ he bought a schooner without an auxiliary engine. This he repeated with several sailing vessels of around 200 registered tons. The register of the Rostock merchant vessels ended in 1917, so it is not clear how long he held on to unadulterated sail.

As Siegfried Borgward later joined the Nazi party, his photograph is kept on record. A portrait of Friedrich Wilhelm Mentz was nowhere to be found. But despite of Siegfried Borgward, captain 1922bomb carpets 1924 in WW II and the sometimes even more disastrous time of East Germany, his home is still there, not even a stone throw from the Rostock archive. In 1924, Friedrich Wilhelm Mentz sold the schooner ‘Friedrich’ to Swedish buyers.

Rostock, Große Wasserstr. 21. A hundred years ago it was the home of the Mentz family

Contrary to his predecessor, Friedrich Wilhelm Mentz apparently never captained his ships himself. In 7 years, he had at least 4 captains operating ‘Friedrich’: F. la Roche (1916-1918), O. Elschner (1918-1921), A. Peters (1919-1922) and Siegfried Borgward (1922-1924).

Until December 25th of 1929 he went on with his business of a ship owner and broker. Apparently, his demise at the age of 48 was highly unexpected. Many vessels were sued for not having paid their harbour fees and they could all reply that they had left this to their late broker. To play safe, the authorities confiscated his schooner-rigged screw steamer ‘Geheimrat Mahn’ and it took two years to finally settle the matter. | 13

Sweden March 8 1924 Friedrich was sold to a ‘partenreederei’, a joint ownership of vessels, led by the miller Axel Ageberg. The Scandinavian tradition requires re-naming of ships whenever the ownership changes, so the new name was ‘Sam’. In fact, this was only an investment, as Sam was seldom really operated and spent most of its time on sale in the Archipelago of Småland. After two years, in 1926, Sam was sold for 24,500 Kronor to another ‘partenreederei’ from Stockevik and re-named to ‘Merry’. This ownership would last for 30 years, a time not yet beaten. It was a family company formed by Nernst Arthur Carlsson (50 %) and his nephews Karl Henrik and Gustav Henriksson (each 25 %). Arthur Carlsson later would make people remember him for the next 80 years. According to Anders Carlsson, the purchase was made for her iron hull, that provided more storage than wooden vessels. The Hendrikssons had operated a schooner before but apparently were not lucky with it. Maybe they were seeking a new beginning when they called their new ship Merry. Merry was modernized and fitted with a 100 hp two stroke June Munktell. From then on, Merry would remain in Stockevik for 30 years. The leadership of the partenreederei changed to Nernst Arthur Carlsson in 1932 and the engine was replaced after 11 years by a twostroke of Skandiaverken A.B. During these works, 14 |

Merry 1926

they also erected a rudder house with a rounded front – according to the fashion of the time. For the next 20 years Merry would carry cargo, mainly across the Baltic, mostly timber and cement. The cement cargo was loaded in Gotland and unloaded next morning in Stockholm. It would have to be discharged quickly to allow the 60 nautical miles return the same day. This continued also throughout the Second World War.

From left: Johny and Arthur Carlsson, Gustav Hendrikssen and Axel Andersson

After the war, it was also timber for Germany, taking coal and coke on the return voyage. The season normally began in March and ended around Christmas, depending on ice.

Nernst Arthur Carlsson

After 13 years in charge, in 1939, Arthur Carlsson passed on the captain’s position to his son Carl. In the small village of Stockevik, Arthur stayed around and sometimes joined the ship. Seven years later, Carl took over the share of the Henrikssons. The ship was now a father and son enterprise. | 15

Merry as a trading vessel in a Swedish harbour, undated

Account of Elsa Martinsson, daughter of Arthur Carlsson: In Stockevik the season began in March, when the ice broke. Sometimes, a tug would be called to break the ship free. Then, she would sail maybe to Bohus Malmön, Krokstrand for cobblestones. The stones were traded to harbours in the Øresund or Baltic. Later, when all the harbours became ice-free, anything would be loaded including flour, grain, timber, cement, sand, limestone and bricks. Loading was mostly done by the crew of captain, second mate, cook and four mariners. 16 |

At home, the captain’s family was already well connected to the ship – also via telephone from harbours. The children wrote letters to their father until he came home for Christmas. Then, the whole family would be busy clearing and cleaning the ship, preparing it for the next season. It was a business that employed the whole family. Sometimes, wife and children would join the ship for some weeks in summer.

At the home jetty in Stockevik

Coast freighters were the normal transport for the area until improved roads and motorcars made an end to this way of business. Eventually, Merry would be the last trader at the island of Skaftö. For the first years, dad spent all the season (March to December) at sea. Later, he visited his family sometimes in summer or when he was in the area. The elder sons Carl and Johny worked on the ship, Johny was their cook. When they came home again, everything had to be ready. We had a pig to be butchered for Christmas. All of its parts were used in some way, fresh, cured, as liver pie and sausage. One ham was to be smoked – this was something that had to be outsourced. Everything else was done at home with the meat grinder. Especially I remember the year when 2 days before Christmas we had not yet hung up the fresh kitchen drapes and a

neighbour came in yelling ‘They’re coming, they’re coming!’ At the beginning we did not understand, but then we did: Merry was approaching and we were not yet ready! We ran to the mountain and saw her swerve and blow the horn. Dad was back! The happiness was overwhelming, but now we really needed to hurry up! When dad came home, he always brought something nice along, mostly edible, but sometimes also other pretty small things. Merry would spend the winter on the slipway of Lyckan in Fiskebäckskil. That was the time when we would meet and got to know our father. After Christmas, the ship would be unloaded and sometimes, mum needed to make sure nothing would be forgotten. As I grew up, I was allowed to prepare for the ship. Socks needed repair and replacement so we acquired knitting wool and a knitting | 17

Merry / LL36 in Iceland, Siglufjord, herring season of 1946

machine. We had to care for four men and all their clothing took a lot of time. We also knitted mittens. They had to have two thumbs, I don’t know why. At least 5 pairs were required by each man. It was the same with the socks: the whole drawer had to be filled anew. We stored all of that in an extra room. When everything was finished, the room was stuffed. It was an enormous task to complete. Dad demanded his underwear homemade from flannel. He also wanted home sewn fisher shirts of striped cotton. Also, the blue heavy-duty trousers had to be made at home. He was painstakingly picky about his gear. And he also needed more formal attire for the ship’s agents. We spent the whole season sewing. So 18 |

it was good that the boys went along with readymade clothing of wool jersey. There had to be striped beds in every bunk. Some were filled with straw, others with cotton nuggets and everything had to be nice and clean when Merry left next March. When she returned next winter, the straw was burned and the linen washed. The pillows were filled with feathers, the covers with cotton lumps. They also needed to be washed and repaired. Mum was very correct about the washing. No gear that had been at sea would enter the house before the washing – she could not stand the smell of fish.

Hence, there was a lot of washing to do in the wash house. But there was no running water, so all of it had to be carried in and out again. It was a really tough job and it was freezing cold. And when we hung up everything, it sometimes took weeks to dry in a cold winter. This was a real nightmare. I would not like to do this again. Before Merry went to sea again, also the ship had to be shiny and clean. And then, all the gear we had made was carried in. We always hired a person to help. Still, it took one or two days to clean everything. For the provisioning, we had baked for days. Eggs had to be wrapped in paper and stored in jars, at least 80 pieces. Then, the pickled meat and salted herring we purchased from Arthur’s brother-in-law in Grundsund. We had land in Valås and farmed potatoes because dad liked to have them on board. He was grateful for everything he could bunker home as he wouldn’t need to care for that underway. Once he was at sea, we did the office work. Mum did the bookkeeping, even though she did not like it. The kids were sent with several tasks to the bank even before they turned 18. All the bills for oil, insurance, freight and other expenses for the ship were sent to Stockevik. That was a big responsibility. Then, we had to do statistics about the crew. How long they worked, what they were paid, and so on. Deck hands and cook earned 30-40 Kronor per months and were employed for 10 months per year.

When dad came home we had to give account how the money was spent. Every year a person would come to dad for the tax declaration. Then, the whole house was full of paper. I don’t think that I all my life ever have seen that much paper before or after. Dad was always very keen to keep in touch with the family while he was away. He told us everything. When the route would change, he phoned the grocer. The grocer or his wife then came to us and our job was to inform the families of the crews. Now and then, dad sent postcards. And as we grew older, mum let us write him letters. He always kept our cards and letters. (from an interview in 1996)

The crew of the herring season in summer 1954

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On a sunny Saturday on 29 June 1996, The Eye of the Wind motored south, down the west coast of Sweden, with Lennart Martinsson on board to pilot the ship through a maze of islands, skerries and canals. The ship rounded into Gullmarsfjorden and drew alongside the wharf at Fiskebäckskil on Skaftö, the fishing village where she bore the nameplate A part of the Skärhamn cargo fleet of 1939

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‘Merry’ for twenty four winters when she was owned by Arthur Carlsson, Lennart’s grandfather. Late that blustery afternoon Lennart took the ship’s company to Fiskebäckskil Kyrka, a small, white, wind blown church with a bright interior and intricately painted pews. Every surface glowed with ships, mermaids and nautical motifs, testament to centuries of maritime heritage.

Elsa Martinson, daughter of Arthur Carlsson, at visit in 1996

Lennart told how Arthur Carlsson’s son Carl was lost overboard in a Baltic storm when Merry was trading timber during WWII. His body was recovered on the Danish coast and brought back for burial. Carl’s funeral was interrupted by someone rushing in with news of the wreck of a local boat. The cold northern sea is an exigent workplace.

The following morning, Arthur Carlsson’s daughter, Elsa Martinsson, leaning on her cane, came on board the Eye of the Wind. Elsa, in her eighties, was exhausted by the walk but determined to come. Young Hannah, blonde and lovely, came with her to translate and to absorb the family lore on board the ship her grandfather loved so well.

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Sentence by sentence Elsa’s memories unwound, from Swedish to English. She gleefully told how she had been popular with the crew when she had lived on Merry as a child because, they assured her, Arthur was softer when she was on board. Sitting in the upper saloon in a wispy halo of sunlit silver hair, she had come to dispel any notion that the ship’s ghost could be Carl Carlsson or anyone other than Arthur. Some people had suggested that Carl may be a candidate because he had died at sea. She told the galley crew, who had all gone quite still, that Arthur had died in her arms, at home, in his bed, aged eighty three. ‘If there is a ghost, it will be my father: he could see through the divide between worlds. One winter morning he looked out the window of our house and saw the neighbour’s little daughter dancing in the snow. Later, the grief-stricken parents told him that their daughter had died during the night.’ On that Sunday morning the ship, sitting alongside that Fiskebäckskil wharf, where it hadn’t been seen for decades, quietly vindicated Arthur Carlsson. Elsa recalled, in a village where wooden ketches had fished for centuries, the consternation when Arthur announced his intention to buy an iron ship. ‘Oh, Arthur Carlsson!’ they cried, ‘You would be mad to buy an iron ship! It will rust! Iron is so much heavier than wood and it will sink.’ 22 |

The Skärhamn fleet in the 1950s

Unswayed, Arthur Carlsson informed the detractors that he intended to have a cosy wheel-house on board his iron ship. ‘No! No! No!’ the other fishermen clamoured, ‘Have you lost your mind? You know how important it is to feel the wind on your face as you are sailing through these complicated waterways! How can you feel the elements?! How can you see every little skerry? You will miss something and your iron ship will sink to the bottom of the fjord.’ Undismayed, Arthur Carlsson let it be known that his iron ship with the wheel house would also have an engine. ‘Eeek, Arthur Carlsson!’ they shrieked ‘You have completely lost your wits! What sort of fisherman are you? The engine will break down and you and your heavy iron ship will sink in the Skagerrak.’

Unperturbed, Arthur Carlsson, acquired Merry and set to sea, warm and dry in his wheel house, and when the wind failed or blew over his bows he would furl his sails and use his engine to speed back to port with his catch. He could steer through narrow channels and go places that the hearty timber Fiskebäckskil fleet could not venture under sail. Needless to say, he made a killing, fishing and trading cargo.

Elsa’s pale blue eyes were intense as she waved across the vacant Fiskebäckskil docks and observed that not a single ship from that fifty strong fleet of splendid timber fishing boats remains. Emotion dissolved her when watching from her window the previous afternoon, her father’s beloved Merry come steaming into the fjord, the solitary survivor of a long gone era. Suzy Manigian

The Skärhamn fleet in 1957

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Starting from 1946, with Europe recovering after the war, the Carlssons commenced a new business. Together with fishermen from Mollösund they fished for herring off the Iceland coast. To do that, they obtained the fishing boat registration LL 36. Fishing was successful until 1950, when the herring catch failed. Northeast off the Iceland coast the Norwegian fishing vessel ‘Senior I av Bergen’ collided with her. Their helmsman had been blinded by a light and the commander took the blame. 19,500 Kronor were paid to repair the damages. 24 |

1955 – Boys on board And now it was mid summer of 1955 with sunshine and beautiful weather! Frieda, my mum, my brother Ingemar (11) and I (6) went to Malmö to join dad along the east coast of Sweden northwards! When we arrived in Malmö, dad and the German ABs already waited for us. Their names were Dieter, Jochen and Moffi. I don’t remember Moffi’s correct name anymore. But I do remember they had brought a bunch of red roses for mum. In Malmö we loaded flour sacks which came on a conveyor belt out of the mill. Our broker arranged a fishing tour for my brother Ingemar in the sound. The catch was successful and Ingemar brought a lot of cod. We left Malmö in the afternoon or evening and I remember the sunset when we passed Falsterbo Canal. To get a really good view, I sat myself on a box of lifebuoys. It was on the roof of the decks house. I also had good fun twisting on the radio direction finder. But dad had forbidden that, so I abstained. The Hanö bay was flat as a mirror and the weather was wonderful up to Kalmarsund. There, a thunderstorm approached. Instead of going straight into the wind, we made fast in Kalmar.

Frida Carlsson and her son Rolf, around 1952

weather cleared up and the sea was calm again. When we reached the Småland archipelago the ‘Constance av Malmön’ came onwards from the other direction. She was a three masted schooner and dad went to the wheelhouse door and waved. He told us about the schooner. Mum, Ingemar and I were standing on the deckhouse waving. We knew the people on board. And all waved back. It was the last time I saw ‘Constance’. She was shipwrecked near Stevens Klint on December 10th 1955. It was the day of my father’s burial and I remember it was sunshine, dead calm and some degrees below 0.

When we left again in the morning, there still was high swell and I went sick. But bit by bit the | 25

When we came close to the lightship ‘Västra Banken’ the engine was stopped and Ingemar went down to dad into the cabin. It was in the evening and he was off watch. Ingemar said he had sat on the clutch lever – just suitable for a boy to peep out of the wheelhouse window. I think it was his favoured place and he only left it during manoeuvres. Anyway, he was there when he noticed that smoke came out of the exhaust pipe. A crankshaft bearing had heated, even though he had recently greased it.

I did what children do when tension builds up. I went down to the portside bunk as this one had sliding doors I could close around me. When I woke up again, we were in the Öregrund shipyard. In order to fix our average, Carl Martinsson came to Öregrund from Fiskebäckskil with a new crankshaft bearing. He repaired the engine so quickly that the shipyard wanted to hire him on the spot.

Unknown boys with 4 years old Ingemar Carlsson and Jonas Olofsson in the background (1948)

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Next morning we headed north towards Skelleftehamn. We lightened a part of the cargo and went back south to Umeå. Also there, I stayed aboard playing while mum and Ingemar went ashore. I was on the deckhouse roof playing with my boat when a boy passed the quayside. I knew him from Stockevik. Last year he had stayed there with his family. He and his brother had made friends with Ingemar. Amongst others they had taken our open dinghy and sailed to Grundsund in it. At first, our mum was shocked, but in the end, everything went well. In the afternoon, the brothers came to visit us. For that, I had cleared my playground on the deckhouse and had put the timber back to it’s place between the hatch frame and the bulkhead of the engine room roof on port.

boat on the beach. Dad explained that an Estonian had escaped all across the Baltic to Sweden in it. When we came to Kalmar, the journey ended. It was a grey day, also regarding the weather. We said goodbye to dad and he had arranged that we were taken to the railway station in a bus of the ship broker. Rolf Carlsson Olle Skogmann: ‚Merry of Stockevik‘

One may wonder what boys like us did while the ship was at sea. One real pleasure was to climb up the main sail with a ladder and build a bunk up there. I found it terribly exciting being alone up there. Sometimes, we rigged a mast ontop of the stern hatch and asked dad for the Skandia and Biffen pennants to use. The cook aboard was Moffi, but on this journey he received help from mum. For breakfast he fried bread each morning and put a fried egg ontop. Still today I think of him when ever I see bread like this. In Norrköping we loaded pit props as deck’s cargo for Germany. I didn’t like this deck’s cargo as I needed to climb a lot to get from bow to stern or back. When we cleared the port, we saw a little old | 27

October 20th 1955, Merry was in heavy weather on her way to Gothenburg. A light was mistaken for the light of an oncoming pilot. Sailing towards the light the ship touched ground off the Swedish island of Tanneskar and broke her rudder. Without proper rudder function, the ship couldn’t control its heading, so the crew dropped the anchor, but under such conditions, the ship came beam on to the wind and started to drag. The anchor chain jumped the gypsy on the windlass on running out, a situation that couldn’t be controlled by the brake. Merry drifted towards Donsö Svartskär. Carl Carlsson, her captain and co-owner was midships, when a large wave came over. The wave took him overboard together with the deck cargo of pit props. More than a month later, his body was found near Skagen. He was 43 years old. The whole affair was not only dramatic, it was mysterious, too. During the investigation, the German 1956 in Uppsala

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Carl Carlsson

crews said they had launched the life buoys. But all the buoys were found onboard. The wreck was salvaged. However Arthur, Carl’s father, did not keep it and in May 1956 he sold Merry after 30 years to another owner’s group led by Gösta Daniel Olafsson in Grundsund. Their brother Jonas knew Merry already as crew member. In 1962, Arthur Carlsson died at the age of 80. It is reported that Ingemar Carlsson disliked the new home port of Grundsund as he would be forced to see the ship run by other people. Now it couldn’t be avoided. Still, the family would keep their tie to the ship. Carl Carlsson’s son Lennart Martinson would sail her again decades later, as well as his daughter Hanna. And Rolf Carlsson would later have the most highly unexpected

Merry 1967

encounter with the vessel. Together, the Carlssons spent 4 generations directing and accompanying the destiny of one ship. In Grundsund, Merry underwent a major refit. She became a galleass – her first mast was taller than the second. This type of rigging was popular especially in the Baltic area. She then was named ‘Rose Marie’ and remained in the same business: merchant shipping and again herring fishing off Iceland as a sailing vessel.

At the beginning, there were about 80 ships in the fishing trade. Then, the herring failed to appear, the industry collapsed and only 3 fishing vessels were still active in 1962. One of them was Rose Marie. In 1964, the time of commercial sailing vessels seemed to be over. Her masts were cut down, making her into a motorship. In 1966 she was renamed ‘Merry’ again and owned by a freshwater-based partenreederei: John Julius Hätting of the island of Torsö in the Vänern lake. | 29

It was January 20,1970 when captain Lennart Sandinge realized Merry would not be able to leave the harbour on her own accord: ‘At the departure in the morning of January 20th, 1970 there were harsh ice conditions in the harbour. We hooked up Merry on the quarter of M/S Faxeborg, to increase the engine power. After approx. 3 hours, we could disconnect and continue 30 |

by ourselves. The cargo was limestone powder, for Surte Glasbruk (glass-mill).’ Off the island of Nidingen, the engine room caught fire. The two crew members Lennart Sandinge and Ceve Petterson abandoned ship and were rescued, but Merry burnt down to the hull. She was not seaworthy anymore after that.

Merry, burnt down.

Lars Gustav Bohlin’s insurance company took the ship over. Everything looked like she was finished and would go to the scrapyard. The time of small cargo vessels was over and the 59 years old ship had already done a good job. Still, Karl Hilmersson, relative and close friend of Carl Carlsson didn’t want to put up with this. He knew the ship very well and was determined to provide a new life for her. It made him very happy when buyers did come around. Still, as Rolf Carlsson

reports, they didn’t get everything. His brother Ingemar asked for the top lantern of the ship. When the buyers arrived, Rolf was impressed with them and for the first time ever, developed an interest in the ship that was sold when he was 7 years old. From this moment onwards, he began to collect information about the ship that his father and grandfather had sailed. His collection of information has been incorporated into this book. The lantern still lives in his house. | 31

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2017: Reunions | 33

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We came here for a double or triple reunion. Of course, after a number of years one wants to meet and see the old lady again. We have a kind of invisible ship alive in our minds and memories, that is personal to each of us and our history with her. This ship is where ever we go and does not need any planks or ropes. It enabled us to celebrate her centenary on dry land, half a planet away. Our connection is strong and survived the time when we were actually sailing together. Some as owners, many as crew, many more as voyage crew. We did belong together and we still do. But this time, we came together for a special occasion. During our

preparations for her centenary we found out about her elder sister – more or less by chance. The model she was built after had worked as a cargo vessel in the Mediterranean for many years. When this career seemed to be ending, enthusiasts re-dis covered and purchased her. As the Eye was in the area anyway, we would come in to visit and see how the future Brigantes was shaping up. It was quite likely that the two sisters would meet again for the first time in 106 years. For now, we are in a smaller harbour outside of Palermo and have time to settle into our cabins and the new ship’s routines. We are customers now, not voyage crews. We do not need to do a thing anymore. Our cabins appear much more luxurious than they used to be. In 2001, a group of Danes, consisting of Ole Johanson, Svend Friis-Hansen and Gitte Bøgh, had purchased her. Ole was the one with the money and only had a vague idea of what sailing was like. Svend and Gitte already run a schooner and supplied the naval skills. Their contract was to drive Ole around for five years and then take over ownership of the Eye. Together, they had big plans of global voyages and a lot of money. Some parts of the ship certainly deserved reassessment after 25 years. A toilet and shower in the cabin are definitely nice to have and aircon would simply be great. Still, they opted for 3 bunks in one cabin and lockers that are very small for one person and the gear for a week. It is

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hard to figure out how this went along with their plans of sailing around the world. Our old cabins were smaller ones with only a sink – but had much more storage. The luggage for weeks or months onboard was conveniently stored. In some cabins there was also ship’s storage under bunks, benches and the flooring. It worked for many more people than the small number she is allowed to take now. Usually, we were in total 30 people, more on certain voyages. So there’s lots more room now with up to 12 guests and around 8 crew. They now get along with one cook and do not need to eat in shifts as we did. The cooking is as good as it used to be, but not as sumptuous. Now, I can finish every meal. In former times, I probably never managed that! We’re posh now and we don’t do watches throughout the night. We have also aged a couple of years, unlike the ship that seems to have stopped aging. In the evening, we all introduce ourselves to each other. The ship’s language is still English, but a fuzzy one. The native speakers are pretty much gone. Instead, it’s a colourful mixture of Europeans and others. For me it’s pretty convenient as I can use my native German on the ship now. But I will forever benefit from that wild mixture of all sorts of broken and native English, Australian, Irish, Scottish and American that made me suffer in the beginning. Now, I get dizzy sometimes between official English, informal German and local Italian. We would leave the harbour tomorrow, hopefully set some sails in the calm Mediterranean 36 |

summer and follow the Sicilian coast towards Trapani, our only fixed port of call. Then, after visiting Brigantes, we would decide what to do next. For now, it was time to go to my cabin, next to the place where I had my only encounter with Arthur: Arthur Carlsson. Arthur was our faithful companion for a long time. First, he was reported as a presence by young girls who slept in the lower saloon - sometimes even touching them. In 1988, there was open ship in

Sydney, Darling Harbour. A lady then approached the crew. She said she was a medium. She noticed the positive aura of the ship and the presence of a ghost. The ghost would be a former captain and not malevolent. He simply wanted to stay and wouldn’t move on. Later people also saw him on deck wearing a sou'wester. As times went by, he even obtained a regular seat in the lower saloon. In fact, one could study how people look and feel when you tell them there’s a ghost around - Flabbergasted! - mulling over what was going on, and your mental state. When I told people of my encounter I could read in their faces that they felt just like I did when the first person told me. But indeed, Arthur was at times seen so regularly, that he was even mentioned in the totally serious safety instructions. Don’t light fire below deck, use the live vest like this and don’t worry if you see the ghost. Indeed, nothing evil was ever reported about him. Arthur Carlsson apparently did not really leave the ship, when he passed the captain’s position on to his son Carl: Carl Carlsson, who later was washed over the side. In the 1990s, when the Carlsson family visited the ship, they were not very surprised. Elsa, his daughter, said ‘Arthur would never leave the ship, of course he’s still on watch!’ Funnily enough, he was only seen by females, no man ever spotted him. But at least for me, in the beginning the ghost’s reported friendliness didn’t help much. During night watches one sits in the darkness on lookout at the bowsprit and then does a regular check of gauges and facilities under deck. These places can be eerie

in total darkness even without any ghost. But Arthur’s appearance was indeed not eerie at all. It was Easter Sunday, broad daylight and in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. After lunch, I sat in the saloon with my cabin mate. We had high swells so it was somewhat difficult to hold oneself on to the table and to do the diary. And of course, it is another thing to be on deck under these conditions. They would have to be very alert to remain safe up there. And one time, when the ship rolled over, we heard a man scream. A scream I never heard before and do not intend to hear ever again. The scream of a man who knows for sure that this is his moment to die. But it wasn’t loud, like a radio turned low. Chris and I gazed at each other. Did we lose someone? Was somebody making the worst joke ever? When the scream was over, we kept quiet for a moment watching for alarm on deck and a man overboard manoeuvre. But nothing happened. So we relaxed and Chris said ‘That was an eerie one!’ Yes, it was. But not anymore. As long as we thought somebody was really dying, we were shocked. But it only was the ghost – he was dead already, we couldn’t help him anyway. Not in my wildest dreams would I have guessed the encounter with a ghost could be a relief. I hadn’t ever seen Arthur. Neither then nor now. I did wonder whether he was here still but didn’t ask anyone. At night, the ship is so quiet, he now could walk about without being seen too often. Or calmly leave his ship. The adventurous voyages are over, the crew is alert with modern safety equipment. His ship would be safe. He can rest. | 37

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1973 – 1976: Revitalisation

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Burnt-down, Merry was towed in Gothenburg, Sweden. It was the early 1970s, when people believed the time of larger sailing vessels was over. But even in that time before fax machines and internet, enthusiasts remained in touch across the globe. In Australia, there was a group of people looking for a ship of their own. They had already taken every opportunity to collect material from ships before they were broken up. Skills, optimism and a workforce were ready, only one detail lacked: funds. In which case, looking for a ship to purchase and operate, it’s better not to be too fussy about its physical condition. But it had to be steel or iron; a timber ship carrying passengers below deck would rot in the tropics due to insufficient ventilation. Now, gossip spread that something affordable could be found in Sweden. The Swedish maritime historian Walter Nilsson knew Merry and sought her in Gothenburg. She had disappeared from sight for a while when she was in the nearby shipyard of Billdal to be transformed into a club by an American group, the Josiah R. Littleship Inc.. But this plan failed, she was brought back to Gothenburg and was re-discovered by Walter Nilsson. He reported to a prospective buyer:

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Merry was larger than planned. What was left of her after the fire was still in good condition – given that fact that she would cost the price of the scrap metal. Alternatives did not really exist, so the decision was made. This ship should be rebuilt and reactivated. The contract was signed the 14th February 1973. The new owners Anthony ‘Tiger’ Timbs and Lesley Reiter weren’t at all sure they would cope with the task. But this was the best possibility so far. And just in case, one could always resell it again after some work on it and then maybe proceed with an easier job and more money.

Signing the contract

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In the dry dock

After purchase, she was taken into dry dock for inspection of the hull and to examine any damage that might be left from previous accidents and repairs. To great relief, the maximum hull wastage in the original plates was 1.5 mm after 62 years in 42 |

service. Evidence of a previous collision with the wharf had to be removed. It was mainly done by the skill of the crew alone (as happened in many later situations). In this case repairs were made on a long weekend, when the dock was not in

Aft end showing deck beams and commencement of accommodation

commercial use, using materials purchased in advantageous circumstances. It was winter in Sweden and the new owners came in with a bunch of people from Australia. Living was a little cramped and having after-work showers in the bathroom of the former owner could not continue for long. They decided to only do the most important work on site and then to move over to England where they could speak the language, have friends and connections. There would also be paid work for them to make a living - while building up a vessel to travel the planet. In the expensive country of Sweden, they had to make do with food parcels from friends in the UK. Before crossing the North Sea, all the debris had to be cleaned out of the hull and usable parts would have to be identified and stored. The rudder gear had to be replaced and one was available from Aberdeen that was five years older than the ship.

Some plates of the hull had to be fixed, but generally, the shell was in good condition and as the works progressed, she made the Certification of Seaworthiness. The Swedish summer was coming to an end so Granite blocks from former Gothenburg pavements were loaded as ballast, everything useful stored and after fixing the engine that at first started in reverse she would make the first voyage towards her new life across the North Sea. The weather was favourable so it was a safe passage – apart from problems with the generator. When it broke, the journey continued without navigation lights, making it very dubious for the authorities of Grimsby. At that time, unlit ships were a common way of human smuggling. So the ship was searched and examined. But papers and ship were found to be in order and legal. This matter could be easily settled.

Replacing the rudder gear

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The Gothenburg restoration site

More difficult to solve was the financial issue. All funds were drained. Moreover, the political and economical situation in Britain were not favourable. Thus, the works had to pause whilst solutions were found. The nearby Iron Wharf of Faversham was a good place to keep Merry for a while, to provide storage and space for the work when it would continue.

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Then, after more than a year and under improved conditions, the works to revitalize Merry could resume.

Faversham In a country with the same language and not too far from London, things were much easier to organize. Still, everything had to be done in the most economical way. Material had already been collected from many different sources, more equipment would be found in scrapyards and several other sources. The bowsprit was welded together from 3 rollers from a papermill. Shipbreakers supplied a large quantity of items to be recycled. As lead was too expensive for ballast, concrete railway sleepers were used. Church pews became benches in the deck saloon, a former dancefloor was re-used as the saloon floor. The unmistakable warm and cosy look and feel of the interior came from the less inviting environment of a bank building that was to be demolished. Parts of the new interior were made of elm, others of pine. The pin rails evolved from a former life as railway sleepers. After a long working day in all the dirt and dust and grease, showers were not as easy to get as they were in Sweden. A 10 mile drive was needed to a public bath in Sittingbourne, where explanations were needed to account for the repetitive stream of dirty people. Initially, the ship needed to provide living space for the workers, so the galley and living quarters were completed first. Meanwhile, trees for topmasts and spars had to be identified, felled and transported. But the masts themselves would impose an issue which was not easy to handle.

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The new main mast about to be erected manually

The fore mast was checked and found in order. For the anticipated Brigantine rig it had to be repositioned and of course fitted with yards. But the main was no good anymore and had to be replaced by a steel pipe of 68 foot. Wally Buchanan, the rigger, decided a crane was not necessary for that. He would be able to erect it solely by manpower. And he did. Wally with the main boom

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Sitting in the mud of the tidal creek at Faversham Iron Wharf

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New acquisitions on the wharf

Putting Eye of the Wind together There were times when Eye of the Wind was opened for inspection. The public filed aboard to listen to the story of how the ship was rebuilt. Most of the visitors only saw a well-maintained Brigantine. Few would comprehend where the variety of

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materials, the different odds and ends, bits and pieces, actually came from to make Eye of the Wind what it was.

Joe Spinelli and shipwright Bob Hill laying the timber on the monkey poop

I recall those early years of rebuilding in an effort to save finance, the search for bargains in all manner of material, timber, metal scraps, of possible use; anything that could or would be used sometime in reconstruction of the ship. Nothing escaped our scavenging eyes right from those months in Sweden, when on Sunday mornings before commencing work, the scrap dumpsters of the deserted Gothenburg shipyard were searched in the possibility of finding something

useful. Discarded tins of anti-fouling, metal primer, paint; every drop of residue in those containers, was drained into small cans, no matter what colour. What other people discarded we gathered for use at some other time. Any screw, washer, nut or bolt found discarded, lying on the ground, was put into jars. Everything had some use at some later time. In Sydney, old ship’s blocks, regardless of condition, were collected. Wrecking ship yards in around Faversham and Gothenburg were scoured | 49

galley utensils and equipment, doors, port holes, life rings, firefighting equipment, even complete companionways. Nothing escaped attention if it could be of use aboard Eye of the Wind at some time in the future. One might even say Eye of the Wind was rebuild with second hand materials, a jig saw puzzle of bits and pieces from an assortment of crafts, big and small. Everything that might find a place aboard the brigantine that would win awards for excellence in later years. Timber was often salvaged from the river or dock in both Sweden and Grimsby. At times in Grimsby valuable new pine planking arriving from Scandinavia fell from forklifts and was made dirty with mud. It was unsaleable, discarded and later burned. It was ‘rescued’ in the dead of night before the piles of wood were torched a day later. The empty hold of the ship gradually filled to capacity with an assortment of different materials waiting for the time it would become part of the ship. There was always an unexpected use for everything.

Joe maintaining the deck

with regularity on old ships destined for scrap. Nothing escaped our scavenging eyes in a hunt for anything that might eventually become part of Eye of the Wind. It was a routine during reconstruction. Everything was bargained for and for the best and cheapest price. Brass hinges, door handles, 50 |

Oak bannisters from a bank stairway became ideal guttering for the deckhouse. Armoured, plate glass doors from the same bank became skylights for the lower Saloon. Mahogany board room panels would line the lower saloon. Wood beams from old warehouses, old wharf pylons, an oak dance floor, church pews, the assortment of material was endless. It all became part of Eye of the Wind.

Before crossing the North Sea to England from Sweden, some ballast had to be found. The ship had no ballast whatsoever. Granite paving stones from Gothenburg’s streets were collected at a yard. Eighteen tons at a bargain price helped get the ship

Drinks, anyone?

to England. Electrical wiring and wireless equipment from second hand shipyards were also found and purchased for the passage to England. So much was Second hand. The first wooden deck was salvaged from an old paddle wheel ferry. Tiger and I barely finished stripping the timber decking before the yard workers began cutting the ferry into scrap. Concrete railway sleepers were dug up from an old railway yard near where the ship was berthed in Faversham. It cost nothing but sweat and hard labour but it was the foundation toward the appropriate amount of ballast as the Eye of the Wind became heavier with the addition of rigging, cabins and all other work. Used wooden railway sleepers of excellent hardwood Jarrah would eventually became pin rails. Water tanks of odd shapes were also salvaged from scrap yards. Stacks of tongue and groove panels burned at one end by accident at a timber yard were bought at a much reduced price. They became cabin walls. Discarded roofing trusses, once dismantled, became the framework of the same cabins.

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The list went on and on. But every time something from that stockpile of gathered material was used, Eye if the Wind changed. Another piece of the jigsaw puzzle put into place. Another step closer to

becoming the ship brought back from what might have been a pile of scrap metal in Sweden.

Joe Spinelli

In a later time, less busy with the ship

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Slowly a brigantine began to evolve. Topmasts and yards, as well as gaffs and booms were shaped alongside the quay. The blacksmith’s forge glowed as bands were forged to fit the spars. Master rigger Wally Buchanan came to live at Faversham whilst rigging was in progress and there he remained. ‘Sows’ ears became silk purses’, as pieces of scrap metal became the bowsprit chain plates and dolphin striker as well as many other fittings. A figurehead of a wind cherub was fashioned from the butt end of one of the spars. A nearby warehouse became the rigger’s workshop as coils of wire rope were fashioned into shrouds and footropes. The distinctive smell of Stockholm tar hung heavy in the air, whilst the purple glow of the welder’s torch cast gigantic shadows on the wall of the old warehouse. Suitable materials for fitting out the accommodation slowly became available. Heavy duty aluminium water tanks were procured from a local shipbreakers’ yard. Visitors to the site could be excused for thinking that the vessel was being broken up, rather than being restored, when they saw the collection of second hand materials strewn along the quay. Lesley Reiter Lesley Reiter

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conditions and become very hard to handle. Jack said Norwegian fishermen now used plastic sails made from Dacron. He strongly suggested opting for them, too. Following this advice, the Eye of the Wind probably became the first square rigger ever with Dacron sails. Nowadays, nobody uses natural fibre anymore. Jack certainly did not expect that he would supply a future Cape Horner – even though this occurred 16 years later with another set of sails.

