The Cutty Sark, Google and Cape Town
scantily clad witch
As a younger lessgrump man, I spent over a year sailing the Atlantic, eastern USA and Caribbean as deckhand, mate, engineer and sometimes acting Captain of a 175ft three masted topsail schooner (the: Port Bougainville /Eric Borgman). It was an amazing time, a private vessel sailed by professionals (mostly). My teachers were the Portuguese ex bosun of the Sagres, Gesuino (Jesuino?) and Captain Jack Showers (not Sparrow, I met him later). I learnt a lot about the tall ships that sailed at the end of the 19th century. The clippers like the Cutty Sark and the famous iron masted P ships that rounded the Horn to Chile were the pinnacle of engineering- the end product of a millennia of refinements to the art of moving cargo across inhospitable oceans with just the power of the wind and iron men.
I have seen the Cutty Sark at Greenwich and while its a magnificent site, one cant really appreciate her as she sits in dry dock, the underwater lines can perhaps be appreciated by a student of naval design (most sailors), but the hull looks a bit squat out of the water, its a cargo ship remember. I am sure that only when you see her afloat and sailing can the real power and beauty of this tea clipper become apparent. The recent fire is a tragedy, sailing or squatting I certainly hope she is restorable- I have a hope they will restore her to full sailing capability, I would give my left nut to be passed by her on the ocean, but i doubt that will happen.
I was doing a google search for the Cutty Sark and used a useful new search criteria, if you are looking for anything that may have a history or chronology, just append “view:timeline” (without the quotes) onto the end of your search term. Look at the timeline for the Cutty Sark . I was interested to see that the Cutty Sark was re-rigged and renamed the Maria do Amparo in Cape Town after being dismasted off the Cape of Good Hope in 1916. I will be in Cape Town in a few days, perhaps a glass of scotch to the scantily clad witch is in order.
Legend has it in sailing circles, that the exposed breasts of a young women will placate the sea- hence the proud carved protuberance on the semi-naked figure below the bowsprit, well you can see the sailors mind at work here; should they come across a wench, the first thing to do is get them out and point them at the sea. Some believe this to be myth, but i can personally attest to it’s veracity.
So that’s where the semi-naked woman below the bowsprit came from, eh? LOL I always wondered about that.
Can’t say I’ve ever sailed on as big as your schooner, and in fact I never got out of the Chesapeake. But I used to do a lot of J/24 racing there; in my younger days too. It was loads of fun and as you well know a huge challenge. Of course, being in the open ocean on a three masted schooner was no stroll around the park either.
Regards,
Tom
Comment by Tom the Redhunter — July 6, 2007 @ 3:01 am
btw, cool name for a website, even though it looks like we disagree on most everything except the thrill of sailing.
Comment by Tom the Redhunter — July 6, 2007 @ 3:44 am
Brett
Was drifting around the net and saw this page about the Eric Borgman. You might remember that I was the “ships carpenter” (Mata Pal)at the time she was at the Sub Base in St Thomas. We then sailed her to Miami where we had a MOST memorable welcome party.
A lot of water over the dam since then. Got a job on a 110 schooner after the EB/PB and sailed back to Maine (where I was from) and then back south and off to Australia. Returned later to eastern Maine where I have been ever since. The EB/PB came to Bar Harbor Maine at one point, were you aboard at that time?
Drop me a line some time.
dirvin@acadiamarinesurveying.com
David Irvin
Comment by david Irvin — April 1, 2010 @ 7:27 pm
Hey wood killer/ David, how are you? Yes a long time ago, last time i saw you was in Lauderdale as mate on your next berth i believe, or was it Newport? Yes i did get up to Maine on the Bougainville. In fact many psychedelic moments on that schooner. We organised parties to sell Fritz’s Miami real estate all the way up the east coast. Strolling violins and sushi while two hundred quests got the hard sell, and the crew screwed the cougars below decks… ahh the fabulous 80′s.
I kept sailing, transatlantic, Caribbean charters, Australia, Med, etc untill the late 90′s. Since then UK, France, Singapore and South Africa.
Nothing has been quite as amazing as the bullshit on the Eric Borgman. I dont know if you heard, but she burnt down back in the Virgins a few years later – resting off Jost van Dyke somewhere in a few 100 meters. I dont think many of the original crew were still on board (and no lives lost far as i know). Glory Days!
Comment by Brett — April 1, 2010 @ 8:19 pm
Didn’t our skipper of go down with the Pride of Baltimore?? name escapes me
Comment by Brett — April 1, 2010 @ 8:43 pm
.. Armin Elsaesser
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pride_of_Baltimore
Comment by Brett — April 1, 2010 @ 11:13 pm
I sailed on her from Vilamoura (Algarve ) to St. Thomas. Jack was also the skipper. Had a lovely oriental girlfriend.
