Uploaded 18-25am 08-10-09

Peaceful scene from the webcam of the Isle of Sheppey sailing club, date and time at the top of picture, here is the link www.iossc.org.uk then at the top of the page you will se web cams, three.

Give it a go.

Bluenose Queen of the Grandbanks

Picture about the 1930's but not sure, she has a daughter now "Bluenose 2, I think she was built in the sixties.

Canada's most famous sailing vessel " Bluenose "

Designed by William Roué and built by Smith and Rhuland, Bluenose was launched at Lunenburg, Nova Scotia on March 26, 1921, as a racing ship and fishing vessel. This was in response to the defeat of the Nova Scotian Fishing Schooner Delawana by the Gloucester fishing schooner Esperanto in 1920. That race was sponsored by the Halifax Herald newspaper.
After a season fishing on the Grand Banks, Bluenose defeated Elsie (out of Gloucester, Massachusetts), returning the International Fishermen's Trophy to Nova Scotia. During the next 17 years of racing, no challenger, American or Canadian, could wrest the International Fishermen's Trophy from her. It is notable that she was no mere racing ship, but also a general fishing craft that was worked hard throughout her lifetime. She fished scallops and other kinds of sea-food, and at least once won competitions for largest catches of the season and similar awards.Fishing schooners became obsolete after World War II, and despite efforts to keep her in Nova Scotia, the undefeated Bluenose was sold to work as a freighter in the West Indies. She foundered on a Haitian reef on January 28, 1946.

Bluenose and her captain, Angus Walters, were inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 1955, making her the first and only non-human CSHF inductee until 1960, when she was joined by Canadian Hydroplane Champion Miss Supertest III. That same year another honour was bestowed upon the famous sailing ship when a new Canadian National Railways passenger-vehicle ferry for the inaugural Yarmouth-Bar Harbor service was launched as the M/V Bluenose.

Home made stamps

Thought I would play around and produce my own stamps they are obviously not legal, just a bit of fun.

They depict yachts of the late 1800 early 1900's

Ships leaving the Medway

General ship movement on the Medway the tug has just let go of the vessel to its right and it can now go on its way without escort.

Editor's Note, KIETH D, with a correction to my info.

The USS Missouri was not "broken up." The battleship was decommissioned and donated to the non-profit USS Missouri Memorial Association, which cares for and operates the ship as the "Battleship Missouri Memorial" in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Its website is:

http://www.ussmissouri.org/Also, Emperor Hirohito did not sign the surrender document. Representatives of Japan's government and military did. You can find a list here: http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/events/wwii-pac/japansur/js-8.htm

Correction by KIETH D, but I do think that it is a shame that all the info and hard work I put into this site, the one and only comment to come from anywhere is a correction, and perhaps it should be remembered what the essence of blogging is all about, but I suppose that is the way of the world today, small wonder its in the state it is.

The Sailing Yacht "WASP"

This beautiful yacht is one of the NYYC fleet of large sailing craft 1898 she was a very successful competitor at all the regattas in the area taking many "FLAGS" (firsts)in her illustrious career earning her the name "boat with a sting in her tail"

The Sailing Barge "GRETA"

This was taken today from Harty, Isle of Sheppey, Kent, It is seen here slipping through the Swale, en route to open water, the amount of people on the stern denotes to me it is a charter.

I used a 400 mm lens to get this shot.

Sailing Barge "GRETA"

The Thames Sailing Barge "THISTLE"

The Thames sailing barge "Thistle" under full sail and a wonderful sight they make, and it is remarkable how fast these workhorses are even with a full load.

Shamrock V

Shamrock leading White Feather, J Class. A postcard from my collection

Smacks and Smuggling

Smuggling has been around for several centuries and will always be a means of making easy money, it still applies today although the commodity has changed, at present it is class “A” drugs, a big problem to which Police and customs seem to have no answer. The risk is big, big money returns and big time if apprehended. Gold is fetching a good price and is considered worth the risk, good returns, low sentence, Krugerrands being the present favoured bullion and favourite for concealment thus evading VAT, weight 1 ounce, of 22k Gold present price £656 per coin UK. Uncut gemstones, small risk, excellent returns. And then we have people smuggling, very lucrative and there are people willing to pay large sums to bypass immigration, high risk, high money, and big time.

Smuggling was rife in Kent and Sussex, being conveniently close to France, Belgium and Holland but our North coast was less prone to large scale activity than the Coast from North Foreland all the way round to most of the Sussex Coast, apart from the Goodwin and Margate sands there was little else to concern these hardened master seamen, this area was the domain of the Smuggling gangs who were notoriously violent they were known as the Hawkhurst, Mayfield, and Groombridge gangs, placed in the centre of Kent they could cover all of Kent and would at times team up with the Chichester Gang, it was an uneasy coexistence with the local populous, their success was based on bribery, fear, terrible retribution should any member be arrested as a result of collaboration with revenue men.