Jack Cockrill at work

The sailmaker The news had spread that in Faversham some enthusiasts are about to build a new square rigger. At this time when everybody regarded these ships as a thing of the past. One day, a man turned up on the quayside and introduced himself as Jack Cockrill. He said he was sailmaker. He had inherited his business from his father who had made sails for the big windjammers on the grain races around cape Horn. For once in his life, he would love to have a chance to make square sails, he would do it solely for the cost of the material. Such an offer was more than welcome. So they sat down together to negotiate the details of the job. In the 1970s, everybody used sails from natural fibre which would get sodden in wet 54 |

The figurehead was carved by Rod Clarke. One of the owners, Rod had been senior scenery painter for the Australian Opera in Sydney and went back to that position after the ship's first arrival in Sydney in August, 1977. Later, he acquired an ex bakery which he converted to a studio and continued painting scenery for Opera Australia and for other clients for other operas and musicals. Rod shaped all the original spars in Faversham, from the trees felled in Yorkshire, as well as the king post, catsheads and the pin rails. He also forged all the iron bands using a portable furnace ashore and on deck. We took six spare trees with us on deck when we left Faversham for Sydney and, after Galapagos, I think it was, Rod measured them all, decided that the largest was too large for its intended purpose, so cut off the thicker end, which, over three days, he chiselled out on deck into the figurehead we've had ever since. Richard Grono Rodney Clarke

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In Faversham

Peter Wormington

In the year 1976 Mr. Timbs wrote me to on behalf of the owners of the previous schooner ‘Friedrich’ from Faversham / Kent and informed us, that they had purchased in Sweden the ship burnt-down, but with working hot-bulb engine. They were intending to reactivate the ship as passenger vessel in the Iron Wharf of Faversham. To do that, we sent them remaining plans of our built 115/1911. Mr. Timbs announced for May 1976 the visit of an Australian friend, Mr. Mitchener, who was shipwright by profession and had joined the transition works. He was here in June 1976 and we gave him all desired information. The owners also had asked for a new shipyard plate which we delivered in bronze and in the modern size and was mounted to the decks house. From the notes of Conrad Lühring

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As the works advanced, public interest grew and the first of many articles were printed in local papers. Some of them would result in ties that lasted for decades. And of course, all the ship and crew registrations and certifications had to be finalised. All tasks and duties were successfully completed. The ship would be operated by the ‘Adventure Under Sail’ syndicate.

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When the works neared completion, several decisions had to be made. A very practical problem was the tidal creek where the ship lay, that only at certain times would hold enough water to let the ship move at all. Most of the times, she simply sat in the mud. Also, legal and organizational affairs began to become paramount. She had changed her name many times according to Scandinavian tradition, but English tradition dictated that she should keep her name if possible. Therefore, the intention was to keep the name ‘Merry’. But it turned out to be impossible, as vessels registered in the UK have to have a unique name. ‘Merry’ was already taken, so a list of other possible names was submitted. The WWF-co-founder Peter Scott had titled his autobiography ‘The Eye of the Wind’ referring to the poem by Cecil Day-Lewis, father of Daniel DayLewis. As an ornithologist he knew that sea birds can gauge the wind direction with their eyes. The name had not been used by any other vessel and became the official name of the ship. As a gesture towards the helpful and friendly people of Faversham, she would call this her port of registry. She was registered as ‘Faversham 01’. In October 1976, more than three years after being purchased, she left the quayside as a truly rejuvenated sailing vessel, carrying square sails for the first time ever. After she left, a cable was pulled across the watercourse. Thus, the Eye later could not call in to her home port anymore.

A first encounter I first saw her on a dull, rainy Sunday in February, 1976. I had answered an advert which said something like: ‘Brigantine, restoration nearing completion, ready for voyage to Australia, departing UK September 1976.’ I had been looking for an opportunity to sail the Atlantic for some time, and this sounded like the answer; I was invited to visit the ship, lying alongside at the Iron Wharf, Faversham, to meet the owners and other interested crew members – there was to be a lunchtime event onboard. I walked up and down the wharf several times – there was an old Thames barge, with her bows missing, lying on the mud of Faversham Creek, half full of water; another barge was in better condition; an old grey hulk, beside a derelict warehouse, with no easily visible name, had two bare masts and mountains of junk on the deck and foreshore; a pretty cutter was a welcome sight. No life stirred on the quay and every vessel seemed deserted. I could see nothing that looked like a ‘brigantine nearing completion...’ I had driven a long way and was not prepared to give up too easily on my search for my dream ship; I took a closer look at the grey hulk, listing in her mud berth. I clambered over the junk pile, and saw on her stern, in very faded letters ‘Eye of the Wind’ – I also saw the faint glow of a light in the deck house. I ventured along the gang plank to the

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deck and picked my way past scrap wood and metal on deck and knocked on the deck house door with some grave doubts in my mind. The door was opened immediately - the deck house was full of people! Happy, laughing, relaxed, talking of the work to be done and the voyage ahead; it was the most wonderful atmosphere – 60 |

these people were genuine, working to fulfil their dream of restoring a ship to her former glory and sailing the world’s oceans. When I came out of the deck house an hour later, the tide had returned, the ship was afloat! I saw her in a new light – not how much work remained to be done, but just how

much had been done and how real the prospect of a voyage could be. I was so inspired by the people and the ship that I knew then, that I wanted to be part of this dream. I don’t think anyone could have predicted how much the Eye of the Wind would

be an inspiration to the many thousands who have sailed in her over the years since that first voyage in 1976. John Baldwin | 61

Eye of the Wind, whose bearing in A changeful sky the sage Birds are never wrong about And mariners must gauge – The drift of flight, the fluttered jib Are what we knew it by: Seafarers cannot hold or sight The wind’s elusive eye.

That eye, whose shifting moods inspire The sail and trim the sheet, Commands me, though I can but steer Obliquely towards it.

Cecil Day Lewis

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1976 - 2000: World travels

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Lifting the anchor

1976 - The first voyage Most of the owners were Australian. Anyway – who would undertake such a tremendous restoration task just to sail the coastal waters along the English Channel? No-one. The first voyage would be to Australia, taking along the people who had joined the works in Faversham. One of them was John Baldwin whom I met 24 years later in 2000, on the 66 |

Atlantic crossing. Also, it then required a fully licensed captain. Richard Grono would undertake the job for free, on one condition: his wife Monika and sons Nicholas and Andrew would have to join the voyage. That could be arranged, so Richard began the tradition of sailing families in the Eye. Later, there would be Mike Kichenside with his daughter Miranda and of course, Tiger, Debra and Emma.

Legally, the ship would be owned and operated by Adventure Under Sail, formed by Anthony ‘Tiger’ Timbs, Lesley Reiter, Jean Dixon, Rodney Clarke, Allan O’Brien, Joe Spinelli and in the beginning, Ted Mitchener. The idea was to keep the fares as low as possible, and rather to focus on long voyages with the same people and returning guests. And it worked. 25 years later, on the last voyage, we sailed with some friends who had been already on the first voyage. Others had their competition on how many times they had been there and how much time they had spent. ‘Well, after the 28th time I stopped counting!’ was a statement that could hardly get topped. And sometimes, the lines blurred between professional crew and voyage crew. Some voyage crews stayed later as crews, some crews returned as voyage crews. All of that began when heading for the English Channel for the very first time. Painting under the waterline in Ramsgate

Tiger Timbs and Richard Grono

It was decided that the first voyage of Eye of the Wind would be a circumnavigation of the globe. Finally, after eighteen months of lying in her mud bath in Faversham creek, Eye of the Wind proudly made her way downstream headed for Ramsgate, where she stood on a grid for a ‘shave and paint’. With a cheering crowd of well-wishers at Ramsgate dock, she set sail on her long voyage to Australia, facing gales in the English Channel and the Bay of Biscay, making her first landfall in Madeira, thence to the Canary Islands before running before the trade winds towards the Caribbean landing in Barbados. Lesley Reiter

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We were only a month late in departing. The weather was bad for our passage down the Channel and we sheltered in Brixham (South Coast of England) for a few days. We set off again in sunshine, heading for the West Indies by way of Madeira and the Canaries, but were soon overtaken by gales crossing the Bay of Biscay. It was a baptism of fire! The seas were quite mountainous, the lee rail awash most of the time. We reached Funchal, Madeira in about 12 days; everyone was relieved to 68 |

experience the calm waters of a harbour once again! Remember, in 1976, there was no electronic navigation – we relied on a skipper with a sextant! There was no power assistance for the anchor winch – we all became very strong operating the hand driven anchor winch! From Madeira we made the Canary Islands and from there, after provisioning for the Atlantic

Crossing, we set out for Barbados. In contrast to the early part of the voyage, the weather seemed very kind; every day seemed to bring more blue sky, more blue water and the gentle roll associated with trade wind sailing. Dreams! John Baldwin

her destination, Sydney. With a change of voyage crew, she then commenced her return voyage to the U.K. Sailing north towards the Great Barrier Reef thence to Cairns, Eye of the Wind visited Thursday Island, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Sudan, then traversed the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean, visiting Athens, the Aegean Islands, Turkey, Yugoslavia, Malta and Italy. Sailing north from Sicily she visited Stromboli and Volcano in the islands of Lipari, both of which have active volcanoes. She then sailed on to Sardinia and Corsica, the Balearic Islands, Gibraltar and the Bay of Biscay, finally arriving in Plymouth, U.K. May 1978. Lesley Reiter

Material carried on for the next steps

After a month long stay in the Caribbean she then made her way to Panama, and through the canal to the Pacific Ocean. Eye of the Wind visited the Cocos Islands, Galapagos, Easter Island, Pitcairn Island, the Tuamotu Islands, outlying atolls in the Cook Islands, Tahiti and the Society Islands, the Samoas, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia, making landfall at Coffs Harbour on the eastern seaboard of Australia, prior to reaching

Nick (left) and Andrew Grono

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Eye of the Wind performed well in light airs averaging 100 nautical miles per day on the 18,000 miles passage to Sydney, Australia. The crew of twenty-six, made up of owners and paying crew, found it easy to fall under the spell of this tall, gracious little ship, with the wind song in the rigging, the bow wash along the hull and the freedom of the wind, discovering a fascinating array of cultures on low-lying atolls, with a rich profusion of flowers and plants, birds and marine life, plus high islands with spectacular topography, including active volcanoes. 70 |

Gone were the days of rations of salt beef and ship’s biscuits full of weevils. Superb meals were served from the well-appointed galley. Bread was baked daily. Accommodation was in well-appointed twoberth cabins, traditionally styled, with all the comforts of home. The lower saloon which had comfortable leather seats and fine handcrafted furniture was a fine place to read a book from the well-appointed ship’s library, share pre-dinner drinks or a coffee after dinner, while also being light and airy. Lesley Reiter

10th Oct. 45°55‘ N, 10°18’W, 181 miles (Bay of Biscay) A beautiful sunny day. Rob White gave a lesson in sail handling, set the sails in this order: main stay’sl, inner and outer jib, lower and upper top’sls, t’gallant, knock stay’sl, main and flying jib. This put our speed up to 8 knots on a reach. Next came lesson in taking in the square sails, to show the various leads of lines diagrams were chalked on the fore deck. Several people tried fishing using various lures and feathers, white rag and spinners made from tin plate, nobody caught anything but it was fun and made a welcome change from the pounding we received over the past few days. Just before turning in at dusk there was a ring of black clouds around most of horizon and the barometer was falling steadily. At about 23:00 the weather topmast backstay pulled off from its upper mast band lug and came crashing down, hitting the deck above my cabin. I was woken and five minutes later all watches were called out to take in sail.

11th Oct, 44° 52’ N, 9° 57’ W, 65 miles The conditions on deck were pitch blackness, the seas up to about 20 feet, raining and the ship

careering along at 9-10 knots with all previously mentioned sail set. The first sail to come in was the t’gallant, the hal’yard was manned, down hauls, clews and bunts. The hal’yard was cast off and the yard hauled down on the down hauls, a couple of attempts were made before finally it was housed (the mast has got to be slushed down1), the sail was bunted up and Tiger, Joe and myself went aloft to furl the sail, tucking

1

Greasing the mast so that the yards could be easily hauled up or down.

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full moon in a way making the whole scene quite attractive, and then as dawn approached in the East the sun tried to shine. I was happy, we’re in a well behaved ship, a good skipper, it’s breakfast time and the end of my watch.

the weather side first. Instead of having clews this sail has a short line called a bullwanger, the idea is that this line is to rove through the clew cringle, the sheets eased on deck and the clew hauled up to the yardarm, once secured the gasket can be put on the rest of the sail. Next the upper top’sl was taken in a similar way, then came the main and knock stay’sl, flying and outer jib, the remaining sail being the main stay’sl, inner jib and lower top’sl. Once all was secured the extra two watches went below. Because it was the end of British Summer Time all watches had to stand an extra 20 minutes to put us back to Greenwich Mean Time. My watch was up again at 4:00 to do our 4 hour watch, by now the wind had freshened, the waves had foaming white crests and were racing towards our st’bd side sending spray all over the ship, the lee rail was continually dripping under and the wash ports clanging as the water on deck was cleared. Luckily there was 72 |

15th Oct. 39° 56’ N, 10° 56’ W 133 miles All possible sail is set with the fore lower+upper top’sl, inner + outer jib, main stay’sl knock stay’sl, main’sl averaging 4 knots, sea temp. is 15° C. Quite a lot of ships about, many coming close to admire the ship. Brass polishing is now well underway, and baggywrinkle being made for chafing gear.

7th Nov. 25° 07’ N, 23°41’ W, 124 miles A full moon last night with a lot of high cirrus cloud. During the afternoon I’d been thinking that we hadn’t seen a lot of marine life so far and remembering that the sailing whalers always kept a lookout aloft, I climbed the st’bd main shrouds and no sooner had I reached the main top when I saw a pilot whale thirty yards off our port beam. In fact there were about a dozen or more swimming and surfacing, they are jet black, have heads similar to a sperm whale (bull nosed) but have a long dorsal fin. This school kept up with us for fifteen minutes, sometimes dropping astern then overtaking the ship and diving under our keel.

8th Nov. 23° 35’ N, 24° 50’ W 112 miles With the very warm days and pleasant nights people are falling into a pleasant sea routine.

There’s plenty of spare time when not on watch, to follow up on your projects or just do the personal chores.

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The three children are being taught by Judy. Olga + Katie using a correspondence course also to follow up on specific topics of interest trying to incorporate a subject which involves the ship and our voyage in some way, for instance yesterday pilot whales were the basis of a session on whales in general. Today it’s flying fish! At about 16:00, just as the ship was setting down to the approaching night, the duty cooks were in the 74 |

upper saloon talking, some catching up on their diaries, when there was quite a commotion and a few screams, a ten inch flying fish had flown into the saloon, apparently coming through the open window and probably missing Jan’s head by inches.

Brian ‘Sixer’ Boorman

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October 1st 1977 at Circular Quay, Sydney

1978 - Saudades The truck paused at the edge of a high bluff overlooking the sea. We had seen the sea before, in Iran, Turkey and then in Greece, but never from so high up. It was more than a bluff, it was the foot of an amazing fjord, just like the ones in the movies about Norway. But we weren't in Norway, we were in Kotor, Yugoslavia, as it was in May 1978, on our 76 |

way to London from Kathmandu. 14 of us, crammed into the back of a 10-foot high Leyland truck, with tents and cooking equipment stowed below. Most of the others were Aussies. My fellow passengers were quite a cheery group. However, on that day, at that moment, they didn't have my attention, for coming up this amazing fjord was an even more amazing sight - a square-rigger, just like the ones in the movies.

By the time we had driven down to the dockside, the ship was just coming alongside, with a bunch of people hanging over the rail looking at the people on the dock looking at them, kind of like what happens in pavement cafes in Paris. As the hawsers were being laid, I chatted with one of the rail-leaners. This led to that, and I found myself asking: ‘Got any berths?’ ‘Just a sec,’ came the reply, ‘I'll ask the skipper’. That was surprise! I had expected him to laugh at my question. An even bigger surprise was that he promptly reappeared with a fellow. Surprise number 3 was that Tiger - for that was his name - said yes, they could take me, for 10 quid a day. ‘Including food?’ ‘All up. You have to help sail the ship, ’though’. No problem!

had been one afternoon in a friend's Enterprise dinghy, during which we had managed to break the mast, fall in and get completely soaked. It had been fun, though, especially as it wasn't my mast! I guess that over the years, Tiger has been a guru to many newbies, and probably a few oldbies as well. The first thing he taught me, by demonstration rather than lecture, is that no-one is too high up to muck in. He did this by going straight to the washing-up sink after dinner, without asking anyone to help

My overlander companions smiled to themselves in bemusement as I got off the truck and onto the ship in 5 minutes flat. For a moment or two, I turned from a dock-watcher to a rail-watcher as they motored off for Austria, Italy and wherever else it was planned for them and had been planned for me. But that plan was out of the window; I had a new adventure ahead. Little did I know that the next three weeks (for that is all the time I had before starting a new job in England) were going to completely ruin my entire life from then on. My father was a landlubber and his father before him, so where the saltwater in my veins came from is anyone's guess. But it was there all right, even though my only previous experience on the water | 77

Lesley Reiter, Tiger Timbs and Jean Dixon

him. And no-one did! Except Lesley, who had already spent hours doing all the cooking beforehand, for all the ship's company, who numbered over a dozen. So I grabbed a tea towel and followed his example. I have been trying to follow his example ever since.

Some names are more memorable than others. Tiger you may already have heard of, more for his quietness than anything else. I miss Lesley. Haven't been in touch with her for years, so one reason for writing this is the hope of re-establishing that contact. She was my ship-mother.

Over the last 60 years, I have met all kinds of people. Beautiful people, ugly people, kind people, complete bastards, you name it. But nowhere have I been where a small bunch of very disparate characters came together in such harmony.

Miff made a huge impression on me. She and Jean were sisters I think, but two peas were never more unalike! Each a quality person in their own right, but chalk and cheese as characters. I was disappointed one morning when they told me that

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during the night there had been a big blow and they had had to bring the upper topsail in - they hadn't asked me to do it. Miff, twice my age and half my height, had done it with Tiger. I wished I were older, so I could have married Miff.

seemed so together, so joyful. I still have my one souvenir from the trip, a print of a photo of the Eye, on which I had everyone write their names. Miranda's is the brightest, a shining sun in the top right corner.

Miranda was something else. About eight, or thereabouts, and bright as a button. I decided that if ever I had a kid, I would bring it up on a boat, Miranda

David Brown

Dinner table, Miff James on the left

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In front of Piazza San Marco, Venice

The wonderful thing about our voyage in the Med was that numerous ports were close to each other, enabling us to see so much in a short time. We had enough time ashore to catch the flavour of these exotic places. Visiting one, then a couple of days later, leaving that port for another, wondering what other excitements would soon be on the horizon. I think that for many of us on this voyage, the most memorable port was Venice. It passed all expectations and the memory of arriving and clinging to a yard arm as we entered and sailed along the Grand Canal, cannot be erased. 80 |

I’m certain that most of us, who sailed in those early years, now appreciate the lack of tourists then. Another advantage was that The Eye, being such a small vessel, could sail into ports too small for today’s bigger vessels. We visited some of the smaller and less inhabited Greek Islands, where the locals invited us to come ashore. There we danced with them in their cafes, shared their traditional dishes washed down with Retsina wines and Ouzo. Another time we were invited ashore by nuns of the chapel ‘Gospa Od Skrjela’ on an island

was no one to feed as nearly everyone was literally in the same boat as you !’ I remember the Tassie coastlines and harbours for the incredible wildlife. I saw Albatross wheeling around and around for ever, and the many terns and other birds. Another time we woke in a small harbour to see it full of dolphins, leaping in and out of the water. Several passengers dived over the side to swim amongst them. What a sight! Another time Joe Spinelli and I were on watch in the early evening and saw the sky light up - it was the Aurora Australis giving us a private showing – what luck we had. Lorna Rose

Greece, Hydra harbour

off the Yugoslavian coast. There, we drank schnapps with them. We were surrounded by the sparkling waters of a deep mauve, velvety hue; another experience to relish. In 1983 I rejoined the ship as a galley slave. A couple of days after leaving Sydney, I awoke on my bunk, with Joe Spinelli telling me that I had been very seasick. I was appalled that I hadn’t been able to work in the galley. Joey said, ‘Don’t worry; there

Sloppy Cook’s day: Lesley Reiter, Linda Kirkwood and Lorna Rose

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Miranda Kichenside

My father Mike and I first saw the hull that would become EOTW if Gothenburg. I think Tiger and Lesley had asked my Dad to come over and check her out. I wasn’t impressed! They were living in a tiny shack on the shore with a pet seagull called Sandy. I recall going on board the rusty empty hull and something catching fire which freaked me out! I think I was about 7. We knew Tiger and Lesley and all from early days aboard another vessel, the New Endeavour; sailing the East coast of Australia. My father joined as Captain in Singapore at some point and another time for Operation Drake and many other times through the years. I can’t recall exact dates... My Father wouldn’t have left me behind and wouldn’t have missed the adventure for anything! One minute I’d be in school the next all packed up within a week and on a plane somewhere exotic to sail off into the sunset. Life for me aboard was wonderful. I loved being grubby and carrying a knife and I learnt to cook, which is just as well as I ended up with 4 kids! To this day I can 82 |

pretty much thrash anyone playing scrabble too. I used to hang off anything and swim like a fish. I don’t recall getting in too much strife really and I met some amazing people. Swashbucking types who like to be free and face the elements. Salt air and wind does something to me and I know how to survive! I was always the youngest aboard so I had a lot of parents and pseudo older brothers and sisters. My father was a very unusual man to take me to sea on a sailing ship! I have so many memories and experiences; I could write my own book! I used to drive the jolly boat or inflatable and when on lookout I used to sing a bunch of songs from varied snippets of old tapes from the car stereo in the lower saloon. I love Linda Ronstadt and of course House of the Rising Sun. A strange music medley that kept me warm in my oilskins. No one Mike Kichenside

ever mentioned if I was out of tune. My education was also interesting...I read James Mitchener and Harold Robbins and books on natural disasters. I can honestly say that when we sailed passed Krakatoa I was absolutely petrified! I really had such an

awesome time at sea. The EOTW is such a special vessel. The moment you step onboard you feel safe in her bosom.

Miranda Kichenside

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I was kayaking past Plymouth Dockyard on an escape and evasion exercise. Over the buildings I could see the yards of a Brigantine but not the hull - suddenly it became very important to evade capture and interrogation and find out which ship and where she was bound. I climbed the Dockyard wall and approached a beautiful white (in those days) Eye of the Wind. It was fairly late in the evening and the deck was deserted except for one man kneeling and grinding away. The hunched boiler suit, the beard and the

figure all covered in black dust and grime barely looked up. ‘Where is she bound?’ I asked and ‘is there any chance of joining her?’ He blinked his tired eyes, deep set and red. He pointed ‘over there, ask in that shed’. And so began an association with a ship and people that shaped the rest of my life. Thank you Tiger. Frank Esson Frank Esson and Catherine Lawrence

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Start in Plymouth

Operation Drake 1978 – 1980 Operation Drake was a scientific and humanitarian expedition. In several phases young people from many countries would undertake research projects and participate in community aid around the globe. At its time it was the largest international expedition ever launched. It involved 400 ‘Young Explorers’ from 27 nations, had royal visits for start and finish, a symphony2 written to commence it in style and later at least two books written about it. The Eye of the Wind would serve as flag ship of the event. It was going to be a second circum2

navigation from Plymouth via Panama, Galapagos, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Sulawesi, the Seychelles, Kenya, Egypt and Morocco back to Plymouth and London. An enormous project that i.e. required another deck house for the equipment and the laboratory. The laboratory was later transformed to a workshop but remained called the lab for the next 20 years. The participants from Australia and New Zealand were required to report their experience for the aftermath.

„Eye of the Wind“ by Gordon Giltrap

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Sunday 22 October 1978 - we were fortunate in having good weather, and we awaited the arrival of Prince Charles by helicopter. On arrival, he met the various dignitaries and made a speech. Prince Charles thought it was a valuable expedition in which young people from various nations would find challenging moments working together doing various scientific and community directed work. He was proud to be the Patron and wished that he was himself more involved in the expedition. We all then met the Prince as he spent some moments chatting with us. It was time to sail, and off came the mooring lines. We were unceremoniously towed out into the sound as the engine was not yet in working order. This was the first time we had all worked together as a crew to sail the vessel. In most cases, a totally new experience of sailing. We hoisted up the various sails with no complications. Prince Charles left the ship while she was still sailing by hopping onto 86 |

an awaiting launch. We were later towed in by a tug after a pleasant afternoons sail. Tiger had purchased two drop parachutes and wanted to make stunsails or studding sails. These sails were widely used on square riggers in the late 1890 's but are very rare these days. The stunsails are extra sails extended on the yards to the windward side. These sails were 750 square feet, rectangular in shape. The first one Tiger and I cut out and hand sewed the rough edges reinforced the corners with canvas and had turns sewing on the belt rope. Spider, my watch leader made up two booms for the sail. All this took several weeks. Tiger and I spent hours on this sail which we later repeated on the second stunsail to be hung on the third yard arm up. Diane Newton, Phase 1

would reveal the rigours I was in for, and at the outset their potential worried me. In stifling Panamanian heat in the wee dark hours of the morning, I was shown to my cabin. The air was foetid below deck and stumbling over prone bodies in attitudes of sleep, I really began to wonder just what I was in for. The cabin's dimensions were daunting, to say the least, while the plank to which I was delegated was only two feet wide, without sides. This was simply the beginning of adjustment to a lot of new experiences, and in truth, this environment did not take so much getting used to, even though it's novelty was at times dismaying. In the initial stages it appeared to me as if mastering the sailing of this vessel was going to be pretty important. But squinting against the fierce sun at the mass of cordage aloft, I realised the old mariners were either mad or very ingenious. All too soon the latter realisation struck home, as I tentatively yanked sheets, tacks, downhauls, halyards, braces, and clewlines. This was not chaos at all. My respect

Sailing across the Pacific in a glorious old craft such as the 'Eye of the Wind' must surely be the envy of even the mildest romantic, although not entirely the epitome of those wondrous clipper ships from that era, nevertheless oozing sentiment and nostalgia. For the brigantine, though small, loses nothing in its sensuous lines and lofty rigging, depicting still the climax of commercial sailing technology. And either pure chance or destiny saw me on to this vessel with quite a deal of trepidation. Only time | 87

for the art of seamanship became complete as I tried to memorise the various belaying pins, draped with neatly coiled manila. It was not long before this knowledge was put to the test, as we were about to re-enter Panama after a ten-day sojourn to Costa Rica. We on the midnight to 4 a.m. watch, we’re required to stow and gasket every square foot of sail in readiness for our harbour entry. So away aloft we clambered, the ratlines 88 |

becoming more familiar, to perch precariously on the footropes in the dead of night. Ninety feet and unseen below us, part of our watch slackened away sheets and halyards, and hauled on clewlines and downhauls, after which we aloft could inch our way out to the yard heads to gather in the flapping canvas. A thirty-knot breeze steepened the seas and enhanced the sway of those soaring masts. We were balanced delicately over the yards, and the

plunging bow punched into the waves, whipping the masts and us back and forth, seemingly doing its utmost to dislodge us. For three and a half hours three of us contorted ourselves around spars and cordage, hanging on grimly while we wound the gaskets around the canvas. For unhardened feet the footropes cut in painfully, and soft hands soon became hot and chafed in our struggle with the canvas. Finally, we wended our way deckwards, to gaze at the naked spars arcing wildly against the stars,

and felt a mutual sense of achievement, glorious in its intensity. ‘But that gaff topsail was a bastard, Eh, Georgia?’ And as we rested our tired muscles together on the foredeck, our emotions seemed to fuse together in a powerful comradeship, at our feeling of pride and accomplishment, the simplicity of a bond being in the feat itself, rather than depending on friendship born of personal characteristics. | 89

But this was not only a time for rapturous entrancement. Our crowded little community was in enormous isolation, as a tiny speck on the vast Pacific, providing every chance to learn about the people we sailed with. For such situations are surely demonstrative of character. Under more mundane circumstances, self-assertion can often be a mast of weakness, difficult to penetrate. We tend to accept people as they appear. But here facades were impossible to maintain, laying bare the inner being. Pretenders soon dwindled, allowing the humble to hold sway. And yet the marvel, the wondrous marvel of this whole experience, was the sheer calibre exhibited by the people I was among. This especially came to the fore on each Sunday evening after the evening meal. This ‘gathering on the poop'' had evolved in a response to a desire by most of us to convey thanks, not necessarily in a religious sense, for our good fortunes to be there, and to be together – the one brief time of the week when all were as a group, rather than split into various watches. Each Sunday, someone would introduce As the trade winds provided our invisible source of energy, we bounded across the Pacific, our little ship exalting in her newfound freedom after the doldrums. She trashed along at great speed, amid a welter of frothing spume. Those glorious sails, arching sensuously, drew us through the water, her hull cleaving the cresting waves to send myriads of glistening droplets flying to the wind, causing a rainbow to hang for a fleeting moment. 90 |

a topic for discussion, which would never fail to move us. For this environment created a heightened of emotional perception. Clustered around the binnacle, swaying in unison to the boat's movement, we gazed at the westering sun descending in soul stirring beauty. The sails picked up the fiery oranges, and reds, emanating a warm glow against a zenith background of beautiful soft twilight. Here was a living purity so utterly intense, and without a vestige of the pettiness which plagues the human mind. It was sad to break the mood the gathering had inspired.

uously over the bulwarks. The topgallant must be handled. Clawing my way aloft, I was consumed with the magnificence, the excruciating exhilaration that this work instilled in me. Just the simple task of climbing the ratlines was fraught with difficulty, as the ship plunged into the seas, whipping the masts back and forth venomously.

Standing on the foredeck, braced against the pinrail, I waited expectantly for the promise of rain from a looming squall - ready with soap in hand for a cherished fresh water shower. But, Mother of God, that squall hit with appalling suddenness, becoming a howling, shrieking, force, pouring torrents of rain upon our unprotected backs. Over she lay, sending loose articles careering across the decks, as the seas hurled themselves contempt-

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The view from aloft was fantastic. Away below us the bows crashed ever onwards, amid cascading water, as the force 9 wind hurled rain at us unmercifully. The sails shone dully under the faint glow of the riding lights, all bending agonisingly to the maddened atmosphere. The forestays were visibly slack a sobering reminder of the strength of the wind. Slowly the yard inched its way down the mast. Too slowly, although nothing was fouling it. Parts of shouted questions barely reached us from the deck. ‘Is it in the lifts yet?’ ‘No, a little more yet.’ We bellowed futilely, as the wind tore our words away. At last we could clamber on to the footropes, to quell the furiously flapping canvas, 92 |

before it blew itself to shreds. Like a Broncho, the yard bucked, twisted and lurched, kicking viciously, as the bows punched into the big seas. Leaning precariously over the yard we gathered the demented canvas into a rough stow and secured it with the gaskets. Now we began to feel the chill of the cold, driving rain on our bare backs, as we descended to the deck. Only on unique occasions such as this, has the exultation I have felt torn endearing blasphemies from my throat, throwing words on the wind, to the Creator of those circumstances, in ecstasy. Chris Goy, Phase 3

Girls, No Bikinis! A month after we left Post Office Bay in the Galapagos, on phase 3 of Operation Drake, jagged stunning Tahiti appeared on the horizon. Our wonderful captain, Mike Kichenside, wrote our ETA3 on the galley chalkboard, together with: Girls, No bikinis! A number of modern yachts came out from Papeete harbour to welcome us. On the bow of each yacht sat a beautiful, long dark-haired beauty, TOPLESS, wearing only the signature pareo tied at the waist. Poor Bruce Buckley was on the helm steering a compass course and could barely enjoy the welcome.

Mike Kichenside told me that he once docked at an international port late at night. The gates were locked and he was forced to climb a large fence. He was soon grabbed by security guards with flashlights and told ‘We are taking you to your captain!’ Mike replied, ‘I AM the captain’ Young lady from Marshall Bennett islands

3

Catherine Lawrence, phase 3

Estimated time of arrival

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In time and body, I am a long way from those experiences. Even the name, Sulawesi, sounds like a Tolkien dream. But in my mind, I have souvenirs of Sulawesi, keeping me close to those times. I feel that I have brought back with me a greater appreciation of patience and tolerance. More than appreciating these virtues, I am trying to practice them. This appreciation developed from short, close relationships with the crew of the Eye of the Wind, with the directing staff at Camp Ranu, with the village people of the area and with twenty-one other young people. It is a small group, that twentyone, with as many and varied attitudes and ambitions as could be imagined. They, and they alone, can understand a little of what I experienced. We all have a special knowledge, an understanding which no number of pictures and stories will ever explain. Simon Rice, Phase 6

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Life on board was extremely practical because the ship was necessarily self-sufficient. With 37 people aboard, and a million and thirty-seven things to do, everyone took a turn at everything, and the good came along with the bad, no matter what. Taking the good with the bad became an important part of shipboard life. Naturally when you jump together in a confined space such a mixture of people who have never met, friction can arise. The difference is, however, that in the middle of the ocean 2000 miles from anywhere, there is no backdoor to slip out through, with the result that problems must be faced and compromises reached - an all-important part of learning to live with one another. Andrew Foster, Phase 3

drifting medusas. I attempted to identify specimens, sketching them, examining their behaviour as best I could. A second task was to record the sightings of marine mammals, whales, dolphins and porpoises. We estimated numbers, recorded their behaviour and identified their species where possible.

Nautilus

I discovered that working in a laboratory at sea was an exasperating challenge. Samples drifted across the petri dishes under the microscope and I had to stand with legs astride to maintain balance. The work entailed close observation and writing to an extent that I would soon feel queasy. This despite the keen curiosity that I had developed in ‘discovering’ creatures of Neptune's realm. A paper nautilus caught was particularly fascinating. It is a deepsea creature which surfaces once daily to feed, so we were fortunate to have entrapped it. The paper nautilus demonstrated its ability to change its magnificent iridescent colours and propelled itself by pulse-like expulsions of water. Each watch was assigned projects by the marine biologist aboard. I became acquainted with Coelenterata, the phylum of jellyfish. Samples from net hauls included the Portuguese Man of War (Physalia), Jack Sail-bythe-wind (Velella), and the simpler bell-shaped

A highlight for me was the spectacle of a school of dolphins which appeared first to starboard and crossed under the bow on a rapid transverse to port. In lines of eight they porpoised in unison, some displaying their agility, flipping and somersaulting on route. It was like watching a ballet troop and quite as entertaining. I estimated over a hundred members, an act I still find astonishing. On a separate occasion the ship's company cluttered the deck, deckhouse roof and rigging when two pods of sperm whales sported in easy view. The captivated audience clapped and cheered enthusiastically as the mammals breached. I felt warmth and emotion toward these endangered creatures on our | 95

encounter. My appreciation of the extent and diversity of marine creatures was enhanced by actually seeing them. Our close communication with aspects of nature included the seabirds who circled the masthead or flew nearby the Brigantine. One weary tropic bird rode a while with us, resting in the jolly boat which was hoisted on the stern, until his mate flew overhead several hours later. He had seemed quite unperturbed at the numbers of cameras snapping during his recuperation. Trish Holdway PhD, expedition marine scientist

Sitting on lookout I remembered the words a child had used describing a scene of city lights, ‘Oh look at all the crystal sparkles!’ The phosphorescent trails of dolphins playing below the jib-boom and milky luminescence of jellyfish colonies are an experience unique to the sea. I often tried to imagine how a small yacht would have coped on this same voyage, standing in contemplation at the helm I marvelled at this ship, she rode fifteen-foot swells so steadily. I'm sure it is quite similar to being in even half the seas on a racing cruiser, for we rarely had waves break over the deck and below decks everything remained dry and comfortable in all but Dolphins on the bow

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extreme conditions. However, my senses were alert when squalls appeared for they came upon us suddenly, generally passing over within half an hour. In this time, we closed hatches, reduced sail area and manned buckets to collect rainwater. It was sobering to be reminded that we were at the mercy of the elemental powers. The first time I had climbed aloft was in port, the ship was motionless beside the pier. I trembled and my knees shook as the tin ratlines cut into the arches of my feet. Later, the pitching ship could only add to the enjoyment I felt as I swung out

around the futtock shrouds onto the foretop. Sitting astride the uppermost yard sensing the emptiness about me was a happy moment, despite my pounding heart, the adrenalin, and the constant awareness that there was very little to cling to. All work completed, I would step back over to the shrouds and begin the descent, confidence building at every step. I could well appreciate the thoughts of the mariners in the olden times whose rhymes express their fear and constantly refer to death. Time at sea was a continual ever rotating cycle broken by the changing of watches every four hours. The diurnal rhythms of sunrise and sunset, to lunar cycles measured our progress westward and the pace was dictated by the breeze and current. I found myself at peace. It was never quite reality, that I could be sharing this experience! I felt on stage, the ship really a painted backdrop, the progress a dream. Many hours were spent on lookout, scanning the horizon as huge waves loomed up on the port side and passed to starboard, to one side a hill of water, on the other a gaping trench. Here memories were vivid, especially of the tasks and smells of my former land-locked existence. Each life offers different luxuries, spiritual rewards and types of contentment. I actually savoured the absence of my home's beloved experiences because in all probability they would be filling my life again in the very near future. Diane Bear, Phase 3 | 97

A short role ending with the lead-in: Eye of the Wind as ‘Northumberland’

In between: The Eye’s first film job ‘Blue Lagoon’ in 1979 A short role and a good beginning with a film that was first of all about beautiful bodies in the sun. It needed an equal beauty in order to keep the style. So the Eye was found and signed her first Hollywood contract. The film begins with the camera celebrating her elegant lines as much as it later would focus on the bodies of the young protagonists Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins. 98 |

In the film storyboard, the ‘Northumberland’ catches fire. That scene is rather funny, some smoke was produced at the stern and panic created, to let us know that the ship was lost. Well, in real life, she was not. In reality, this was the beginning of a Hollywood reputation that would provide very welcome extra income for the ship on several occasions.

