Hi Charlie, Like to hear you do this next time we cross, sounds like a charmer. BTW what's the meaning of "Norrard on a bowline"? Can't imagine a bowline (knot at this point in time & not a useful line) getting so much air play. Another book you may find interesting is "The Last Tall Ships" by Georg Kahre. Georg was (1899-1969) an Alander Islander himself, closely tied to the merchant sailing vessels of the 20's 40's. This book is more of a history of Gustaf Erikson's sailing fleet spanning from 1872 to 1947. His was probably the major fleet along with just a few others that lasted beyond WW1. Some of the more famous ships were at one time or another under his house flag were, the Renee Rickers/Aland, Grace Harwar, Lawhill, Herzogin Cecilie, Pommern, Albert Rickmers/Pommern, Mable Rickmers/Winterhude, Viking, Passat, Pamir, Ponape, Moshulu. All of these & many more he owned after the turn of the last century, he was also a major share holder in many other ships belonging to other fleets of the time. He engauged it the wool, grain, timber, Saltpeter, Coal/Coke, Guano trades well into the 30's, with grain seemingly to be one of the last trades to be a steady profit maker. Anyway his history almost reads like a swan song of the merchant sailing fleet, very interesting. Barry