The Pennant
AUTUMN 2003
DO YOU KNOW THIS MAN?
The Newsletter of Newport Uskmouth Sailing Club
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The Pennant | ||||||||||
AUTUMN 2003 | |||||||||||
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DO YOU KNOW THIS MAN? | |||||||||||
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The Newsletter of Newport Uskmouth Sailing Club | |||||||||||
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The Pennant | ||||
CLUB MATTERS
EVENT SECRETARY
Eirlys Warrington has kindly offered to take on the responsibility for organising all the winter social events for this season starting with the laying up supper and on through to the Eve of season supper for the start of next season. Will any member that would like to help, even in only a small way please come forward and assist Eirlys. The idea of event secretaries is working out well with a number of members already having come forward and offered to organise this or that. Don't be shy! Stick your hand up and come and help organise something. It doesn't mean that you have a job for life and they often turn out to be a lot of fun.
COMPUTERS TO BE PURCHASED
With the requirement this year that electronic navigation be included in the yachtmaster syllabus the committee have decided to purchase a number of secondhand laptop computers. The reasoning behind this is as follows: a) Very few second hand PC's were available from members. b) The problems associated with shutting down, disconnecting and storing PC's for security and having to get them out and set them up before training sessions. The purchase of laptops will facilitate setting them up before and securing them after training, it will also facilitate more modern training techniques using a media projector to show pre-recorded training sessions using dedicated presentation programs like powerpoint.
NEW OOD HUT
After examining a number of suggestions and quotations the committee voted to rebuild a new OOD hut in wood to replace the very old and rotting existing structure. The suggested replacements included a glass conservatory to run most of the length of the clubhouse. While this was appealing it was deemed too expensive as club funds must now be used carefully. The new OOD will be similar but slightly larger than the existing unit and hopefully have a nicer interior finish.
SLIPWAY REPAIRS
The long discussed repairs to the slipway are now under final examination with quotations from a number of companies being sought and received. This work is going to be expensive and must be done properly with a view to providing for the clubs future. Without the slip the club has no future and it's present condition is quite poor. The funds recently made available will hopefully be used to carry out this work.
As a personal note let me say that a few committee members have put in a lot of time and effort on this one and deserve our thanks. | |||||
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THE LAUNCHING TROLLEY
The launch trolley is in need of maintenance as the Zinc galvanising is beginning to delaminate in some area's underneath the main bed. As this work will require the trolley to be stripped down it will be done after the recovery. The plan is for a winter task force to begin the work before the weather gets too bad. The steel components will at the very least need to be shot blasted and acid dipped before being re-galvanised, some components may need to be replaced if corrosion has taken hold. This is not going to be a cheap or easy job so all hands to the pumps please when we ask for volunteers for the task force, anyone who can give a bit of help please approach any of the club officers.
RECOVERY
The recovery is due to begin on Saturday 18th October continuing over to Sunday 19th with the heavy boat recovery on Monday 20th. Please note that it will be "pay on the day" for all boats including the big un's.
IT IS NOT A TIP!
Some person has used the compound as a rubbish tip. The committee have agreed, and are sure the membership will support them, that the culprit when found will face a disciplinary hearing and could be expelled from the club. Gatehouse security have agreed to watch out for incidents of this and note a registration number if possible.
EXEMPTION FROM PART ONE REGISTRY
The Vice Commodore has placed the club on the list that exempts it's members boats from the part one registry regulation that requires they show their registered port. That port need no longer be shown on the hull.
LAYING UP SUPPER
One of the most important nights of the season is organised for November 15th. There will be the usual catered dinner, awards, music and dancing. A few members have worked their socks off so come and support the club.
ARROWSMITH TABLES
Derek Robinson has kindly offered (once again) to obtain the arrowsmith tide table booklets again this year, as you know they are only a few pounds and are a wealth of info. If you want one please add your name to the list on the club notice board. The closing date is 25th October.
OD DUTIES
New contact details for the pierhead to check for shipping traffic prior to starting races are available. The phone number is 01633 204451 or they can be contacted by radio on channel 71. Please make a note of these. | ||||||
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More women in Nelson's Navy
"Oh Frederick! - But I cannot believe it of you. - All idle refinement! Women may live as comfortable on board, as in the best house in England. I believe I have lived as much on board as most women, and I know nothing superior to the accommodations of a man of war. I declare I have not a comfort or an indulgence about me, even at Kellynch hall; (with a bow to Anne) beyond what I always had in most of the ships I have lived in; and they have been five altogether"From "Persuasion" by Jane Austen.