Eye in St. Katherine’s dock

Saturday morning, the thirteenth of December 1980 was the grand finale for Operation Drake. The day was a seemingly typical dullish grey and the wind paid blessed little respect to our many layers of clothing. The Eye of the Wind wound up the Thames from Greenwich, escorted by an impressive flotilla which included a Thames barge, British commandoes in rubber rafts, and an array of smaller vessels. Rounding the final bend to the Tower Bridge

the ship was met with an exhilarating welcome from thousands of people crowded around the St. Katherines dock and along the banks of the river each side. Brass bands were suddenly heard and a chorus of ships horns and cries from the crowd began. Just as we were about to pass through the Tower Bridge two low flying aeroplanes, a Beaver and Hercules, passed over the top, drowning out all other sound with their deafening engines. Although we were not under sail the rigging was | 99

manned with Young Explorers perched on the yards. I remember madly waving to the crowds, half as an answer to their greetings and half as an effort to keep warm.

all very well, but to my mind the fact that several multi-national crews had to live and work as one, in the all too often trying conditions at sea, represents a far greater achievement.

Once alongside an official party, which included the Lord Mayor of London and representatives of the Port Authorities and local borough, boarded to welcome and congratulate the crew for their circumnavigation lasting two years.

Real changes in society, I believe, come from below; in the minds of the people, and not from legislation from above. We are affected most when the environment affects our prime concerns of food and sleep and shelter and survival generally. In a ship, where sweaty shoulders rub, and the last piece of bread has to be shared, the environment is affecting us continually in many ways. It is experiences and contact, with other people from all over the world, on this very grassroots level, that can begin to alter the accepted prejudices of our subconscious.

This marked the official opening of a week-long exhibition of the Eye of the Wind and of the Operation Drake projects generally. A gallery, assembled on the St Katherines Dock, contained the superb assemblage of special exhibits from each phase. Fortunately, many Young Explorers from previous phases were able to reach England and became part of these final festivities. It also meant that the exhibition could be manned by people from various legs of the voyage making the presentation far more palatable. Prince Charles, as Patron, then visited the exhibition at - the end of the week, meeting a vast number of people who were involved at all levels. Charles’ final involvement brought to a fitting close the highly ambitious and successful venture that was Operation Drake. Upon our homecoming to London, much importance seemed to be laid on the scientific involvement. Far less was placed upon the personnel and diplomatic achievements which I consider to be far more valuable. The scientific successes are 100 |

Peter Ryan – Phase 9

The return to London 1980

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Operation Drake would be a landmark for everyone involved. All these people in a small space under extraordinary conditions and in exotic environments would have a tie them together with a special rope. They would keep contact for a lifetime and some of them later sent their children to the ship making them crews of the second generation. 40 years later, the now less young explorers At the 2018 40th anniversary of Operation Drake

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would flock in to London to celebrate the event, the ship and themselves. They charted their former flag ship and greeted the city of London as they did the first time: from the yard. And also the city of London did as done before: with a full opening of Tower Bridge and the inevitable gridlock of London traffic.

A very brief memory of a very long voyage… Driving around the drizzle-soaked streets of London I listened with interest and awe to the exploits of ‘Young Explorers’ as they travelled the globe aboard the expedition flagship ‘Eye of the Wind’. Tales of tropical adventures appealed to the sales rep caught in the rut of life in the outer suburbs of London. I joined many thousands of others who lined the banks of the River Thames to welcome the EOTW on the final leg of her round the world expedition. It was the days that followed that shaped the next stage of my life. I diverted from my planned day of sales calls to take another look at this wonderful vessel, now resting in the quiet confines of St. Katherines Dock. The crowds had gone, as had the vast throngs of the worlds media, she now sat alone, resting, almost appearing lonely. I rather hesitantly approached the ship and began a conversation with a crew member who in fact was Joe Spinelli, one of the ships owners. Joe talked with excitement and enthusiasm of sailing the Caribbean and sleeping on the deck on the balmy Caribbean nights. It was this conversation that sparked my interest in joining the EOTW, it was a discussion that, along with a home movie show by Tiger, sparked my interest in the upcoming voyage and in turn changed my life… In the next fourteen months I would attempt to climb a mountain and fail, experience the joys of both seasickness and altitude sickness, learn to

Tim Nossiter, Wayne Chimente, Phil and ???

scuba dive, follow in Darwin’s footsteps, live with a descendent of Fletcher Christian, play a pirate in a movie, scuba dive with Tommy Lee Jones and meet my future wife, Liz, and a lot, lot more… The 12-4 watch was never overly popular but it did have one major benefit in that Tiger was the watch leader. The midnight to four am part of the watch was always interesting. It was a time when you could press Tiger for more information on the very early days as the Eye of the Wind grew to the ship she was when I joined her in 1981. Usually at some point in the four hours the topic of conversation would turn to music history of the 1950’s – 1980’s, a subject that we both enjoyed. The EOTW offered everyone who sailed on her an opportunity to learn about the history of traditional sail, visit places few would ever see and experience a world of which others could only dream. Phillip Castleton | 103

Visit at Lühring’s We were bound for the Baltic entrance of the Kiel Canal in August 1981. The previous week Walter Nilson, his partner and friend Boris had sailed with us out of Copenhagen. Walter was the one who first notified us of the existence of 'Merry'. 104 |

On coming alongside at Kiel, a group of elderly men lined the wharf and showed great interest in the ship. They were ex-Cape Horners who were on their way to their group meeting, and kindly invited us to participate. After clearing the Kiel Canal we proceeded to Bremen where Mr. Carl Lühring, his son and 2

A wonderful evening was spent at their family home, as he entertained the crew. On sailing the next day Mr Lühring and his wife were on their private jetty to bid us farewell as we sailed down the river to the North Sea.

Tiger Timbs

Carl Lühring and his grandsons having a look at their family works

Claus Lühring taking a ride

grandsons joined us for the voyage up the Weser River to Brake. We were able to sail past the yard, to the joy of the workers there. Mr Lühring gave us a guided tour of the shipyard, where he had commenced work in 1911 - the year that 'Friedrich' was built. The drafting loft with all its half models we also found extremely interesting. He kindly offered to haul us out and apply a coat of anti-fouling. Unfortunately, we had only had a dry docking a month earlier in the Isle of Wight. Mr Lühring had sent us the available line drawings back in 1972 when we first had the option to purchase 'Merry'. He also sent us the builder's plate which arrived the week we sailed from Ramsgate in October 1976. This was a delightful surprise, and many cans of Brasso have been put to good use on it over the years. | 105

The original plan was to follow Op. Drake with a voyage to Australia starting Feb. 1981 but it became obvious that this would not allow enough time for necessary work to be done. Amongst other things, the ship had to undergo an extensive survey by the Dept. of Trade and Industry to obtain a load-line exemption certificate and enable her to be classified as a sail-training vessel instead of a yacht as previously. This survey was carried out on the ship at Cowes, Isle of Wight. In early September EOTW arrived back in Southampton, and preparations commenced for the postponed Australia voyage. This began on 10th Oct. and is planned to take 13 months. After a good sail across Biscay a first landfall was made at Casablanca in Morocco. This was the base from which an expedition was made to the High Atlas Mountains, including a successful climb of Mt. Toubkhal, the highest peak. Next port was Madeira, with a stop on the way at the tiny Selvagens Islands, which are now completely dominated by the wreck of a huge supertanker. Calls were made in the Canary Is. at Tenerife and Palma before setting off on the Atlantic crossing. This was a disappointing passage as the trade winds failed almost completely and about 8 days motoring was needed to reach Barbados in reasonable time. The cruise through the West Indies took in Barbados, St. Vincent, Bequia, Mustique, St. Lucia, Antigua, St. Barts, St. Kitts, Anguilla and St. Martin. 106 |

Stunsails of parachute silk

Highlights were an expedition up Soufriere volcano on St. Vincent, a follow up to the pre-eruption expedition which was carried out in 1978 with Op. Drake, and some spectacular diving on a wreck in St. Martin. Plans to visit Costa Rica had to be dropped and the ship sailed direct from St. Martin to Panama. The trade winds had returned by this time and the Caribbean crossing gave splendid sailing with a couple of days runs of over 190 miles.

Marine Iguana, Galapagos

We left Panama at the end of January, and an offshore wind gave us a good start towards Cocos Island, where we stayed four days anchored at Chatham Bay. The divers on board made a survey of coral formations here and an expedition was made into the interior of the island where there are the remains of a crashed World War 2 aircraft. In the Galapagos we spent 15 days visiting the islands of Santa Cruz, Floreana, Isabela and Fernandina. The wildlife as ever was spectacular. On Floreana we were privileged to see turtles coming ashore at night to lay their eggs, and on Isabela we encountered giant tortoises, penguins, iguanas and the curious flightless cormorants. In Tagus cove, Isabela, an enormous whale shark patrolled about the ship. The next passage was a long one of 2700 miles to Pitcairn island but the Pacific trades proved more reliable than those on the Atlantic and we arrived at Pitcairn in 24 days. Good weather enabled us to

stay at Pitcairn for some days and we had happy times as guests of the Pitcairners. We took a group of Pitcairners on the ship for visit to Henderson island to gather miro and tau wood for carvings and we came back with the foredeck loaded to the rail with timber. Landing at Henderson is very tricky as there is heavy surf onto a fringing coral reef, but we had the Pitcairners special boat in tow and they demonstrated their superb skill at handling boats in these conditions. The population of Pitcairners is now only 43 and they barely have enough able bodied men to handle the boats so Eye of the Wind’s extra manpower was much appreciated. A couple of days motoring and flat calm took us on to Mangareva. This is one of the quieter islands of French Polynesia by virtue of it having long been close to foreign visitors because of the nuclear testing on nearby Mururoa. It's sleepy atmosphere gives no hint of the nearby Holocausts. Leaving Mangareva calms and light headwinds continued and we were becalmed for 2 days rather closer to Mururoa than we would have liked. Tricia Holdway’s plankton trawls showed a complete lack of any form of life in the area and we were much relieved when a favourable wind took us on to the more populated waters. Short of Tahiti the ship encountered quite a few sperm whales.

Eye of the Wind Newsletter No. 2

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Bunnies all over The story of the Easter Bunnies began many, many weeks earlier. We had been forced to leave the Galapagos Islands at very short notice due to a governmental internal dispute. We left without being able to take on fresh water or fuel. Now in the middle of the Pacific Ocean we had no fuel left and 108 |

were wallowing in the doldrums and had been for many, many days. It was not unusual for a theme to develop during such times on the ship and on Easter Sunday thoughts of the Easter Bunny turned to thoughts of

Playboy Bunnies. We sighted a ship way off in the distance and attempted to contact them via radio. To further our cause and grab their attention all the girls, dressed in their homemade Bunny outfits, sat in a row on the stern and waved at the ship. We got their attention and they offered some barrels of their lifeboat fuel to help us. No sooner had they dropped the barrels than the wind started blowing and sea began to rise. We

launched our inflatable and recovered two of the three barrels which helped us run our generators until we reached Tahiti. Whether we would have got their attention, and the fuel, without the Bunnies we will never know but I suspect not… Liz Tonnison

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Gordon Sharpless and his birthday gift

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Off Suva, to have her propeller shaft removed

The ship spent weeks in Fiji, mostly on the slipway having the entire bottom and topsides sandblasted back to bare metal and repainted with a more modern epoxy coating which should reduce the amount of hull maintenance in years to come. Sandblasting is a very noisy and very dirty operation; all aboard were thankful when it was completed. At the same

time the ship’s engine, propeller and steering gear received a substantial overhaul. The six-month lay-up after Op. Drake proved an excellent time for making various improvements to the ship. Most noticeable of these to the casual observer is the laying of teak decks over the existing steel. These not only are much more comfortable | 111

underfoot but also add considerably to the insulation, making the accommodation cooler in the tropics. A water-cooled exhaust to the auxiliary has made the engine room quieter and cooler and the installation of a Bukh generator provides a quieter and more economical provision of electricity. The anchor windlass has been converted to hydraulic operation. Weighing anchor nowadays seems a doddle for those of us who remember the old hand-worked affair. The radio shack of Op. Drake days has been converted into a room for diving equipment. The ship now carries all the gear necessary for scuba diving with a compressor and compressed air tanks. On the rigging side Wally Buchanan has replaced the fore and main stays, with a higher lead to the forestay to allow better clearance over the course having her hull cleaned

Trish Holdway cleaning barnacles

yard. All the wire running rigging is new too. As the quality of manilla rope available these days has proved a bit suspect a gradual change is being made to synthetic rope as rigging wears out. A rope called Primaflex of Danish origin is being used. Jim Brink, sailmaker from the brigantine Romance, who spent some time on EOTW, did repairs to existing sails and has made several new ones. New heavier stunsail booms have also been fitted which hopefully will be less inclined to break than the old ones. A major change to the ship’s rig has been made. Square yards have been fitted to the main topmast, rather in the fashion of the brigantines of the early 19th century. There are three yards, allowing a course, a single topsail and a topgallant to be set. The main yard was made up new from a larch felled in the Isle of Wight, the topsail yard scarfed up from the remains of the main boom lost in the Torres Straits and the broken topmast of the barge

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‘Gestetner’, and the topgallant yard from the old main gaff. The rigging work was done by George Herbert, rigger of the ‘Golden Plover’ and the ‘Alma Doepel’. To carry the extra running rigging a fife-rail has been built around the mainmast and running backstays have been added to support the extra sail-area aloft. The ship sails well with the new

rig. Steering remains well balanced and she comes through the stays easily. Eye of the Wind Newsletter No. 2

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Eye of the Wind starring as ‘Leonora’. Right: Liz Tonnison and Phil Castleton

Savage Islands / Nate and Hayes In 1982, the next filming contract came around for a film that would start under two different names. Filmed in Fiji, it would entertain the ship’s crew with jobs as extras in Victorian dresses under the tropical sun. The film was one of the of the last bigbudget attempts to do a pirate movie, before the genre went out of fashion for 20 years. 114 |

Upper: actors and extras posing together. Right: Jean Dixon, Jo Hood, Monika Grono and Barnacle Bill in their film costumes as local population

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Don and Impi were visiting their son Lewis who had moved to Hobart. When wandering the docks Don came upon the Patenella, a beautiful steel schooner owned by the Hunts from Queenscliff. They told him about the Eye of the Wind in Sydney requiring a qualified master in order to be commercial.

They departed Sydney in Jan 83 and out on the first night they were struck by a ‘Southerly Buster’ with high winds and torrential rain. Further down the coast sailing was excellent till a pot buoy suddenly halted progress as they were ‘leash held‘ sternly. With difficulty the line was cut free from the rudder and propeller.

Impi was horrified at the idea of going to sea on a sailing ship, however a little coaxing and ‘ You can always get off’ along the NSW coast if you don’t like’ it gave some confidence.

The ‘third nail’ was that Tiger Timbs had the pleasure of having his father do a first voyage with him. Whilst crossing the ‘Straight,’ tragically and from natural causes, he suddenly passed away. He seemed so peaceful when found deceased in his cabin.

Impi and Don Garnham

With much public enthusiasm and publicity, the Eye arrived in Hobart on the 29th January. Impi was now a converted quick seasoned sailor, well adopted by the crew and passengers. She enjoyed her new experience and the caring of the ships compliment. From 2nd Feb to 27th March the Eye cruised extensively, including Port Davey, Bruny and Maria islands and the D'Entrecasteaux Channel, Port Arthur and many Derwent excursions. The big test for Impi was Dad’s Pacific dream of sailing the islands in a square rigged ship. The passport stamp dated 17th April marked the start of their great adventure, from Sydney. With a good west wind, the Eye sailed well and via a Lord Howe Island visit, they made Whangarei on the 1st May. The 13th May was Impi’s Birthday and was marked by a poem: 116 |

From One and All on the Eye of the Wind Impi left home to go to sea, In the Merry month of May, On the 13th of the same, she tried to hide From us, ‘twas her Birthday.

Following her dream, in a Brigantine, Under canvas, for tropical isles, With a motley crew and intoxicating brew, She counts the galloping miles.

Her quest this trip, on this fine ship, Is to make the skipper thinner,

Their extensive voyage included Raiatea, Tahiti, Bora Bora, Palmerston Atoll, Fiji, Tonga, Niue and return to Fiji. In Fiji, sadly on the 6th September they left the ship, flying home to Melbourne, however the memories of the interesting places and wonderful people stay forever.

It is 30 years since my parents sailed from Sydney to New Zealand. Since Dad is 97 years now, his age then was 67. Interestingly, that is my age now and I too will embark on the square rigged sailing ship, Europa, to sail from Sydney to New Zealand. The photos of myself and my parents then show that unstoppable progression of time in a seemingly timeless sea.’ Lewis Garnham

But for Impi’s sake, let’s cut the cake And forsake the Captains figure.

And when asked her age, she blushed and said, ‘A young girl need not say’, So it’s up to us to wish you well, Three cheers, HIP, HIP, HOORAY!

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Richard Grono taking a compass bearing

In December the brig Eye of the Wind arrived at Sydney, Australia, some 14 months after sailing from Southampton. Skipper Richard Grono said that they had ‘stopped at every palm tree’. The vessel had a permanent crew of eight and the rest of the crew of about 20 were fare-paying crew who expected to visit out of the way places at a leisurely pace. The Eye of the Wind was escorted into Sydney by the 3-masted topsail schooner New Endeavour which has recently been restored 118 |

back to sailing order. The Eye of the Wind has now circumnavigated the world 2 times. She was originally rigged as a brigantine, but three yards and sails were added to the mainmast in Suva so that she could be used as the Leonora in the filming of ‘Savage Islands’. Since this rig seemed to work she continued on to New Zealand and Australia with it. Sea Breezes, March 1983 issue

1985, Heading off for the Pacific Islands

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Master fills the breach I received a phone call from Tiger Timbs. I knew him from his previous visits to Sydney as he had started to operate the Eye under the banner of ‘Adventure under Sail’ based in Sydney and undertaking regular cruises around the South Pacific islands. Although Tiger was the real Master and was also a seaman down to his fingertips he did not have the

Lesley Reiter and Tiger Timbs

British Foreign Going Master’s certificate necessary to be Master on worldwide voyages. The ship was in Honiara, Solomon Islands, and the Master had been taken off to hospital with a broken leg. Tiger was desperately looking for a replacement Master and had phoned me to see if I could find anyone in Australia that I thought suitable and who would be available. I immediately got on the phone and started checking with all my contacts, unfortunately with no results. I had to phone Tiger back and give him the bad news. His laconic response was, ‘well you’ll have to do it then’.

A work of art not fully appreciated by me

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I joined the ship at 1600 hours via a zodiac from the Yacht Club at Honiara. Tiger was very good and let me have the Master’s cabin and he used the Mate’s accommodation. I was under no illusion as to who the actual Master of the ship was – it was

Tiger and I was there for my certificate only. We got on very well together with Tiger running things with quiet authority in his usual self-effacing manner. He was a superb seaman and a natural diplomat letting me do more and more on my own as he slowly gained confidence in my limited sailing ship abilities.

The first item on the agenda for that morning was to get my name entered in the ship’s Register. The simple matter of having my name entered in the register turned into a marathon trudge around humid Honiara for Tiger and I from the British High Commissioner to the Marine Office, to the Regis-

Afternoon talk – normally about restoring and operating the ship

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Tim Nossiter and Linda Kirkwood on the fore mast

trar of Customs and we eventually had success at the Australian Consul. The ship was now legal and we set sail for New Georgia Island. She sailed with 18 paying adventurers (working passengers) and a professional crew of 8. Most of the times on board there were varied activities to keep the adventurers busy and entertained. These ranged from shore excursions for barbeques, visits to native villages, exploring 122 |

WWII relics and one of the most popular, diving in the clear tropical waters. We also attended feasts ashore and aboard, were entertained by tribal dances and indulged in a multitude of tropical fruits. At 1045 hours we started cruising through Marovo lagoon. Tim was aloft on the foremast calling directions for us to avoid the reefs and shallows. The winds were light and the ship was making about 2/3

knots so after a couple of hours I went off in a zodiac and got some good photos. Among our adventurers was a chap who was very good at character sketches. Unfortunately, he decided to do a far too accurate one of me. As a short explanation, it was a daily routine on board for a group of us to have a drink before meals every day. The beer was in stubbies and was kept in a large fridge down in the store rooms. Unfortunately for me it was an honour system and as people took a beer they marked it against their name on a list hanging off the fridge, so I was a little restricted in my intake. The pose was my usual stance when partaking of nutrients and this is what he based his sketch on. Of course, not all the published images of me were as embarrassing as the sketch and I was included in the next advertising brochure for the ship. In the afternoon I went ashore with a group to visit the village which I felt I couldn’t miss as I had heard so much about it – big mistake. Getting to the village required a pretty tough trek through steaming jungle and undergrowth followed by an almost vertical climb of 500 feet to the edge of the crater. Climbing up the side of that crater was one of the hardest things I ever did. As I was overweight and unfit, the climb in that heat and humidity really had me knackered especially as I was terrified by the giant spiders on the way up. I kept walking into really tough spider webs and a couple of times saw the inhabitants. Very large and savage looking beasts with a body the size of a coconut. Once

Through the jungle

inside the crater it was far easier going and the village was certainly worth the climb. I was fascinated by the way of life and the natives were friendly, as they say, but I was very pleased to get back on board in the evening. The following day another group visited the village and others went off diving. Natives were venturing on board during the day.

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The standard of food on board was fantastic and that evening we had another great meal out on deck. The galley on board was quite small and yet they continued to produce food fit for a king. All this was organised and run by a charming lady, Lesley Reiter, who was another one of the owners making this trip with us. Now we had a few days at sea ahead of us we could settle into a normal seagoing routine. Normal watches did not mean too much on board even though we nominally had a watch to stand. I took morning and evening stars and made sure I was around during my watch hours but at other times I was working on deck. It was the same for all crew and adventurers, cleaning, greasing, overhauling, splicing, holystoning, varnishing, etc., etc. She needed a lot of work to keep her in the immaculate condition she was used to. Decks maintenance

New supplies for starving sailors

The following day I went ashore and called on Paul Mathews, the Harbour Master, as there was a disagreement regarding pilotage. Paul insisted that we had to employ a pilot as we were over the prescribed length however he was working on our length overall which included the bowsprit and I insisted that it was the length between perpendiculars which then made us under the prescribed 124 |

length. Eventually Paul said, have it your own way and take her out without a pilot. We were however having considerable problems with the Department of Transport surveyor, who I knew, due to changing regulations regarding sailing ships. He was being extremely difficult and at one stage it looked as though we may have been detained in port. As it turned out I got Customs clearance that afternoon and we departed at 2015 hours. During the day when we were under sail it was interesting to note that many ships altered course towards us and made contact by VHF requesting permission to pass close by. At night it was completely different and at times we had to illuminate the sails with the search light to avoid a close quarters incident. The following day most people went ashore swimming and windsurfing. Up in the islands I had spent half a day trying to operate a small dugout canoe which was almost impossible to balance but I eventually got the knack of it and had great fun. It had become part of the ship’s equipment so I took it ashore. That evening we had a barbeque on the beach – terrific.

John Briggs

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sleep, had salty air all the time and sometimes nonstop work for hours. Due to that, they suffered from all sorts of damages: Some resigned, made a hell of a racket, fell in pieces, whatever. It was the job of the engineer to repair them. But that wasn’t always possible and not always quickly. Therefore, there was a whole stock of these fans, also serving as source for spare parts and a waiting area for the next repair session. This stock was called the fan club. Bruce Phillips may have felt his fan club should not simply work and wait – one time they should get an event for themselves. The compass binnacle added to the show. The nuns

Bruce Phillips, engineer

Bruce and his fan club Below deck, there was no aircon. Fresh air was funnelled from above to below deck by the nuns, air then went through the ship and left at the aft companionway. That worked and provided good air down below in the common areas. Still, in the tropics it does get hot below deck and in the cabins. Thus, even with fresh air, it can be hard to find sleep. As a little relief, each bunk had a little fan to switch on or off. They were cheap stuff suffering from a really hard life. They were kicked in one’s 126 |

The bridge

1985 - In Cooks Wake The age of sail has passed but the romance lives on. If this needed confirmation, a voyage on a square-rigger around the top of Australia, from Cairns to Thursday Island with a steady southeast trade wind, a brilliant star-studded sky and a youthful crew would suffice.

There were 24 of us on board the brigantine Eye of the Wind, 13 crew and 11 ‘guests’. The 150tonne, 40-metre long ship set sail from Cairns on a November morning, as several men and a young woman from Cumbria in bathing suit and sarong scampered aloft. She ran like a dancer along a | 127

footrope and we on deck below exulted as two topsails and the top gallant on the fore and main masts, and the nock staysail were set. Then came the lovely quietness as the engine was turned off and the ship rose sweetly on the ocean swells and we embarked on the course north for Cape Tribulation and Cooktown. This was the first voyage for the Eye of the Wind in the Coral Sea and indeed we were following Cook, Flinders and Bligh in at least a similar sealane. It was new territory for the ship. Under the supervision of part-owner, soft-spoken Lesley, the Purser, the ‘housekeeping’ was exemplary. The Eye of the Wind had been Lesley's home for nine years and had become the home of many young English, Australians, Americans, and New Zealanders. The ship's routine was in the best nautical tradition. Never was brass so polished, decks so scrubbed and never did sailors eat better at sea. The ‘galley girls’ worked hard and we were witness to the vast quantities of fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and bread that came on board in Cairns to be stowed away in freezers or special lockers in the already wellstocked store room. There was never a raised voice, orders seemed to flow as if along a telegraph line. Everyone on the ship was there because they believed that it was the best place to be in the ‘best of all possible worlds’. (Our ears were tuned to tales of ‘When we were in the Galapagos’, ‘At Pitcairn...’) 128 |

Miff with the next meal

We were assigned to watches right away and given a short talk on square rigger sailing by Mate Tim and given a copy of the ship's rigging. At first glance the array of ropes and belaying pins is bewildering and some of us never understood about buntlines and clewlines and downhauls. But Big or Little Tim were always there saying ‘Let go that’, ‘Pull that’, someone was allowing us to have the experience we had travelled so far to gain. Walter, a

day beneath its Scottish-looking granite slopes. We swam on the marvellous beach near the resort and walked the two kilometres on the earth track through the goanna-ridden scrub to see the Marine Research Station in action. The voyage seemed to go from good to better. We had a day on the outer reef for the scuba divers and there were two evenings of beach barbecues of Spanish mackerel caught on board, huge fish cut into steaks and marinated. Feasts in remote coves with every adjunct carried from ship to shore provided a memory of lapping water and sunsets. There was a day when we landed on Stanley Island in the Flinders Group to walk through the kapok trees to climb to a cave of Aboriginal paintings.

Mate Tim Nossiter varnishing the wheel

Boeing man, had come on vacation from Seattle with his movie camera and his girl-friend Dolores. He was intent on making a film of anything that had any remote connection with Cook. It is a strange feeling to anchor at night off the arid shore of the Cape York Peninsula. ‘The country is well clothed,’ wrote Cook, ‘and has at least the appearance of fertility.’ But it is an enormous scrubcovered emptiness, except for the lights near shore of sheltering prawn trawlers. We set sail at first light for Lizard Island and dropped anchor before mid-

There was an evening and night on the great rookery of Raine Island when in the dusk we walked within inches of the nesting red-footed and masked booby birds there in thousands. At night we went back to sit on the beach to watch at the dark form of a turtle came out of the sea, to labor up the beach and commence to dig with intricate care and a stylish movement of the flippers the deep hole where, if she is satisfied with it, the turtle will lay her eggs. It is amazing to peer down at the 100 to 200 luminous eggs the size of ping pong balls and watch the huge creature swish the sand over them. We went home to the brigantine climbing the rope ladder over the side and sailed out the next day through the narrow exit from the reef to the open sea. | 129

The “Eyelet“ on the beach

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safeguarded only by the lone Torres Strait Islander Benny. It is such a beautiful place of pink hibiscus, white sand, mangroves and empty plastic baskets. In the afternoon, we crossed to the south to visit the site of Somerset House where the Jardines had lived and where once every ship proceeding into Torres Strait had been obliged to stop. On our last morning we went ashore to walk on Cape York, a peninsula closely hemmed in with islands. From there we could look back down the Albany Passage to see the meeting of the Coral and the Arafura seas and thus the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Neilma Sidney

Deck’s searchlight, polished like a mirror

Over there, both to starboard and port, light green water beat down on the almost encircling coral beaches, but in full sail we traversed the dark-blue whirlpools through the deep-water passage to spend the night in the safety of the open ocean. On our second last day we anchored in the Albany Passage to spend the morning at the abandoned Japanese Albany Island pearling station now | 131

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Eye starring as ‘Morning Cloud’

Filming of ‘Tai-Pan’ In 1985 the ship made her third Hollywood film. The film had a strong impact on her appearance. Again, two ships were needed and originally two were contacted: Eye of the Wind and Golden Plover. But then, the budget was cut and one ship was cancelled, leaving a double role for the remaining one. The Eye remained and now would 134 |

first have to pose as ‘Morning Cloud’ and then to be transferred optically to ‘White Witch’. A part of this can be done using film sets but who pays attention to the backdrop in an adventure movie? Therefore, something more obvious had to be done: a change of sail colours. Initially, the filming company intended to pay of a complete set of tan

Bryan Brown starring, Linda Kirkwood doing the real job on his behalf

sails in film quality – something that would fly away with the next gale. Tiger did not intend to change all the sails again after the filming, so it was agreed to share the costs and Tiger would top up for a set of solid sails that could be left in place. When the shots of ‘Morning Cloud’ were done off Hong Kong, this was the last time that the Eye was seen with white sails set. From that time on, the tan sails of the Taipan ‘White Witch’ became her hallmark. | 135

The brand-new tan sails of ‘White Witch’ set

Learning about the weight of film iron

Tiger Timbs and Linda Kirkwood

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Scenery with ‘Morning Cloud’

In the Solomon islands

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The canoe after safe return home to Iwa island

The Iwa Canoe I am from Iwa Island near the Trobriand Islands group. I remember, when I was just a kid in the 1980s, the Eye of the Wind visited Iwa on several occassions. The most impressive thing that I never forget is when our traditional canoes (12 in number) were returning from Kitava Island which is in the west of 138 |

Iwa. Due to bad weather only one canoe reached Iwa and the rest were missing. After a week we learnt that the rest of the canoes had drifted to Kiriwina, the bigger Island of the Trobriands, except one which went missing. Thank goodness the Eye of the Wind saved that canoe when it intercepted it drifting between Trobriand and New Guinea. Everyone was saved, the Eye of the Wind

had to sail to Iwa Island to drop off the young children who were among the sailors on the canoes. Thanks for that unforgettable help. The local on Iwa Island will always remember Eye of the Wind. Aisi Anas Siyakwakwa PhD

The coast of Iwa island

Children from Iwa Aisi Anas Siyakwakwa

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Mum from the Marshall Bennettt islands

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Boys from Solomon Islands

1987 - Meeting the Locals The people of the Solomons were a constant source of joy and like many on board I felt that the more remote the village, the more honest the people and the heartfelt the welcome they gave us. In many of the more remote villages I was able to trade with locals for some of the remarkable carvings and other artefacts they made. And there was no point offering money, they wanted ‘useful’

things - fishing line and hooks, tea, rice and of course our clothing - jeans were items of high fashion. The Solomon Islands were still undeveloped with few towns in the sense that westerners know them. For everyone else, life was lived in local villages in the traditional style. (Well sort of traditional, I am glad to say that the locals have given up

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Solomon kids conquering the ship

the widely accepted practice of head hunting which some practiced into the 20th century.) In many locations, the villagers had been converted to Christianity and although this bought some advantages for them, it had the sad effect that these particular villagers had completely suppressed or in some cases, lost, their local cultural heritage. In other locations, especially as we sailed west towards New Guinea, we were privileged to arrive 142 |

Work on a local canoe

Solomon kids

fortuitously on ‘custom’ days: days when the locals dressed in customary clothing and practiced other customary pursuits. In every instance I found that the nicest aspect was the way the kids treated us. Friendly and accepting in the way most kids are all over the world, these would often row for an hour out to sea to meet us and handled their dugout canoes in the practiced way that kids in the west handle their skateboards. It still shocked me to see youngsters, too young to go to school commanding a canoe well out to sea, just for fun. Peter Maynard

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Unfortunately, like all sunken ships it is slowly decaying and between our visit in 1985 and again in 1986, deterioration in the form of collapsed internal bulkheads was all too evident. Eye from below

Approaching Toa Maru

The Toa Maru wreck Near the island of Ghizo in the northern part of the Solomon Islands is a remarkable wreck; the Toa Maru. One of the relatively few Solomon Island wrecks which is wholly to be found in shallow water, this makes for a wonderful and relatively safe penetration dive for even quite inexperienced divers. The Tao Maru was attacked by American dive bombers and hit in the forward hold and engine room. Set afire and slowly sinking, the ship drifted for a day or so before finally settling on its side in its present location. We dived this ship often when on the ‘Eye’ as it is such an attractive and relatively safe dive site, but yet still has all the hall-marks of an ‘adventure’ dive. 144 |

Peter Maynard

1987 S : O : S - Save Our Ship Dear Voyagers, Many of you left the wharf after your 'Eye of the Wind' voyage with the words, ‘If there's ever anything we can do...?’ Whilst we've always been grateful for the large network of friends who've accumulated over the years, never before have we needed to call on you in full force until now. After logging over 250,000 sea miles worldwide and carrying more than 5,000 voyagers during the past 11 years with an unblemished sailing safety record, the future of the ship is now in jeopardy! As we write this, the 12-to-4-watch should just be relieving the 8 to 12s on the passage between Lord Howe and Vila. Instead, here we sit at Pier 9, Walsh Bay in Sydney, detained against our wills! Each day extending the drain on our resources and increasing the damage to our credibility. Here's the story: In April, two days before we were due to leave Hobart for Sydney, and two weeks after passing our annual survey, we were notified that the British Department of Transport (DoT) had changed its survey requirements and any sail training ship registered under the British flag would be prohibited from carrying trainees until it could comply with the new rules. These new requirements demand that every sail training vessel undertaking ocean passages must be able to survive an 80 degree knockdown. This implies that the ship must

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be capable of righting herself from an almost horizontal position! In her present form, the 'Eye of the Wind' cannot meet these requirements. We were consequently forced to leave Hobart with crew only. There has been no grace period allowed to undertake the necessary modifications without a loss of reputation, money and respectability.

