BS: Cutty Sark's Obituary, Not yet?

Subject: BS: Cutty Sark's Obituary, Not yet?
From: EBarnacle1
Date: 10 Dec 02 - 12:09 AM

I just read that Cutty Sark is in VERY BIG trouble. Her trust has not been able to raise the funds to keep her up and, apparently all that is holding her together is the fungus spores holding hands. Her iron frame is badly deteriorated. Things are bad enough at San Francisco--let's not lose this icon also.

As I learned the bitter way, these problems accelerate unless a major effort is consistently applied to maintenence and prevention.

Subject: RE: BS: Cutty Sark's Obituary, Not yet?
From: GUEST,Q
Date: 10 Dec 02 - 01:04 AM

A shame! It is almost 50 years since I saw her, but during that trip I took a day off to see her.
When the United States took on the job of repairing the Constitution (Old Ironsides, 1797), in 1925, funds were sought from many sources. I have a medal that was given at the time of the fundraising.
The Cutty Sark was not of that historical importance, but she is one of the last images of the great days of trade, and important in her own way. I hope someone of importance starts a fund-raising campaign.

Subject: RE: BS: Cutty Sark's Obituary, Not yet?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 10 Dec 02 - 01:21 AM

It was a thrill to see the Cutty Sark at Greenwich in August. I was disappointed to see that she is completely surrounded by concrete, propped up in a dry concrete well. Nonetheless, she is still a beautiful sight to see.
She's just a block from the tube - so you Americans ought to go see her if you visit London. I thought Greenwich was far away, but it's still part of Greater London.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: BS: Cutty Sark's Obituary, Not yet?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 10 Dec 02 - 08:43 AM

Eric-

Could you provide a link so we could learn more details? Big ships, ecen relatively small clipper ships, require large budgets to maintain them. Certainly the Cutty Sark preservtion folks should be able to figure out how to reach the next level of fundraising.

San Francisco? What's the problem there? When I was there last September the C. F. Thayer crew was looking forward to receiving a sizable Federal grant for a total rebuild. Has this grant been delayed by the need to reallocate all Federal funds to our President's war on Iraq?

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Cutty Sark's Obituary, Not yet?
From: Naemanson
Date: 10 Dec 02 - 09:19 AM

The Charles W. Morgan spent many years sitting on a bed of sand while her hull rotted. Fortunately Mystic Seaport somehow came up with the money to repair her and get her floating again. Maybe the Cutty Sark people need to talk to Mystic about how they did it.

Subject: RE: BS: Cutty Sark's Obituary, Not yet?
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 10 Dec 02 - 09:22 AM

Maybe the distillery responsible for the whisky "Cutty Sark" should lend a hand. The already sponsor the "Tall Ships Race".

Nigel

Subject: RE: BS: Cutty Sark's Obituary, Not yet?
From: Naemanson
Date: 10 Dec 02 - 09:27 AM

Yeah, Nigel, I like that idea. If they sponsor the race they should have a flagship if not a participant. Wouldn't it be great if the Cutty Sark could sail again?

Subject: RE: BS: Cutty Sark's Obituary, Not yet?
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 10 Dec 02 - 10:00 AM

There's a great music session about 200 yards away from the "Sark" in "The Cricketers" every Tuesday night. It was stopped by the Greenwich PEL Police for a while but now has a license.

Subject: RE: BS: Cutty Sark's Obituary, Not yet?
From: GUEST,Martin Ryan
Date: 10 Dec 02 - 11:34 AM

The tube? Much nicer to take a boat from central London down river. Even on tourist bus type launches, its a very pleasant way to arrive. I remember going down one year to see a special exhibition of Franklin relics in the Nautical Museum - only to find it had to be cancelled as the basement storeroom in which they were kept had been flooded! The irony..... Anyway, after a bout of conservation work, all was right agin.

Regards

Subject: RE: BS: Cutty Sark's Obituary, Not yet?
From: manitas_at_work
Date: 10 Dec 02 - 12:33 PM

You can't get there on the Tube you must mean the Docklands Light Railway. It's quite a pleasant journey being an elevated railway from Tower Gateway until it reaches Island Gardens where it dives beneath the Thames to Greenwich. On the eastern branch towards Beckton you get really good views of the river.