We know that women served on board his Majesty's ships but what did they do and how long did they do it for? They obviously fall into two types, the `cross-dressers' and the ones who remained openly as women.
In the first category there are such women as "William Brown", a black woman, served for 11 years as the `Captain of the Maintop' aboard the Queen Charlotte to everyone's satisfaction in 1815. The Captain of the Maintop was a responsible position only given to the more agile of sailors. Another woman, "Tom Bowling" was brought before a magistrate for petty theft and as evidence of her good character cited that she had served as a Boatswain's Mate in the Royal Navy for 20 years and was even drawing a pension for the same!
How did they escape undetected in the close environment of a warship's mess-deck? We assume that there was little privacy and that a man, lacking the necessary `appendages' would quickly be discovered. The instances of cross-dressing were not confined to the Royal Navy either. Jeanette Colin, who abandoned the French ACHILLE at Trafalgar before she blew up was fished out of the water stark naked by the crew of the PICKLE and transferred to the REVENGE. Here the arrival of a naked woman caused not a little excitement and she was quickly given the wherewithal to make some clothes for herself (women's at that, as she was given some sprigged muslin). The story emerged that when the fleet left Cadiz she had decided to stay with her husband, and dressing as a sailor, she served alongside him until during the battle he was killed. She then took passage to Gibraltar where she disappeared. At the same time the BRITANNIA also picked up a woman who had been serving on the ACHILLE.
It would be easier for a young woman to pass herself off as a boy and this is presumably what happened to Nellie Bowden, a woman on an American ship, who when eventually discovered had her rating on the ship's books changed from Ship's Boy to Domestic.
Although no proof exists I feel that women were often discovered and to avoid embarrassment an official ignorance was imposed or the men simply chose not to reveal their presence. There were, of course many women carried to sea in there own right sometimes as stowaways but more often with the official `ignorance' of the Captain. Ladies were rarely carried in this way but were often transported as honoured passengers, perhaps for a brother Captain serving on a foreign station. Indeed the carrying of wives was often extended to other officers, warrant officers and seamen. An example of this is when William Richardson was accompanied by his wife on a voyage to the West Indies in 1800. On board were also the wives of the Captain, the Master, the Boatswain, the Sergeant of Marines and six other men as well as the Boatswain's daughter and the Captain's wife's | ||||||
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maid. The Captain's and the Boatswain's wives were pregnant, the former delivering a boy at sea. The latter sadly died of Yellow Fever.
The births of children at sea were occasionally reported and perhaps the most famous is that of the son of Mrs. McKenzie. He was delivered at the height of the Glorious First of June in 1794 in the bread room of the TREMENDOUS (I imagine the Purser must have had a fit!). Thereafter he rejoiced in the name of Daniel Tremendous McKenzie! He was also awarded the Naval General Service Medal for his part in the action and was rated `Baby'! In John Nichol's account of the Battle of the Nile he states "… One woman bore a son in the heat of the action; she belonged to Edinburgh.". In Captain Glascombe's log the following is recorded. "This day the surgeon informed me that a woman on board had been | |||||
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Painted by Daniel Maclise"The death of Nelson" . This is the right half of this enormous canvas, Nelson's head can be seen in Hardy's lap on the left here, it is in the centre of the actual painting. Unmistakable on the far right, two women tending a wounded man during the battle. | |||||
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labouring in childbirth for twelve hours and if I could see my way to permit the firing of a broadside to leeward, nature would be assisted by the shock. I complied with the request, and she was delivered of a fine male child." Because of the place where children were born in the limited space on board a fighting ship they were often referred to as a `Son of a Gun`. What did these women do on board a ship? This is where we have problems as few clues remain. While again Nichol mentions that they worked with the gunners during the battle presumably fetching powder and helping the wounded there is little evidence. While some were evidently servants many simply carried on their wifely duties. Such a woman was Nancy Perriam, who served aboard the ORION. Her job was to make and mend the Captain's clothes but was present at both Cape St. Vincent in 1797 and the Nile. At St Vincent she carried gunpowder and helped the surgeon in the cockpit. She also notes an indebtedness to the Gunner's Wife who supplied her with wine. [As late as WW1 a woman, Kathleen Dyer, was rated as Captain's Servant and served for two and a half years aboard HMS CALYPSO].
In 1798 four women appear on the GOLIATH's muster books , "victualled at two-thirds | |||||
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allowance, per Captain's order, in consideration of their assistance in dressing and attending on the wounded, being widows of men slain in fight with the enemy on 1st August, I798." Admiral George Vernon Jackson remembered that when he was a midshipman serving aboard the Lapwing in 1801, the ship ran aground. "Whilst occupied in getting the ship off the Shoal, it was amusing to see how some women - forty or fifty in number - who were on board exerted themselves at the ropes."