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The new requirements, spurred by the loss of the 'Marques' in 1984, are based on the US Coast Guard's stability rules for Sailing School Vessels. Very few existing US sailing ships are capable of complying with these requirements for ocean going voyaging, and consequently many have had to obtain exemption in order to continue operation. During the course of the 'Marques' investigation, direct comparisons were made between her and

the 'Eye of the Wind', to the extent that the two vessels were considered to be very similar in several respects. This similarity was considered to be appropriate notwithstanding the fact that the 'Eye of the Wind' has twice the displacement, is built of iron instead of wood, is fitted with 70 tons of ballast, compared to no fixed ballast for the 'Marques'

and has been fully surveyed by DoT surveyors on numerous occasions during the last ten years, compared with no full DoT survey for the 'Marques'. Is this comparison fair, we ask? 'Eye of the Wind' was considered safe enough to carry more than 200 Young Explorers during Operation Drake from 1978 to 1980, under the patronage of H.R.H. | 147

Prince Charles and with full DoT approval. By comparison, the 'Marques' was mainly confined to film work as she was not permitted to carry trainees until late 1983. Whilst the 'Eye of the Wind' is renowned as one of the most meticulously maintained restoration sailing ships operating today, as we all realize, the safety of any vessel in a crisis situation is ultimately 148 |

dependent on the crew who man her. 'Eye of the Wind' continually attracts many of the most experienced and capable square rig crew members and skippers from all corners of the sailing World. She has circumnavigated the globe 2.5 times with another 5 years spent sailing throughout the North and South Pacific and in all Australian waters, at times experiencing severe storm conditions, with

massive seas and winds over Force 10. Need we say more. Since our arrival in Sydney, 'Eye of the Wind' has spent four days on the floating dock at Garden Island taking offsets in order to verify the hull lines and has been through two inclining tests to check her stability. The procedure used to assess the stability is conducted with the ship sitting alongside the wharf in still water. The results obtained are fed into a computer and finally a single number emerges which is considered to be a measure of the seaworthiness of the vessel in rough conditions. Without extensive modifications, it is almost impossible for sailing ships of the vintage of ‘Eye of the wind’ to achieve the value of this number. Despite repeated representations to the DoT in England to allow the ship to fulfil this year's cruise commitments, alas, to date, all requests have been denied. We apologise to all you voyagers who have booked on the Pacific legs, and whose cruises we have been forced to cancel due to the above circumstances.

If you want to see the continued operation of 'Eye of the Wind' we need your help in many ways. As you can imagine, changing the ballast will be a massive task!! If you are able to assist in any way (manpower, equipment, pig iron etc.), please contact us on the ship and ask for Angie, Helen or Debbie, and let us know how you can assist. Remember, no volunteer effort is too small!!, and be warned, the work will be tough and dirty, and the only reward will be the satisfaction of seeing ‘Eye of the wind’ in full sail again. We are endeavouring to have this work completed, and 'Eye of the Wind' operational and sailing again by the beginning of September. We hope this has helped to clarify the ship's position and dispel any rumours you may have heard. The owners and crew of EYE OF THE WIND.

We had hoped to carry out the required work after the Bicentennial celebrations in 1988, but this was unacceptable to the DoT. We are still awaiting verification from London, but the outcome of all this appears to be that the existing ballast of railway sleepers, granite blocks and chippings has to be removed and 80 to 90 tons of pig iron/railway lines have to be positioned on the hull plating in the bilges. | 149

The last five months........ As reported in our last newsletter, the British Department of Transport (DOT) had imposed their new stability rules upon us after the findings of the enquiry into the loss of the Marques. Despite careful examination of the legal aspects of this imposition, it appeared that we had no option other than to carry out the prescribed alterations to improve the stability of the ship to the new standard. This meant removing, all the ballast which consisted of 70 tons of concrete railway sleepers, granite cobblestones and blue metal chippings. The exercise took the better part of two weeks. In the end, the wharf looked like a World War II fortification. Fortunately, the Maritime services Board of NSW found a suitable use for the 30 tons of metal. The railway sleepers have become drying supports for their wooden counterparts at Gosford and the Swedish cobblestones have found a new lease of life as part of a photographer’s studio. Cleaning the bilges of scale and rust proved to be the worst job of all. Five solid weeks of chipping, scraping, sand-blasting etc. had the hull plates and frames looking immaculate, whilst the rest of the ship and crew were beginning to look like a wellused colliery. With a four-day period out of the water to inspect the hull and with the application of great quantities of evil smelling brown paint, much of which seemed to end up over the crew, the ship was ready for re-ballasting.

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Our Naval Architects had assured us that by fitting 85 tons of ballast, 20 tons of lead and 65 tons of pig-iron, that the ship would meet with the terms of the new stability requirement, 80°. But, only if we dispensed with the main yards. The thought of sailing without the main squares was not at all well received, when so much thought time and effort had been put towards their very creation, not to Tim Morris, Noel Kelly and Brian ‘Sixer’ Boorman

mention the obvious advantages achieved by their existence. After much discussion and more calculations, it was calculated that 45 tons of lead and 40 tons of iron would become the final ballast. Obtaining this quantity of lead quickly was more difficult than expected. Ten tons was obtained from Alma Doepel in Melbourne, twenty tons was excavated from the bowels of an old minesweeper from Homebush, Sydney, between tides. Many thanks to Ove Jensen. The remaining fifteen tons came from a scrap metal merchant in one ton lots as he was able to smelt in between the frequent rain squalls at the time. The iron was easier to obtain. Twenty-five tons of pig-iron had been donated to New Endeavour, which has since been burnt and is now gone Sharing your friend’s predicament

forever. This was carried by semi-trailer from Ballina. Thirteen tons of railway lines, we seem to have an affinity with railways, was donated by a friend of the ship, conveniently cut to length to fit between the frames. The other two tons was made up of bits and pieces which we had been able to collect during the re-ballasting exercise. Four weeks of extremely hard work in very cramped conditions, saw all of this installed and secured to the satisfaction of the DOT surveyor. A further inclining experiment was conducted on the 8th September and the results were that the ship could comply with the new requirements, in fact slightly exceed the requirement of 80° knockdown, in all conditions, with the entire rig intact. All the hard work had been rewarded. The new stability information was forwarded to the DOT London and finally on the 4th November we were officially, advised that the data had been accepted and given the official stamp of approval. But, this is only the beginning. Owing to the fact that our Load Line Exemption Certificate Survey is due to expire on the 16th January 1988, DOT UK, demand that a UK surveyor be flown out at our expense to carry out a full survey of the vessel. It has come as somewhat of a shock to us as well as to the DOT Australia, particularly as many of the surveyors are also certified UK surveyors. Repeated requests for an extension to the survey have been denied. DOT UK argue that EOW has not been surveyed in the UK since 1981, so | 151

therefore they are justified in insisting that their own surveyors conduct the next survey. Current regulations preclude EOTW from being eligible for Commonwealth of Australia survey, whose regulations are strictly designed for newly constructed vessels. At the end of the day, First Fleet organiser, Wally Franklin, who took the punt that EOTW would ultimately join the Fleet and subsequently advertised our involvement, was able to persuade the DOT UK to extend our current survey until 30th June 1988, on the grounds that we participate in the First Fleet Re-Enactment from Fremantle until the end of May 1988.

A wind is rustling 'South and soft' Cooing a quiet country tune The calm sea sighs, and far aloft The sails are ghostly in the moon. Unquiet ripples lisp and purr A block there pipes and chirps the sheave, The wheel ropes jar, the reef points stir Faintly - and it is Christmas Eve. Tonight beneath the dripping bows

And so the saga of bureaucracy continues. Again, we would like to thank all those who have contributed in so many ways and who gave us moral support and the courage to continue. EOTW newsletter 1987

Where flashing bubbles burst and throng The bow wash murmurs, sighs and soughs A message from the angel's song.

From: Christmas at Sea, by John Masefield

HAPPY CHRISTMAS

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With STS Leeuwin II

1988 – First Fleet re-enactment It was strange to be rounding Cape Leeuwin again. After our past three experiences we vowed never to sail that stretch of water again. As we approached our berth in Fremantle, the vessels of the First Fleet manned their yards and gave us three hearty cheers of welcome. The remainder of that

day was spent catching up with old friends and former ship-mates swapping yarns of our adventures since last we sailed together. On Boxing Day, the ships of the First Fleet set forth from Fremantle. Deep in everybody's mind | 153

Entering Botany Bay

was the fear that we may suffer the same fate of the Tall Ships and experience head winds and calms as did they on their passage eastward. A sigh of relief from the crew of 87 as our track showed us clear of Cape Leeuwin. A cold front and a series of blows carried Eye of the Wind eastward with some superb sailing. We experienced the joy which sailors of bygone days knew well - to be in company with other sailing ships at sea. A rare sight indeed. 154 |

No doubt everyone in Australia and in fact millions around the world, must have shared in the triumphant arrival of the second fleet in Botany Bay and later in the spectacular welcome which greeted the fleet as the ships sailed to the anchorage in Farm Cove. An unforgettable experience. As the First Fleet proceeded to Darling Harbour, Eye of the Wind made her way to Wollongong for the long-awaited survey by the U.K. Department of

Transport surveyor, flown out at great expense (Business Class). We must admit that after all the trials and tribulations of our dealings with the department with regard to stability, we somehow feared that the same negative attitude would persist during this important survey which was so vital for our survival. After four days Eye of the Wind slipped back into the water with a shiny red bottom and a certificate valid for four years to operate as a Sail Training Vessel. This achievement was made possible by the loyal support of crew and friends. The owners are indebted to the crew of 87 who joined the ship to see the Pacific islands and enjoy the sunshine, but instead spent so long in the dim dark depths off Pier 9. Setting forth from Darling Harbour, Eye of the Wind flew the Commodore's pennant from the main-mast, thus becoming the flagship of the First Fleet. As the ships cleared the heads, a south westerly front initiated the green hands and sent us to sea with a bone between our teeth. Quite incredible that favourable winds and dry days prevailed on the passages to Melbourne, Portland, Adelaide and Newcastle. Added to this we had the pleasure of renewing the acquaintance of many old friends who were to greet us at these ports together with enthusiastic crowds, particularly in smaller ports.

In Sydney in 1988, while the Eye of the Wind was participating in the First Fleet Re-enactment, it seemed the whole of the nation was gripped by sea fever. By chance I saw the ship on Woolloomooloo Wharf and on an uncharacteristic but lifechanging impulse, I went aboard and enquired about work as a cook. I came aboard in Melbourne in February 1988 to relieve Helen Bird who had been injured in a bicycle accident which was a pity for Helen, but it gave me the most important opportunity of my life, crewing on the Eye, gradually cooking my way out of the galley and into the role of a deck-hand. It says something about my cooking. It didn't take long to realise that the Eye of the Wind was an institution and that Tiger Timbs was a reluctant legend among all the ships and crews of the ‘First Fleet’. When other captains were strolling down their gangplanks in the morning in Suzy Manigian in the galley

Eye of the Wind newsletter No. 6

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their pressed, white captain’s togs, off to linger over coffee and croissants in a cafe, Tiger was pulling on blue overalls to get on the needle-gun or chipping hammer, relentlessly leading from the front. There was an often-repeated story, that may have been apocryphal but was part of the crew lore, that some official had come down to the almost deserted ship (the crew were on a day off) and coming aboard, had asked the grimy guy covered in pulverised rust flakes in the scuppers where he might find the captain. Everyone delighted in recounting how surprised he was when Tiger stood up, took off his safety goggles, held out his hand and said shyly, ‘I’m the captain.’ Tiger's self-effacing personality, phenomenal memory, genuine interest in everyone, his formidable work-ethic and absolute devotion to the ship created an on-board culture that was successful for 30 years. The appalling thing about being a ship's Debbie, needle-gunning

captain is that your mood affects everyone on your ship. If you are having a bad day, then everyone is going to be low, so not only does the captain shoulder the responsibility for the welfare of the ship and all on board, and their mental state as well. Tiger managed this burden for thirty years. It was impossible not to look at him sometimes with incredulous admiration. Debbie, his wife, was always cleared-eyed and level headed, sympathetic at just the right moments and ferociously loyal. It's hard to imagine a better team to manage the competing demands of the ship and its systems, the crew, the voyage crews, maritime bureaucracies and commercial realities, vagaries of the weather and the ship's itinerary. It was very telling that Adventure Under Sail, the ship's business name, did relatively little advertising, but the Eye often sailed with a full complement of voyage crew,

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due to returning voyagers and word of mouth. That alone is a testament to the quality of the experience. It was a scramble to prepare the ship and make up the cabins for the oncoming passengers when some of the departing crew were reluctant to leave and the next voyage crew were impatient to come aboard. Everyone in the crew of ten: (mates, deck-hands, engineer, cooks) wanted to earn their place in the crew. Everyone strove for Tiger's approval. There must have been more than a hundred people on the books working for Adventure Under Sail over the thirty odd years they operated. It was easy to be proud to be crew of the Eye of the Wind: the gleaming brass, the timber panelling, the elegant rigging, the lustrous teak of the deckhouses, the charismatic Fred - both the man and the diving helmet, the solid elm tables and the triumphant rise and fall of the great black hull. The seamanship,

Caring for Fred – or at least for his permanent representative aboard

high standards and sensible systems, the camaraderie around the meal tables and being part, however temporarily, of a giant family and something so astonishingly adventurous. And it was easy to be crew on a ship that was welcome wherever it went With Walter, chief of Tikopia, Solomon Islands

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Joanne Bowman, Liz and Tom Castleton, Benny and Angela Gordon, John Godfrey, Kate Crawley (1997)

and, more importantly, welcome when it returned. Tiger always worked to do the right thing by everyone in every port. When the ship left for the Pacific, she would be crammed with books, stationery and provisions for islanders. The hard thing about working on the ship was that no sooner would you get to know the voyage crew but you were putting their bags ashore and meeting another twenty people to share that 100 foot world and meals and watches for days, or weeks, or months. Luckily, people were lovely and appreciative, and at their best, their most vulnerable and endearingly human as they faced off against the 158 |

challenges of learning to sail the ship, falling into the ship's routines, severing their links with their daily lives and venturing out onto the deep. Many of the voyage crew who returned annually and became close friends with the crew members they sailed with. There was a revolving door of returning permanent crew and returning voyage crew so it seemed that everyone knew everyone in that huge extended family. There were times when we would be aloft, struggling in a gale with the topsail, sodden, or dragging on wet socks and damp clothes to go out on a cold night on the 4 to 8 watch, swearing at 'the nun' (the

canvas, wind-powered air-conditioning) and emptying its 'potty' while the ship heaved or in water up to our waists in amidships in a storm, or setting off with a mountain of bed-sheets to occupy the laundrette for days, and some days in port exhausted from loading supplies. But these moments take some dredging up, and the memories that spring to mind easily are sublime: The Eye took us all to places we will never see again. The ship spawned stories constantly - tales about feats of seamanship or mishaps, yarns about escapades ashore that would have made Tiger wince, accounts of when the ship was used in films, ghost stories, shanties, songs and invented traditions that were repeated on the midships hatch after dinner or in the foc’sle after watch, laughed about on the monkey poop, leaned into across a meal. Given the characters who find their way onto a ship, it's hardly surprising. Many people who started their sailing careers on the Eye have gone on to be master mariners and professional sea-farers. Tiger and Debbie were very good about giving the galley crew opportunities to learn to sail and several people who started in the galley went on to be sea-farers. I learned to sail and to drive an inflatable and to dive while I worked on board, all invaluable skills in my subsequent work and life. Their care and concern for their crews was completely sincere as they still keep in contact with their giant network of ex-crew and regular 'passengers'. Suzy Manigian | 159

Teeth and how to deal with them I had an unusual experience on my first trip in 1988 when we joined ‘The Eye’ on the leg of the re-enactment of Australia's First Fleet in Portland to Adelaide. As this was my first sail on this beautiful vessel I was determined to have a wonderful time, so had my health and dental needs all checked out. I had not been to see a Dentist for 10 years so had quite a bit of work done before we sailed. On about the third day out, I had a terrible tooth ache, no amount of pain killers made any difference. I put up with this as long as I could. On our Watch a fellow crew member who came from Hamilton was a Dentist. I asked if he could have a look and advise me what to do. He diagnosed an abscess had formed under a front eye tooth and the only way was to extract the tooth. He arranged that after our early watch (4am to 8am) in the morning he would attend to it. We were well out to sea and no other ships of the fleet were in sight and it was too far out to put me ashore. Tiger put out an SOS for anyone in the Fleet asking if they had any dental equipment. He made contact with ‘Tucker Thompson’ who had a pair of dental extractors and made plans to rendezvous with them and Tiger was to arrange to rig up a flying fox to collect the tool. Just on dawn the next morning we spotted the ‘Tucker Thompson’ and decided to wait a little while. Suddenly a big launch came up to see us, the name of this vessel was ‘Destiny’. Fortunately, Tiger spoke to the Master of the ‘Destiny’ and arranged with him to sail over to ‘Tucker Thompson’ to collect the 160 |

Eye of the Wind and Golden Plover, Richard Linton

dental tool. This done, I was taken into the saloon and lay down on the saloon table. The second mate sat on my feet, another crew member a nurse, held my hands, the first mate held a torch so as the Dentist could see clearly. He wore Glad Plastic Bags for gloves and as I opened my eyes and looked up saw all the rest of the Crew looking through the Skylight from the Upper Deck watching and photographing the whole episode. The time had come for the extraction WITHOUT ANY ANAESTHETIC. I can still feel the enormous tug as the Dentist twisted and pulled at the eye tooth, I'm sure it came from my boots! when WHAM out it came. Everyone clapped. The pain stopped immediately. Everyone was marvellous, I shall always remember my first sail in ‘The Eye’. Judy Linton

1988 – The storm off Lord Howe Island I actually can't tell you exactly what it should look like as the photo is a ‘long’ exposure (prob 1/60th sec) which results in a blurred image with colours running into one another. Most of the screen should be white from the spray but it would be good to have sufficient contrast to give the spray some depth. The only other colour we might see is in the fore sails but they are masked by the spray too! I think the shot was taken late in the day and I can’t quite figure what the ‘arc’ shaped item is in the mid right side, nor am I sure which lines are coming from the pin rail, probably mid ships but maybe Tiger will know, I figure I took it either from the dive shack door, the upper saloon door or maybe at the brace in deck aft.

Oddly I only felt in danger once during the storm, the coils from the (probably) main boom topping lift made off on a pin by the break in deck port side aft had been pushed off by waves smacking into the scuppers. The rope end had been washed out of the scupper and was trailing behind, only the figure turns on the pin were stopping the line from letting go and dropping the boom. Anyway, one of the crew and I were checking the figure of 8 turns and coiling the line (2 hands) when a particularly nasty wave came on board and lifted me off my feet. It was by the smallest of margins that I decided to finish the coiling before returning to the relative safety of the aft deck… Eric Matson

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surged along at an average of 9¼ knots for the next four hours. It was a very memorable exhilarating sail with the reward at the end of beautiful Raivavae where most of us did a day’s treck along the ridge down the centre of the Island. (With thanks to Peter Vaughn for most of the details). Tim Nossiter

From the ridge of Raivavae

The most notable and longest passage in the 1983 voyage was from Opua in New Zealand’s Bay of Islands to Raivavae Island, part of the Austral Islands in French Polynesia. This was to be a most exhilarating passage of 23 days. Day one saw us log 195 miles, noon to noon, what a sail, 8 knots average, perfect conditions, so comfortable on-board allowing us to find our sea-legs for this longish passage. Our rhumb line took us along the 35th parallel to catch the prevailing westerly’s and a few days out from Raivavae to veer up towards its latitude of 24⁰. We caught the westerlies alright, up to force 11 on a couple of occasions and on one particular night, (why does all this shit have to happen at night?), we were hit pretty severely where the anemometer was stuck hard on it’s maximum of 60 knots for quite a while. There was a lot of green water over the deck that did quite a bit of damage to the skylight and nearly swept Peter Vaughn overboard. Things gradually were managed to be lashed down and we 162 |

Ode To The Eye

Thanks for all the pleasure you've given us all It's been great - we've had a ball.

I've written many lines of verse some were good and some were worse And now I'm trying hard to say Thank you in a special way. Not just from me - from all of us, The Trainees that you've had to cuss From time to time to get things done But we really hope it's been fun.

Margot Buchanan

We joined the ship in Raratonga (The crew had been on a little longer) And together we sailed the Pacific blue For 65 days, while Friendships grew. We've seen such beauty, sailed and sum, Biked round Islands, drunk some Rum, Danced on PITCAIRN, climbed steep hills, Snorkelled on reefs - all sorts of thrills. And now the Voyage is near its end And time some words of thanks were penned. But somehow I'm finding it hard to say Those things we do feel so much today. In Galley, engine room and on deck It's the people who have made it work For Captain & Crew have made this trip So happy on this lovely ship. Like Pitcairn, the strongest memories we will hold Are of the people, friends new & old; And when we hear in times to come Those names of Islands in the sun: Tahiti; Moorea and Bora Bora, Huahine, the Marquesas and Rangiroa, We won't just remember all those places We'll smile, and think of all your faces.

Off Mariner’s Cave, Tonga

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I sailed on the ‘Eye of the Wind’ from Hobart to Sydney, 25th March to 7th April 1991. We crossed the Bass Straits on 1st April, streaming the log at 0600 and set sail with a Westerly F5-6 wind and a northerly course. The swell increased as we got into the open sea. We had quite a lot of sail up and we were rolling heavily at times to starboard. At about 1900 the wind was blowing about F7-8, and I was stood on the port side with one arm under the rail when we got hit by a strong gust and the starboard poop railings went in the water, the sea came swirling up round the stern and on the windward side I found myself nearly knee deep in water looking down what seemed to be more like a cliff face than a ship's deck, by then I had both arms under the rail! Tiger was stood on the port side of the wheel and his eyes seemed to have almost popped out of his head. After finishing watch, I was writing up some notes when I remembered talking to some young Tasmanians fishing at the quay in Hobart, I said that I was sailing to Sydney on the Eye of the Wind. One said that he wouldn't go across the Bass Straits on the Aurora, pointing to a large orange painted ice breaker on the other side of the harbour. That boy was quite perceptive! By about 0300 the rolling eased off as we were in the lee of the land, and by 0600 we had sailed 210 miles in twenty-four hours, a very good days sail! I had spent the night sliding up and down my bunk 164 |

Clearing the Breaksea Islands, Port Davey

gradually pile driving my way through the panelling into the corridor, it was not a fore and aft bunk! One crew member, who was writing a book about sailing ship wrecks around Tasmania, said that he asked Tiger if he would describe the previous day's weather as rough. He said Tiger looked at him as though he was a simpleton, and said ‘No, f****** rough!’ Robert Lyddon

Newsflash A wonderful ending to the ship's stay in Hobart was the marriage of Tiger to Debbie. With just a small group of friends, including Jean and Miff, we motored out into the Derwent. then set a few squares and gently sailed back towards Hobart. After the wedding ceremony, seven month old Emma Jane Timbs was christened. A great meal followed at a restaurant on the docks. The next day we all said a very emotional farewell to the ship. It will be a long time until we see them again. We wish them well. Linda & Tim Nossiter

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Assisting their majesties Matthew Mills and Ross Pearce at the crossing the line ceremony

Emma Emma was 6 weeks old when she flew to Cairns to join the ship, and for the next 10 years Eye of the Wind was her home. Initially we were a little hesitant as to how we would manage with having a baby aboard, also being 166 |

mindful of the work and time dynamics of a voyaging square-rigger. Added to this was the fact that people sometimes came aboard to have a break from their own family, and would be walking straight into being involved with ours.

onalist as she grew older, and always related well to people older than herself. Emma was always very well organized and independent. From a very young age she loved going on trips ashore, and would be packed and ready, whilst advising everyone else what they needed to take. One of the kind voyage crew would volunteer to keep their eye on her, but she never needed looking after and would happily stay out all day with the group doing whatever activity was organized. We were extremely fortunate with Emma in that she was a very calm and sensible child, and from a very young age you could reason with her. She had her little cabin down aft under the poop deck, at the very stern of the ship, which was fitted with an enclosed bunk, and space for her toys and possessions. At bedtime she was probably a little indulged, due to the fact that as the engineer and mate’s cabin was next door, we could not leave her to cry and keep the crew awake. Consequently, she became used to having someone around whilst she was going to sleep – a habit that seemed to carry on for a little longer than we planned!

She had a little blow up paddling pool that sat upon the deck when it was hot, being filled every day

In so many ways she had an idyllic childhood – many of our crew stayed with us for years, and there was always the returning voyage crew as well as new people to engage. Like lots of little girls, she was a constant chatterbox – and there was always the ’… just one question more’ refrain that we all became used to. She was a very good conversati| 167

happily go over the side to swim in the impossibly blue coloured water. With no television she also enjoyed books and puzzles, and could name all the animals and birds in the Galapagos wildlife book. School was always a bit of a challenge – if we were in port there was always far more interesting things to do, and at sea the seasickness card came in handy at times – particularly when it was time to

from the fire hose during the deck scrub. Her little pink plastic car gave no end of enjoyment as she raced around the deck at breakneck speed, missing the corners of the deckhouse by millimeters. Before the age of 3 she would climb aloft wearing her handmade harness, connected by a line to one of the crew. She loved swimming with everyone when the ship was becalmed in the deep ocean. With her yellow bubble float strapped to her back she would 168 |

Emma was an extremely lucky child to have had such a caring and interesting environment provided by all aboard. Tiger and I are extremely grateful to all the crew and voyagers who made her life so special, and in return I believe she enriched all ours. Debra Timbs At the dead horse ceremony

practice writing. She was a very good reader, and the Australian distance education maths courses were very helpful. In many ways over the years she provided an excuse for having fun, and having a young person’s perspective and energy in the mix was a bonus for us all.

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From left: Tiger Timbs, Peter Howe, Keith Stocks, Cathy Bird, Eric Hebert, Katrina Forrest, Chris Hall, Wendy Munn, Nicky Allan, Gary Wilson, Duncan Richards, Ross Pearce. Not on picture: Bill McGrath, Andy McQueen, Jan Willis, Hugh Cross, Bill Adderley, Allan Campbell, Cynthia Mitchell, Lindsay Collins, Jim Kelly, Maggie Stocks, Allan Roper, John Taylor, Ken Edwards and Roderick Anderson

10 December 1991 - Cape Horn, THE TIP OF THE AMERICAN CONTINENT HANGS LIKE A PENDANT FAR INTO THE SUB-ANTARCTIC OCEAN POSITION: LATITUDE 55 DEGREES 59'SOUTH, 67 DEGREES 12' WEST OF THE MERIDIAN OF GREENWICH. 170 |

During the 12-4 watch the wind freshened to Force 5 out of the nor'west. The island of Diego Ramirez with its welcoming light was slipping astern of our starboard quarter. At 0230 the first glow of predawn began to creep above the eastern horizon. One could sense the tension and excitement, as

Off Cape Horn –photographed by the crew of the World Discoverer on December 10th. The last square rigger before her rounding the Horn under sail was the Pamir in 1949.

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The crew onboard the World Discoverer had the most unusual sight on the Cape in 42 years. And would later send pictures.

this was to be the day we would round Cabo de Hornes. As the sun rose higher, the snow-capped mountains of Tierra del Fuego became visible amongst the craggy land mass to our north. Under full sail, albatross and cape pigeons soared above our swaying masts, eagerly leading us onward. As the miles lessened, the watches scoffed down their celebration breakfast of eggs and bacon, to be on deck to witness this moment in the mind's eye as well as to capture it on film. On our final approach towards the Horn, we sighted the superstructure of a vessel rounding from the east. The 'World Discoverer', which we had met at Pitcaim Island and the Marquesas, could not believe their eyes, that they could actually see and photograph a square rigger rounding the Cape. 172 |

At 1343 UCT, we crossed the longitude of Cape Horn, passing 1.5 NM to seaward. Glasses of hot rum toddy were raised; forty-five days at sea and 5,820 miles from Auckland. (see fact sheet) With the exception of Søren Larsen, which rounded the Horn the day before us, one wonders how long ago it was since the Chilean Lighthouse Keeper last recorded details of a passing squarerigged vessel. After reading numerous accounts of Cape Horn passages, the six weeks in Sydney was used to prepare 'Eye of the Wind' for the arduous voyage ahead, which included a new suit of sails, two new topgallant yards, new bowsprit, new monkey poopdeck, new watertight door and hatches, new pin rails, strengthening of the forward deckhouse,

installation of weather fax, GPS navigation system and desalination plant. We were extremely grateful for all the assistance we received from many good friends of the ship. ‘Eye of the Wind’ and ‘Søren Larsen’ eventually sailed from Sydney on Monday 8 October 1991, on the first leg to New Zealand. After twenty-four hours of motor-sailing, the wind came from a favourable quarter giving us an extremely good passage to North Cape and the Bay of Islands, where a pleasant day was spent at Robinson Island before our arrival at Auckland, where we had a further week of preparation as well as official commitments. On 26 October 1991 an official farewell was held at Princes Wharf after which the two ships set sail for the voyage to Europe and the Columbus celebrations. Alter anchoring overnight at Waihekea Island to do final securing, we got underway at first light the following day. Clearing Cape Colville at The Eye seen from Søren Larsen

1800, we made sail with a fair breeze for the next two days, with one days run being two hundred and sixteen miles. The Chatham Islands were proposed to be our next port of call, but unfortunately, head winds made this impossible. As experienced on our voyage to Pitcairn two years before, a massive high which lay from the west coast of South America right across the Great Southern Ocean to the Chatham Islands, dominated the weather pattern for nearly ten days. We became known as the 166W degrees club, as we sailed seven hundred and thirty four miles in seven and a half days along this latitude, trying to achieve some easting. One Sunday afternoon, ‘Søren Larsen’ and ‘Eye of the Wind’ made a rendezvous for the first time since leaving Waihekea Island, swapping crews for afternoon tea. At long last, the high moved off and a series of lows brought favourable winds. Two of these lows produced winds of 45-55 knots. These winds had the seas and swell whipped up into the fabled ‘Cape Horn Greybeards’. Running free under reduced storm sail, with two men at the wheel, the watch was kept on their toes working the midship braces, as the occasional greybeard broke aboard. Quite a few hands had oilskins and boots full of salt water. Sightings of whales and dolphins brought all hands on deck and into the rigging, whilst the ever present flocks of albatross and cape pigeons awaited the galley scraps, unbelievably, only one fish was | 173

agents, Sulivans Shipping Ltd, were fantastic. The Falkland Island Post Office issued a First Day Cover featuring stamps of 'Søren Larsen' and 'Eye of the Wind' as well as two Columbus stamps. In the late evening, under full sail, we left Port Stanley and pointed our bow towards Montevideo. At 11:04, local time on 18 December 1991, the countdown began. A great cheer arose as we crossed 50 degrees south under sail. It had been 18 days, 10 hours and 24 minutes from 50 South to 50 South, one hundred per cent under sail. Rounding the Horn is a serious undertaking

caught. This turned out to be a special sub-species which our marine biologist would not allow us to eat. The lowest temperature recorded was 2 degrees on the 12-4-night watch and 4.5 degrees during a daylight hailstorm, which left the deck white and the scuppers full, making sail handling treacherous. An ice/snowman appeared rigged out in the appropriate gear. There will no doubt be many garage sales featuring cheap thermal underwear. The Falkland Islands were a welcome landfall, after being dogged by headwinds for the past few days. The engine was started for the first time since Cape Colville as we powered up Port William to Port Stanley. A very enjoyable three-day visit was spent with various groups heading off to inspect penguin colonies and the numerous hulks of not so lucky ships which ended their days on the shore after trying to round Cape Horn. The Falkland Islanders were extremely hospitable and the local 174 |

Christmas was spent at sea with the usual season's festivities and gifts, including Paddy Boxall's magnificent Christmas cake, and the galley girls leading carols by candlelight. There will be more about our adventures in Tristan da Cunha, St Helena, Ascension Island, Acores and the Columbus Regatta in our next newsletter. Our itinerary for the return voyage to Australia is enclosed. For those of you have sailed with 'Eye of the Wind' before, please contact Adventure Under Sail as a discount may be applicable. Enquire about our ‘Take a Mate’ programme. EOTW newsletter No. 12

Eye of the Wind diary entry - Cape Horn Cape Horn voyage abstract 1. Sydney to Montevideo Total distance: 8821 miles Total time under sail: 62d 14h 15m Total time under power: 5d 9h 28m Total: 67d 23h 43m Average speed: 5.41 knots 92.1% under sail 2. 50° S to 50° S Time under sail: 100% (18d 10h 29m, distance 2337 miles, speed 5.28 knots) Highest days run: 216 miles – 9.00 knots Lowest days run: 51 miles – 2.13 knots Average days run: 128 miles 3. Around 166° W Time spent: 7d 19h Distance sailed 734 miles, speed 3.93 knots Distance made good to Cape Horn: 300 miles

calculations by Gary Wilson

Tuesday 10 December 1991 • • • •

69 days since I joined the ship 66 days since we left Sydney 47 days since we left Auckland noon position: 55 degrees 55 minutes south, 66 degrees 49 minutes west • days run noon to noon: 153 nautical miles Up at 11.45 pm, on watch at midnight. Diego Ramirez light sighted a few minutes later and at 2 am when I took the wheel the islands were on our beam at about 9 miles. By 4 am land was clearly visible to port, high peaks covered in snow, and ahead the Hermitage Group and Cape Horn, 40 miles away. The sky is overcast, the sea black with white caps, the ship doing 8 knots (5 am). It is a dramatic and bleak scene and we are lucky to be so close inshore in daylight after so many miles. The wind is from the north-west allowing us to steer a course very close to the Cape. At 5.10 we saw some hour-glass dolphins and rock-hopper penguins and a wave coming over the stern carried onboard a fish. At 9.43 we passed Cape Horn at a distance of only 1.5 miles. By coincidence the World Discoverer cruise ship arrived at the same time and circled past us to take photos - probably the only time a sailing ship has been photographed so close to

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Had a nap at 4.30 but was called to go back on watch at 5.30 and took the wheel until 6 pm, then went to dinner which was curry and rice and cheesecake. At 5.45 we saw killer whales a couple of hundred yards away. Went below to sleep at 6.30 pm. A busy day!

Roderick Anderson

Cheers! Ken Edwards, Roderick Andersson, John Taylor and Allan Roper

Cape Horn! A celebratory drink was had and group photos were taken. The Coast is very rugged and beautiful and the day perfect. X got so drunk he was confined to bed. I went back on watch after lunch which consisted of tuna casserole and did little. At 1.43 pm we were 5817 miles from Auckland and 7075 miles from Sydney. At 2 pm a call from Soren Larsen ruined the atmosphere aboard with the suggestion that we give up sailing, which we had stuck to as the only means of propulsion since Auckland, and motor from now on to meet deadlines. The crew voted against this. We will see what happens, but the feeling is that we should make the Falklands under sail if possible.

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Roderick

After departing Montevideo there was the long sail up the south Atlantic with ports of call at the remote islands of Tristan da Cunha, St Helena and Ascension. These 3 islands, along with the Falklands Islands had commissioned a series of commemorative stamps, which the ships carried aboard. The world’s tall ships gathered in Lisbon to race and sail in company, retracing Columbus’ epic voyage to the new world.

The most spectacular sight was 100 square-riggers under full sail, working a fresh breeze, south of Tenerife, Canary Islands. From horizon to horizon was the magnificent sight of billowing canvas, as the vessels heeled in the deep blue ocean waters. After celebrations in Puerto Rico, the fleet sailed on to New York, where we were joined by countless other vessels from the US and Canada. A parade of sail was held, sailing up the Hudson River on 4 July 1992. lost source | 177

I arrived in Tenerife to meet her for the first time in Santa Cruz on 12th March 1993. Little did I realise that this meeting would change my future. It was the 30th Birthday of an Australian deckhand called Benny Gordon. I arrived as part of a diverse group from the Scottish Maritime Sailing Trust. In 1992, I was a trainee with the Trust aboard the Polish sail training vessel, Fryderyk Chopin, in the Columbus Regatta. Square-rig sailing was so different from my previous experience of sailing and racing yachts in Scotland. I was hungry for more. In 1993, I decided to follow my dream. I left my job and started my Adventure Under Sail. My precious years aboard The Eye of the Wind came to an end in 1998 when Benny and I left the ship in Hobart. She had been our home for many years. She played a part in our wedding in Orkney, Scotland. She accepted my change of name and brought me safely through the Pacific to the land I now call home. It took time to adjust to a life without her, but I am now settled in my new abode in Adelaide as a land lubber. I am proud to have sailed in her. I fondly remember varnishing, sanding, blacking down, needle gunning, grinding and wire-brushing. I loved laying aloft, setting sail, being at the helm and the solitude of look-out. I enjoyed the new voyage crew, getting to know new people and hearing their stories. Everyone has a story. I remember fair weather sailing and following seas. I remember storms. I remember being waist deep 178 |

Me, as part of the Scottish Maritime Sailing Trust in Boston, USA in 1993

in water midships in the South Atlantic in the middle of the night. I remember stowing sails in storms and bright windy days. I remember being caught by a rogue wave and getting drenched mid Atlantic. I remember plastic nose guards to protect against more skin cancer. I remember braiding Emma's hair before taking her to school in the Caribbean. I remember snorkelling in the Great Barrier Reef. I remember swapping Marks & Spencer knickers and lipstick for bark paintings in the Marquesas. I remember snorkelling with sea lions and penguins in the Galapagos Islands and being woken to find ice for a group of divers wanting drinks. I remember the days of rhythmic sailing in the trade winds, sudden squalls and distant sea spouts in the tropics. I remember the storms, the big seas

drug dog in Columbia too scared to go down there, too. I remember the sound the windlass made as it strained and the mess you were in when the sea bottom was less than tropical. I remember starting the engine as the anchor dragged and the ship was heading towards rocks in a Brazilian harbour. I remember teaching Jeff Bridges to pump the heads when filming White Squall. I remember walking around Valetta, Malta before dawn. I remember beautiful sunsets and sunrises. I remember the night the boom snapped and the second time I witnessed an air-sea rescue. I remember sailing through the Caledonian Canal and then years later through the Panama Canal. I remember the Rastafarian in the Caribbean smoking something exotic asking slowly ‘Hey der Blondie,

want ta have saex wid a Rasta man?’

and feeling almost swallowed by the ocean wondering if the next wave would be the last. I remember watching the albatross in the South Atlantic on the way to South Africa.