Lovely experience…. except when both Gennies packed up, after leaving the Canaries -so no freezer or stove (or power toilets) and we had to eat steak until it was too rotten. Dont talk about the toilets.
The then-ship’s-carpenter (I think Gino) disappeated one day out from Vilamoura and did not reappear until the Canaries (mal de Mer).
When it happened again on leaving the Canaries, I gave him one of the first transdermal plasters. He was fine after that.
Anyway, when the gennies packed up there was no electrickery to heat meat so Gino made a barbeque on deck and we burned teak to cook the food… must still have the pics somewhere.
Still have the cap with the logo and a copy of the layout of her sail plan done by Sparks & Stephens.
Comment by Mike — August 20, 2010 @ 11:52 am
Hi Mike – would love to see those pictures. Now lets see, was it Jesuino who stole your bottle of scotch? I was also on board for the transat and i think i remember two Mike’s. I am guessing you are the photographer / diver from SA?
Comment by Brett — August 20, 2010 @ 12:56 pm
PS I am in Cape Town now.
Comment by Mike — August 20, 2010 @ 1:45 pm
Hi Brett,
Yes, Thats me.
Will look for the pics and if I find them, will place them (somewhere?).
Mike
Comment by Mike — August 22, 2010 @ 10:01 am
1974 was the year I finished building a boat in Detroit, worked for a sailmaker and lost a girl friend in Annapolis, worked for both Charlie Morgan and Ted Irwin in St Pete as a designer, met my future wife, and went to work as a delivery crew for Capt. Jack Showers. We delivered Out Islands from St Pete, one for Moorings and an OI51 north of Acapulco. There were many adventures but I was so young and Jack so cool, I thought it was normal. We were boarded once by the Treasury guys and in Windward Passage we were stopped late at night by a US Navy friget with the brightest search light I have ever seen. You could feel its heat and it was awhile before we could see again.
We also had an engine room fire and had to sail a few days into Jamaca with no electricity which meant no lights, no fridge, and no cooking. The owners wife had stocked up on canned black olives which she said were very hard to come by in Mexico and we ate alot of them. In Jamaca we played hard with the locals at night while rebuilding the electrical system during the day. Jack spent some idyl time trying to hit on Errol Flynn’s grand daughter. In general it was a most productive week.
For some reason we couldn’t fine a chart of Panama in St. Pete but Jack scarffed up a page our of an old high school history book. As you could guess the weather was very bad comming into Panama, no shots were possible, and we were relying on his dead reckoning. It was on this trip I learned the principle of making sure you miss to the right or the left and then running down the coast to your port. We were all still relieved to be able to take a sight on the last evening.
After the Canal, we were leaving Panama on Christmas day. My girlfriend had cook one of her special 8 pound Galliano white fruit cakes. Jack, Elliot, and I ate the whole damn thing in one day.
In Coasta Rica we ended up staying for several days and i would like to go back. In Salina Cruz we were slammed by offshore winds from out of the mountains. We sailed just a few hundred yards off the beach in a lot of blasting sand and the worst possible chop. it was the only time I have ever taken green water in the cockpit of a center cockpit boat. We had a great Party that night in town, but coming back that night, very happy, I stuck my big toe in a u-bolt and fell over forward. That toe didn’t hurt then but still hurts now in bad weather.
In Acapulco, having arrived and anchored off a nicely populated beach, we were running in through light surf when Jack flipped the dink in front of all those people. We still managed to have a memorable time in town. After turning down a job on a small square rigger headed north, I flew back to St.Pete a couple days later. My girl said it was time to fish or cut bait, so we eloped to Georgia and moved to Texas to design and build offshore rigs. The whole process took less than a year but was certainly memorable. Though I have told many stories about Jack, and just wishfully assumed that he was still out there doing his thing, I hadn’s seen or heard a word until I saw this web page. I don’t know that we are refering to the same Jack Showers, but I’d be very surprised if we weren’t.
Comment by Bruce Johnson — December 9, 2010 @ 8:48 am
Thanks Bruce.
..Jack Showers were are you? – Last time i saw him was the late 80′s in St Thomas, i had a boat fueled up and ready to go on the Bilge dock, Jack had just got to town and wanted to have a drink and catch up. Wish i’d had that drink.
Comment by Brett — December 9, 2010 @ 11:32 am
Have just found and scanned a pic of Borgmann, taken on the equator. How do I upload it?
Comment by Mike — May 26, 2011 @ 12:14 pm
Thanks for the photo Mike – special enough for a new post – perhaps some more crew will find the page and comment http://grump.yoldfart.com/topsail-schooner-eric-borgman/
Comment by Brett — May 26, 2011 @ 1:54 pm