I think now is the time to introduce you Rudyard Kiplings famous poem the

A SMUGGLERS SONG

If you wake at midnight, and hear a horse's feet, Don't go drawing back the blind, or looking in the street.Them that asks no questions isn't told a lie,
Watch the wall, my darling, while the Gentlemen go by!
Five and twenty ponies,Trotting through the dark, Brandy for the Parson, Baccy for the Clerk, Laces for a lady, letters for a spy,
And watch the wall, my darling, while the Gentlemen go by!

Running round the woodlump if you chance to find Little barrels, roped and tarred, all full of brandy-wine, Don't you shout to come and look, nor use 'em for your play.Put the brishwood back again--and they'll be gone next day!

If you see the stable-door setting open wide. If you see a tired horse lying down inside,If your mother mends a coat cut about and tore; If the lining's wet and warm--don't you ask no more!

If you meet King George's men, dressed in blue and red,You be careful what you say, and mindful what is said. If they call you 'pretty maid,' and chuck you 'neath the chin. Don't you tell where no one is, nor yet where no one's been!


Knocks and footsteps round the house--whistles after dark You've no call for running out till the house-dogs bark. Trusty's here, and Pinchers here, and see how dumb they lie They don't fret to follow when the Gentlemen go by!

If you do as you've been told, 'likely there's a chance,You'll be give a dainty doll, all the way from France,With a cap of Valenciennes, and a velvet hood A present from the Gentlemen, along o' being good! Five and twenty ponies,Trotting through the dark--Brandy for the Parson,'Baccy for the Clerk.Them that asks no questions isn't told a lie--Watch the wall, my darling, while the Gentlemen go by!

Behind these poetic words lurks a sinister truth of the dangers and the lengths these thugs, which is what they were, would go to, people would turn there heads for fear of recognising someone, a loose tongue down the tavern on a few pints could easily get your throat cut your house burnt down and even your family harmed.


The North Kent shore can be divided into two parts East of Reculver, deeper water and becoming chalk as you move further east. West of Reculver you have shingle and sand and mud cliffs but shallower water so the chances of being apprehended were much greater, due to running aground and high ground to the South a vigilant Eye could be kept during daylight hours.
It is known that the Dutch in their Djalks flat bottomed barges and employed the use of Leeboards as do our Thames and Medway Barges, they have been known to sail round the Isle of Sheppey and enter the Eastern end of the Swale at Queen borough to avoid the detection of the intended destination which could have been anywhere from Stangate Creek, Sittingbourne, Conyer Creek, Faverham Creek, or Seasalter very often the boat would not know the exact offloading destination but would come through the Swale from the Eastern end at night and watch for the predetermined signal by a Spout Lantern “ a lantern that could emit a beam of light ” they would then unload and cart away Ankers of spirit, “ a keg containing seven and a half gallons” and or half Ankers, three and a half to four gallons of Geneva ( Gin ) Brandy, Tobacco, Tea, Coffee the quantities of which already had customers, any residue was sold in the London waterside Taverns another cunning means of beating the revenue men was to “sow a crop” to attach the spirit barrels to a chain or warp and play out the chain with the barrels attached and either mark with a unobtrusive flag, a small buoy, or take a bearing, they would then be retrieved by drudging with a grappling hook at a time of perhaps of less risk, I should add that this was done whilst underway and on the seaward side with the right preparation two men could accomplish this without cause of suspicion if observed from the shore.

Whitstable, was to have another string to its bow, it already played a reasonably active part in the free-trade but we must bear in mind that the area had the oyster trade, shrimping, whelking, copperas production, farming and fishing, fruit picking, hopping woodland conversion ( hop poles and wattle fencing etc ) so there were other less dangerous and risky occupations that could be persued. And a lot did.

What makes Whitstable more unusual is the trade in smuggled prisoners of war that was carried on in the area.
During the Napoleonic wars the enormous numbers of POWs put a considerable strain on the country's resources, and led to a vast prison building program (including Dartmoor). Many French prisoners lived in appalling conditions in prison hulks filthy, overcrowded and disease-ridden malarial hulks anchored off-shore. These were moored in the Medway at Chatham and off the Hoo Peninsular at Cooling , and inspired Charles Dickens book “ Great Expectations” the prisoner in the churchyard “ Magwitch” discovered by Pip, and who had escaped from the prison hulks moored off Cooling a mile to the North.
When a house in Castle Road was demolished in about 1946 a huge amount of manacles were discovered beneath the floor, proof of human traffic passing through the town.