I remember diving into a cave in the Pacific, swimming in the middle of the ocean with a turtle; whale watching, trying to take photos of dolphins and ending up with a few splashes and a water logged camera. I remember beach cricket in the Caribbean then watching Australia play a proper match in Trinidad.

I remember the routines of the watch - encouraging others to help scrub the decks and polish the brass, arguing about the amount of sky covered by cloud for the weather, dinner relief and volunteering to wake the next watch. I remember squeezing down the chain locker to flake the chain. I remember the

I remember funny adventures when dealing with Customs and Immigration. I remember the craziest experience trying to hunt down ball bearings for the ship at an airport in Brazil, dealing with siestas and bureaucracy. I remember the ship's cell phone and the battery suitcase which we thought hi-tech.

With my father off Staffa in the Inner Hebrides, Scotland in 1994

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I remember Tall Ships Races and the cities we visited. I remember a happy week spent sailing with my father in Scotland when he fulfilled his boyhood dream. I remember getting Fred measured for his kilt when he was best man at our wedding. I remember my friends and family in Orkney being amazed at the beauty of The Eye and understanding why I sailed. I remember young men full of bravado (and testosterone) and young women full of determination. I remember camaraderie and love. I remember

many, many happy people enjoying a life under sail. I am thankful to the Timbs family for allowing me to be part of The Eye of the Wind during their watch. I am so grateful to Tiger, Deb and our flower girl, Emma. I am blessed to have spent so many happy days at sea. I look forward to the day I can introduce our son Fergus to our dear friend, The Eye of the Wind. Angela Gordon

Angela and Benny Gordon in Stromness, Orkney Islands, celebrating their wedding day on 15 June 1996

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Irene's Mystery Tour September 1993 being our 10th wedding anniversary, I fancied that Irene would enjoy a surprise. We would take a ten days holiday somewhere. A real surprise: I didn't tell her where we would be heading. ‘I'll take care of the packing’ said I, and one day we found ourselves in a cab on the way to Milan's airport. It was fun to see her looking for any possible hint at the airlines check-in counter. There she guessed that the country we were flying to was England. After a quick lunch above the Alps and some wandering about at Heathrow, we boarded another plane, so she realized that London wasn't our final destination: she got more and more pensive (maybe she'd dreamed of the tropical sun) until we reached Glasgow. Half of the following day was spent on the slowest local train one can imagine: more and more hopeless looked Irene, who was still bound for the unknown. I had the feeling that her mood would soon turn into a Force 10 gale. The weather also grew more and more Scottish. With dark clouds over the sea, the train arrived at Oban, that to us Italians reminds of the famous name of a whisky. On the platform there was a man with a beard and a signpost in his hand, which read: ‘Eye of the Wind’.

Daniele Ravenna and Irene Brenna

The man was Alan Campbell, the ship’s engineer, who kindly took hold of our luggage. The ‘Eye of the Wind’? To the stunned Irene there were no hotels in sight with that name. Where were we going? We followed the man with the beard. ‘Hold on’ I kept saying to myself., and at last, there, She was. Irene stared at the Eye of the Wind's tall masts. You should have seen her eyes (Tiger and Deb and everybody else did). She cast a deeply worried glance, down below, towards the deck - the ship was moored, it was low tide. Now it must be revealed that neither of us had ever been on a sail ship before. The sympathetic crew were already letting our bags down with the ropes. It was drizzling. But there we were.

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Daniele and Irene during their equator christening

The big surprise was celebrated in good company at a local pub, where also Alan's nice sister, Carol, joined us. The morning after we were already at sea, sailing towards the Scottish Islands and Dublin. A few days later Irene asked to climb up the rigging. She really liked it. And neither of us knew yet, that it was just a start. 182 |

Two years later (1995) we were on the Eye again in the Grenadines. In 1997 we joined her for a 100 hundred day at sea, from Panama to Galapagos, Easter Island, Pitcairn, Marquesas and Tahiti. In 1999 from Cornwall to Brittany. In 2001 from Bermuda to Denmark. Thanks Tiger, Deb, Emma and Crew. Daniele Ravenna

In the Gloucester dock

Refit in Gloucester In 1994 I drove down to the Eye at Gloucester: she was in the smaller of the two dry docks, I had, as usual, taken something for the ship. In this instance I had been to my local market and bought 40 peaches, a couple of large water melons and some honeydew melons.

The day before, the Australian Mate and qualified Master Mariner, Gary Wilson, had been brushing the anchor cable that had been taken out the ship and laid out in neat rows along the dock bottom. From time to time he took a closer look at a link where it joined another shackle. Fred Saunders ran the shore operation for the ship and usually came along to spray the anti-foul as weather permitted; | 183

Lunch is one of Kate’s excellent lamb stews, after which I was shown to cabin 8 - pretty full up with kit and just enough space to be able to tumble into a bunk with my gear. Next morning was a Wednesday and I was asked to take the girls to the laundry. When we got the machines filled we had four running together. Back at the ship, I set to cleaning and refitting skin valves in the engine room, all not touched since the refit at Wollongong. Ellis the engineer is joined by his brother from Shetland both are Scots, not unusual for engineers? I was back to the laundry late in the day for the ships washing now finished, a good car full. Thursday: Ellis is welding patches around stanchions where rust has separated the riveted plate. Tiger is with Joe down in the bilge needle gunning. It makes such a racket as it thunderously removes scale from the plates. The cold water make up tank in the galley needs to be taken out; it will not be impossible but is time consuming, as the gas locker wall will need to be carefully removed and then an angle iron support Gary Wilson with the anchor chain Night in Gloucester dock

this had to be done in three coats, the last described as nipple pink. I arrived to find the foremast being stripped to bare metal and being painted for the first time since 1976. The hull had been sand blasted and was ready for painting; John Lart was just leaving with the Compass for adjusting. He was going to call on Miff and Jean, two of the owners, on the way. 184 |

will have to be cut out with an angle grinder to facilitate removal, it then unbolts, the tank dimensions are 40”x23”x16” imperial measure. Emerging from the forward bilge is Joe, his hands coated in the same Nutra Rust solution he has been painting on the plates. He was warned to wear gloves, there were jokes like ‘changed race Joe’ and the like. Friday: I have by now serviced 10 skin valves, 4 heads and 6 engine room valves. Two of us set about the four 7/8” bronze prop flange bolts and one sticks and one breaks. So drills are brought to bear and with a cutter and an easy out4 the bolts are wound out sweetly. We find a length of threaded stainless rod just the right size and Whitworth thread - great when it all comes together as we needed it to. Saturday 5th June: drove down to Coverack to collect Emma for Debbie. We drove back the following day in one go. Emma chomping on Pepperami sticks, Kit Kat bars and cartons of apple juice as we drove; four and a half hours later arriving just in time for dinner and mum’s arms.

neighbours. A little different to his work as a policeman and his Soho beat. Friday 11th June: Debbie announces the end is nigh as she stands in the doorway looking for the entire world as dirty as a miner, three weeks needle gunning - it is done; Wow. Tiger said to all of us volunteers ‘I do not know how other ships like ours manage the maintenance.’ We do all our own, allowing three weeks for a dry dock period when we really need three months which we cannot afford. It was a major surprise to all aboard at the time, when in 1996 Eye of The Wind won the Concourse de Elegance at the Tall ship races, an award not given every year. Chris Roche

Phil Long and Tiger Timbs

Sunday: Took a photo of Debbie in fatigues needle gunning in the bilge then painting her work over, she looked rather like a tunnel rat; the space being less than two feet high at the turn of bilge. Dave Riley arrived on his BMW motorcycle and needle gunned the chain locker, it being a Sunday and all starting at 0800 hours but no complaints from the 4

A tool that works in reverse to making or tapping a thread.

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We sailed in perfect weather to Lundy Island (in the middle of the Bristol channel, and a very dramatic island, where they have nesting puffins and other birds) and on to the Scilly Isles. These are owned by Prince Charles and is where he gets a lot of his watercolour scenes from (however, we didn't see him at his easel). Weymouth was the start of this year's Tall Ships Race. Deb and Emma had an unexpected holiday as they were not allowed to do the race this year. Unfortunately, we were moored about 50 yards from the Cutty Sark hospitality tent, and they all saw her playing on deck. So the evening before the race, we were informed that she was not to be on the ship.

It was all a bit sudden, but didn't work out too badly in the end, as one of the girls who was a young explorer in the Op Drake days had come to see if she knew anyone on board and caught up with Tiger again. She had 2 kids, 4 & 6, so we went and stayed with them for a while, before heading off on another round of visiting friends. A spectacular start of this year’s Tall Ships race commenced at Eddistone Light. ‘Eye of the Wind’ battled with ‘Malcolm Miller’ to cross the start line, and ‘Kruzenshtern’ came roaring up astern. There must be some incredible footage (we still don't own a camera) somewhere of this awesome sight. Once into the Bay of Biscay on our way to La Coruña, we were dogged by light airs, and as we ghosted along, hundreds of dolphins and many, many whales swam in company with us. The sail in company was from La Coruña to Oporto, which was where Henry the Navigator was born. When we finally left Oporto for the 2nd race leg, all vessels

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were heavily laden down with cases of port kindly donated by the city of Oporto. After a slow start, we experienced a series of squalls in the early hours as we approached the separation zone off Cape Finisterre. Whilst trying to manoeuvre through other vessels of the fleet and dodge the numerous Spanish fishing vessels, we experienced one severe squall as we were wearing ship. The

main boom parted by way of the preventer band, and a section of the boom came down and punctured a hole in Geoff Andrewartha's hand, as he was on the wheel, and broke one of the spokes. It took us an hour to get the remainder of the boom secured and stowed on deck with the night being as black as the inside of a wolf. Geoff was airlifted off by a Spanish Coastguard helicopter and | 187

taken for treatment to La Coruña. The race once again ended in light airs, and few of the squarerigged vessels managed to round the waypoint off Ushant. Several other vessels had to retire due to storm damage, with masts and sails suffering the most. At St. Malo, a picturesque walled city, we marched through the streets, and were surprised at a prizegiving ceremony to be awarded the Concours d'Elegance, which was a beautiful painting of Grand Banks fishing barquentines departing St. Malo. On our arrival in Brixham, we were greeted by the local press, who had somehow found out it was Emma's 4th birthday. So, we hurriedly had to organise a fake birthday party, as they were a day too soon. However, Emma didn't complain at the two lots of birthday goodies and pink food. Our replacement main boom, a 50' douglas fir tree was awaiting us in the Squaresail workshop and with the help of a Danish shipwright, was shaped and fitted in a few days. We now have a standing gaff with a brailing mainsail and have the option of lowering and reefing the mainsail if so desired. One watch can handle it under most conditions. In actual fact, I think it has improved the look of the ship. An SOS was sent to Robin WA for some double jarrah blocks, and it is incredible to realise that on the mainsail alone there are 26 blocks (a varnisher's nightmare).

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At this stage, we completely severed our connections with Scottish Maritime Trust, and we are now back to doing our own thing. A good sail across the Bay of Biscay (much to Nanna's relief), and passed through the Straits of Gibraltar 9 days out of Penzance. A strong westerly wind carried us 170 miles into the Med, and then promptly died. Our new propeller came to the fore, and we motored on doing the incredible (for us) speed of 7 - 8 knots. All those years of plodding along, seemingly getting nowhere, have hopefully come to an end. It certainly has made an amazing difference. The blue-eyed wiggly squid gave us an excellent (and unprecedented) catch of 5 tuna and one swordfish (which was beautiful eating). EOTW newsletter February 1995

Hi folks, Not time yet for a newsletter but due to the change of circumstances for the Eye I thought it important to put you all in the picture. Firstly, International Maritime Ltd have failed to honour their contract with us, i.e. lack of payment. I have therefore terminated the Charter contract with them with effect 1st July and am now endeavouring to recover money owed. Dry dock went really well in Gloucester and I can't thank you volunteers that turned up to help out, enough. You are a great crowd and I am very proud of you and all the effort you put in. After a lot of sleepless nights and hard days the Eye came out of Dry dock looking good. A really fantastic job was made of the hull with every inch blasted off and five coats of antifouling. And, at long last, we have finally got our new propeller. Tiger reckons it's great, his only complaint is (quote) ‘I can't get the ship slow enough now!!’ We had only done about a mile down the canal from Gloucester when we developed horrible noises from the stern. I aged about 10 years as I thought the new prop was falling off. We went slowly down to Sharpness then I went over the side to have a look and found we had picked up a wire rope. So a big sigh of relief from me. We went to Lundy, the Scillies, Brixham and then on to Weymouth for the start of the Tall Ships. We had a good berth alongside and it was good that so many of you were able to visit the ship.

Fred Saunders, shore manager

Right down to business, due to the cancellation of the contract with International Maritime we are now on our own for a while until we sort things out. Enclosed is our new schedule through to Spring of next year so if you have any spare cash and want to do a trip now's your chance to help us over a difficult period and you can have some fun at the same time. If you have any queries give Lisa or me a call at the office, we are there to help. Well that's about it folks, look after yourselves and we all look forward to seeing you back on the Eye in the near future. All the best Fred Saunders, 1995 | 189

No way! As a teenie, landlocked in East Germany, my connections to the oceans were rather poor. It took the sheer beauty of the Polish ‘Dar Pomorza’ to make me spend my holiday first on the big Russian vessels shortly after the wall came down. They were beautiful, but too large for me. I wanted something smaller but couldn’t find such a ship in the days before the internet. When asking for a bunk on the English brig Astrid in the harbour of Weymouth, they were fully booked, but pointed to another vessel. Maybe ask there on the Eye! It was a bit of a walk and while approaching, the hopes went. Maybe they do have a bunk, but by no means I could afford it – all that brass and varnish sparkling in the sunlight can only indicate something very expensive. Anyway, I now was there and without even asking that walk would 190 |

be pure nonsense. ‘Do you have spare bunks?’ I asked the first guy I saw walking the deck. ‘We do!’ A rare chance to visit something out of my planet. ‘Can I see the ship?’ ‘Sure, come in!’ I had a walk with that guy down from the homey upper saloon down the spiral companionway leading below deck. I saw the leather cushions and the showers that could be used at any time. Things one couldn’t even dream of these days on the Russian vessels. I asked some questions and each single answer was Yes! or meant Yes!. But it did not change my temper much. I was here to find a ship for me to sail on for the second leg of the Tall Ships Races. Here, I was wasting my time and maybe meanwhile somebody else took somewhere else the last affordable possibility. I had to make an end to that pointless nonsense. ‘What does it cost per day?’ And what I heard with my not very trained English was something that sounded like considerably less Gronya Fletcher, Angela Flett, Benny Gordon and Peter Leonard

than what I paid for the rather basic conditions on Russian vessels. There must be a huge mistake in some way. Maybe my English, maybe exchange rates, mathematics, whatever. I’d be doomed upon agreement. I will need to have time to double- and triple-check everything and find the hidden trap. ‘Can I decide tomorrow same time?’ ‘Sure!’ Next day, same time, I signed the contract. I hadn’t found the trap by then, but of course, there was one. From that week on, my life would not be the same anymore. Only a few years after having decided I would never travel as far as Slovakia again, I went to Bermuda where I was nearly sent back at immigration. People of my income range were not welcome on a posh island. Still, I left it on a sailing vessel towards Brazil. I crossed two Oceans and did several smaller trips. The constant surge of money towards the UK ship’s office made me think of how to make money and save it. At least before spending it again for the next sailing trip. In a time that I would have been eligible for social welfare I managed to travel the South Pacific using my own money instead. I sailed tropical waters, met locals on remote islands and made friends from the opposite side of the planet. And I publish a book in a foreign language with these friends to tell others - no matter where they live. All for a foot walk that appeared so useless. Ina Koys

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The Albatross film-makeup. The port authorities will ask questions about two different names on one ship.

White Squall At this point, a similar vessel to the 'Albatross' had not been located, and luckily for us, we were in the right place at the right time. Filming for us started in the middle of March in St Vincent. The first location and the opening scenes were at Young Island, and our crew soon became involved in the day to day routine. We often started 192 |

at 6.00am and particularly as the days were quite long, we often finished after 8.00pm. Contrary to popular belief, we all found out that it was not as glamorous as it is made out to be. As the schedule progressed we moved to Soufrière in St. Lucia and then to St George's in Grenada.

Unfortunately for the film company, other than the first day when we had a familiarisation sail, the weather we experienced in the Caribbean was mainly light airs, and the script called for some rough weather, especially when the ‘Albatross’ sailed from Bermuda in 1960. So this dilemma first of all took us to Bermuda to find the big seas and the conditions that go with it. We arrived a week too late, with the locals saying – ‘if only you had been here last week...’. Our time there was not wasted as we did the mechanical dolphin scenes, and the sheltered lagoon to the west of Bermuda was an ideal place for this. In actual fact they were lucky it was nearly dead calm, as the dolphin had trouble keeping up with us as it was - he had no hope of coping in rough weather as his six handlers struggled to keep his head above water and his tail moving. EOTW newsletter autumn 1995 Made it! Harbour bureaucracy defeated again!

As the stormy sea shots had not been filmed, our contract was extended, and we expected to be heading to southern Ireland or the west country of England. Two days prior to us departing Bermuda, we were told by Fred that they wanted us in Cape Town instead of southern Ireland. As you can imagine, this was something of a shock, as it involved a voyage of nearly 8,000 miles.

Unfortunately for us, a massive Azores high spread from Florida to the mid Mediterranean. This gave us light airs as we tried to power across the centre of the high and reach its nor'easterly airflow. The winds we had hoped for did not eventuate and we had light south easterlies. This meant we could not follow the old sailing ship route and had to call in to Fortaleza in Brazil for fuel.

After hurriedly storing and fuelling (and getting in some extra charts) and shanghaing a few extra hands, we departed Bermuda on June 15 1995.

It was a Friday evening when we arrived and the port authorities would not answer our VHF-calls. In the morning we were unable to obtain fuel but | 193

cleared into Brazil which was a long and complicated procedure. We were finally able to leave four days later and battled all the way along the Brazilian coast against the Guyana current and strong south-easterly winds. Motor-sailing it took us 10 days to cover the 600 miles to Salvador, the old capital of Brazil. Other than the usual clearance problems, everything went smoothly here. We fuelled next morning and spent an enjoyable Sunday discovering the local markets with their wonderful printed fabrics. We all had to watch what we said, as that was the weekend that Brazil lost the South American Soccer Cup, and there was a lot of commiserating. EOTW newsletter autumn 1995 Right: Autograph for the Eye’s centenary in 2011, below: film poster

A film featuring the Eye alongside with Jeff Bridges, directed by Ridley Scott. It could have been so nice. Never mind the ship is sinking. That would only be impressive if the rest of the film was exciting. But in fact, the movie theatres remained empty and when I told folk on board the ship I had seen the movie twice, people would laugh at me. Maybe the filming company re-gained the 38,000,000 US$ spent with TV screenings. At least in Germany, it was displayed frequently at times. Shots and score are great, the dialogues rather difficult to accept. 194 |

John Graham checking the supply.

Anyway, the Eye was a paid contractor and for her, the economic outcome was solely positive. Still, it was sometimes a bit difficult to connect the worlds of sailing and filming. Much of the filming was done when the filming company decided there would have to be shots with high swell. Approaching Tiger, they asked where one would reliably find such conditions. ‘In Cape Town!’ ‘Alright, we extend the contract and go to Cape Town. When can you be there?’ ‘Give me two months or more.’ ‘What? Can’t you load your ship into an airplane?’ That airplane became a running gag for quite a while.

of the stars in the water. Tiger waited for a wind that never occurred. And then, it took the bronze mizzen to reach the port of Fortaleza to refuel. But one couldn’t simply come along, put money onto a Brazilian desk and say ‘I want Diesel!’ It takes the right time to ask, the right dress to wear and the right amount required. And it takes days to sort all of that out. And heaps of forms to fill in. And three people trying their best. And a nice blonde girl to soften the temper of hotblooded South Americans. And things I have forgotten. And maybe stuff one doesn’t talk about. As a voyage crew, it is unbelievable what fuss can be made for something that may appear simple. It gave us an idea what it means to spend all one’s time on more or less continued circumnavigations. Ina Koys

As the airplane was not available, the ship was left to its own devices. Normally, that would be sails. Sails do require wind. The trip was planned from Bermuda straight into the Atlantic, then to Rio de Janeiro and from Rio to Cape Town. But the Atlantic showed an unexpected face and was calm like a table. At night, one could see the reflection | 195

Sinking the „Eye“ in a Maltesian tank

After Bermuda the unit went to Malta to do the tank scenes, where a replica of the ship had been built from the forward deckhouse aft. Everybody said the replica was so lifelike, and it was a weird sensation to be on it. Apparently, they got some amazing footage of the ship supposedly capsizing and sinking. EOTW newsletter autumn 1995

196 |

On the bridge

Cape town to Gloucester 1995 – 96 The winds of fortune had decided that I drift to Cape Town – even though I’d never meant to go – and there I met the Eye. I knew her only by reputation. Did they need any crew? Well – maybe. They were short of a second mate and a guy was supposed to come from Australia, but there was no news from him. I left them a copy of my diplomas and some references and told them where they could get hold of me. A few days later I got word that they wanted me over for a trial sail. I made it quite clear to Tiger that I had little experience on square-riggers, just fore-and aft and a few topsail schooners, but my performance was considered adequate and I was hired. They were in a hurry to leave.

Ships roll. Add thirty meters of mast and up there that’s enough swing to make you have to hang on for dear life and get the sails to flap. All that causes a lot of wear on most fore and aft rigged sailing vessels. As we followed the trade winds northwestward to Saint Helena we enjoyed beautiful sailing. The Eye seemed to have a much softer roll than most ships and all that square sail gave a lot of power: perfect for ocean passages. During my time on the Eye, I saw very little damage from chafe. The ancient mariners who invented these ships weren’t stupid. I ran the 4 to 8 watch and since I wasn’t at all familiar with the rig, Tiger had been so kind as to let me have Benny the bosun to hold my hand, which was reassuring. Most of the permanent crew on the Eye were very professional and obviously knew the ship inside out. It was a little intimidating, especially since during my watch they were supposed to take my orders. I spent a lot of time trying to memorize the ropes of the ship’s complicated rig, so Looking aft from foremast

Many have exulted about the Eye’s qualities at sea and it’s all true. It was the stability of a square rig out on the ocean that especially impressed me. | 197

Ship's bell before we ran out of Brasso

as not to look too much like an idiot during sail handling. Most people don’t realize how much hard work goes into a ship like the Eye. This is, like a good friend of mine once said with a disgusted expression, ‘both Work, and Hard!’ Even out at sea, the work never stopped. The 8 to 12 watch was the Brasso watch. There was lots of brass and it all had to remain Lloyds A1 shiny. Luckily for me, I wasn’t on that watch. Then there was the teak deck to be scrubbed and the wood to be oiled and varnished. Steel ships rust, especially when combined with salt 198 |

Ship's bell after we ran out of Brasso - much to the delight of the 4 to 8 watch

water, of which, out on the ocean, there is no lack. After lunch the generator came on, and that was when Tiger got out the chipping hammer. Having sailed as able seaman on cargo ships for a while where just 3 of us gradually lost the battle against the galloping rust of the crappy Asian steel - I knew how hard chipping rust was. But hard work seemed to make our Captain thrive, as he banged away with gusto. When asked to do a little chipping myself, I made a huge mistake. Instead of clumsily planting my hammer into the nearest bit of brightwork, thus relieving myself by incompetence of this arduous, often painful task, I just did as I was asked. I think

that up to this point, Tiger had been regretting hiring me, but now he wandered over, looking quite interested: ’You know how to do that! Excellent!’ It turned out that most of the crew pretended to not know how to hold a hammer and/or specialize in other Important Tasks. Ross the first mate knew the most unlikely knots by heart, John the engineer fixed things and was a pretty good carpenter. Benny did the maintenance of the rig and knew about electricity. Claire end Emily did the cooking, Debby was purser and had Emma to take care of. Ross’ wife, Kerry, was a qualified nurse and did lots of cleaning. Thew the deckhand was a fanatic varnisher. Only Jake, the other decky, sometimes joined in, but not out at sea, since he was on the Brasso team. My fate was sealed; I was back to chipping rust. Rust likes to invade nooks and crannies, out of reach of the chipping hammer. One day, John came rushing up, furious: ‘Look at this chisel! It’s wrecked! Did you use it for chipping rust?!’ The thought had crossed my mind, old chisels are ideal for little corners, but John took such loving pride in ‘his’ chisels, that I hadn’t dared. I was innocent of this crime. That left only one other possible culprit, but he was never caught. John took to hiding his beloved woodworking tools, but somehow brutalized chisels kept showing up.

Marco van der Kraan

During my free time, I sometimes liked to go aloft. Compared to the rest of the ship, away from the thundering bows and Tiger’s chipping, it was a quiet place, where one could be alone. Privacy is hard to come by, on a small, crowded vessel out at sea. At Saint Helena some of our South-African voyage crew disembarked. Our voyage went on to Ascension Island, an important military outpost. Back at sea, we were visited by Neptune, his wife and their offspring, in full ceremonial attire. They had come to see if the pollywogs on board were worthy of crossing the line for the very first time. | 199

After all manner of tests, Neptune nodded favorably. One of the pollywogs – a young trainee who was always going on about his girlfriend - was brought before him: ’You have done well,’ he said. The master of ceremony shouted: ‘You may kiss the bride! A great honor!’ The pollywog was shoved roughly in the direction of Neptune’s bride. She turned her back on him and started bending over. In a deep, very un-lady like voice, she said: ‘Kiss my ass!’ Now a few things happened almost simultaneously. The poor pollywog was grabbed and blindfolded from behind. The bride pivoted back toward him, holding her forearms together, vertically, like hairy buttocks, and the boy’s face was pushed into the gap between the forearms. The crowd broke out in rude laughter. For a long time, he believed we had made him do the unthinkable thing, and he sulked. I don’t think he ever forgave us. Fair winds pushed us on to the doldrums, which were crossed in less than 24 hours with some help of the Iron Topsail, and then we picked up the north-east trades that took us all the way to Trinidad. We spent the winter in the Caribbean, chartering between Saint Martin and the Grenadines. 200 |

Same procedure, different victim (1997)

Emma was the only kid on board and I always felt sorry for her not to have any playmates of her own age. A few times, I managed to arrange for her to go and play with children on other boats. When we were on shore leave, most of the crew usually ended in a bar together, drinking. Since we were already stuck 24 hours around the clock on a ship together, I preferred making my escape and meeting some new faces. I often hung out with the locals. This gave me a bit of a reputation, so when John couldn’t find any decent wood for repairing the ‘little Eye’ (the sailing dinghy on the davits on the stern of the Eye), somebody suggested: ‘Hey, why not send Marco!’

The ‘little Eye’ had some broken knees, due to the Eye being pooped by a big wave on the way to Cape Town. In Cariacou, in the Grenadines, there still was some wooden boatbuilding going on, and I was given a whole glorious day to roam free on the island, providing I found some suitable wood. First, I went to a boat yard, but there was no one around. Some guys were preparing to set sail on one of the lovely little traditional vessels they build on the island. I wandered over for a chat. They were quite proud to show their boat to me. I asked them how they got the wood if they needed to do some repairs. The answer was as simple as it was obvious: they went into the bush and cut down the tree of their liking, then let the wood dry for 6 months, before using it. Now I came to the point. I explained our problem to them. Could anybody help? Turns out knees are called ‘elbows’, on Cariacou! They sent me back to the other side of the island, to an ‘uncle’, who maybe had some dried hardwood lying around. When I got there he already knew I was coming, greeted me like I was an old friend, and showed me some dried branches which were just perfect for the job. He didn’t want any money. The wood turned out to be of fantastic quality, and for all I know, those knees still hold the transom of the little Eye to the rest of the boat.

Eye’s survey, in the UK. Never mind that we were on the other side of the ocean and that it was not yet the right time of the year to cross. Since we left earlier than planned, we only had two trainees: Lennie and Ken, streetwise teenagers from Glasgow. Ken was the muscle, Lennie the brains. They showed up a few hours before our departure. Before long, both were violently seasick. Ken looked up from the bulwarks miserably: We found this wonderful fender somewhere southeast of Bermuda, with Emma

I few days later, I learned that just before our arrival a Cariacou fishing boat had gotten into trouble and been helped by another square rigger. When in Saint-Martin for provisions, we learned that the authorities had advanced the date for the | 201

made sure everyone was always tied on with a lifeline. You lose someone over the side in those conditions; you’ll never get them back on board.

Marco van der Kraan

Running before a gale

‘What time are we arriving, mate?’ ‘No idea. In about a month, I suppose…’ ‘But… aren’t we stopping for the night? I need to buy some cigarettes. I was told I was going for a cruise in the Caribbean!’ ‘That’s right, Ken: a cruise from the Caribbean to England!’ Poor Ken, he never really got over the shock. Lennie, on the other hand, quickly adapted to life on board. Soon he was all over the rigging. Once we had run out of the trade winds we hit some very light airs blowing straight out of Bermuda, so stopping there was off the agenda – sorry Ken. In the middle of the Sargasso Sea we salvaged a big fender that was as good as new, once the barnacles had been scrubbed off. In the west winds we had some heavy weather. The Eye rode the big seas under fore topsails alone. On my watch, I 202 |

Fred's bit... Yes. I'm still here, folks! After what seemed an eternity, the Scottish courts finally issued a decree against International Maritime and Cathy Gillen and I am, at long last, able to make a public statement on the subject. I think Tiger's remarks about being in the right place at the right time are rather amusing, as I had been dealing with the film company for months and had arranged their visit to Malta. Angela and Benny have asked me to be Best Man at their wedding next year. Benny tells me he is having his head shaved for the wedding so I shall have to wear my kilt so that Angela will know who's who...!

We are in dry dock in Gloucester for a month from September 7,1996 so we shall be looking for volunteers for hard work. Where else could you get a free holiday and get fed and abused at the same time...? Ridley Scott was so pleased with the ship and the co-operation of everybody involved while filming that he is presenting the Eye with a full satellite communication system. We hope to have this operational by January. Fred Saunders, with EOTW newsletter 1995

From Jeff Bridges‘ personal film diary

| 203

In the dock On a misty morning we arrived in Gloucester, where the ship went in drydock. This was where my mission on the Eye was supposed to end, but Tiger asked me to stay on to help with the work. My job was to chip and paint the mainmast. That was a holiday compared to Jake's occupation of needlegunning the chainlocker. I was out in the free air, and from my vantage point on the bosun’s chair, I had a good view of the throngs of people who walked the quay, ogling the ship, John telling all the wide-eyed kids that we were pirates. Jake after needlegunning

The only inconvenience was that I managed to fall out of the mast from about halfway up, bosun’s chair, cans of paint and all. The rope by which the chair hung had managed to chafe itself through; my mistake, I should have checked it. As I was on my way down, to death or serious injury, I did not see my life pass before my eyes, like you’re supposed to. All I could think was: ‘Oh no, they’re going to find out how dumb I was, and there’s nothing I can do about it!’ Then, with a violent jolt, the bosun’s chair hit the pinrail, my legs going neatly between the rods connecting the rail to the bottom of the mast. The paint went all over the lovingly scrubbed teak deck. There was no pain. I was not impaled on the pins. Arms and legs could move. It was impossible, but I was ok! Not a scratch! And there was no time to be wasted, because the paint on deck was drying fast. As I scrambled off to get some rags, out of the corner of my eye, I saw an old fellow standing mouth agape on the quay. He had witnessed the whole thing. But he was the only one. After cleaning the paint, I climbed up to get rid of the evidence: the ragged end of rope where it had broken. It was only when I got back down that the trembling started. Except for Fred, who caught me cleaning the deck and who didn’t buy my story, no one ever knew. Marco van der Kraan

204 |

Flying the pennant of parachute silk

Two Italians on board Still bemused by the lengthy immobility on the plane and drowsy with jet-lag, we find ourselves tossed about in an old taxi that takes us to the St Vincent harbour. It is very strange to be at sea in February with the climate we have in Milan in June.

A tender comes alongside the jetty and two blue eyes smile reassuringly from under a mop of straw hair. ‘I'm Jack’, ‘We are Pina and Nicolò, just arrived from Italy’. The tender leaves the jetty and after a few minutes here she is: proud, elegant, majestic and bewitching, with two masts, her large | 205

square sails neatly furled, shining fresh paint, she rocks gently in the morning breeze. Nicolò and I exchange a rapid glance of connivance: our adventure is about to begin and our hearts beat faster like the first day of school. The smiles of the crew welcome us on board like a warm embrace: sunburnt bodies, barefoot, hair ruffled by the wind (we will very soon discover that Clair O‘Connor

Debra doing the washing

the wind always blows in the Caribbean) and the sure gestures that connote experience and skill. We settle down in the small, graceful cabin and then climb back on deck, where freshly washed colourful sheets and towels flap in the sunshine: Debbie, the Captain's wife, decrees ‘washing day’ at each change of guests. A sudden cry startles me and, given my limited knowledge of English, I turn to Nicolò who acts as my simultaneous interpreter: it is Claire announcing mid-morning tea in the galley. We sit on the wood benches of the dining saloon and I can't resist the temptation to caress the old table made of one big slab of smooth wood. Claire brings us a large plate of chocolate cookies directly from the oven amid bursts of chattering and laughing. We are beginning to become acquainted with our travel companions but I am too 206 |

dreamy look, white curls like an old child, a gentle smile and a low voice, I would not be surprised to see him fly in the air, instead of walking. Next is John, the Australian, the exact opposite of Tiger: small, dark darting eyes, ringing voice and full-throated laughs, he is the Engineer that takes care of anything that moves, from the engines to the toilet. He is never still or silent and darts everywhere like a cricket, with a smile and a joke for anybody he meets. Just looking at him makes me feel cheerful.

