The Captain's Mistress

OK people, there are coincidences and then there are coincidences. Consider this: when La Revenante arrived in Shawville we noticed a curious item aboard, which was clearly a game, but not one with which I was familiar. Since it's case was coming apart at the seams I finally brought it home, and put the power of the internet to work to find out more about it. Those more nautical than I will perhaps already have recognized that the game in the illustration is known as " The Captain's Mistress". What is surprising ( and amazing!) is the origin of the name. Those following this blog please take note at this point of the historical links already established between La Revenante and pinky schooners of the 18th century, with Joseph Banks, and with one James Cook...

I quote: " Legend has it that on his three major voyages, Captain Cook played this game nightly to relax with his fellow shipmates. . .naturalist Sir Joseph Banks and botanist Daniel Solander. Cook spent so much time playing the game that it came to be known as "The Captain's Mistress."

I rest my case.

A hiatus...and some history...

Ah, the responsibility of the blogger... to inform. So to all who have been wondering if La Revenante has fallen off the face of the earth, have no fear - we just took a break. Somewhere around the middle of May it became obvious that to try to make our Halifax deadline just wasn't fun any more - and above all, messing about in boats is ( and should remain) fun! So we have put off the launch to 2008, and in so doing will have all the time we need to do a proper job.

However, before I pick up where I left off, I would like to tip my hat to her previous owners, Mary Anne Seymour and Bob Schultz, who bought her from her builder and took loving care of her for 11 years when she was known as Amanda. Their interest, energy, and obvious love for this boat, will guide us as we bring her back 'on line'. Here ( in part) is what they say in a recent email:

"Amanda had a wonderful and enthusiastic following along the entire US east coast and throughout the Bahamas. (One year she was alleged to be the most photographed vessel in Mass. and was used in their tourist literature. She also appeared regularly in the Boston Globe as she sat frozen in the harbor each winter. Later, Amanda was the winner of the Mosholu Cup in Philadelphia - the trophy clock may still be onboard.) She was partied on and chartered by many in Florida as Amanda... I would love her many followers to find her,as LaRevenante, and be able to participate in her renewal, if not financially, at least energetically."

Stay tuned. There is much to report on, from the new engine, to the recanvassed cabin tops, and much more...

Got da blues...

...but that is a good thing! What I've got is a terrific Itronix military specs 'tough' laptop loaded to the gills with all the navigation software and charts that we are likely to need, and then some. It's waterproof, glows in the dark, and is internally protected against the slings and arrows of outrageous weather. The only thing it was not protected against was my stupidity in hooking it up to an external battery with the polarity reversed! However with some extraordinary help from the seller, and several trips across our 'longest undefended border' we have a tool which will help tremendously our project, and likely also survive the experience. If you want one too look for him on eBay by his handle 'ctsim'. Nothing but good things to say about the whole transaction.

Electronic charts are however only part of the equation, keeping in mind that part of our plan is to recreated the feel of 1759 when no good charts existed of the St. Lawrence, and James Cook was going about his business of producing the first accurately surveyed representations of the river. A gunter's chain, a plane table, an alidade, a sharp pencil, and a little trig is all it took. Bet you couldn't do it...

March 30: Black Tot Day

35 years ago yesterday was the last day that Canadian sailors were given their daily rum ration, and no, that is not rum flowing from the spout, but the nectar of spring - sweet maple syrup fresh from the evaporator. Our Captain stokes the fires of this seasonal ritual which celebrates the awakening of the forest.

As the weather warms we are entering the home stretch for La Revenante and the job list seems long, and the time short. But the sun has a way of brushing away the seeds of doubt, and we press on! See you in Halifax!

www.tallshipsnovascotia.com

Tonnage...

So you thought that your high school physics (dimly remembered) was finally going to come in useful? Archimedes principle: "The buoyant force on a submerged object is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced". And it's converse, that if you know the weight of the object ( in this case a boat), you then know the weight of the fluid displaced ( in this case water) you then know the volume of your boat below the waterline. You would think that tonnage might refer to a simple calculation along those lines...well, think again. The "tonnage" measurement that Transport Canada needs to register a vessel is given by the following formula:

The net tonnage (NT) of a ship = K2Vc 4d2 + K3 (N1 + N2).

Don't even ask me what the variables stand for, but they are the subject of an international treaty (International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships, 1969) to which Canada and the US are both signatories. What it means (according to Wikipedia) is: "...a calculation of the volume of all cargo spaces of the ship. It indicates a vessel’s earning space and is a function of the moulded volume of all cargo spaces of the ship."

Calculating the volume of the spaces in an irregularly shaped object like a boat is not easy, and there are therefore "tonnage measurers" available to work through the calculations. We had such a one visit us a few days ago, and a very pleasant fellow indeed, although I did notice that he had very little hair, which I attribute to the maths involved in this arcane calculation. Note also that this is very specifically Canadian math, because this boat came with a tonnage measurement done in the USA and duly engraved on a deck beam... of course this was arrived at using US math - totally unnaceptable of course to Transport Canada!

Addendum: More tonnage trivia... A ton ( as we know it) is 2,000 lbs. A "long ton" is 2,240 lbs and although it is a weight measure, it is historically linked to the volume of cargo that could be carried ( and taxed) in a ship. Casks of wine were called "tuns" and held approximately 252 gallons of wine which also weighed 2,240 lbs. When sail was replaced by steam part of the cargo space was now taken up by an engine, hence the development of complex tonnage measures to take this into account.

144 days to launch...

The galley begins to take shape, even if ironically the weather is so mild that it would almost not be cold enough to run the diesel stove. With assistance from Dickinson Marine we are finishing a secure installation which, in case they are monitoring this blog, I hasten to point out is not completed! The hull work is proceeding apace along with epoxy work permitted by the unseasonably warm weather.

Some attempts have been made to manufacture mast hoops, with mixed success. Pictured is the first attempt, 17 more to go!

144 days to launch and counting!