There would have been an elaborate network of contacts and safe havens collusive guards would be almost a certainty and would have helped, prisoners to escape from the hulks at a price, they would be brought to London, Whitstable smacks were making regular runs to fish markets, they would pick up these POW’s and were then taken to London then smuggled onto a Hoy or an oyster-boat and transported to a timber platform at the low-tide mark near Whitstable. This platform was a mooring for the oyster-boats and fishing vessels that were prevented from reaching the true shoreline at low-tide by the two-mile wide ribbon of mud that fringes the beaches here.
Mingling with fishing folk and wildfowlers, the French escapees were able to make their way back to the shore, rest up and hide for a few days, then make a clandestine departure one dark night from Swalecliffe rock a shingle spit jutting out from the mainland and formed naturally by the action of the tides. Relatives of the wealthier prisoners would no doubt have paid handsomely for their safe return, and the arrangement no doubt suited the smugglers, who would otherwise have had to pay for their returning cargo of contraband in currency, rather than bodies. The trade continued between 1793 and 1814.
One other overlooked legal smuggling enterprise was the legal transportation of English spies to France, but the French spies they returned with were obviously illegal and if caught you would have been hung and then gibbeted this probably says something about the scruples of these upstanding folk.

Owling - The stealing of wool, and the exportation of it to the continent and with the proceeds buying, Brandy, Geneva (Gin) Tea, Tobacco Coffee and luxury goods, this particular form of smuggling was favoured by the Whitstable, Seasalter and other small North Kent gangs, although seasonal, the benefit was, that it was self funding so therefore cutting out greedy upstanding respected folk who normally put up the capital at high rates for the continental runs. The Whitstable and Seasalter gangs operational headquarters was Seasalter Parsonage Farm in Genesta Avenue in about 1740 and still stands there to this day. The Owling trade in this area centred around the Swale and near Thames Estuary, Cliffe and Cooling marshes taking in Sheppey ( Island of Sheep) Shellness was a good place to take on cargo, the water depth was good at most times except absolute low water, Sittingbourne, and Faversham Marshes had good berthing places, the wool from these areas were considered to be of high quality by the woollen trade on the continent therefore commanding quality money.

Unfortunately, encounters between the local smugglers and the authorities sometimes led to bloodshed and death, as the following will show by an entry in the Kentish Gazette.Wednesday, February 28th, 1780.
NOTICE.
WHEREAS ON SATURDAY, the 26th Inftant, A party of his Majefty's 4th Regiment of Dragoons, efcorting a Seizure of uncuftomed Goods from Whitftaple towards Canterbury, was attacked about Half a Mile on this side of Whitftaple, between Six andSeven o'Clock in the Evening, by a very numerous body of Smugglers, upwards of fifty
of whom had Fire-arms; who, having demanded the goods, without waiting for an Anfwer, they proceeded to fire on the Party, by which two Dragoons were killed on the fpot, and two more dangeroufly wounded.In Order to bring to Juftice the Perpetrators of this Murder, LIEUTENANT- COLONEL HUGONIN, of the 4th Dragoons, does hereby offer a reward of fifty GUINEAS to anyPerfon or Perfons who fhall difcover and apprehend, or caufe to be difcovered or apprehended, any one or more of the Offenders; to be paid upon Conviction.
Canterbury, February 28th, 1780.
The story told by this advertisement was amplified in the news ofthe following week.
ON Saturday, 26th inft., Mr. Nicholfon, Supervifor of the Excife, affifted by a Corporal and eight men of his Majefty's 4th Regiment of Dragoons, feized in the town of Whitftaple, 183 tubs of Geneva which they were conveying in a wagon to this City, when, about half a mile on this fide of Whitftable, between fix and feven o'clock in the evening they were attacked by a very numerous body of fmugglers, upwards of 50 of whom had fire-arms : having demanded the Goods without awaiting for an Anfwer, they fired upon the party, by which two dragoons were Killed on the fpot, and two dangeroufly wounded.
They then unloaded' the wagon and carried off the whole of the goods, exceptthen unloaded' the wagon and carried off the whole of the goods, except two tubs, on their shoulders, which is a convincing circumftance at the numbers the party confifted of. A great many fhots must have been fired on this occafion as balls paffed through the hats and cloathes and grazed the legs of others of the dragoons. The deceafed were both men- of exceeding good character, one of them has left a wife and three children. The above goods, it is faid, were landed out of a cutter that was driven into Whitftaple the preceding evening
evening by the late high winds; fhe carried of a cutter that was driven into Whitftaplethe preceding evening by the late high winds; fhe carried 18 braff 9-pounders and put out to fea as foon as the fmugglers had put on board the tubs of Geneva they had retaken.Monday the Coroner's inquest fat on the bodies of the dragoons who werekilled, and brought in a verdict, " wilful murder by perfons unknown."
The sequel came swiftly and resulted in a gruesome warning tothose who might be tempted to follow in the same evil ways. On
On March 15th, 1780, the Kentish Gazette reported:
Sunday laft John Knight, jun., of Whitftaple, was committed byEdward Hafted, Efq., to St. Dunftan's Goal being charged on the oathof Edward Edenden, and others, with having been aiding and affiftingwith fire-arms, in the late dreadful affray and murder, on the bodies of two dragoons of the 4th regiment, on Boftal Hill, near Whitftape, on, Saturday, 28th of February laft. A few days later the unfortunate man appeared at the Assizes:Saturday, March 18th, 1780.
At the Affizes held this week at Maidftone, John Knight was capitallyconvicted of aiding and affifting in the murder of two dragoons on Saturday, 28th February laft, near Whitftable, and he received sentence of death. accordingly. He will be executed this day on: Penenden Heath from whence his body will be removed and hung in chains on Boftal Hill, near the place where the murder was committed. It appeared by the evidence on the trial that he was one of the men who fired a fignal gun to affemble the fmugglers ne of the men who fired a fignal gun to affemble the fmugglers, and that he was afterwards feen to' load his piece with a, leaden bullet, and that he among others actually fired when two of the dragoons were shot. He had no defence to make, but faid he had only fired once in the air, and feemed utterly infenfible defence of the nature of his crime. Punishment followed swiftly, for under the date Monday,
20th March, 1780, we read:
John Knight, committed by Edward Hafted, Efq.; the 12th day of March;charged on the oath of Edward Edenden and others, with aiding and affifting in the murder of two dragoons at Whitftaple, in. this county,
He was accordingly executed on Saturday on Penendem heath.—Hisbehaviour at the place of execution, was fuch as became his unhappy stuation and juft before he was turned off, begged of the spectators to take warning how they affift fmugglers. He faid he was at that time ignorant of the nature of the crime he had committed, and was drawn in by the purfuations of thofe who knew better, and were more interefted. He died very penitent, and the people Feemed to be greatly affected at feeing fuch young a man cut off in the flower of hif youth He was not 18 years old. Monday, his body was brought to Borftal-hill guarded by a body of dragoons, and hung in chains near the place where the murder was committed.
And Further
In the night between the 27th and 29th 1784. a boat detached from HisMajesty's Cutter Griffin, stationed on this coast to cruise for contraband, had the misfortune to run upon the stakes of a fish weir at Swalecliff near Whitstaple, by which unhappy accident, a midfhipman and feven men were drowned.
Wednesday, March 10th, 1784.
On Tuefday the bodies of a midfhipman and fix of the seamen who wereunfortunately drowned in Swalecliff Weir, were interred in one grave inSwalecliffe Church-yard. The other was carried to Faverfham.
The Swalecliffe Register of Deaths contains the following entry
Seven seamen were drowned they had a communal burial in St Johns Church Swalecliffe.
They were, Moses Pike, Francis Bell, Henry Bugden, Thomas Burlam, John Smith, Michael Brown, Thomas Taplock. One of the unfortunates were taken and buried in Faversham - RIP -