Women it seems did not always acquit themselves well in an emergency. An officer on board the ORESTES recalls that when a fire broke out in the cabin directly above the powder magazine the blaze "occasioned the utmost terrors among the ship's company . . . It was ludicrous to see the captain with a speaking trumpet exerting himself to keep order, and the carpenter's wife catching him round the legs, and while he was calling for Water she was screaming out "Fire".
There were of course a final group of women carried on board ship for immoral purposes. A shocked and puritanical officer stated in 1808 that the Captain of an unnamed ship " allowed about nine women to go to sea in the ship. They were mustered on the forecastle on Sundays, and inspected by the Captain and the First Lieutenant. Their conduct was so infamous, that after our arrival in the Indies two or three were turned out into a brig, for a passage to England; and most of those that remained were common to the ship's company. It was common for the midshipmen to have these women. Indeed the Captain himself did not hesitate to take a foreign girl to live with him for some time while we remained in those seas.
Even more alarming were the scenes in port where any ship returning from a cruise was liable to be surrounded by bumboats filled with local prostitutes keen to remove the hapless and presumably sex-starved sailors gold. The lower deck could quickly be turned into a vision of hell as men took one or sometimes two prostitutes on board. The same officer states "Men and women are turned by hundreds into one large compartment, and in sight and hearing of each other shamelessly and unblushingly couple like dogs"
It should also be stated that some ships were extremely moral places depending on the attitude of the Captain, many of whom were of an evangelical bent. Prostitutes were not allowed on such ships and in port a guard boat was often posted to stop the approach of the bumboats.
So we have a varied picture of the lives of women on board his Majesty's vessels of war. They encompassed all social classes and indeed women seemed to have performed most of the roles that men did with the exception of holding a commission. Once again we see the ships of the sailing navy as truly a "Wooden World". Perhaps the words of the romanticised folk song are not far from the truth when the women;
Put on a jolly sailor's dress And daubed her hands with tar To cross the raging sea On board a man-of-war
Next time, a work of fiction, or is it? Many of us have read the Patrick O'Brien novels about life in the navy during the Napoleonic wars. The heroes of these books are the tough and handsome Captain Jack Aubrey and his ships surgeon Stephen Maturin. They are in fact based on a real life hero. In the next issue we will look at this mans life. | ||||||
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TALES OF PORTISHEAD RADIO.....
This article was downloaded from the internet so all credit must go to Larry Bennet who is writing a book on the subject, his work can be seen at www.gka.btinternet.co.uk NOW THAT PORTISHEAD RADIO HAS CLOSED FOR EVER, SOME OF THE MORE AMUSING STORIES CAN NOW BE TOLD. ANY ADDITIONS TO THE LIST WILL BE MOST WELCOME!
One new (non-sea-going) R/O had just completed his R/T training, and had just been called by the QE2/GBTT. Upon asking the vessel's position, the QE2 replied `just off Newfoundland'. A long silence from Portishead was only ended when the R/O on the QE2 broke in `you don't know where that is, do you?' _ one red-faced young R/O took a lot of stick for weeks afterwards….
Again on R/T, one young lady R/O (who shall remain nameless), was taking down a telegram from a vessel whose main w/t transmitter had gone faulty. As was the norm in those days, telegrams were taken down directly on a telegram form by typewriter. Unfortunately, the typewriter keys jammed halfway through the transcription process, prompting the young lady concerned to tell the vessel; `sorry old man, my typewriter jammed _ I'll have to finish you off by hand!'
One GKA R/T operator was heard to transmit the following: "will the ship calling please be quiet you are interrupting a call in progress'' (or similar wording)" Upon closer listening the ship calling was transmitting "MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY this is etc" It was an Esso tanker on fire in the Med.
A vessel's captain requested a call home and was duly connected. However, upon lifting the telephone receiver, all that could be heard was the sound of a dog barking. Eventually, the captain's wife came on the line, and proceeded to complain about the lack of money, children's school problems, too many bills to pay etc.. The captain, obviously fed up with hearing all this told his wife to shut up and would she kindly put the dog on again please.
Iriships in Dublin once sent a telegram to all of their vessels stating that crew would from now on be paid every two weeks instead of fortnightly.
Texaco in London sent a telegram to all of their vessels requesting that due to the increasing cost of telegrams, masters should refrain from ending them with the word `Regards'. The telegram was signed `Regards Texaco'.
One R/O on a particularly busy and stressful morning, once answered the telephone with the immortal line "Good Morning, Portishead Radio, How can you help me?"
