Sailing into the Past: Learning from Replica Ships

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17265
Bennett, Jenny (ed)
Book
9781848320130
Seaforth
2009
192
1
F1
In Stock
Review Date: 
20/05/2010

Price: £25.00

The eyes of the world were lifted from contemplating the awful consequences of total war in 1947 when six adventurers demonstrated, with the Kon Tiki  raft, the possibility that colonists might have crossed to Polynesia from the South American mainland in antiquity.  Not all of the replicas built and sailed since then have had an equivalent impact on our understanding of history, but they continue to enhance what we learn of the growth of exploration and seafaring from more conventional   sources. In his thoughtful introduction to this compendium of twelve papers by various specialists in maritime history, the distinguished seafarer and CA member, Richard Woodman, makes a distinction between replicas of particular ships (e.g. the Australian-built Endeavour and the Dutch-built Batavia) and those designed in recognition of a particular type of vessel (the modern full-rigged ship Stad Amsterdam emulates a fine clipper of the mid 19th century).  Colin Palmer, a designer of traditional sailing vessels, analyses the relative performances of ancient rigs, a theme touched on by Douglas Brooks in his chapter on the three square-rigged bezaisen sailing coasters built in Japan a decade ago in the hope of boosting the local economies of the areas where they were intended to operate.One of the strengths of this compendium, edited by Jenny Bennett, is the eclectic nature of its topics, ranging from Greek triremes, through clinker-built open vessels from the Anglo-Saxon and Viking eras to fast 19th century schooners.  Andrew Davis, an American naval architect, contributes a candid assessment of the shortcomings in the design of the Pride of Baltimore replica that sank at sea. A chapter devoted to the schooner Sultana includes a salutary reminder that “there are few more daunting or less profitable business models than the operation of a large traditional wooden sailing vessel”.  Financing the construction of a replica is usually more attractive to sponsors and funding agencies than helping with the subsequent costs of upkeep, as evidenced by the difficulties now faced by Le Renard in St Malo and other replicas built by coastal communities in France with strong encouragement from Le Chasse Maree magazine.There is plenty of salutary advice for those keen to involve themselves with sailing historic replicas. For others content with a spectator role, the book is generously illustrated.                                                                             JCR 

 

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