John Godfrey

Ross Pierce

shy to converse as I never find the right English words to express my thoughts. Amongst the hum of the conversation I slowly observe my surroundings: the crew, mainly young people, don't sit down at the table with us, they get their cup of tea and in small groups around the deck. Ross, the mate, a thick beard and a cap of raw wool always pressed on his head, looks carved in wood and very seldom speaks: maybe he too, is shy. Then there is Captain Tiger (we never discovered his true name): a | 207

Suddenly the order to sail and I feel like I am in a Technicolor pirate film: Marco, Jack and Pasha climb the masts to unfurl the sails, John and Ross man the winch to hoist the anchor. Tiger stands at the helm to steer the ship and everybody else is at the lines to set the sails. While Nicolò understands the orders and joins the others, I'm confused so I approach Mathew and gesturing as we Italians always do to communicate, explain that I want to help. I don't know what Mathew understands but he immediately hands me a harness and with a cherubic smile, tells me to follow him up the main mast to unfurl the main sail, among a jungle of lines. For an instant I'm paralysed and my heart stops but, like a robot I follow him up the rope ladder whose steps are taller than my legs (I'm rather small). Before I realize what I'm doing, I find myself, for the first time in my life and at fifty-nine years of age, more than 30 metres up above a swinging, rocking emptiness; just imagining it would have made me throw up. But surprisingly I feel fine, my feet are steady on the lines, my hands work confidently as I help Mathew untie some knots blocking the sails and looking towards the deck I see a tiny Nicolò. As I climb down I'm so happy that I nearly cry and I want to embrace Mathew. This is happiness. And this is only the beginning of fifteen dream-like days, spent on watch duty at the bow or the helm, up and down the masts to furl and unfurl the sails, interspersed with visits to beautiful islands, snorkelling, reading books and long chats with other 208 |

guests. I succeed in overcoming my shyness and now I too participate in the conversation helped by the kindness of the other guests that slow down the pace of speech and articulate all the words, clearly. That is everyone but John, the Terrible, who not only speaks always full speed, but even that very peculiar version of English-Australianese. I speak with great pleasure with all the young people on the crew from England, Holland, Finland, Sweden and Australia. I feel like I belong to a large, harmonious family with members of all ages, fed and spoiled by the always bubbling Claire every day, who performs so well in the kitchen that I never regret good Italian cooking. Pina Callea

Cocos Island, Wafer Bay

Our crew for the trip back to Australia are Tiger, Debs, Ross P, Ross W, Benny, Thew, Kate, Kerry, John, Angela, Andreas, and Gary W will be joining us in Grenada and of course, (the boss) Emma! I must admit it is with a sad heart that I see crew leave us to move on to other things. One gets very close to them, some are really special and you think that things will never be the same again… then along come new faces and you realise just how lucky you are to meet so many of them (they all become family). Well folks, it has been a great year for the Eye and the future looks even brighter with very few berths

available for the next 18 months. We haven't sorted out plans from May '98 yet, but there are some exciting prospects in the pipeline. We will keep you posted and look forward to seeing some of you out in warmer climates. Go on, come out to Oz … you only live once! Have a Merry Christmas and a great '97 Love, hugs and regards to all till we meet again. Tiger, Debs, Emma, Fred, Jacci and all the crew

EOTW newsletter autumn 1996 | 209

conditions, they would have to launch the long boats from Bounty Bay to unload the ship or their long awaited supplies would be taken on to Panama.

Pitcairn harbour

Out of the grey ominous skies a continuous series of squalls scudded across the horizon. At last a vague outline of Pitcairn Island appeared through the mist and haze. Under reduced canvas in the near gale force winds, we surfed past Bounty Bay and could see huge breakers bursting over the stone wall that usually protects the small landing area. It was quite obvious that no-one would be landing there today in such conditions. The poop deck became crowded as a familiar Pitcairnese voice answered our radio call and welcomed us to the island. The singsong lilt was difficult to understand for some at first, but by the end of our stay, most people could follow the island dialect. As expected, we were advised to proceed to the anchorage of Ginger Valley, which was the only area vaguely in the lee in these conditions. Continuing on the radio, Jay the Magistrate told us that they were expecting one of the twice yearly supply ships that afternoon, and somehow in these dangerous 210 |

Whilst monitoring the radio, we learnt that the Blue Star container ship was battling headwinds these same winds had given us a fast passage to Pitcairn in the previous few days. Their ETA off the island was not expected until late afternoon on Sunday 4 May. Early afternoon we sighted 2 of the aluminum long boats proceeding along the rugged coast after somehow being launched from Bounty Bay. (The islanders later told us it was the scariest launching in many a year). As the boats circled, those of us who had been here before scrutinised the long boat crews looking for familiar faces and were surprised there was only 4 or 5. Verbal greetings were exchanged and one of the boats came alongside to allow the crew to jump Pitcairn cargo on the fore deck

Passing the packages back next morning

aboard. We learnt that the unfamiliar faces belonged to the 'rat pile' who were on the island to implement a rat eradication programme, and their presence had more than doubled the able-bodied population - the added manpower has been a great help during their stay. It soon became obvious as radio messages were passed between Pitcairn and the Blue Star ship that

The longboat ashore

the Captain would only spend a limited number of hours off anchorage as he was already behind schedule. A plan of action was formulated by Jay in the hope of getting the bulk of the supplies off the ship. First priority would be the perishable cargo, and last on the list was the rat bait and petrol needed for the programme. All told there were 3 | 211

containers to be unloaded - a mammoth amount in a heaving sea. Their only hope to achieve this was to offload the non-perishables onto our deck, and this shuttle service continued well into the night. It was back breaking work as the boxes had to be thrown from the longboat to us as it was impossible for them to secure alongside. One and all helped in the process and the fore-deck and aft and the lower saloon soon disappeared beneath a mound of boxes, sacks of potatoes, and bags of rice. We even managed to find a space for a fridge and a TV that were for the Pastor.

In Dobrey Christian’s kitchen

One long boat managed to get back to Bounty Bay with the frozen goods and to get in just as the light disappeared - much to the relief of the islanders. Even though the islanders/British Govt had paid Stg 10,000 for the ship to stop at Pitcairn, the Captain refused to stay any longer, so all the bait and petrol was not unloaded. However, the Assistant Governor who was visiting from New Zealand did manage to get off, and with the rest of the ‘rat pile’ on the one remaining boat, crashed on the few spaces they could find on our deck.

given to bring her to an abrupt halt. As she strained on her lines in the surge, many hands were there to help get people ashore and unload vital stores. At times people were up to their knees in swirling water as huge waves broke over the wall and everyone scurried back and forth carrying the heavy boxes. Amazingly, nothing was really lost although some of the tins were dented and the boxes sodden. After all the effort involved by the voyage crew, shopping for food at home would always be exceptionally tame in comparison.

The back-breaking process was repeated in reverse the next day when we had to reload the stores onto the long boats. Our voyage crew jumped aboard ‘Tub’ for the rough ride to the landing. ‘Tub’ sat at the entrance with the coxswain studying the pattern of the unrelenting waves. At a given signal the engine was given full ahead, and the longboat surged in the surf to round the small protecting breakwater. Once abeam of the landing steps full astern was

The longboats were hauled up into the sheds where they are always kept, high above the turbulent water. Then in the traditional Pitcairn way, families nominated how many of our crew they could accommodate - these bedraggled souls were then carried up the hill of Despair on the 4-wheeler bikes and taken to their new homes.

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(food) cooked by each family and brought along to the gatherings. Joanne, who is a dental technician had a busy week attending to all the islander's teeth, and the generator was going all day to power the rather antiquated drill. The surgery is now located in a newly built medical centre which is a huge improvement on the old facilities. Kay also did some medical rounds and assisted the island nurse with a few cases.

Pitcairn, Bounty Bay

Very social 10 days followed, during which time we were able to partake in 3 public dinners - one put on by the visiting Assistant Governor (the islanders always enjoy these as the Governor brings lamb and ice cream from New Zealand especially for the occasion), a Mother’s Day service at the Church followed by a community lunch, and a sport's day followed by a public dinner at the sports ground. Thankfully we had mixed teams at the sports afternoon, as with plenty of chance to practice, the Pitcairners are mean volleyball players. They also had a slight weight advantage at the tug of war, but we managed to hold our own by surging the rope as if hauling up the mainsail, and these unexpected tactics caught them off guard - much to our surprise as well. These public occasions are always well attended, and there are always mountains of 'wreckle'

Our people climbed to see the spectacular view at the Ship's Landing Point, saw Christian's Cave, went swimming in the crystal-clear pool at St Paul's, and roamed all over the island, as well as managing to fit in the endless social calls where one was always plied with succulent local fruits and beverages - it was hard to pass a home without an invitation being extended. Many bought Pitcairn stamps and there was a brisk trade in Pandanus baskets and carvings. Diving and snorkelling expeditions were organised to see the last remains of the 'Bounty' and another sailing vessel the ‘Cornwallies’ which in 1875 drifted ashore whilst its master was visiting the island. For those not so adventurous underwater, the 'Bounty Bible' was open for display, as well as artefacts and memorabilia at the museum.

EOTW newsletter - Christmas 1997

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Morning start off Hiva Oa, Marquesas Islands

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The stark grandeur of Port Davey and Bathurst Harbour conjured up constant visual masterpieces on our three visits there. Whilst anchored off the Celery Top Islands with the ‘One and All’ and ‘Windward Bound’, a sea mist drifting off the shore shrouded the vessels. As the sun's heat intensified, sunlight broke through the swirls of mist and in the calm buttongrass waters, perfect reflections appeared. To cap this, Mount Rugby looked down majestically from above the shallow mist. (Wow). Days flew by, as we explored this wilderness, with visits to Melaleuca, canoe trips up the Spring River, and countless shore expeditions to enjoy this unique World Heritage area. Flocks of muttonbirds and albatross were our constant companions as we navigated the south coast. At Maatsuyker Island, we were lucky to swim with seals, and at Mewstone, we wondered how the albatross and gannets ever managed to cling to the Across Storm Bay to Port Arthur

Eric Matson organizing provisions

steep, rocky formations, much less build their nests and sit precariously on the eggs. All too soon, it was time for us to depart Tasmanian waters and return to Sydney. Tassie has always been special to us, and it was sad to sail away once more. We surfed across the Bass Strait after calling in at Port Arthur, Maria Island and Wineglass Bay. At Flinders, everyone had a tour of the island, and Eric was able to obtain a supply of crayfish and abalone, much to everyone's delight. EOTW newsletter June 1998 | 215

from Northern Ireland all the way down to Penzance. I stepped on board, to a trip which would have amazing highs and heart-breaking lows: but one which has helped shaped my life in the most fantastic and magical of ways. After just a few days I was called back aft where Debbie and Tiger told me their cook wasn’t coming now as they had gotten another job, and could

Angela Gordon and Kate Crawford

3 Weeks turned into 3 Years ‘Can you work for 3 weeks in the Galley: just until our cook arrives?’ Tiger said in his phone call. I’d just gotten off the The Eye of The Wind after 5 weeks of sailing on the Tall Ships race in 1996. I was one of the leaders from the Yorkshire Schools Exploring Society, and we had brought 20 young people with us. The trip was around the Baltic Sea, going into St Petersburg in Russia and Finland. I had never sailed on a large vessel before, and quickly feel in love with the life. I remember saying to Suzie Manigian just before I left that I’d love to work on The Eye, but never dreamt that it would actually happen. A few weeks later I got the call from Tiger and I snapped his hand off. Packing a bag big enough to last for three weeks, I set off on a massive journey 216 |

With Tony Browne and Laura Craig at the Tallships Races

I stay on…… Poor Tiger nearly lost his other hand, as I snapped it off again. Myself and Beth Harrison had never cooked before, and we were very much thrown into the deep end, we muddled through, but Madeira wine did help us stay sane in those first few mad weeks. I was then joined by the very talented Andreas from Austria who taught me how to cook properly. Now I’m not going to bore you with three years of my ramblings, but what I will do is share a few of my personal highlights, and one low… •

Dressing up in a replica of Captain Cooks uniform and taking the helm. (I lost all my photos of this so if anyone has any I would love a copy).

•

Learning to cook properly from the amazing Andreas Kroll.

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Peeling Spuds.

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Fancy dress Meals; from superheroes to horror nights, the voyage crew were given only a few hours’ notice and they never failed to come up with some amazing customs.

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My Dad passing away when we were on Pitcairn Island. The local minister asked if we could have a memorial for Dad and I was so grateful for this as it really did help with the healing process. But what really touched me was the crew, everyone on board chipped in and payed for the satellite phone calls so that I could speak to my mum and my siblings.

The church on Pitcairn

Being able to speak to my mum was so special and I can’t remember if I thanked you all, but I’d like to now. In my darkest hour you guys were there and you helped me more than you will ever know. Especially Tiger and Debs I can never thank you enough. •

SMOKO

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Shark diving on the Barrier Reef.

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Peeling spuds.

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Port Watch one night about 3 am…… Babs climbing down the very steep ladder in a beautiful dress, with the largest suitcase known to mankind – a few minutes later, the case was opened, gin pulled out and we all had a drink in our hand.

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Sailing into Africa, with Table Mountain in the background.

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The day I was putting the final coat of varnish on the boom…. The ship lurched; I fell and | 217

spilled varnish all over my head, the boom and the deck house… oooopps!

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Crossing the equator ceremonies….. Mathew Mills dressed up as Neptune’s wife, still makes me giggle.

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Pims on the poop deck.

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Peeling Spuds.

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Poems on night watch from Ian from South Carolina.

Volleyball games on Palmerston Atoll against the locals….. We were thrashed!

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Tiger sending for me and putting me on the helm so that I could be steering the ship to complete my circumnavigation of the globe on The Eye of The Wind. And getting to keep the ensign which had been round the world with me.

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My mum surprising me in Penzance on our return to England.

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Sailing with the most wonderful, talented interesting people on the planet, voyage crew and permanent crew alike, people who I hope will be in my life for a very long time and are in my thoughts even if we don’t see each other for years. Thank you all for three of the most wonderful years of my life.

•

The Galapagos Islands.

Galapagos turtle

Kate Crawford

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Kate organizing the party

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Wheels on fire Thanks to Dylan and Danko for the title Saturday, 21st November, 1998 We were intending to leave Hell-Ville, on the island of Nosy Be, Madagascar (13o 24’ S 48o 16’ E) at around lunch time, but bunkering was delayed by five hours. The Eye of the Wind finally departed shortly after 6pm heading down the Mozambique Channel under power towards Nose Kalakajara. The delay was fortuitous – if we had left earlier, it is likely that we would never have seen the nocturnal phenomenon which was experienced by all on board. Conditions were completely overcast and extremely humid, there was a new moon, but it was obscured. At approximately 19.30h we were alerted to an amazing aquatic phosphorescent display of linear bands of pulsating light. Parallel alternate bands of light and dark water were coming towards the ship at an angle of 45o from the south west. Within the bands of ‘light’ water were luminescent circular forms which flashed light at a periodicity of 3 to 5 seconds. The whole of each form was illuminated during each flash, there was no individual specks of light. The circular forms were estimated to be between 1 and 2 metres in diameter and to be at a 220 |

Dr. Trish Holdway (1979) depth of 3 to 5 metres. There was a constant time interval of 2.75 seconds between moving from the start of one light band, crossing it and the neighbouring dark band and encountering the next light band. We had slowed down on encountering the light/dark bands and were probably travelling at a speed of 4 to 6 knots. Tim (3rd Mate), Tony (Bosun), Axel (Bosun’s mate) and Ted W. (passenger), all gave accounts of the display which were very similar. Axel went aloft and noted that the luminescent forms were visible 70m from the ship and appeared to flash in a wave like sequence. The forms appeared to be of a similar size and have a uniform distribution within the ‘light’ bands of water.

Ink drawing from memory

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The light show lasted for 20 minutes, then the intensity faded and the luminescence gradually disappeared.

of Nature’s light show will stay with all of who were aboard ‘Eye of the Wind’ at that time in November, 1998.

I wondered if there could have been seismic activity in the area to cause the luminescent banding. Subsequent literature searches confirmed that we had been passing through the spokes of a phosphorescent wheel and that seismic activity was a possible cause.

There has been a paucity of published observations in recent years – could this be due to the decrease in man power on merchant shipping?

However, to quote William Corliss (1986) ‘The versatility of the unknown geometer creating the marine displays seems unbounded.’ This seems a convoluted way of saying ‘Heaven knows what was happening!’. In some recorded cases, the phosphorescence appears to be suspended above the sea in floating orbs of light. The generally accepted belief is that the light comes from bioluminescence, but it is possible that it is caused by purely abiotic, chemical reactions. A magnetic influence of an iron ship’s hull is another potential causative factor. Herring (1984) records an eyewitness account of a man’s reaction to another encounter with a phosphorescent wheel: ‘The whole effect was of great weirdness and eeriness, so much so that the lookoutman came on the bridge quite scared, believing that he was suffering from hallucinations’. We were indeed fortunate to have seen the phenomenon, there have only been a few hundred recorded sightings, and the memory of this example 222 |

For those who are interested, here are a few more references regarding phosphorescent wheels: ANON, 1961, New Scientist no: 237. p 528. Do earthquakes cause glowing ‘wheels’ on the sea? ANON, 1950 (reprinted with amendments 1960) The Marine Observer’s Handbook. HMSO. London. 7th edition. p 79. ANON, 1995 The Marine Observer’s Handbook, HMSO. London. 11th edition p 190. Corliss W. 1986 Handbook of unusual natural phenomenon. Crown Publishing, New York. Greig, N.J. 1996 Marine Observer, 66:62. Bioluminescence. Herring P. 1984. New Scientist no: 1398. p 47. The unexplained mysterious lights in the sea. Staples R. F. 1966.The distribution and characteristics of surface bioluminescence in the oceans. U S Naval Oceanographic Office. Technical Report 184. Trish Holdway

Our entry into Madagascar was at the island of Nosy Be. The past few years we have had Angela to come to the fore when French was required this time we had to rely on Ian Anderson who did a magnificent job (particularly organising a load of excellent local beer). Everyone enjoyed the local market (except for the meat section), and many embroidered cotton goods, fresh vanilla, pottery and baskets were bought from the local ladies. Only one strong and hearty sailor had enough fortitude to purchase the local rum (US1.00 per litre - bring your own bottle). On Nosy Be we were lucky to meet up with a Scottish woman, Josephine Andrews, who had dedicated her life to studying the black lemurs of Nosy Kombi. She gave us an extremely interesting lecture about the difficulties the communities faced re

deforestation, tourism and employment. The Madagascans have even invented a solar cooker to use in the dry season to try and eliminate the need for cutting down trees for fuel. She took us on a visit to see the lemur park they are trying to establish in the village, and hopefully the people will realise the economic benefits of not destroying the lemurs last few remaining habitats. For ten days we roamed the offshore islands. We experienced some of the best diving so far in the whole Indian Ocean around the basalt formations known as 'The 4 Brothers'. Strong currents sustained a multitude of soft and hard corals, and huge caves, overhangs and rockfalls made it world-class diving. EOTW newsletter 1999 | 223

I hope you have enjoyed reading this newsletter, which is possibly the last you will receive from us as custodians of 'Eye of the Wind' When we first bought the hull and began the restoration, our aim as group of friends was to have our own squarerigger to sail around the world. No great thought was given to future plans. After 25 years of full time work, the ship has left her wake across many oceans and made many friends along the way. We have agonised over this major and difficult decision, and the many factors which affect the future. Emma will be nine this year and needs the opportunity to go to school so she will have options in her life. She has had a wonderful beginning, not least in the contribution of so many people who have been aboard. Thank you all who have given her such a special extended family.

None of this would have been possible without the expertise of our very loyal and dedicated crew members, many of whom have returned again and again over the years. Nor forgetting the countless 'friends of the Eye' who have helped in innumerable ways since the very beginning, and also all the voyage crew who have sailed with her. I take this opportunity to pass on my extreme gratitude - for keeping the dream alive, and for making the old girl what she is today. She is a credit to you all, and I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible before I leave. Tiger (1999)

The ship has provided us with an extremely fulfilling life, and we have been privileged to have gone to many wonderful and remote destinations, as well as enjoying the company of those who have sailed with us. I hope you have experienced some of the exhilaration, freedom, friendship and the beauty of the natural world that we have. I feel I need an extended break and that it is now time for us to part with the ship and have a life ashore for a while. It is my dearest wish that 'Eye of the Wind' forever continues to sail to adventure, and I sincerely hope she brings as much joy to her next owners.

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Tiger, 2011

Captain’s log ‘Eye of the Wind’ and our now hardened crew have spent the first winter in the UK since 1981. As you can all imagine, those frosty days before Christmas were a bit of a trial, but thanks to some appreciated care packages, silk long johns and hot water bottles, we have managed to survive. In our last newsletter from the ship we informed you all that we were planning to sell the vessel, and try a spell of living ashore, to give Emma the opportunity to have friends of her own age, and a more formal education. Many of you took the opportunity to join us for what we all thought would be our last sailing season. On the completion of our round-the-world voyage, once again in Gloucester Docks, ‘Eye of the Wind’ was inspected by representatives of the Australian sail training organisation seeking a replacement for the Melbourne based ‘Alma Doepel’. Negotiations proceeded favourably for three months and it was planned that we would depart the UK in late September for a delivery voyage to Australia. In early September we were informed that the sale was off, as the Australian organisation would be purchasing the UK Sail Training Association (STA) schooner ‘Malcolm Miller’. Subsequently, this sale also fell through. For those of you who had planned to do this Pacific voyage with us, we sincerely regret that we had to change our plans, but unfortunately it was beyond our control.

Plan B was to go to the Caribbean for the Millennium celebrations. This was thwarted when we were informed by the Maritime Coastguard Agency (the newly formed agency regulating the operation of large motor and sailing vessels in the UK) that there was a new code of practice for sailing vessels over 24 metres, and our existing survey | 225

would no longer be valid come its expiry in early 2000.

Fred, without whom we would never have been able to finish this mammoth task.

Consequently, this brought us once again to Gloucester Docks where we have gone about putting the ship into the new survey class. It has been a long and costly exercise, but we can now see the light at the end of the tunnel. We were extremely lucky to have the support of our existing crew and

As for the sale of the ship: - unfortunately, sailing ships are not on everybody's shopping list. There are a few possibilities in the pipeline, so we will be continuing to sail at least until the end of 2000.

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EOTW newsletter January 2000

At the start of the races

Captain’s log After the successful completion of the drydock in Gloucester, England in June, we spent some time exploring the south-west coast, the Scilly Isles, Guernsey and the Brittany coast before rendezvousing with the 1999 Cutty Sark Tall Ships' Race fleet in the picturesque French walled city of St

Malo. The Shetland's own vessel, ‘Swan’, provided a taste of what we could expect in Lerwick, as they entertained the crowds and crews with harp and fiddle music from the St Malo dockside. The Race started in spectacular fashion off the Breton coast with fair winds giving us a good passage | 227

to the separation zone of the Scillies. From here on, headwinds and light airs dogged the fleet, with the result that none of the large vessels finished the first racing leg to Greenock. The next Cruise-inCompany leg started with light airs, but then became a battle against strong north-easterlies, with the fleet battling to reach Lerwick in time for the celebrations. Lerwick was voted the most popular port in this year's event, for its friendly atmosphere and the incredible variety of music that was provided by a host of local groups and bands. From our experience, it seems that every other person in the Shetlands must be able to get a tune out of a fiddle! (Except for Ellis, our engineer who comes from there; but he is apparently excellent on the cheese grater!) Leaving Lerwick for the second racing leg, southeast winds reaching gale force were to frustrate us on the passage to Aalborg in Denmark. The finish time had to be brought forward to salvage the event. A number of vessels were damaged in the rough conditions, and many of the trainees must have wondered what they were doing, dodging oilrigs and battling big swells and seasickness in an unfriendly North Sea. Returning from the Tall Ship's Race finish in Aalborg, we had a good sail at last, on our passage to

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Inverness, where we locked into the Caledonian Canal. The four-day passage was a scenic delight, although unfortunately, we were not able to sail down Loch Ness as we did last time in 1994. At least the unfavourable wind kept the legendary Scottish midges away! At Fort Augusta we were able to brush up our Scottish Highland culture at an extremely informative talk which covered many aspects of ancient Scottish Highland life. During our days in the canal the former Poet Laureate, John Porteous (assisted by his wife Helen) who had joined us in Aalborg, wrote an epic tale of our Caledonian Canal experiences. EOTW newsletter January 2000

Nessie and the Tiger's Eye poem by John and Helen Porteous Now to start this story, lets begin where we beginned In the Danish port of Aalborg where we joined 'Eye of the Wind'. We sailed out of the Limfjord, and up the Skaggerak. The North Sea looked quite choppy, but there was no turning back. We knew the right direction, when the sun was shining high. And by night, we sailed by oil rigs, which lighted up the sky. The skipper's navigation was pretty good, I guess For late one foggy morning, we sailed into Inverness. We planned to sail Oban by way of Telford's Cut, And might have gone straightway, but the bloomin' bridge was shut. The mooring space was tight - we needed all the room we'd got, But some ruddy fool was taking up too much space with his yacht. The side wind when it caught us, made the situation tense. And then the dolphin striker went and poked right through the fence. Next morning, after breakfast, we tackled out first lock(I'd had two bacon rashers, which came as quite a shock). We all worked hard with the fenders, and ropes and line until We cleared the Calli staircase and come out, on top of hill. We couldn't hoist the mainsail, so we chugged on under power. Then Tiger said we ought to be in Loch Ness within an hour. The talk then turned to monsters, and what they might be for Do they wear Tam O'Shanters? and do they shout and roar? And someone showed a furry one they purchased from a store. Then from the back a little voice said - 'Please, one question more Do monsters sleep upon their backs, and tell me, do they snore?'

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Caledonian Canal towards Loch Ness

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Some people talked of catching one, and headlines five feet high In all the British papers - 'Monster caught by Tiger's Eye'. So Laura donned her waterproofs and fastened up the zipper And went out with a fishing line she'd baited with a kipper. We scanned the loch with telescope, for sight of Nessie's rump, But no-one saw a bloomin' thing - and then we felt the bump. The ship heeled over badly, and someone said 'By heck I've dropped the captain's cocoa and spilt it on deck.' We wondered what we might have hit, and Tiger scratched his beard. Then over the starboard side, the monster's head appeared. 'You've given me a headache.' the beast was heard to shout, 'And so I'm going to sink your ship - I'll sort you buggers out.' 'I've got a dicky tummy - I ate a poorly sheep, and I'm feeling quite tempered, so I'll sink you in the deep.' Some passengers were fearful, and some were singing hymns, And some were writing out their wills, when up steeped Tiger Timbs. 'Now look 'ere,' he said to Nessie, 'I've sailed the seven seas, And I've put up all me sails, when it's been blowing quite a breeze. I'm sorry about your headache, and your poorly tummy, too, But if you think you're going to sink my ship, you'll have to fight the crew.' There was Ross, and Ben and Tony, boldly standing on the stern They'd never fought a monster, but were quite prepared to learn. There was Ellis with a spanner that he'd brought from down below He'd planned to ambush Nessie, and hit her on the toe. Every man would do his duty - save the ship or die on job. A sacrificial maiden might just has saved the day But when the crew suggested it, young Chessie ran away.

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Loch Ness

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But just as were lining up, about to face the slaughter, When things had gone as black as black, up stepped the captain's daughter. She brought a slice of birthday cake that Kate the cook had made, And offered it to Nessie, with a glass of lemonade. Young Emma's kindly offer made the monster's wrath subside, And they chatted quite politely as the creature pulled alongside. We made a first aid dressing from the sheet on Tiger's bed, And Debbie (Emma's mummy), bandaged the up the creature's head. A pill was found to cure the creature of her tummy ache, And feeling quite improved she had another piece of cake. We parted on the best of terms, and next year - can you guess? We're visiting our new-found friend - THE MONSTER OF LOCH NESS

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followed by a hot, sometimes cold, smorgasbord at noon, afternoon Smoko, and a belly filling dinner followed by dessert, day in and day out. Meal prep was a necessity before leaving port. Knowing how many days at sea, how many meals and how many hungry mouths needed feeding, all had to be thought of before departure. With very little cold storage available, utilizing the ships bilges as storage for dry and canned foods meant the Cooks always had to be thinking ahead and be organized beyond measure. Debra Timbs

A perspective from the Galley There is so much planning and preparation that goes into the operation of a Tall Ship, the Eye of the Wind, was no different. It takes many hands to operate her smoothly and my role was to cook for the 35 people, who were a team needing nourishment. Every morning I woke in time to prepare a hot breakfast in the galley for the crew that had put in their 4 hour night shift and the coming crew, ready to start their day, There was only a few feet of space that I had to make their grub, and often I had a helper on dish duty and another cleaning up after bread making duty. The entire operation of a ship flows with the efficiency of its crew, and the galley, I believe is the heart of the entire process. I ensured the meals were on time, despite the conditions of the sea. We had a galley design that ensured the pots stayed on the stove, the cups on the shelf and the salt and pepper where it needed to be. Morning tea, with a fresh baked goodie, 234 |

In fair weather sailing we often had the galley windows open, and on top of meal prep, we had the privilege of being the ship DJ. With a selection of cassette tapes and CDs, we rocked out and often times set the mood of the ship, I have to admit this is one of my fondest memories. Dancing on the foredeck, in the galley, below decks, music definitely made the days at sea pass with ease. In the Caribbean there would be the sound of the steel

Andreas Kroll

drum and the reggae beat and off the Spanish coast the ring of the guitar and castanets, and then there was the regular rhythms that we had heard over and over but never grew tired of! The sea shanty singing after a couple of rums and a fancy-dress party, was the best way to get everyone in the mood for a fun night at anchor, sometimes leading to crews jumping overboard in the starlight with a swim under the moon's glow. When we would arrive to a new country, or island, myself, the purser, and the captain would head ashore to clear customs, go to the bank, meet new voyage crew and head to the market. My job was to replenish the ships food stores and find the fresh veggies and fruit to last another 14 days, or more, at sea. Often times I would go see the locals who knew me and wouldn't try to inflate their prices because they thought I was a tourist. We got to know the island people and often they would row or motor their small boats, out to the Eye and hold onto the edge of the ship to deliver or sell their products while we were at anchor. We worked hard all day but our evenings were really where the memories were made. We danced, toured and developed relationships that only those who have experienced it will truly understand. The pay was slight being a crew member on a tall ship, but the experience had no price tag. The countries I visited both on the Eye of the Wind, and then later on the Soren Larsen (which is another tale in itself) helped me fill three passports in five years. I crossed the Atlantic three times during

Provisions everywhere

my time on the Eye, and spent months cruising the Caribbean islands and seeing the beauty of the British, French and Spanish countryside. Noreen Utri

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Sleep, however, is another topic entirely. We work the watch system - four hours on, eight hours off, around the clock - 24/7. All personal business must fit in the hours off - letters, shower, study, mending, reading, meals, shipboard romance, and time to think (if that's important to you) ... Then you sleep. Our bunks are perpendicular to the keel, so heavy rolling seas puts one teeter tottering from the foot of the bunk to the head of the bunk, several times a minute, hour upon hour. Shown in fast-forward motion it would look like sleeping in one of those electric paint shakers. Persons averse to power tools, clattering pots and pans, high decibel camaraderie, radio squelch, animal noises, footsteps overhead, broad daylight and combustion engines while trying to sleep would do well to try elsewhere... were it only possible. In the heat of the summer, we need air moving below decks to sleep. Bunk fans commit suicide daily under the strain, their demise normally accompanied by sounds equated with things horrible: a banshee awakening midway through a root canal, say. The bunk fan's importance is right up there with pace makers, dialysis or personal breathing equipment. Nature regularly flaunts her flying fish, rainbows, whales, waterspouts and dolphins on the bow wave and no one wants to sleep through any of that. But eventually, one could just sleep through anything and will - the cradling of the ship making up in deep sleep for what we lack in time to sleep. 236 |

Katie: ‘Good morning, Todd. It's time to wake up and it's nice so you may want to wear shorts and there's pancakes for breakfast so you might want to come while there still is some.’ It's like having a maid, a meteorologist and your mom in to help start your day - only not so crowded. But all this is near moot. Bermuda is just ahead and, as the ships engraved brass bell proclaims, ‘Where we go one, we go all.’ Once in Bermuda, maybe we'll all go ... and get some sleep. Todd Jarrell

Todd

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2001 – 2009: The Danish intermezzo | 239

During the Tallship‘s Tales

Sunset voyage In early 2001, the Eye was sold to Ole Johanson with the provision to pass her on after 5 years to Svend Friis-Hansen and Gitte Bøgh. But the purchase wouldn’t be executed until the ship was delivered to the shipyard in Hvide Sande, Denmark, where an extensive overhaul was planned. For the last time, Tiger sailed her across the Atlantic with 240 |

long term and recurrent crews and voyage crews. It would be a tough trip including 10 days of gales up to force 10 Beaufort scale. The beginning was nice and peaceful, although with a nostalgic spirit. Kay Jaumees, our ships doctor, came up with an idea for the quiet early afternoons. Soon, nobody would be interested anymore in the wonderful stories we had about the

ship, her voyages and the friends we made. We should take the chance to tell each other these stories once again before they were forgotten. Thus, the Tall Ship’s Tales were established. Chris Roche recorded them on tape and I decided to preserve them. After the trip, I set up the tallshipstales.de website to provide a public place for the recordings. The sound files never made it to my computer, but over the years, I managed to collect a lot of texts, pictures and videos. Many of them became part of this book which in fact is a product of these talks. But only few of us have a record like Kay herself:

I certainly covered a lot of ground over many years. But that is what the Eye was for Andy and myself. Many marvellous trips over many years I wish to convey to all who read about the Eye, just how special she was The pleasure of the ship herself. Her appearance, the gracefulness of her lines, the almost clipper bow and graceful bowsprit Then the voyages themselves. A huge range of locations, from north to south, and from east to west From the majestic coast of Norway to the beauty of a Pacific Island The wind The sunshine The rain and occasional storm Then the people The island children of Papua New Guinea, so shy when they first came on board. Then with growing confidence they were everywhere. Fingers into everything And the marine life. The Galapagos, whales, dolphin, seals, lizards

Kay Jaumees

Aldabra and the tortoises | 241

After rough seas, the crew drainers are not yet taken down. As their decoration became so interactive, they became called the OOI. The Open Ocean Internet.

The lower saloon decoration as we knew it. It consisted i.e. of a bone scrimshaw by Jasper Rasmussen featuring the Eye, and wood carvings from Kwiawata in the Marshall Bennett Islands, Papua New Guinea.

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The Cocos Island National Park of Costa Rica, where the sea bed was a carpet of hammer head sharks

Pitcairn Island

Scuba diving, perhaps especially the 'Brothers' near Madagascar

The Trobriand Islands

Rapa Island

The list could be so long

The snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef and in Indonesia

Please convey the sheer pleasure that the Eye of the Wind gave to us

The isolation of some of the places we visited

Our pleasure in the competency of the Permanent crew, thanks to the leadership of Tiger

Tristan da Cunha

Kay Jaumees Chatting on the helm - Chris Watt (left) and Bronwyn Sims

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sound of the pressure washer spraying down barnacles off the fishing boats or the sound of the sandblaster knocking the paint off the steel hull of the Eye. There was a handful of us that stayed to see the transformation and in that time we learned Danish, met the locals and watched one of the biggest transformations we had ever seen. The money and time that allowed the vision to become a reality came with hard work, tears, sweat and a ton of fun!

Svend Friis-Hansen and Gitte Bøgh during the delivery voyage across the Atlantic

The transformation When the Eye of the Wind passed hands from Tiger Timbs to Sven and Gitte in Denmark, it gave me the opportunity to stay with my ship and undergo a dynamic refit for months in the Scandinavian country. Hvide Sande is located on the west coast of Denmark, it is a small fishing village and a tourist stop, but also the home of the Hvide Sande Skibs-Bådebyggeri, or shipyard. The day we arrived was overcast and as we went through the locks to get into the shipyard, the realization that things as we knew it on the Eye were about to change and it brought mixed emotion to the crew. The end of an era and the beginning of something unknown, and I made the choice to stick around and be a part of the change. We were put up in a crew's quarters right in the shipyard, we were woken in the morning to the 244 |

Noreen working in the shrouds

At the shipyard in Hvide Sande. From keel to mast tops everything is checked, surveyed and replaced, if necessary.

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be run. We had a Danish chef join our crew and I became his second cook.

The frames – we will see them again

The change was incredible and being a part of it was something I will treasure forever. We shared our cabin space and it developed this intimate bond between crew members. We had the space equivalent to two coffins stacked, sorry to sound morbid but it’s the best description I have, and personal space was respected. 130 something feet to share between 35 people below decks, soon transformed into a luxury experience designed for the wealthy and adventurers coming for something that we had so easily fallen in love with. With a switch in mindset and a standard now needing to be met, our experience shifted into a learning curve and a set of expectations. We had known walking around barefoot, sometimes in tattered shorts or stained shirts and with the new system we were now presenting in new crew polos, wet weather gear and a new take on how things were to

We were preparing meals for the new owner and he had a way things were to be run. We still had our laughs, and our great times but in a completely different way of doing things. With the addition of refrigeration it meant food lasted longer and our style of eating changed. We were now feeding less people and the meals were restaurant quality, each and every time we ate, it was still family style eating, which I loved! We had much to learn as we left the safety of the harbour in Denmark. A new engine, a face lift, new steel, new lines, new everything. We headed south for warmer weather and the North Sea showed us just how well things went during the refit. The maiden voyage was filled with learning the new sounds the ship made, remembering where the new storage spots for food were and learning the new layout of the ship. The new crew was a blend of Danish sail hands and a few familiar faces that stayed through the entire refit. We got on well and continued to make the best of everyday as adventure sailors do! I am forever grateful to Tiger and Debbie and Gitte and Svend for the opportunity of a lifetime, I truly believe I am who I am today because of my time on the Eye of the Wind. When I returned to Canada, I went to school and became a journeyman chef; my love of cooking was ingrained while being the cook onboard a Tallship! Noreen Utri

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Visible improvements, modernizations, changes and retained features on and below deck.