I in fact, was married in this church and for a while lived nearby, But I have never found a stone marking the grave of these unfortunate naval ratings.
Wednesday, March 23rd, 1782.
Last Sunday night, as five men in a boat were rowing from Herne Bay to Whitstable, they were unfortunately struck against a stump at Hampton to which a Weir had been formerlyfixed, the stump ran through the bottom, of the boat, and she had been formerly fixed, the stump ran through the bottom, of the boat, which instantly sunk, four of the men were drowned and the other with much difficulty swam ashore, the men were strangers in this part of the country, and had just bought the boat at Herne and were supposed to be going on a smuggling scheme.In his book My Recollections of HAMPTON by Frank Mount and published by Herne Bay College in 1942 signed by the third son and in my library. In this publication he mentions a one Judas Downs who applied to the board of trade for permission to build legitimately, a Fish Weir ( Trap ) at Hampton, it was granted and it was a successful enterprise but it did take the lives of a number of mariners it did not discriminate between free traders and naval personnel.

As a young lad I was with my Uncle Ted delivering groceries to Miss Lambs, “School House” a beautiful building, after expressing an interest in old buildings and secret passages, Miss Lamb took me to a staircase which we climbed, halfway up there was a very small window, I was told that this could not be seen from anywhere adjacent to the house but that it was a window used for placing a spout lantern as a signal that it was okay, or, do not land on this tide, revenue riders about. There was in Whitstable a lot of sympathy for free traders as most of the inhabitants derived benefit from this activity in one way or another, and that is why the good times lasted for so long 1700-1840 which was the date of the first postage stamp, and the industrial revolution was gaining momentum giving forth new opportunities, and so on the scale smuggling had been, would never be again, Finally the coastguards of Herne Bay area were able to report that the free trade had been virtually extinguished, also the reduction of Customs Duties after 1840 took much of the profit out of smuggling and this coupled with the vigilance of the coastguard service, effectively stopped large scale operations for the next 100 years.
There is one more bizarre episode that needs mention in 1851 and more than forty years after we had abolished the slave trade, an armed vessel was boarded off Whitstable and was found to be equipped as a slaver, with boxes of beads and bangles for trading and barter, however the boat was American owned so could not be detained.
And perhaps pertinent when Charles Dickens expired, Bleak House, his holiday home, wherein was discovered in the cellar, when valuing the premises for probate 2,400 bottles of wines and spirits, many of them unlabelled and perhaps therefore being from unofficial sources.
I have been left musing after writing this article, my male bloodline emanate from the Ramsgate area and it crops up several times occupations given as dredgermen, no oysters in that area, nearest place to ply that trade would have been Hampton, Swalecliffe, but more probable Whitstable, and coincides with some of the dates herein mentioned. Mmmmm I wonder!