Subject: RE: BS: Cutty Sark's Obituary, Not yet?
From: EBarnacle1
Date: 10 Dec 02 - 01:52 PM

I can't provide a link because I had already deleted it before writing the intro to this thread. It was on MSN News a few days ago.

Re: San Francisco. They have not made publicity about it but they have always had problems stabilizing vessels while waiting for money. The pressing problem is to work continuously to move the dream forward or we will have to make up more than if we had.

I would dearly love to sail on Cutty Sark. I occasionally give a small hand on Wavertree.

When Kaiulani was first announced, I was one of the first to volunteer to crew on her return trip. Unfortunately, the Manila Bay scrap mongers got to her first.

Subject: RE: BS: Cutty Sark's Obituary, Not yet?
From: EBarnacle1
Date: 10 Dec 02 - 03:14 PM

The following site has a good statement of the relevant survey:

official site

It's the official site and states the condition pretty well as far as the vessel is concerned. The issue of financing was just reported this week.

Subject: RE: BS: Cutty Sark's Obituary, Not yet?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 10 Dec 02 - 05:47 PM

Hmmmm. I remember taking the Dockyards Light Rail and exiting at Island Gardens, and then walking through the tunnel under the Thames to reach Greenwick. Nobody mentioned that the Light Rail actually continued to Greenwich; it looked to me like it was a dead end.

Maybe the Shanty Crew knows more about this situation; I believe they still sing aboard the Cutty Sark in the summers.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Cutty Sark's Obituary, Not yet?
From: Just Amy
Date: 10 Dec 02 - 08:02 PM

Saw the Cutty Sark for the second time in 2000. It is 1 block from the Light Rail and right next to the Thames River Boat tours. We went on one and returned on the other, but I couldn't get me mum to walk under the Thames for nothing.

We also went to Plymouth and saw the Mary Rose, the Victory and the Warrior (an iron clad). They were right next to the train and coach stations.

Subject: RE: BS: Cutty Sark's Obituary, Not yet?
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 11 Dec 02 - 10:48 AM

I was an original member of "The Shanty Crew" and participated in the original sessions at "The Cutty Sark" which were usually led by Johnny Collins & Jim Magean. Most of the time we sang beside the vessel, but we did sing aboard on a few occasions. I can remember singing aboard with Gerry Milne and Chris Roche for a reception held to honour a visiting training ship. I can also remember when a sudden downpour caused us to take refuge in the domed building at the entrance to the foot tunnel to the Isle of Dogs - the acoustics were amazing !

You can find a web page for the current Shanty Crew HERE. I'm sure that if you contact Chris Roche, he can tell you everything that you want to know about the state of the Cutty Sark (and the world/universe etc).

Subject: RE: BS: Cutty Sark's Obituary, Not yet?
From: Haruo
Date: 11 Dec 02 - 12:26 PM

Apparently the Kalakala is going to winter on Lake Washington, at Magnuson Park. FWIW.

Haruo

@old boats @West Coast ports

Subject: Kalakala links
From: Haruo
Date: 11 Dec 02 - 12:32 PM

Oops, forgot the link . Bunch of photos . Giftshop . It's haunted . More pix ...

Haruo

Subject: RE: BS: Cutty Sark's Obituary, Not yet?
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 11 Dec 02 - 07:18 PM

Amy - I hope you didn't go to Plymouth to see Mary Rose et al - they are about 150 miles away in Portsmouth

Subject: RE: BS: Cutty Sark's Obituary, Not yet?
From: Gareth
Date: 12 Dec 02 - 07:23 PM

Atually, as one who lived on the other end of the old London Transport 277A bus route to the Isle of Dogs, and who in the early 70's did more than hios share of drinking and singing at Greenwich, I can confirm the accoustics in the foot tunnell were good. Not only that you could here the sound of ships propellors overhead in the tunnell !!!

Ah ! Memories of my ill spent youth

Gareth

Subject: RE: BS: Cutty Sark's Obituary, Not yet?
From: Just Amy
Date: 12 Dec 02 - 08:45 PM

OOPS - DUH! Thanks for the catch, Guest, guest. Of course, you are right. Portsmouth has the Mary Rose & others. Whereas, Plymouth has a gin distillery. Gin rots the brain. I've also been to Dartmouth, but that is a long boring story.