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Eye of the Wind sailing with friends again? Hi guys, there is news to report about our old ship. The new owners now confessed they have problems to fill the ship as they expected to. As they planned to double and triple the price they thought the old address list was useless for them and didn't buy it along with the ship. Now they failed to make enough new clients and contacted Jonathan Kearsley for help. You may know him and his sister Jenny as they were permanent crew for quite a while. Jonathan worked out plans and contacted people for the almost instant sailing holiday offered. Tiger agreed to help with his address book, too. But then things didn't make progress anymore and the previously planned voyages for the Friends of the Eye started without them. The plan isn't cancelled yet, but in hibernation. It may go forward again at any time, maybe as sudden as it started. So if interested make yourself known and contact us so we can pass you any offers as soon as they come in. Ina Koys, tallshipstales website, 2003

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everyone's image of palm fringed tropical paradises. Despite all the dire warnings of mosquitos and malaria, we all seemed to have escaped fairly unscathed. Our greater problem was cuts which festered in the tropical heat. However, being hardened world sailors, most of us managed to avoid getting into too much trouble. The Crew on Søren were wonderful. They were very professional, but also had great senses of humour and patience. Added to all this was the fantastic food provided by the 2 tireless Cooks, Noreen (who some old Eye people will know) and Stacey.

The Brigantine Søren Larsen, a ship with long ties with the Eye

Reunion voyage on Søren Larsen Hello everyone, We are all home from our wonderful voyages on Søren Larsen now. The 2 voyages, on which the Eye of the Wind Friends sailed, took us through the Islands of Vanuatu in the Pacific. We sailed through water which changed from deep sapphire blue to olive green and on to beautiful turquoise. As we were only about 10 degrees south of the equator it was hot and sunny with only the occasional tropical shower. The islands look like

Tiger was able to be a Voyage Crew member for the first time and able to chill out with the rest of us. I think he probably saw more of the islands than he ever did as Captain of Eye. He was able to jump in the boat and head for the shore the same as the rest of us, without any responsibility for what was going on on board. He had plenty of time to sit and gossip too! However, his Eye roots are never far from him. When we arrived in Port Vila, on our last day, there was a huge super yacht anchored in the bay. We had only anchored ourselves for 5 minutes when a boat arrived from the yacht with one of Tiger's ex crew, Axel, at the controls! Ros Lewis, 2004

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Sailing summer of 2005 For us as Eye friends from Tiger Timbs’ time, it wasn’t easy to keep track of what happened to the Eye under her Danish owners. They didn’t want to buy our address files along with the ship. Their plan was to use her as a yacht for their main financier Ole and maybe do some side business. But did it work? Only few of us did a week sail with them and so I was happy to learn that a former travel mate of 1996, Charlotte Hooijdonk, 9 years later returned to the Eye as Second Mate. It was a bit of a struggle to find an appointment together, but in the end she called me from the Netherlands for an interview. Here is part one of the talk: I: Hi Charlotte, great to hear something from a crews’s perspective of the time! What was it like? C: It was a really nice time! In summer 2005, we had management training around Denmark, did the Tall Ships event with lots of youngsters visiting Waterford, New Castle and Cherbourg and a couple of charters out of Oban – with torrential rain, but still good sailing. That’s what the area is like. In late summer we went to the maintenance shipyard in Gilleleje. There, I worked aloft for a week or two. After a while, I didn’t really enjoy it anymore and took off. But all the sailing was really good fun. I: What was your job in particular? C: I spent much of my time mediating between people. The management trainees were asked to make business plans whilst distracted – I was the 250 |

Charlotte Hooijdonk with crew mate

one exposing them to the distractions: things like sail handling and other ship’s duties. It wasn’t easy sometimes to convey that part of the training. Later, in the Hebrides, I ran the boat between the ship and the places ashore. During the Tall Ships event, it was really special having all the youngsters. One doesn’t have the ship full of young people too often these days so this was a warm spell of freshness on deck. (to be continued)

The journey home April 20 to May 21 2006,

I have been South. To the Blue Caribbee And the Islands Anchored in the sun with their palm trees and silver beaches. Places of legend, mystery, Where tales of piracy, treasure and adventure abound. Their wild flowers of vivid hues and colours Red, black, orange, Visited by strange birds with raucous cries. No sweet blackbird or thrush calls here, But Boobies, Frigate birds and tropical flyers. The hot breath of the day Tempered by the Trade wind breeze As the season changes from Spring into Summer. | 251

People dressed in colourful clothes Move elegant, but indolent along the paths. The young, perhaps a little more purposeful, But the elderly lady in the straight, plain dress with hat and handbag Is slow but sure in her church destination. Cars move apace, but carefully on the narrow, crooked, uneven roads. Cracked and ridged by tropical sun. Their horns call greetings, one to another at any passing. Pink buses driven by ladies in black run the island routes. Each passenger, each stop, a greeting exchanged, Movement on and off controlled By the imperious hand gestures of the driver. 252 |

Winding in and out, up and down Narrow roads with strange yet familiar Titles: Top End, Down Lane, Shinbone Alley, The Nest. Small cottages line the roads Surrounded by cactus plant hedges and mango trees. Whilst grand properties Peep from behind screens of walls, hedges and tiered steps. The crew are mustered, the watches set, the lines cast off. Marigot Bay, Anguilla, Dog-Leg Passage, The islands fade... The penance of the poor, their slave inheritance. Leaving the playground of the rich, The yachts and liners, For the open sea, The journey North begins. | 253

These calm seas are the purview of Shearwaters and Petrels. Flying fish leap suddenly from the surface of a wave To swing elegantly above the sea. And disappear, Perhaps forever into a rising swell. A small disturbance stirs the surface And Leviathan lifts a tail in farewell As he moves aside and returns to the depths. Dolphins of different kinds gambol and dive alongside. Mates together, side on side perpetuating their race Whilst riding the pressure wave of the ship's bow. Youngsters follow their peers Dipping in and out, Diving and jumping in the vivid blue sea. 254 |

The solitary shark, dark hunter of the deep, Glides disdainfully past With no acknowledgement of our presence. Minute jelly fish cover the sea. Silver and translucent on top, Broken and turned in the waves Their blue undersides form petals of colour on the surface of the water. At dusk, the stars appear. Arcturus, Sirius, Betelgeuse, old friends. New ones, familiar in sound but 'till now unseen, Antares, Nunki, Diptha. Jupiter sits overall as the constellations swing behind. Scorpio rises in the East as Orion sets in the West. The Southern Cross is low. Gentle Venus opens the portal of the new day As Sol drives his chariot over the eastern threshold With a fanfare of light and colour. | 255

The winds, Ever capricious, Wander and fade, return and steady. Man's ingenuity is at naught When weather chooses to be contrary. Where Southern tropic warm meets Labrador cold, From the birthplace of fogs and wild winds, Comes the Westerly. Piling the sea, grey heaps covered in foam. ‘Go Home!’ They shout. And push us on. Great combers, flecked and broken Lift our vessel, Toss it onwards, playfully. Their power is immense. The horizon becomes bounded by water. 256 |

On! On! The ship, The venerable lady flying, With skirts tight, full with the wind. Surrounded by moving waters, Pushed by the increasing storm. Our ship seems very small. All is tight, safe, As searching waves crash aboard. Seeking doors, hatches, windows unsecured, Ready with prying fingers, knocking with watery fists, To rush greedily over and within. A surge, a shrug, they are gone. To be followed by limitless kin. The horizon is filled With wave and spray, All hurrying Westward. Onward, ever onward, we ride the gale. | 257

Nothing lasts for ever. The speeding weather overtakes us and leaves us frail humans Spent, tired and bruised in its wake. The waves, ever playful Have no desire as yet to take up their regular routines, And gambol and pirouette still as their partner the wind, Tires of us, And seeks further sport elsewhere, Leaving us tossing and turning, Leaping and bounding under the sun of a new day. Gulls and Gannets, young and old, Familiar harbingers of our homeland coasts, Dipping and diving with shrill cries Their ever hungry souls demand appeasement, Over the empty wastes of opalescent green waters. 258 |

Home, soon home, The land moves slowly ever closer, Pale mountains rearing up under distant cloud, Creep into view under the morning light. Mizzen Head, Fastnet, Tuskar Rock, All are marked and noted. Signposts to the mariner, Dangers to the unwary. Soon, St Georges Channel, The cleft between two nations, named with a third, Irish Hill and Welsh Mountain Frown at each other across the grey sea. Each with strange tongue to faze the unknowing, And sound a welcome particularly their own. | 259

Dark clouds form in the East, Whilst Western sunset Paints the lowering sky with orange rays. Soon, as we close the narrows, Other vessels, scurrying hither and thither on their business. Coasters, Carriers, Tankers and Ferries, Each with their thoughts Pound their way across the waters. The Brigantine ignores them all, Fully intent on her business Bound for Mona's Isle as the crew aloft tend her needs. Through the night, the quiet sea, Spent of its driving forces of wind and tide, Giving free passage, As if to say enough, And biding its time 'till the next contest. 260 |

I have seen great wonders, The Whale, flying fish, the dolphins at play. The limitless stars with foreign names. Tropical birds and wind sailing jelly-fish, Deep blue gentle seas. But now, In the grey seas of home, Bardsey and South Stack guide us to the dawn. The new day, rising beyond the mountains Gives light for the final watch, At journey's end. Brian Hill, 2006 | 261

Eye of the Wind for sale again! Our old lady is in troubled waters again. Ole, who bought her in 2001, died at the end of 2006 and for some reason the original plan to hand the ship over to Svend and Gitta in 2006, was not carried out. So she is for sale again and according to Ros, the American heirs of Ole's want to sell her for 1.5 million €. I, personally, do not have the money at hand, but if you dear reader have, please consider 262 |

there is still a lot of people interested in sailing in her. We were not very welcome during the last couple of years so we sailed in different ships. But if you provide our chance to return, I am sure we can help to fill her bunks better again. For more information, try to contact the owners via their webform. It may not be easy, but we're on your side. Ina, tallshipstales website, 2006

In the Inner Hebrides

Reminiscences (continued from the interview with Charlotte) I: What were the ship and crew like? C: The crew was multinational, people came from all over the world. Most of them were new to

the ship when I went there. The crew’s quarters are normal, while the guest cabins are more luxurious than on any other tall ship I know – and I know many. | 263

I: Did you met Ole, the owner? Did he enjoy making his old sailing dream come true? C: I met him, but I don’t think he enjoyed sailing as much as he thought he would. He had his cabin aft and everyone respected him. His intention had been to sail with his friends on an elegant cruise ship around the world. But this never came true – first and foremost for health problems that made us take a defibrillator along. We were all trained to use it. Also, he couldn’t persuade his friends to do the shorter trips that now were the only possibility. So he did not know what to do and became very bored with sailing. Apart from that, he did not expect all the additional issues and problems that come with operating a tall ship – mostly financial, but also organisational ones, too. He had hoped he could take the ship and simply sail. That did not work out. I: How did Svend as the captain deal with this? 264 |

C: Svend really enjoyed the sea and sailing and would have loved to be involved solely with these aspects. But there are so many interpersonal matters on board: care for the guests who pay a lot of money on such a luxurious ship and therefore also ask for a lot of attention. And it’s also the good and less good relations between the crew one has to keep an eye on. He wasn’t really into that and gladly left that to me as a kind of missing link between people of all sorts. Moreover, he began to develop health problems, too, and wanted to make sure we never would be too far from land – just in case. I: And what about Gitte? C: Gitte was responsible for economic matters and marketing. She did a really good job, but it required some work ashore. So she wasn’t there all the time. I: Thank you Charlotte for adding your viewpoint to the story!

Sad news After Ole died, Svend and Gitte had to go to the court in order to take over the ship as planned from the beginning. Svend made it, but soon after that lucky moment, a tumour was discovered. He passed away on March 14, 2008. We think about Gitte, his wife and their sons and hope, they will find a way to deal with the loss. We also think about the Eye, facing again an uncertain future. Ina, tallshipstales website, 2008

At last: Eye now sold back to Germany! The 2001 Danish buyers were not very lucky. After modernisation and some (for our terms) pretty posh changes two out of three died and it certainly became even more difficult to run her than it normally is. Gitta managed to sell her in the middle of the economic crisis to a German media group. So our old lady will serve soon for manager trainings, trying to show them there's more on the planet than just Armani and exchange rates. Ina, tallshipstales website, 2009 | 265

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2009 onwards: Back in Germany | 267

A ship with its own mind and soul – or how she came to get a Bavarian owner

My company, the FORUM MEDIA GROUP is an international media enterprise. Apart from a wide range of information media (books, journals, internet) it also offers leadership training. Still, I’m a fully certified captain myself and therefore know that the microcosm of a ship is the ideal environment to develop leadership and teambuilding skills. Therefore, I had the idea to buy a sailing vessel and to offer training along these lines. That is now 10 years ago. From another skipper I heard there was a ship in Copenhagen that would be perfect for my plans. An appointment was quickly fixed and on a cold, dismal Monday in April, I stood in pouring rain at the Copenhagen quay and saw the Eye of the Wind for the very first time. There she was, neglected by the crew, rigged down, badly groomed and with signs of a long idle period. It looked like she was letting her head down in deep sadness and the torrential rain made tears drop from the yards. When I later was asked how I had found her, my answer was ‘Not I have found her. She found me.’ Because in fact I do not remember when exactly the moment was, but all of a sudden, I knew I would own this ship and revitalize it again. It was definitely a gut decision... 268 |

From the seller, Gitte Bøgh, I didn’t learn much of the history of the Eye. Built in 1911 in Oberhammelwarden, sailed the Baltic and North Sea, sold to Sweden, sailed the Baltic again, burnt down and went to the scrapyard. In 1973 she was discovered by an enthusiast called Tiger Timbs who together with others reactivated her as a brig. She went around the globe for years and was sold to a Danish owner in 2001. After a comprehensive refit to the best standards she joined important sailing events as a private yacht. After the owner’s death ownership passed on to the skipper couple Svend Friis-Hansen and Gitte Bøgh, was used for teambuilding trainings in the Baltic and attended maritime events. Svend contracted cancer and died, Gitte couldn’t keep the ship operational anymore. So that was what I faced, when boarding the Eye for the first time in 2009. My next encounter with the Eye was a test turn out from Copenhagen into the Baltic. This time, the summer sun shone and there was an ideal southwest wind of 4 Bft.. I was ardent about the joy the crew showed sailing the ship, how the sails filled, how she gained speed and rode the waves like a young dog off its leash. From that moment on, I was in love with the ship.

The negotiations were finalized and before the end of the year I was owner of the Eye – and the nightmare began. Contrary to the results of the purchasing checks and along with my expectations she was in miserable technical conditions. Almost every day I received bad news. Whatever could break, did. The gas stove and the air-con, the heating, the water maker and down to the generators – nothing worked the way it should. The rudder was stuck and could only be moved using full power, the capstan was rusty and if water came over the sides, it went through the decks and skylights down to the bilge. The iron ballast was rusty, too, and we presumed the interior hull did not look any better below the ballast. We transferred the ship to its birthplace, to Elsfleth. There she lay throughout the winter. With the help of naval students, we put the ballast on deck, removed the rust and coated the cleaned ballast with antifouling. Also, the ship’s hull was conserved from the inside and coated. The Eye received two new generators, new heating, the water maker was repaired, the rudder straightened and all the other problems were fixed. In springtime we were finished – the Eye was ready to commence her first season in our management.

Ronald Herkert

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Supercargo to Denmark After learning that the Eye had been sold again, we tried to find out if and how one may get along with the new owners. Ros wrote an initial mail, then things developed quickly and suddenly I found myself invited to join the ship to voyage from Kiel (where she had been attending ‘Kiel Week’) to Frederikshavn in Denmark. I hadn't seen her since the 2001 refit and was curious. She was a bit outside the city at the Thiessen quay in Holtenau. The good news is: She still looks great. The bad news is: she doesn't make people drop their jaws anymore. Getting closer, you find a number of changes. Some of them are good or great, some alright, others only can count as scars and wounds. The new generator is certainly an improvement. It is so silent you normally wouldn't notice it's running. When it was shut down, I only felt the stop of a very gentle vibration in my bunk. There was no way to use it as an alarm clock anymore! Also, the new engine makes the ship go much faster under power. Laurens, the new captain, says it is also silent, but I am not sure whether under full power it is any different to the Gardener. There is a new teak deck. That is good, but apparently she wasn't meant to sail in the tropics with it. There are screws heads and other stuff sticking up, so walking along barefoot may become pretty painful. The roofs of the deck houses and especially 270 |

the fore deck are very tidy now. This is talking of looks, not of usefulness. The ship has no inflatable anymore, so no inflatable storage space is required. There’s only 10 people’s rubbish and a daily visit to harbour, so now, no rubbish bins are needed on deck. But apart from that, it is certainly that ‘keepyour-stuff-effect’ we all experience. You don't realize you don't need all the things you kept before you move out of your flat.

In the upper saloon roof two pairs of search lights are now built in, pointing aloft. I haven't been on the mast in the night, but I can imagine they are useful. And I would like to know how often they've been used. A really good thing is the new horn the old one was indeed the only pathetic part of the old Eye that I was aware of. Air conditioning and heating now exist, although I haven’t experienced them running. Now one may get warm in cold climates or alternatively, won't want a sleeping place on deck anymore when sailing the tropics. We did sometimes. Remember the little fans with the helicopter racket? It'll be so good not to have them anymore!

everything that needs to work, does. One doesn't need to be constantly prepared for any open Ocean disaster, since the ship spends its time in harbours and within sight of land. How it works in the long run is what we'll find out in due course. Talking of more material things; let’s start with the rigging. There are three jibs again and it looks nice. On the other hand, the stun sail yards were In the lower saloon

Moving from the cabins to the lower saloon, you will find it changed, but in a way that intends to retain the atmosphere (like nearly all of the changes) and appears useful to me. There are now not only books, but also a tv and DVD player along with a number of records. Passing through the lower saloon, you get to the freezer that has now expanded into a freezer room. We did not suffer from malnutrition at any time, but the extra freezer space should provide new possibilities. And finally: She still is a girl’s ship. While on other vessels you mostly see men, on the Eye still about half of the crew is female. Now proceeding to the things I judged neutral or noticed and wouldn't judge. First of all, the ship is run with a different philosophy. Things are more relaxed and sometimes laid back. However, | 271

removed. Maybe that's the right decision, as in 10 months on the ship I have only seen them used for a few hours. But anyway, it's also removing ambition, so I would like to see them aloft again. By the way: I learned, that the Eye of the Wind is now considered to be a brig! It was always a query what exactly was the difference between a brig, a brigantine and a schooner (or hermaphrodite) brig. But she has remained whatever she is for some 30 years. I am finished with the more or less positive stuff. There are certainly more, things I did not notice, don't understand or simply forgot to mention. There are also the less amusing observations: the very first thing one comes across and cannot miss, is the varnish. In some places it looks the way we Damaged belaying point

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Using the copper pipe of the rail

expect, in others it's poor or nearly worn off. Under rough conditions some of the pin rails may absorb salt water. The crew, not being familiar with her history and what she used to be like, don't pay attention to this problem and many other small things. They do not mean to treat her roughly, they are simply unaware of potential and existing damage. There was nobody to teach them details on how to maintain the ship. Obviously, the former owners weren't too careful, either. I do not want to even imagine the events which caused the unrepaired damage I found on the ship. Some of these scars may not be very important, but if the rudder doesn't work correctly, I wouldn't call that insignificant. It is safely left unattended for minutes while underway – it is lashed by the friction of its shaft and won’t move. I was told that after an accident some 3 years ago it was stuck and never repaired.

Getting into shape In the meantime, in our headquarters in Bavaria we established the ship’s management responsible for the sale of sailing voyages, also crew management and business operations. With a young, motivated crew, experienced captains and coxswains and excellent cooks the ship delighted its guests. But the Baltic season did not run without friction. That summer season provided many sleepless nights – in the literal meaning of the word. Somehow, I sensed the ship was still suffering. And that situation continued for another year until we managed to establish normal operations. Under power the helm was safely left unattended

Now going down to the cabins. During the refit in 2001, 5 or so of the old cabins were removed and replaced by others, which were supposed to be more modern and comfortable. They all have built-in heads and showers and air-conditioning. Some cabins are so wide that one can’t hold on in rough seas, but there’s still no room for people and their luggage. Of course, these cabins were not meant for people doing watches. The locker now has a safe for one's jewels, but only soft bags can be stored in there. I only spent three days and nights in the Eye this time. So I finished my supercargo existence and left in Middelfart. Ina, tallshipstales website, 2009

The main incentive was that the ship gained enthusiastic attention, where ever she went. While entering harbour people queued along the wharf. When in harbour, she was the magnet to spectators. We couldn’t print our leaflets fast enough. The sailing guests wrote letters to thank us and they spread the message. The Eye wins guests mostly by word of mouth and by attending the big maritime events in the North Sea and Baltic: Hamburg Harbour Birthday, the Kiel Week, the Hanse Sail in Rostock or Sail Bremerhaven – she’s always in the focus. Her pictures appear in newspapers; details about her are broadcast by tv and radio stations and there is no ships calendar without her. What great achievements she has accomplished and what touching tales she can tell are things I only learnt as time went by: she had circumnavigated the globe three times and was as famous in | 273

Australia and the South Pacific as in the Caribbean, England and the Canaries, plus the fact that everywhere in the world postage stamps exist with her likeness. I learnt that in nearly every harbour somebody turned up who had sailed the Eye before or had another special tie to the ship. And everyone told a story. I also learnt that Prince Charles had helmed her when she sailed for Operation Drake out of London. It was only then that I found out that she was the same ship that had enchanted me many years 274 |

ago in the dramatic film ‘White Squall’. Now, I also watched her in 3 other Hollywood movies she took part in. Then, in 2011, two years after purchasing her, she became 100 years old. We celebrated that with a big party in Elsfleth, of course, being her birth place. Prince Charles sent a birthday telegram and excused himself, as he, due to the marriage of William, could not attend the celebrations. Jeff Bridges, the captain of ‘White Squall’, congratulated and sent his private photo album he had

made during the filming. Immo von Schnurbein, the legendary captain of the German Sail Training Vessel ‘Gorch Fock’, delivered the birthday speech. Tiger Timbs came from Australia and even more visitors came from across the country. Now, the Eye was a star again, she enjoyed her sparkling appearance and her fame, she attracted attention from all around and it seemed to me she was happy. Also, in other terms she was back in her element. Mishaps did not fully stop but became scarcer. One day, a sailing yacht was stuck with her mast in our rigging and broke the yard. Next time, a Hamburg harbour tug hit our rudder with its propeller jet smacking the helm out of the helmsman’s hand, crashed the end stop, leaving both rudder and helm with severe damage. Then, our jibboom cut down the aerials of a power boat moored nearby. In the narrow shipping channel force 8 gales pushed us out onto a sandbank. Nothing serious, really, but one may understand why I had to take a deep breath before picking up the phone when the ship’s phone appeared on the display! Ronald Herkert

100-year celebrations Fellow Friends of the Eye, As most of you must be aware, 2011 is fast approaching, and it will be 100 years since 'Eye of the Wind' (Friedrich) was launched at C. Lühring’s yard at Brake, Germany.

I have been contacted by various people to ascertain what we can do to celebrate this momentous achievement and would like to put forward a couple of ideas and gather people's response. Obviously, as we do not own the ship any more, our options are in the hands of the new owners, who seem to be very co-operative and interested in this 100-year celebration. At this stage we are just trying to gauge people's interest, and obviously there is a lot more organizing to be done, and we will not be able to accommodate everyone's wishes. The first plan is: a get together at the Tasmanian Wooden Boat Festival which is usually the first weekend in February for the many people who have sailed on the ship to Port Davey and around the Tassie coast a get together and hopefully a sail on Sydney Harbour on Southern Swan' in the Australian summer (March-April) and a few other social events for the weekend a get together in perhaps Faversham for a weekend in June/July/August which would be the most inclusive option we can think of for everyone in the UK. Depending on what the new owners' itinerary is, we could possibly have a few short voyages afterwards, sailing either in the Baltic or UK for those that would like to sail on the ship once more. This would obviously depend on availability and price, and at this stage we have not firmed up any arrangements with them. Kind regards, Tiger

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Adventure under Sail 2011: Ted Mitchener, Rodney Clarke, Joe Spinelli, Lesley Reiter and Tiger Timbs

Hobart There is a strong Australian fan club, many of whom are based in delightful Tasmania. Previous gatherings have been hosted by Linda Kirkwood and previously by Tim Nossiter. This year the larger numbers required a bigger venue and the historic Old Custom House was excellent - right on the waterfront of Hobart. On Sunday 13 February, perhaps a hundred folks gathered to meet old friends and to reminisce 276 |

sailing on The Eye as Permanent crew or as Voyage crew. The weather and the waves, the excitement of exotic destinations and the lasting friendships that we made. There were Cape Horners resplendent in their special ties and blazers - after all Tiger and the crew of the 1989 trip, Homeward Round the Horn are part of that distinguished group. There was continuous slide show and then Tiger gave a delightful, often humorous resume of The

There were many of the permanent crew with a surfeit of engineers - Bill, recently returned from 20 years Vanuatu. Phil, Roscoe, and Johnno with his delightful little girl Xanthe, and Ellis - a long way from his Shetland home and David Williamson of the 1990s. Long term crew members Benny and Angela, how well we remember their wedding in Stromness with young Fergus, now living in Adelaide. Ina was here. She was on an Australian holiday from Berlin. Trish Holdway, marine biologist Linda Kirkwood and Joe Spinelli at the welcome

desk

Deb with the birthday cake Eye's history whilst in his care, the anecdotes were only a few of the several hundred that he has in his amazing memory. It was a pleasure to have 4 of the owners present, Tiger, Lesley, Jo and Rodney. Jean, nearly 93 is living in UK with her sister Miff, perhaps we shall see them in Weymouth in June. Ted Michener was there, sitting quietly and chatting on about his Antarctic ventures. | 277

An excited audience celebrating in Hobart

from the Drake Voyages came down from Sydney with husband Ted. Geoff Andrewartha, veteran of 2 Pitcairn trips and Sue. David Bond who has just completed a very fine model of The Eye. Maggie and Keith also of 2 Pitcairn trips and the around the Horn. Memories of those who have passed on, of Mike Kichenside and many more. So many people and 278 |

so much chatter. Tiger and Debbie were marvellous hosts, ably supported by Rodney and Stella and Linda and Tim. And now to Sydney in late March and UK in May/June Kay Jaumees

Sydney A three-day programme was held in late March three different venues and activities. Trish - of Operation Drake and husband Ted together with Rodney - part owner and Stella and Liz

- Operation Drake with husband Phil - plus Tiger, Debbie and others put in a lot of hard work to organize celebrations as befitted a grand one-hundred-year-old lady. | 279

Friday evening found a hundred or more of us in a huge corrugated iron factory building. Rodney uses the enormous space for his ongoing artistic projects - his work-in-progress for The Phantom of the Opera. The walls were lined with photographs of the Eye and many who sailed in her, together with route charts. There was an ongoing slide presentation on a huge screen with comfortable sofas to sit, watch and gossip. The huge birthday cake held pride of place surrounded by vast amounts of fine food. There was a free-flowing bar for us all to enjoy. And who was there? Too many for me to know or recount. Tiger in very fine form, together with Debbie and lively Emma - who gave a delightful

The first generation: Johnston Davidson, Phil Castleton and Tim Nossiter

impromptu speech of her memories of the Eye and those who sailed in her. There were folks from the salvage days in Gothenburg who had made the bleak journey across the North Sea to Hull and Grimsby and the even bleaker fen. Lesley was up from Melbourne and Jo the other owner was there to greet us. Ross and Kerry came down from Grafton and there were friends from Cairns, Perth Melbourne, Coffs Harbour and New Zealand. Several folks who had been in Hobart came again, Angie and Benny from Adelaide and Geoff and Sue from Hobart.

The next generation: Ingrid Castleton, Emma Timbs and Eve Wilson

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Recruits to the Eye from Operation Drake were represented by the Young Explorers, maybe middle-aged explorers is a more apt current

description! Several attended from NSW and Queensland and Erwin van Asbeck (phase 1) came from NZ with his wife and son. Saturday morning dawned in a damp overcast spirit. But no matter, by 10 am there were at least one hundred persons waiting to board Southern Swan for a three-hour sail around the harbour, those who know Sydney will know that rain or shine this is the finest harbour in the world and those that do not know Sydney must be told that this is indeed so. The third part of this celebratory weekend was on Sunday at mid-day, a Picnic in the Park at Balmoral Beach on Middle Harbour, a beautiful place where we set up our chairs and picnic hampers beneath the huge Moreton Bay fig trees - but not for long as the rain tipped down. Luckily this had been considered and we wet footed up the hill to Liz and Phil's house where we ate more food, enjoyed the wine and fine view. Many photo slides later we eventually went home. The birthday cake was finished and a grand weekend was over. Now for the celebrations in Brake in Germany and Weymouth and Hooke in the UK. This grand old lady deserves them all. Kay Jaumees

Southern Swan as stand-in for the Eye in Sydney harbour

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The Forum Media Party in Elsfleth After two parties in Australia the celebrations journeyed north-westward and reached Elsfleth, in Germany, on the tidal Weser river. The place was chosen since the Eye was built in the nearby town of Brake and her current owner Ronald Herkert did his naval degrees at the nautical college in Elsfleth. Deb and Tiger were invited to the celebrations as I was, too, so we went there together. First of all: she's in good condition now. When I first saw the ship after the Danish years in 2009, she had a number of smaller and bigger scars and problems that only didn't feel so sad as the whole ship felt so different. It did not make me think it 282 |

was the same vessel I used to know. All the problems have gone and I promise you'll love her at first sight. Saturday morning, when it was clear and sunny, the Eye and the local ‘Großherzogin Elisabeth’ left Elsfleth for Bremerhaven to celebrate the reopening of the Kaiserschleuse, an old, now enlarged lock with gates the size of the new Panama Canal. On the way, we passed Brake and the former Lühring shipyard.

The former Lühring shipyard

The reopening of the locks was planned as a big party with a number of prestigious tall ships and the longest parade of sailing boats for the Guinness book of records. Thus, we've seen a bunch of famous vessels like ‘Sea Cloud’, the former Flying-PLiner ‘Kruzenshtern’, ‘Alexander von Humboldt’ and two replicas of cogs, the historic German type of merchant vessels.

Ronald Herkert and Tiger Timbs TS Großherzogin Elisabeth

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The whole trip took about 11 hours and there was lots of time for chats. On the way back we even managed some sail handling. Also, the accompanying ‘Großherzogin Elisabeth’, set sail and as we kept changing positions there were plenty of opportunities for great photos of ships and people. Back in Elsfleth, we had the official centenary party in the evening with speeches by the owner and authorities, with special mentions of guests and supporters. Apart from the ones already mentioned there were Claus Lühring, last owner of the Lühring shipyard, and Immo von Schnurbein,

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former commander of the Marine sail training vessel ‘Gorch Fock’, now occasionally doing leadership trainings onboard the Eye. I didn't want to go there in the first place, but I'm really glad I changed my mind. It was good to see how well the ship is again, to see people enjoying her and the possibilities she provides. Harmony and future are back on deck. She's going to have another good time. Ina, 2009 Owner, crew and guests celebrating the Centenary on deck

Hooke and the Centenary Charter Leg one - the relaxed start At the beginning, we had no distance to go. We would start from Weymouth and end at the same spot for the party. We were free to go where the wind blows and sailed along the South coast. We were Tiger, Jeremy Lang, Fred Best, David Pollard, Irene and Daniele Ravenna, Chris and Hugh Watt, Jane Clemetson, Phil Hodges, Kay Jaumees and Ina Koys with the permanent crew of Julius, Nora, Laura, Jack, Alina, Jonas, Ole and Bastien. The ones who hadn't seen her for a while were happy to see the ship in good, smart condition. After 2009, when Ronald Herkert purchased her, many details were improved or fixed, some belaying points changed, but nothing really ground shaking. So we easily fit in again.

Eye of the Wind approaching Weymouth

According to the winds, we set sail for Brighton stopping occasionally at some places. But we had to return in time for the celebrations. In Weymouth harbour a whole bunch of friends was waiting for us at the quayside. And how many people there were! Old familiar faces for some, new friends for others, the way it used to be for so many years.

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Tiger giving the welcome talk in Hooke

Party time in Hooke We were not short of centenary celebrations this year and every time it was special in some way. This one occurred in the quiet village of Hooke, somewhere in the rural part of Dorset. For one weekend, in fact only for a couple of hours, it became the target of a flash mob travelling in from all continents: from one or two dozen European countries including Iceland, from the Americas, from 286 |

South Africa and Malaysia and of course Australia hitting rank 2 in numbers after UK. So many faces one had seen before, so many one had heard of and so many others completely new for most of us, all feeling like members of a large and widespread family. Thanks to Gill and her partner Guy, we all found enough room for accommodation and a party venue on their property and in the local hall.

The cake was cut this time by Jean Dixon’s sister Miff. Also, the old main boom miraculously turned up again, the one that in 1994, 17 years ago, nailed a spoke of the helm through Geoff Andrewartha’s hand. This time, as a late revenge, the boom was sliced into pieces and free for everyone to take home. As the evening went on, people had to leave for their accommodations or for their young children Lively chatting at the party

of 3rd Eye generation, so the audience gradually became smaller. But for some reason, nobody could tell me for sure when it ended - the general estimation says it was around 3 a.m. Next morning, people had one last hug and then left for their mostly far-off homes while others went down to Weymouth for the second week of our charter.

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100 years old this year We began our short voyage (my first in the Northern Hemisphere) out of Weymouth after a surprise dinner ashore, many of us knew each other from previous sails, but those that hadn't met, did so with the ease that comes from a shared love and parallel adventures in a different time and space. Most of my favourite memories of square rig sailing include a clear blue sky, bright hot sun, deep sparkling seas and the tangible lure of the next coral atoll an overnight sail away, the South Pacific is just like that. But this time we felt lucky that the rain was sporadic and mostly light, and the temperature allowed us to dress sensibly! The first thing I noticed was the few changes that had been made on deck and below, and I found most of them to Talking shop: Nora Moro, Julius Pouw and Tiger Timbs

The next generation goes aloft. Nemo Matson

be pleasant. Once we had set the fore squares, jibs and main, the ship took on that familiar, comfortable motion that I describe as 'sitting down' in the water as she headed south towards the Isle of Wight at a pleasant 7 knots. By now, all on board had renewed old friendships, and begun to make new. The crew were Julius the Capt'n, Nora the mate, deck crew Laura and Alida, Tallships 1 and 2, and in the galley, Jack. They all seemed a little bemused by this bunch of old salts who knew stuff about the ship and her history that they had hardly heard about. Tiger formed us into watches and we set about getting the old lady into a routine, familiar and comfortable in the main.

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After a very pleasant sail, we tied up at Cowes overnight and checked out onshore. I took a stroll in the early morning with Tiger past the brass. That morning, after such a lovely sail, with the quiet water lapping, no crowds and the mostly pretty, old houses, it was hard to see why anyone would want to leave. But we did, and we headed off down the channel, at times with enough wind and welltrimmed sails to push our through-water speed above 10 knots and this with a relatively even keel - pure sailing pleasure!!