Kind regards
Dave Jordan
pixelman@btinternet.com
The-birds-of-kent.blogspot.com

Classic Boat "Radio Caroline"

Some of the music played on this boat is certainly classic this little craft entertained millions over the years, This shot is when she was having repairs done at Rochester, Kent UK,

The other picture is where she was berthed at Queenborough, Kent UK

Norota

Norota in 1890 she was just one of the many yachts of the exclusive New York Yacht Club membership by invitation only, between all the members they had a very large fleet. she was a very yacht and won many races at the various regattas.

The Helen & Violet. LO 262

I photographed this Oyster Smack only a fortnight ago at Brightlingsea, there are still a few of these to be seen there are several at Faversham, Kent, and includes The Game Cock F 76, but the East coast of Essex is the legendary home of Gaff rigged sailing craft.

The American Gaff Cutter "Suzanne"

This picture wonderfully epitomises the splendour of a gaff cutter running with the wind and flying full canvas.

I painted this from a photograph about two years ago, the boat is part of the fleet of the New York Yacht Club

Resumation of posting

I have been a bit lax in my upkeep of this site, but I will resume posting very soon, I have some interesting material that needs publishing.

The tall ship SEDOV

The Tall Ship SEDOV which I has occasion to have a trip on, she is the largest square rigger afloat today.

I will be posting more pictures of this magnificent training ship.

Royal Yacht Squadron Club.

The Home of English Yacht Racing this postcard is 1902 and it will be 28 years hence before we challenge the US for the America's Cup which we lost in the mid eighteen hundreds, and to this day the cup has never been back in the UK.

Marines on parade in Newport about 1895

Naval Apprentices

A parade of Naval Apprentices at Newport R I. and demonstrates the Naval ,commercial, and leisure importance this area had.

The Club House, Newport Rhode Island, almost a shrine and certainly regarded as a hallowed place, you have to be several times a millionaire to even be a consideration for membership, and the place where our lads first went to on there arrival in 1930 to compete for the America's Cup.

My thanks to Harriet for the gift of these postcards which she made available after visiting my site. She read with great interest my tale of "Smoker" and his exploits.

It has come to pass that her family were also involved with the Enterprise in 1930, however that's another tale.

From Fisherfolk Royal Yacht and Americas Cup
----------------------
A Tale of three Whitstable fishermen.
--------------------------
by
Dave Jordan

Long has it been a tradition for seaman to congregate in pubs and around harbours and mull over old times relate sea tales and Whitstable, was no exception, seafarers are a close knit breed and can be a little aloof, to folk who are not involved with their world, they would work long tiring hours plying their trade to eek out a meager living but that did not dampen spirits as all would have a cheery word if they knew you. As a child the harbour was my everything and I knew most of the people who derived a living in whatever way from that area, I would hang about within earshot and listen to the tales and yarns, spun by the fisher folk it was best when the weather was blowing one of those. and going to sea not possible, some would even go to the “dole office” and sign on for a day or so until the weather improved, but going back to the 19th and early 20th century there was no helping hand when you had no income, and during the Oyster close season there were other jobs you could turn your hand to, some of the company men were still employed running as far afield as Holland transporting brood, and in 1919 skipper Stroud was demobbed, and joined the Ham Company and skippered Whitstable’s largest smack the “Seasalter” F322 Built 1870, LOA 51.8ft 14ft Beam, Hold Depth 7.8ft she was then used mainly for brood transportation ( young Oysters) from Essex with the occasional trip to the continent, prior, to 1900 she made regular trips to Falmouth bringing brood back from the Ham Companies owned beds in that area.Before the Great War oyster drudging and fishing in general enjoyed its heyday nothing was known of modern fish finding and weather forecasting instruments and was solely reliant on experience and the weather glass (barometer). I went to sea in the late 50’s , and was well aware of what would be expected of a skippers mate having gone to sea as a teenager with Ollie Wiseman (who came to Whitstable with Alf Leggett, ) Ogie Laker, and Sid Stroud (Smoker) in his Whelk Boat, I did this as often as I could . Sid Stroud was a fisherman I preferred the company of. I knew him in my childhood through to my middle twenties, growing up with his son David, we eventually worked on the fishing boats together. There were two prominent fishing or drudging families in Whitstable the Stroud’s and Rowden’s there were others but that was more father and son, but it is the Stroud’s, principally, that this article will relate to, but another family will be mentioned later in the story.