I guess I have spent a good few years on board in total, on and off many times in lots of exotic places, loved it all, but this trip was a special pleasure for me. So it is from the heart that I say thanks, thanks to all the crews, all the passengers, all the visitors before and now for sharing the adventure. I hope the Eye will continue to sail for another generation or more, and all who sail in her do so with the spirit of those who sailed before close by. Happy birthday old girl.. Eric and Nemo Matson

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Leg three - Great Yarmouth to Kiel The skipper is not expecting a blow this trip, he says that he expects a fair wind for the passage across as far as the Elbe estuary. The crew and voyagers stand around the helm chatting, no sitting on the life rafts any more as they are now forward mounted on brackets above head height no doubt giving more windage. Rather too close to my lunch I am asked if I will go up to lose the main course! But ok someone has to. My rope harness that I have worn since Sørlandet when we made them during the Atlantic crossing in 1981 was, deemed unsuitable although it was said by Captain Julius ‘it will save your life’. I have always trusted my life to a yard and a half of line a karabiner in one end and tied a bowline around me; it also carries my knife and spike. I bet if there was a need to go aloft suddenly I would be allowed. It took a full five minutes to clamber into the rather restrictive and uncomfortable full body harness. I did not go aloft again or out on the bowsprit which I should have because of this foolish rule. Sunday 12th: Midnight and up for watch, it is cold but dry. Those waking the watch have completely forgotten the rule to tell the oncoming watch what to expect to prepare them for what kit to arrive on deck with. Dry, wet, cold, warm etc. The yards are squared to cope with wind shift; it is pretty squally around us, presently the jibs are dropped the yards are braced; it is now wet but easy 290 |

Nora Moro, First Mate

sailing. We are off the Dutch coast past Terschelling Island heading into the channel that leads to the Elbe and Kiel Kanal. The dread Iron tops'l is fired up; we are in a mirror flat sea so flat you could almost walk on it.

Arrival in Kiel: Peter Evans, Inga Baran, Steven Roche, Ian Walker, Terri Kennedy, Chris Roche (from left)

Tuesday 14th June: We are sailing under all squares with the Cape Horn flag that flew off Cape Horn at our crosstrees one more time. At change of watch I am given helm - what a day. Tiger comes up alongside me and says of the day. ‘Someone must have sold their soul to Davy Jones for this

day? Be grateful Chris!’ Course is by the wind. Yes, I am very grateful for this day, very grateful. Chris Roche

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Pirate Day … organized for a Hamburg foundation for disadvantaged children, including a treasure hunt, sea biscuit theft, a chili contest and water battle.

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Refit in Turkey 2013 Preface In autumn 2011 we sailed from Elsfleth bound for the Canaries after a drydocking period. We had accomplished many important projects; the weather was fine - but soon we were to find out that an exciting journey was ahead of us. To be precise,

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it was the most exciting trip that I have made on ‘Eye of the Wind’. During the time in the yard in Elsfleth, we finished some important projects. We installed a new main topmast there, but most important: we installed a new generator.

In order to gain access for the generator, we had to cut an opening into the hull, this was on the starboard side in the engine room. The generator was tested and it was working perfectly - and finally we could get on the way again After passing the Dover Strait, I was woken up by a bilge alarm in the middle of the night: saltwater in the drystore bilge!

We pumped all the water out and we discovered a little fountain in the bilge. It was not much water, but we had to start the pump from time to time. I have learned sailing on wooden boats, so this situation was not completely new to me, but still: uncomfortable. I decided to set course for Le Havre, where we went alongside. In the harbour, we tried to stop the | 295

leaking with concrete and wooden constructions, but we did not manage to get the problem solved. Some phone calls later - the voyage crew had already decided to leave the ship - we had organized a place in a drydock in Brest. So we sailed in very thick mist (with many little birds on board which had been lost in the fog) and with running pumps from Le Havre to Brest, everything went well. The Navy drydock was huge and it was a very funny picture: a little sailing ship in the big dock. It took

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half a day to empty all the water out of the dock, because our displacement was so small in relation to the size of the dock. We found the bad spot - it was simply a shellplate that was rusted through - probably the leakage was caused by the hotworks done during the previous drydocking in Elsfleth. Within some hours we had an insert made. Tested, found good, and on we went, for our guests were waiting in Vigo.

learn that the water could run from the drystore to the engine room, that was a surprise. We never were in danger of sinking, I was never really afraid for the lives on board, but still: for me, the funny part was definitely over! Safely we arrived in Santa Cruz. Alongside there, we had a little more time to work on the problem, and with the help of a shipbuilding engineer from Bremen we made a temporary but proper repair from the inside - and the ship was watertight again! After giving the repair a good try-out, we sailed to the Caribbean, did our charter season there comfortably and came back to Europe without any more problems.

Didim, Turkey 2013 In summer 2012 we sailed in Europe and in autumn we went to dry dock again in Elsfleth - the ‘sieve’ was back, as the friendly yardworkers were calling it. Underway from Vigo to Tenerife, I was again woken up by a bilge alarm: drystore! Then, shortly after: engine room bilge alarm! We found out that again we had seawater leaking through the hull, just next to the repair made in Brest. Too much heat, too much stress when docking, too old steel - not so surprising after all. But to

Again, we exchanged some steel in the worst parts of the drystore area. After these repairs, my colleague sailed from Elsfleth to Mallorca and to the Cabo Verdes. During these months, the ship started leaking again, and then the moment came when we had to face

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us. But the situation was clear and there was no way around it anymore: safety first! I took over the ship on the Cabo Verdes. It was an extremely trying task to bring her to Spain in December against the current and the prevailing winds. No fun at all, but we safely made it to Malaga, mostly under engine. Alongside there, people from different shipyards came to have a look at the ship and her problems and to make their proposals of how to make these extensive repairs. The difficulty was the following: we knew of the bad spots in the drystore area and also the poor condition of the bottom section in general. This was a difficult matter: all the thickness measurements that were taken earlier did show good or sufficient steel thickness. Our problem was the local pitting. the facts: the ship was not in condition for a long sea journey anymore. We had to come to the brutal conclusion that we could no longer work with local repairs - an extensive repair was inevitable. The entire bottom section had to be renewed. The Caribbean season was cancelled which was no easy decision, because it meant that we had to disappoint all the people who already had booked and who surely were looking forward to sailing with 298 |

How to get to the ship’s bottom without having to rip out all the cabins? How to work with a flame cutter when it is impossible to control the fire from the inside with all the insulation there? What to do with the ballast? To rebuild the cabins was not an option because of financial aspects and lack of time. We celebrated an early Christmas party in Malaga on the 21.12. and then left ‘east for orders’, for it

was not yet agreed which shipyard would get the job. Maybe Bulgaria, maybe Istanbul? This was an especially remarkable journey through the Mediterranean in winter facing very different kinds of conditions: sometimes beautiful, sometimes very harsh. I remember one thunderstorm with a lot of hail when we were sailing more than 14knots on the

lower topsail only. As we were pooped, the mate Nora was washed off her feet and I could just grab her jacket as she was drifting over deck next to me. The same wave damaged the tender hanging in the davits. During this weather, the Algerian coastguard warned of 11 Bft and was sending all the ships away from the coast. That was my first Christmas at sea – unforgettable. | 299

As we were passing Sicily I received orders to sail to Didim, Turkey - luckily, we were close enough to the coast, so I could print a google map to find the place... After a long and exhausting trip, we safely arrived in Didim and dropped anchor in the bay.

It was one of the most spectacular arrival parties that I have seen on board - we all were so relieved that the journey was over - and it was our New Year’s party. The next day, the ‘Eye of the Wind’ was lifted out of the water by a huge travellifter and then driven across a big parking lane for ships and set down controlled by one man with a joystick walking next to her - what a picture! We emptied all bilges and all cabins and works started without delay. I have the biggest respect for what happened then: the Turkish yardworkers could not use a flamecutter for said reasons. So they cut out some tons of 100 year old shipbuilding steel by grinders only! They were laying on their backs under the ship, cutting steel above them. Day after day. Cutting,

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cutting, until the ballast was almost falling out and on their heads! They did this hard labour in a good mood, smiling and friendly! They removed the shellplates from ER bulkhead to foc’sle bulkhead up to the level of the cabin floors. Also, all frames and stringers were removed. Only the keel - the backbone - was left in that area. And how they worked! Imagine the ship standing on a concrete place. It’s raining and the water cannot drain away. Under the ship on some wooden | 301

sorts of their modern technology - the sailing yacht ‘Regina’, which James Bond is sailing in ‘Skyfall’, was built on that shipyard. However, the reality in Didim was this: Some steel plates were delivered to the construction place. A worker would take one of the frames, make a drawing of it on a steel plate, then cut it out by hand (freestyle!), weld it back in and cut off what was too big. Welding. Firewatch? Yes of course - in theory. In fact, I always had to make sure there was a fire watch from our crew, and more than one fire extinguisher was emptied during the welding and cutting... My task there was mainly of a diplomatic nature. Again, I had a shipbuilding engineer at my side who was a big help. There was just one difficult aspect to it. This man was rather old and he wanted Removed hull plate

planks in the water these men are grinding, the cables of their power tools in the rain and in the water. I still admire them! And I still remember the running gag: Whenever they saw me walking around, one of the workers would call: ‘Hey, captain!’. When I went to see what he wanted, he simply pointed at the Eye and said: ‘ship kaputt’ - the ship is broken... When we had got to know the yardpeople in Malaga, they had told us about laser cutters and all 302 |

Old ballast

together and then drove to work by car - and in the evening ‘home’ again. I had an intense, but also great time in Turkey. It was fulfilling to get all this very important work done for the ship. The yardworkers did not follow any safety procedures, but they worked very hard and they were extremely nice people.

New frames

to build everything according to GM (Germanischer Lloyd) standards - which is good, because it means that you are doing things in a perfect way but it was simply impossible to follow all the rules word by word when it comes to such an old ship. The Turkish shipbuilders, however, preferred the most simple and quick solution. It was my job to mediate between the two extremes - always in consideration with the flag state Jersey. These months there taught me enough diplomacy to be able to start working for the UN at any given moment....

On Sundays we were off, so we did have time to visit old Roman temples and places. The country is beautiful, the food nice (and the sweets excellent!) and people were friendly and always helpful. In these 3.5 months on the yard we exchanged 30 tons of steel. New shellplating was made in the area as described, and also new frames and longitudinal frames in the same section. New foundations for both masts and a new greywater tank was completed. Also, the plates in the ER section were

New ballast with antifouling

The time spent in Didim was a very interesting period: Some of the crew were sent home, some stayed. Of course, it was impossible to live on board, so we rented an apartment where we lived for the next 3.5 months. Also, we rented a car. For most of us crew, this was a new experience, and we almost led a ‘normal’ life. In the morning we had breakfast | 303

checked thoroughly and still found to be in good condition. The crew had time to accomplish a lot of rigging projects and all the pipes under the cabins were removed, checked, cleaned and rebuilt. All the ballast was cleaned and painted before it went back in. Of course, towards the end everything was hectic, but we finished on time and we were and we still are happy about the result. I am convinced that we gave some extra years to the Eye of the Wind’s life. And I am extremely proud of it. To sail in the Eye of the Wind gives me a much better feeling since then - at least I know that the hull is in good condition again. As all we sailors know: when you are in the middle of the ocean, that certitude can definitely let you sleep a little better.

Cornel Greth Master ‘Eye of the Wind’ 2009 – 2018

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The first time I ever saw Eye of the Wind, I fell in love. I was working on a catamaran at the time, doing sailing charters out of St Maarten, in the West Indies. One day, we were setting our sails coming out of Île Fourchue, just north of St Barths, when I saw this beautiful square rigger come sailing towards us. Although I was working on a sailing fibreglass cat at the time, I had been sailing quite a bit on square riggers and traditional ships. To see this slick black hull, with her classic lines and her billowing tan sails come dancing across the water to pass just by us was breath-taking. Half-jokingly, I stood up on my deckhouse and, jumping up and down, frantically waved my arms and yelled across the water ‘Hey, Hey, Give me a job! I want to go sailing with you!’ This got a laugh out of my guests, for I had been waxing lyrical about my passion for classic sailing with them all week. A little while later, when I was sailing in the South Pacific with Picton Castle, a sail training barque, I found Eye of the Wind would come up in conversations a lot. When we would stop on these far flung, jewel islands in the middle of the sea, and the smiling locals would welcome us onshore with Tiaré flowers and ukulele tunes, undoubtedly somebody ashore would smile wistfully out to our Picton Castle, riding her anchor on the waves, and tell me about their memories of Eye of the Wind sailing these very same waters years ago.

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She seemed to inspire such romance, such passion in the memories of these islanders. Whether it was - the far-away look in their eyes as they travelled back in time on the memories, or the intimate way they sighed her name, It would take me back to my own first sighting of her, and I began to think that at the next opportunity, I would sail this intriguing ship. I did not have to wait very long for my chance, as when my contract was up with Picton Castle, and I was looking for a new ship to call my home, I wrote to Eye of the Wind, to see if they had any use for me. I started corresponding with Captain Cornel via e-mail from Fiji, and we decided that I would come to Kiel to join the ship for the summer. When I spotted her as I walked along the Tiessenkai, I felt so proud that of all the ships moored there, I was joining the most beautiful one.

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Andrea Malmburg, Janus Maagard, Frank Anders and Appie enjoying a festive fish dinner

I got on board and was shown to my bunk in the Fo’cs’le, met the crew and was handed a welcome rum! Even though I was pretty tired after the big trip from Fiji to Kiel, everyone was so nice and friendly that I felt at home immediately. That summer was one I reflect on a lot. Sailing through the South Danish Sea, up to Stockholm, and doing several festivals with her, the Flensburg Rum Regatta, Kieler Woche and Hanse Sail, we had gorgeous long days and long, lingering sunsets at sea. A lot of the time we would sail through the

day, and find somewhere to moor or anchor for the night and we could go and explore the cute little towns and islands. We also had a lot of really exciting sailing, and manoeuvring. During the Flensburg Rum Regatta, we even tacked the ship 12 times under sail, through the fjord! I had just come from 10 months on Picton, where we hadn’t even tacked once! My favourite thing about sailing the ship that summer though, was setting the stuns’ls again and again during the festival trips, and cruising along the Swedish | 307

coast with them, in the long evenings. She still has white stuns’ls, which look amazing with the rest of the sails being tan. After the summer, I moved on to a new job, but I was sad to go, and I really couldn’t get her out from under my skin. The friends I had made on board, like the memories, stayed with me. Now, 5 years later, I am sailing again on the Eye, as Mate, and she is my home. I came back several times, taking any chance I had to sail on board, and every trip, and every mix of crew on board, has felt like a special combination. A magic of the right people, the right places, and the right ship. Hardangerfjord, Norway

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It’s really something special to be sailing on Eye of the Wind. She has such a long and interesting history, and she has so much soul. I think that old ships really take a little part of the people who lovingly care and maintain them. Everybody who has sailed on board, who has laughed, or cried, or steered, set the sails, polished the brass, has left a little bit of themselves with the ship. And she knows it, she feels it, and she gives that passion back to us a hundred-fold. My favourite thing about the Eye (apart from stuns’ls!) is the wonderful people I get to meet here. She draws people back. I love to welcome people on board for a trip, new faces, people I have

sailed with before, people who have sailed the ship before my time. It’s like welcoming old friends. The beauty of what the Eye does now is that she offers this amazing opportunity to sail on board to everybody, from a day sail to an Atlantic crossing. From somebody who can only get away from the office for a week, to a trainee who is coming on

board for 3 months to learn about seamanship in the old style. And it gives many other people the chance to fall in love with her, just like I did that fateful day in the Caribbean. Megan Watt

Stuns’ls set

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Waterbombing Atyla

Left: upper: Dee Malenfant, Max Kästner, Xavier Grandjacques middle: Lea Stahlmann, Ayla Deising bottom: Megan Watt

Carrying the Spanker for repair

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gained speed, leaned to the side, spreading foam and bubbles across the sea and one would realize it was all only by the power of the wind. I savoured to see with what joy the crew entered the rigging, how routinized even difficult manoeuvres were handled and how landlubbers became sailors in the shortest of times. The summers following the Centenary celebrations we spent in the Baltic, trained Leaders in leadership skills, melded complete teams from very different individuals and meanwhile helped a considerable number of sailors to gain square rig experience.

Decisions During shipyard intervals it became clear that some of the bottom plates were nearly rusting through. A closer look revealed that the whole underwater part of the hull had to be renewed. The question was, how? From the inside would require complete removal of all the furnishings. From the outside appeared impossible to the naval architects. In the end, we found a shipyard in Turkey which dared to remove the bottom, section by section. Within a task of months, they succeeded. But this action did cost me sleepless nights. On the other hand, I enjoyed my times aboard. It made me proud to see how the Eye was envied. Every single time I was astonished anew when the wind gripped the sails and this large, heavy ship 312 |

But then, we faced increasing red tape due to our Danish flag. Staffing the necessary crew positions with non-Danish sailors became increasingly difficult. To meet all the requirements of the Danish authorities became more and more exhausting. It seemed that Denmark did not regard the Eye as a Danish ship anymore and wanted to get rid of us. Thus, we decided to adopt Jersey registration which means she’s flying the English flag again on the gaff. But we did not intend to spend the cold winters anymore in Elsfleth. The Eye is built for blue water. Therefore, we transferred her for the winter to the Canaries or Cabo Verde into the Caribbean. In springtime, she will be back in time for Hamburg Harbour birthday and for the eventful Baltic voyages. Ronald Herkert

How the Eye went into a bottle In June 2015 my best friend received the Federal Order of Merit, so I was looking for a gift he may enjoy and that also would be beneficial for his charitable organization. I awarded him a voucher for 10 bottled ships to put up for auction. Looking for ships beautiful enough for that I found the picture of a brig with tan sails. What’s her name, Eye of the Wind? Never heard of that. But she already had captured my heart and didn’t leave my mind until I had made her model. Looking back, it was a fairly simple version of her. But she was a runaway seller and her new owner was happy.

of the original. I was terribly proud and laid the keel for another one with the stunsails set. Ronald was so delighted that he invited me to join the ship for Hanse Sail in Rostock. And then, there was another request to build one for Tiger. I loved the idea and tried to build her as she looked in 1976, white sails, white hull and the rig of a hermaphrodite brigantine. The order for the now fifth version of the Eye came from captain Nora Moro de Lange I had met aboard. ‘Why don’t I have an Eye in a bottle?’ I couldn’t refuse this wish. This ship is presumably the most beautiful one – as original and in bottle size – that ever left my basement shipyard. Franky Beerens

The model for Nora Moro

The model for Tiger Timbs

Only weeks later I received an email from Frank Anders, cook in the Eye, asking to buy that model from my website. But this one was sold already, so I made another, improved one. Still, it wasn’t even finished when I received another request from Ronald Herkert, introducing himself as the owner

(See the other bottle ships in the models chapter)

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With Elsa Martinsson on the jetty

Stockevik One voyage rich in history is constantly in my mind. From Gothenburg we sailed through the Swedish skerries northwards, not really thinking of any connection to the area. As soon as we made fast, an old lady came to the jetty with her walking frame and began chatting with our Swedish AB. It turned out she was Elsa Martinsson, who was 90 years old now and had played on deck when visiting her father Carl Carlsson, captain and co-owner. That was 85 years ago. Now, she was too frail to come aboard. But of course, she was saluted on the jetty by the whole crew. We decided to leave the next day around noon and did a short walk over to Stockevik, a little fishing harbour on the other side of the peninsula. Apart 314 |

from a couple of homes there was only a little café and we decided to take a coffee before returning to the ship. When the man behind the desk saw the Eye emblem on my cap he asked whether I ever had sailed in her. When I identified myself as the owner, he replied he was Rolf Carlsson, son of captain Carl Carlsson, who had owned the Eye in the 1950’s, when her name was ‘Merry’. From his home, he brought several folders full of pictures and documents from that time. Sadly enough, it also documented how his father was washed away during a storm off Gothenburg and drowned. We did not know that, at that time, the home port of the Eye was Stockevik. Rolf was deeply moved that the Eye was in the nearby harbour. He couldn’t leave his café alone for long, so we promised to call in to Stockevik on the way back and make fast on

Ronald Herkert and Rolf Carlsson

Merry around 1940 on her home jetty

the previous home jetty of the Eye. We kept the promise and in return, were visited by all the locals. Each and every one had a story connected with the Eye. All had relatives who had previously sailed in the Eye. During this stay, I learnt a lot about the Swedish history of the Eye. When we left, the whole village cheered from the jetty, the crew and With a local visitor and Ingrid Herkert

Eye of the Wind on the same jetty in 2012

all guests lined up along the rails and everyone had wet eyes. Every time the Eye approaches Santa Cruz harbour in Tenerife, only a few minutes after making fast, Pepe is on the pier. In the 1990s he had met Tiger Timbs and ever since, he comes aboard to offer his service for purchases or sightseeing – for free, of course. When we anchored off Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands, a tender of the Club Med Sailing vessel came alongside and brought a guest who acted as helmsman in the Eye during the filming of White Squall. It’s moments like these that remind me of the at least 2 generations of humans this ship has encountered and survived. Ronald Herkert

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Going alongside on the harbour front of Trapani

for a visit and the see where to go next. We only booked in for a week, a time frame we weren’t used to. It would take us time to understand the restrictions. Kirsten Guarani, Dobromira Matelak, Lars Wienke and Carlo Hoffmeister listening to Roberto d’Amico explaining the restoration project The future Brigantes on the shipyard in Trapani

Family visit in Sicily After the centenary in 2011 we did not really make it as a group to sail the Eye again. But then we had the news from Brigantes. As the Eye sailed the Mediterranean anyway, both we and the owners liked the idea of reuniting the two old sisters. Starting off from Palermo, we would first sail to Trapani 316 |

Claire Ritchie and Kay Jaumees during Roberto’s talk

Us, that is Kay and Anne Jaumees from Australia, Claire from the UK, Irene and Daniele from Italy and me from Germany. We enjoyed meeting again after quite a time and making friends with new travel mates who also happened to be frequent Eye guests. Next morning, we set sail for San Vito lo Capo. We enjoyed the rare good breeze and a group of dolphins enjoyed the ride along the bow. Then, we went to Trapani and had a very prestigious berth on the harbour front. And yes, everyone is on deck and alert during the manoeuvre. But indeed, with a bow thruster it is way less exiting than it used to be with an inflatable pushing from outside.

The restoration shipyard is within walking distance. We received a guided tour and introduction to the current situation and future plans. Meta, the Eye’s elder sister, had spent only a couple of years in Germany and was then sold to Italy and renamed to ‘Onice’, Italian for 'onyx'. She must then have been as black as the Eye was for most of the time. For years, she served remote islands from the harbour of Genova, first with general cargo and passengers, later only hazardous goods. She kept her sails for long, but of course, she also eventually became a motorship. One day, Onice went out of active service and was tied up in the harbour of Pantelleria, a small island closer to the Tunisian coast than to the Italian mainland. That may have been the end after nearly 100 years of reliable service. But Lühring vessels have a reputation. From Herbert Karting’s book of 1993 it was known that at this point the former Meta was still around. When the Eye approached her centenary, we tried to find out where her sister might be now. A chain of friends including Daniele Ravenna from Milan and Paola Soranzo plus strokes of luck revealed she was in Pantelleria. We mentioned that on the website. When the Kravina brothers sought a ship for their plans for carbon-free trade, they found the information. They located her on satellite pictures, purchased and transferred the ship to its previous regular maintenance site in Trapani, Sicily. Now, her life faced a new start into a modern time of new | 317

sailing power and solar electric auxiliary. We went here to see how she did and to enjoy that sentimental idea of reuniting the two old sisters probably for the first time after 106 years. We were guided by the project manager Roberto d’Amico, who explained the partly splendid condition of the old hull. She wasn't only quality built. A closer look also revealed that she'd been always

well maintained, never neglected. Running her must have been really delightful - and maybe will be again in the future. Meta or Onice is setting sail again for a new career as Brigantes. Many things are still to be done with the old hull. But some parts of it are still of stunning quality. It will be an exciting project! As a thank you for the tour we invited Roberto for dinner on the Eye. Maybe one day, both vessels will be of equal beauty again.

A little present for the ship: Cornel Greth, Roberto d’Amico, Ina Koys and Daniele Ravenna

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Thinking back, my initial intention was to use the Eye as a ‘tool to train leadership’. But this was reckoning without the Eye. For this ship with her ancient and great soul the idea was too small and unbalanced. She has different plans and she makes them come true. Today, she’s showing people who know sail navigation only from books and tv, what it was like more than a hundred years ago. She trains young sailors in old seamanship and lets them experience the romance of long gone times. She forms the characters not only of leaders, who will understand in a completely natural way how good teamwork and planning and anticipating acting will lead to success. She also trains young sailors

joining the crew to learn how to take responsibility for themselves and others. As it’s the case with elderly ladies – it’s not cheap to keep their attractive shape. She has a mind of her own and her moods, sometimes, will drive you nuts. But on the other side, she is lovely, helpful and makes everyone happy dealing with her. Her owner is happy for most of the times, gradually getting poorer, but moreover, terribly proud that he has made it so far to keep this jewel of naval history in active service. Ronald Herkert

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Brigantes We wanted to see how an old ship was preparing for a new future. We have an idea of what’s ahead for both her and the people around her. Like the Eye, this old lady may change the lives of many. She will drive people nuts. She will spread pure delight and experiences never to be forgotten. Modern marine law will impose a recurrent threat to her, maybe stronger than the forces of nature. She will sometimes just quarrel with it and at times only survive them with her last ounce of strength. She may make heads turn around and Galaxy airplanes perform loops in the sky - only to have a better look at her. We’ve seen and experienced all of that. We did our very little, but indispensable share to spark off this new story. An old man in Pantelleria wrote to us saying that he had had a really miserable year with a motorcycle accident and a wife with cancer. But it was all lightened up by the idea that at least his ship was well again.

maintain a little jewel. So many people over generations left a smaller or bigger imprint on her. And she returned the favour leaving her mark in the lives of countless friends around the globe. Maybe now another ship will follow in her wake. Fair winds, Brigantes!

She still has a long way to go. But she may make it and commence a second life with her third name. Welcome back to the family. It’s becoming clearer and clearer: we are a link in the chain. We spent wonderful times in a ship that was home for people before and will be central to the lives of others hopefully for a long time to come. A chain of people who at times miraculously met, but otherwise and to different extents simply did their best to | 321

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Stamps

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Manual

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This model was constructed in the course of Operation Drake – probably the oldest model of the Eye.

Models and replicas 328 |

Nigel Woodstock

Nigel’s model is seagoing – under radio control.

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Nigel’s model Eye on her maiden voyage

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Roderick Anderson

Roderick rounded the Horn in the Eye, so his model provides a rather intimate look into the on-board routines.

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The fore deck – complete with lookout and inflatable

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David Bond

David also knows the ship from first-hand experience. When this picture was taken, the model was unfinished.

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Thekla Borchert

Thekla did her model for an exhibition on Lego bricks and from Lego standard pieces.

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Frank ‘Franky’ Beerens First Eye of the Wind bottle ship

Model for Frank Anders

Find more information in the chapter “How the Eye went into a bottle’.

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Model for Tiger Timbs

Model for Ronald Herkert

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Model for Nora Moro

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Hans-Peter Bleck

Built 2017 by Historic-Marine on Mauritius from photographs and descriptions

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Texts Aisi Anas Siyakwakwa ..................................... 138 Andrew Foster .................................................. 94 Angela Gordon ............................................... 178 Brian Hill ........................................................ 251 Brian 'Sixer' Boorman ....................................... 71 Catherine Lawrence .......................................... 93 Cecil Day Lewis ................................................ 62 Charlotte Hooijdonk ............................... 250, 263 Chris Goy.......................................................... 87 Chris Roche ............................................ 183, 290 Conrad Lühring ................................................ 56 Cornel Greth................................................... 294 Daniele Ravenna ............................................. 181 David Brown ..................................................... 76 Debra Timbs .................................................. 166 Diane Bear........................................................ 95 Diane Newton ................................................... 86 Elsa Martinsson................................................. 16 EOTW newsletter106, 111, 145, 150, 153, 170, 186, 192, 193, 196, 209, 210, 215, 223, 225, 227 Eric Matson............................................. 161, 288 Frank Esson ...................................................... 84 Franky Beerens ............................................... 313 Fred Saunders ......................................... 189, 203 Gary Wilson ................................................... 175 Joe Spinelli ........................................................ 48 John and Helen Porteous ............................... 229 John Baldwin .............................................. 59, 68 John Briggs...................................................... 120 John Masefield ................................................ 152 Judy Linton ..................................................... 160 Kate Crawford................................................. 216

Kay Jaumees .................................... 241, 276, 279 Lennart Sandinge ............................................. 30 Lesley Reiter.................................... 53, 67, 69, 70 Lewis Garnham ...............................................116 Linda & Tim Nossiter .....................................165 Liz Tonnison ...................................................108 Lorna Rose....................................................... 80 lost source .......................................................177 Marco van der Kraan .............................. 197, 204 Margot Buchanan ............................................163 Megan Watt ....................................................305 Miranda Kichenside ......................................... 82 Neilma Sidney .................................................127 Noreen Utri............................................. 234, 244 Peter Maynard......................................... 141, 144 Peter Ryan ........................................................ 99 Phillip Castleton ..............................................103 Pina Callea ......................................................205 Richard Grono ................................................. 55 Robert Lyddon ................................................164 Roderick Anderson .........................................175 Rolf Carlsson .................................................... 25 Ronald Herkert ............... 268, 273, 312, 314, 319 Ros Lewis ........................................................249 Sea Breezes .....................................................118 Simon Rice ....................................................... 94 Suzy Manigian ........................................... 20, 155 Tiger................................................ 104, 224, 275 Tim Nossiter ...................................................162 Todd Jarrell.....................................................236 Trish Holdway ................................................220

Ina Koys................................................ remaining | 341

Pictures Aisi Anas Siyakwakwa 139 lower, Åke Arvidsson 22 Andy Brill 154 Angela Gordon 178, 179, 180 Bill Mearns 65 Brian Hill 251, 252, 253, 254, 255, 256, 258, 259, 260, 261 Brian ‘Sixer’ Boorman 71, 72, 73, 74 Bundesarchiv 13 right Charlotte Hooijdonk 250, 263, Chris Hall 173, 174 Chris Roche 156 lower, 184, 210 left, 212, 285 Christopher Sainsbury 63, 77, 78, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 94, 95 lower, 96 left, 97, 100, 101, 111, 112, 146, 157 left, 220 Chronik Breiholz 9 Cornel Greth 296, 300, 301, 302, 303 Crew of World Discoverer 171 Daniele Ravenna 181, 240, David W. Porter 75 left Eastern Daily Press 54 upper Eric Matson 95 upper, 144 right, 215 right, 223, 288 upper, 289

Evening Telegraph 58 lower Faversham News 58 upper Fockbeck Archive 11 lower Forum Media 292, 293 Frank Beerens 313, Gary Brindle 232, 233 Göteborgs-Posten 30 Hans-Peter Bleck 33, 248, 262, 265, 267, 269, 274, 294, 295, 304, 312, 319 Herbert Karting 8 Ina Koys 3, 4, 13 left, 35, 36, 55 lower, 56 right, 96 right, 102, 126 lower, 151, 156 upper, 159, 166, 168, 169 left, 177, 182, 186 lower, 188, 190, 191, 192, 193, 195, 200, 205, 206 left, 207, 208, 209, 210 right, 211, 213, 214, 216, 217, 218 left, 219, 226, 227, 228, 235, 241, 242 upper and right, 243, 244 left, 270, 271, 272, 273, 276, 277, 278, 282, 283, 284, 286, 287, 288 lower, 291, 310 lower right, 316, 317, 318 Jane Clemetson 290 John Baldwin 53 upper, 56 left upper John Briggs 120 lower James Waldemar Hendry, Bohuslän’s Museum 20 Jeff Bridges 194 upper, 203 Knut Olofson 24 lower, 31 Largo Entertainment: 194 lower Lewis Garnham 116, 117 Liam Walsh 244 right, 245, 246, 247,

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Liz Tonnison 51, 81 upper, 92, 106, 114, 115, 118, 119, 126 upper, 133, 163, 279, 280, 281 Lorna Rose 81 lower

Roderick Anderson 170, 172, 176 Rolf Carlsson 17, 24 upper, 25, 26, Schifffahrtsmuseum Unterweser 7

Marco van der Kraan 197, 198, 199, 201, 201, 202, 204

Sjöhistoriska museet 23, 29

Megan Watt 305, 306, 307, 308, 309, 310 left and upper, 311

Stewart Cox 48, 61, 66, 67, 68, 69 left, 70, 75 upper and right, 76, 79

Miranda Kichenside 82 lower, 83

Sue Reid 189

Nick Wotton 196

Sylvia Schurk 314, 315 right and bottom

Olle Skogmann 27

Terje Fredh 21

Oscar Kravina 320

Thomas Johannesson 14,

Paul Harrison 98 Paul Lunnon 224

Tiger Timbs 40, 41 upper, Tim Nossiter 162

Pete Lau 82 upper

Trine Torgersen 249,

Peter Maynard 93, 142, 143, 144 left

Trish Holdway 221

Peter Ryan 99

Philip Heymans 183

unknown 12 lower, 15, 16, 18, 19, 28 upper, 39, 41 lower, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 49, 52, 53 lower, 54 lower, 55 upper, 56 left lower, 60, 69 lower, 80, 104, 105, 107, 113, 128, 129, 134, 135, 136, 145, 147, 148, 149, 150, 153, 155, 157 upper, 158, 161, 167, 169 upper and lower, 185, 186 upper, 187, 206 right, 215 left, 218 right, 225, 230, 234, 236, 242 lower left, 257, 297, 298, 299, 315 upper left,

public domain 11 upper

Ulla Lohmann 157 lower

Richard Linton 160

Yörk Löffler 50, 110, 122, 123, 124 right, 125, 127, 131, 132, 138, 139 left

Peter Vaughan 120 upper, 121, 124 left, 152 Phil Castleton 103, 108, 109 Phil Long 130, 137, 139 upper, 140, 141,

Robert Boman 28 lower, Robert Lyddon 164, 165

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Acknowledgements This book has 110 authors. All of them worked for free, no professional book maker was practically involved. Thus, you may find less than perfect pages in here. But it provided your chance to buy this book solely for its printing and shipping costs and anywhere on the planet. I wish to thank everyone involved for the contribution. Whether it’s a small or big one does not say much about its importance, neither for this book nor for the ship it’s written about. Still, there are a couple of people with a special share in here: Dr. Trish Holdway. At first, she volunteered to brush my English in shape. Then, she took on a much more active part and became my very welcome co-editor. I don’t see how cooperation could be any nicer, smoother and more productive. Still, she refused to accept her well-deserved mentioning at the beginning of the book. I strongly disagree to that. But as she is my co-editor, her decisions will be obeyed. Tiger and Debra Timbs for material and information. Without their enormous memory and everlasting connections to everyone this book would not exist.

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Kay Jaumees for sparking off the idea 17 years ago in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, for her onesentence résumés which never fail to get me back on track and for her collection of old newsletters. Ulf Kaack for encouragement, advice and support on how to make a book. Ronald Herkert and Forum Media for the supply of information regarding the early period of the ship and recent pictures. Yörk Löffler for layout advice. Liam Walsh for an Amazon rainforest of pictures and a Sahara Desert of their sources. Hans-Peter Bleck for cover image and cover design. Simon Rice for his supply of reports of Young Explorers. Lorna Rose for chasing the typo gremlin.

For the second edition I also wish to thank: Rolf Carlsson for activating his connections to enrich the part about the time in Sweden. Matthias Roese for a very kind lift to the Fockbeck archive and an enlightening dive into its files. Michael Vogelsgesang for pointing out the entry into the maze of archives.

I also wish to thank the following institutions: • • • • • • • • • •

Bohusläns Museum Bundesamt für Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie Deutsches Schifffahrtsmuseum Rendsburger Schifffahrtsarchiv Schifffahrtsmuseum Unterweser Sjöhistoriska museet Stockholm Staatsarchiv Hamburg Stadtarchiv Fockbeck Stadtarchiv Rendsburg Stadtarchiv Rostock

This book will get printed and distributed in its current form for a year or more. But it’s still open for additions showing an aspect not yet covered. Given enough additional material, a third edition may then be possible. If you are interested in contributing to a next edition, email the publisher at [email protected].

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Sources Eye of the Wind, E.A. Mitchener, ISBN 0959128603 Geschichte der Lühring-Werft in Hammelwarden und der dort gebauten Segelschiffe, Bd. II, Herbert Karting, ISBN 3926598980 Eye of the Wind – einem Traum auf der Spur, Harald Focke, Ulf Kaack, ISBN 9783865863799 Rolf Olsson, MERRY av Stockevik - En fraktskuta I 1950 – talets Bohuslän, University of Gothenburg Operation Drake – Australia & New Zealand Eye of the Wind Sail Training Manual Eye of the Wind newsletters Chronik der 3932637070

Gemeinde

Breiholz,

ISBN

Die Chronik von Fockbeck, Hans Schlothfeldt, 1962 Hamburger Seeschiffe 1889 – 1914, Walter Kresse, Museum für Hamburgische Geschichte correspondence with Marlene Kolb

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