Sidney Stroud, “Smoker” as I shall hereonin call him was a great seaman as were all of his family, and arguably the best sailors to come from one family, seven brothers in all, and all made a living from the sea, I worked with Smoker on seawall reparations for Whitstable Urban District Council in 1959 this could only be carried out in the winter, as the council did not want to inconvenience the public during the summer season, over a period of time I knew him quite well, he would talk of his father Earnest having owned a pub in Whitstable “The Royal Native” in Harbour Street, he also had a hand in other money yielding projects dealing in shellfish and smoked fish he had his own smoke room and copper for cooking shrimps and shellfish, Smoker, I remember saying that’s , where I got my nickname going round the boatyards and fetching back sacks of oak shavings and then lighting the smokehouse fire, it was one of my allotted chores, but like to think that this name derived from the fact that he always smoked a pipe and that he fueled it with hand rolling tobacco “Hearts of Oak” which tended to smoke more than pipe tobacco, and when in deep thought would puff more regularly and would soon fill a bar with a haze.

I would often see Smoker in the Smack public house, he particularly liked that watering Hole and this particular evening I decided to make this my first port of call, it was a Friday, and payday. Smoker was in his usual place looked, as you do, when the latch noise signals an entrance, he nodded a greeting, we had both had a very cold winters day on the sea wall, at one time blowing a northerly blizzard, I took my drink over to join him, passed the time with small chat, I spoke of being a bit unhappy with my life and thought a six week course at the sea school in Gravesend, and then into the Merchant Navy would solve my demise, it was at that moment he came to life with agreement at my suggestion, and went on to talk of his teen years, saying that he had reached that particular crossroad in his life, and went on to relate this amazing life he had led at the age roughly I was at that moment, his Father and six brothers were all involved with the sea and were proficient in all aspects of fishing and drudging including five fingering (drudging starfish) for fertilizer in the close season, and stoning (Drudging for Mussels) he went on to say he was fed up and was off to seek his fortune, he certainly found it, by joining King George the V’s Sailing Yacht “Britannia” K1 at the age of nineteen, which was a fabulous 40 Metre Class Yacht, , these craft were the epitome of sheer opulence.

Smoker had established his career and stayed full time for a number of years and was made up to Boatswain commonly Bosun ( this post today on a modern yacht, sail or motor can command £5000+ a month salary) It should be mentioned that a racing yacht of the size of “Britannia” could not have operated without a bo’sun, Smoker said that it was very informal aboard, and that the King would often consult with him regarding the boat, and race tactics so that there were no surprises during the course of a race, Smoker was senior or leading deckhand versed and responsible for running rigging, sails, warps and sheets , anchorage, stores, and indeed anything that effected the smooth running of a racing vessel conveying orders to the crew via the captain or officer and of readying the ship for sea, orders could be piped and were on some yachts, with a bosuns whistle which also doubled as a badge of rank hung around the neck and could be heard above howling winds and flapping sails, though not in Britannia’s case the pipe was considered by this time to be obsolete for that task, so verbal orders only. And that is how the old superstition came about, no seaman whistles at sea, it was said it summoned up the wind, the simple explanation was of course it could confuse the crew as to what duty to perform and the result could have been calamitous. I remember asking Smoker about the King and his attitude towards the crew he remarked that the King was a gentleman, in fact he said the King remarked once we are all different sized well oiled cogs that keep my yacht sailing at optimum speed and safety and that is why I employ this crew, praise indeed. Off duty all was very informal, Smoker also commented, that perhaps this bonding was based on the fact that being in the same boat, life’s value is the same as the next man regardless of rank or class.All of the fabulous J class would attend the regatta’s along the south coast, Weymouth, Poole, Falmouth Southhampton and sometimes the east coast they would compete against each other, “Britannia” always attended but could not compete, as her class was Forty Metre so to rectify this King George had his Yacht modified to conform with J Class specifications.Smoker went on to say that the two most memorable sights to stir the salt water in the veins were, a Spritsail Barge flying full canvas in a stiff breeze, and close hauled, the other is to see a J class, cutter rigged, flying everything, again close hauled, or goose winged (running before the wind), he retorted, that has to be the most beautiful sight a sailor can cast eyes upon, I think he was reminiscing “Britannia”, which alas, when King George V passed away his beloved yacht was towed out to sea by the Navy at his request and scuttled in such a way as to leave no trace, this was on the south side of the Needles, Isle of Wight. In 1936. It was common knowledge that he could not bear the thought of anyone else owning her.

Smoker’s next job found him aboard “Shamrock V” J 3, built in Gosport in 1929 her specifications were 119 ft 1in LOA, 81ft 1in LWL, Draught 14ft 9ins with a further drop keel, and a sail area of 7,550 sq ft her mast costing more than the hull itself she also had an 80 ton lead keel, so, complete with her new innovative new look rigging “Bermudan” as opposed to “Gaff “ a much more dapper and efficient sail plan and easier to handle, she was built to race for the Americas Cup by Sir Thomas Lipton of food and tea fame. Smoker enlisted as Bosun and her crew numbered twenty two and among them was his brother Skipper Stroud and another Whitstable oyster and fisherman Harry Harman. Smokers elder brother, a very experienced seaman, had joined the Merchant Navy, in the twenties and was to sail all over the world. It is here the story gets more interesting .Firstly I will give a brief history of the Americas Cup, The J Class has its roots in the oldest sporting race in the world, The America's Cup, and still challenged for today established in the early 1800’s. This International Event was born from an annual race around the Isle of Wight, hosted by the Royal Yacht Squadron and called the '100 Guinea Cup' or as some liked to call it ”The Queens Cup” In 1851, an overseas yacht was allowed to participate for the first time. as part of the Royal Exposition of 1851. In response, a syndicate of six business men, led by John Cox Stephens, spent $30,000 to build a new racing schooner, “America” after sailing to France to be repainted and outfitted with racing sails, she was entered in the 58-mile clockwise race around the Isle of Wight. Sailing against 17 other English super yachts, “America” finished 18 minutes before her closest competitor. Queen Victoria was informed of the outcome and enquired as to which vessel was second. This question resulted in the famous response, "Your Majesty, there is no second."Several existing large British yachts, ‘Astra’, ‘Candida’, ‘White Heather II’ and ‘Britannia’, were converted to comply with J Class ruling and raced alongside the J's. Smoker went on to say that the King would not have a J on his sail to denote the yachts class as he was a K, being King, so his sail number finally read K1, the Royal Yacht Squadron allowed this. Of the true J-Class, only ten were ever built (4 in the UK and 6 in USA) and these raced together for just seven seasons from 1929 to 1937. With the loss of the King in 1936, 1937 saw a new racing season but it was all a bit half hearted and there were ominous rumblings in Europe, and the Wall Street crash all contributed to the decline, racing on the scale it had been was destined to become a treasured memory.The crew had joined “Shamrock V” J3 at the beginning of the season and it would be decided by the outcome of the regatta races along the south coast which boat should represent us, and to bring back the trophy lost seventy nine years earlier, the crew were chosen on sea skills and three crew from Looe in Cornwall were chosen, A.J.Pengelly, Joe Uglow, and Jack Sargent , A.J.Pengelly had previously sailed on “Velsheda” and another J Class, so was well experienced. They did the regatta tour, Smoker as I remember had mentioned the Cornishmen and said that they were a tough bunch, and used to seas being less kind than that of the North Kent Oyster drudgers and flatsmen. Shamrock exceeded expectations racing at the 1930 Regatta’s, and at the end had the most number of flags. The King in his “Brittania “ giving “Shamrock V” the most tactical problems which she surmounted and earned the right to challenge for the cup. Smoker went on to say after competing successfully.

“Shamrock V” sailed to Gosport where she readied herself for the journey across the Atlantic to Newport. Rhode Island, USA.Smoker related It was July 1930, the off day, we were given a send off befitting the task that was entrusted to us, apart from the Atlantic crossing which was daunting enough, entering waters that were unknown to all of us, , we were all a little apprehensive the morrow saw us making good headway nose to wind and blowing a stiff southwesterly we were forced to reef our mainsail area to one third, the wind gained strength to the point of being uncomfortable the crests between waves were shorter than our length which caused, on about every third crest our bow would dig into the wall of water, causing a lot of water over the bow, then the bow would rise quickly and the stern would be under, the safest place was amidships with safety lines on, A.J.Pengelly said that this boat was built for speed and not rough weather, he was also quoted as saying he would sooner have made the crossing in his own boat “Our Daddy” (still afloat today) although less than half the length was built to withstand these conditions. The crew stood watch at four hours on and four hours off, Smoker said that “Shamrock V” had taken a pounding, she had sprung a plank and was leaking badly, Smoker organized running repairs which were a temporary measure and made for the Azores to effect proper repairs. 48 hours later saw us again on our way but the wind was still south westerly and was to remain that way for the duration, Smoker said that sleep was a luxury, all the crew were wet through and there was not a dry place on the boat, changes of clothing were wet through and the cooks tried to muster food for the crew but alas it was mostly sandwiches for the duration, in all the crossing took twenty six days, and Smoker said dryly, that was twenty six days of hell. Like all trials when they arrived at Rhode Island there were boats of all shapes and sizes coming out to meet them, fire tugs with all hoses fired up escorting them in, the hooters and sirens were deafening and as they neared the quayside the people lined the quay in hundreds cheering and whistling, waving flags, quite a lot of “Jacks”, blowing trumpets and whatever else could make a noise, as the tugs nudged her gently into her berth, she had no engines, the hellish trip over faded into obscurity, we were left bathing in friendly welcoming sounds which made you feel really special.A great welcoming ceremony was held at the yacht Club where the food suddenly improved, Smoker remembered making a bit of a grunter of himself but he wasn’t alone and some even had the luxury of a hangover he recalls. The following day saw the yacht making ready for her challenge, and it was Smokers job to check and double check sails, warps, halyards, standing rigging, rudder mechanism , sheets, cleats, winches, blocks, all this done she was now ready to compete. The following day was spent fine tuning, studying charts, the race course, and discussing race tactics, which may have to be revised should the weather differ from the forecast, it was a bit hit and miss in those days.The race day came and moorings were slipped, “Shamrock V” and “Enterprise” which was the American entry, were towed out to open water and the start line, with a great many small craft following, eager to see these majestic giants do battle for yachting’s most coveted and prestigous prize, the Americas Cup, as it was now known. Over the next few days the races took place Smoker did not go into detail only that the weather was perfect for sailing but at the end of the agreed number of races to decide ownership of the cup “Shamrock V” had lost four out of four races they had a real trouncing, the night following final race a farewell dinner was held in honour of the challengers at the “Hotel Belvedere, Rhode Island” and no great thing was made of America successfully defending the cup it was as though it was an inevitability, but Smoker remarked that “Enterprise” could point to wind a lot closer than Shamrock, A. J. Pengelly also made reference to this, and of the thirty crew, aboard “Enterprise” only ten were on deck at any one time, the rest were engaged below working the winches even trimming sails was done below decks, Enterprise was also made of Duralumin, Aluminium to us, including the frame , this would have made her about one third lighter than Shamrock none of the rules on class build were compromised and we were beaten fair and square. I do not know much about the return journey only that Gosport was the first port of call and a refit ready for the following season. I believe that Smoker was paid off and rejoined the Kings yacht Britannia which was in 1931 converted to a cruising yacht and fitted out to a very high standard so as to impress foreign dignitaries and also the ladies, as it was now becoming fashionable for ladies to go aboard what has always been a man’s domain and where functionality was the only concern, women, at least the more adventurous had their own yachts built and became formidable adversaries when racing, Tracy Edwards is just an example of many other top notch skippers.It is gratifying to know that the J Class “Shamrock V”, “Velsheda”, and “Endeavour” are still sailing to this day having been rescued, and so the legend lives on, I must also add that having lost the trophy in 1851 the United Kingdom has never won it back, ever. Countries that have been successful are Australia, Once, New Zealand Twice, and lastly Switzerland, Once.

I would like to dedicate this article to the memories of Smoker Stroud, Skipper Stroud, Harry Harman the three Whitstable men and Alfred (A.J.Pengelly) from Looe, Cornwall (Who wrote the book “Oh for a fishermans life in 1979”) and whose son Terry, T.J.Pengelly who is now senior hand of the family and keeper of family archives at seventy nine, whom I am in touch with, , he has kindly allowed reproduction of pictures for this article, also remembered are the other selfless fishermen who left families behind in the summer months when little or no fish were to be had, and join the large yachts and race the summer season regatta’s on the south coast, thus earning enough money to keep their families fed and the landlord from the door.I would like to say that all of my photographic, postcard, and firstday covers will be the property of the Whitstable Museum on my departure.
Regards and fair winds.

Dave Jordan

Norfolk. Email:- pixelman@btinternet.com

The Original Poster for the 1851 Regatta.

The Schooner Yacht "America"

Classic J-Ranger.

This is a painting and depicts that great classic yacht Ranger seen being sailed very hard , at this point the mast will be experiencing almost its limit of weight and strain, the standing rigging of high tensile steel can be tapped and the resultant resonance will give an indication whether to haul tighter or slack off the wind thus avoiding a dismasting.

A Puffer

Very few of these boats are surviving probably counted on one hand, this particular one is seen anchored in the Swale and is a houseboat and moors in London each year she comes down to see the Swale and Medway Barge Races, this was taken about nine years ago.

Royal Yacht "BRITANNIA". Classic in the Extreme.

Below are seen three postcards from my collection depicting the Royal Yacht Britannia two are when she was owned by Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort and when the queen passed away it was then owned by King Edward VII

Queen Victoria would board her yacht at the Isle of Grain, North Kent, UK, having travelled down from London, a jetty was constructed and the train would draw up alongside the yacht.

It was said that she preferred it that way as it avoided the crowds that would have inevitably gathered if the yacht came up the Thames to London to receive her.