I received a MEDICO on R/T one night - from (can't remember what ship it was). The Captain sounded quite amused before he let me know what the problem was. Anyway, I put him thru to Plymouth RN Hospital as usual, then the story goes like this - " We have a crew member who, while standing in the shower, slipped and fell on top of an aerosol | |||||
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can (with the top still on)". Unfortunately, the aerosol top came off and stuck up his bum. This I had to impart to the very amused Doctor at the other end. After he had picked himself up off the floor I connected him to the Capt. The Capt asked how he was supposed to remove the said object from the said orifice. The more he tried to extract it, the more it carried on it's journey and the swelling got worse! The only thing the Doc could suggest was to get him to the nearest port and hospital to get it extracted. (Never did find out if he ever got it out).
At the end of a night shift (2300-0800), one R/O fell asleep at his w/t point. At 0800, the night shift crept out and the morning shift crept in, amazingly without waking him. He eventually woke up at around 0820....
Some companies tried to save money on telegrams by condensing their words into groups of 10 letters or less. One incident involved CP (Canadian Pacific) Ships, who once started a telegram with the words `shipisold andneeds toproceed toportfor repairs etc…..' Unfortunately the R/O on the vessel concerned took the first word as meaning ship is sold, resulting in numerous telegrams back and forth until the situation was clarified.
Radio overseers (managers) also feature highly in the legendary stories. On one winter's morning, with the roads knee-deep in snow, one keen R/O left his house to walk to work only to hear his next-door neighbour (and overseer) shout out of the window "tell `em I won't be at work today, I'm snowed in"
Another similar episode occurred when an R/O and an overseer were cycling to work. The overseer overtook our R/O with a friendly `good morning', only to book the R/O for being late on arrival....
One overseer (who shall remain nameless, but has been featured elsewhere) had the habit of disappearing on nights at around 0100 to fit in a few hours' sleep. For obvious reasons, the R/O staff took exception to this. On one memorable occasion, one R/O was instructed to `keep watch' and alert the rest of the staff when the overseer woke from his slumbers. When the alert was given at around 0600, the whole staff disappeared out of the building, leaving the overseer searching for around 20 absent R/Os.
Before the welfare club opened it was customary for those who liked to imbibe to share a car and bomb up Worston Lane to spend a grace relief in the `Lighthouse Inn' - the more determined could sink three pints in the fifteen minutes available (which included travelling time) One icy night, a certain Ford Cortina set out and failed to negotiate the first bend, spinning on black ice and finished up at a 45 degree angle in the ditch. Unhurt, and undeterred the occupants, ran back to the car park, took a reserve vehicle and still managed to get the three pints in. PS - The Cortina started first time when the tow truck dragged it out the following day!
Back in the 50's GKA provided an MF service with its GRL transmitter used mainly on telegraphy and only rarely on R/T. Despite this it was tested daily by the maintenance man, the usual practice being adopted i.e. huffing and puffing into the handset and noting the response on the aerial ammeter. One day, the maintenance man did this and got no reaction. He huffed and puffed some more, before turning to a colleague in a loud voice and declaring ` This f......ng. thing's not working'. Unfortunately it was only the meter that had failed - his beautifully modulated voice rang out over the airwaves. | ||||||
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Changes in frequency on MF were performed by staff at the Portishead site, and communication was via an order wire and service morse `PEY' followed by the working frequency. Portishead then changed frequency. This key was, however,sited alongside the W/T broadcast key. On more than one occasion Portishead phoned to say that they, and not the listening ships, had received the latest traffic list.
Portishead Radio was of course renowned for `getting on with the job' with very few pretensions. During the 1982 Falklands Conflict, HRH Prince Andrew called on the aeronautical channels for a call back to HM the Queen. The duty R/O duly connected the call with a brusque `speak up son, your mum's on the line'.
During the heady `New Romantic Days' of the mid 1980's Simon Le Bon (lead singer with Duran Duran) was a regular customer with calls to and from his yacht `Drum'. On one occasion he was put firmly in his place by being asked who he was and how to spell his name.
Finally, there was the incident when the Chairman of Cunard, Sir Basil Smallpiece, rang Portishead on Christmas Day, requesting a call to the QE2. In those days, Christmas Day calls had to be booked days in advance, with strict slots and restrictions allocated to vessels. Sir Basil was initially politely advised that no further bookings were being taken, but he insisted that his booking be processed. `Do you know who I am?' He asked. `No' replied the Portishead R/O. `I am Sir Basil Smallpiece, Chairman of Cunard' he retorted. The Portishead R/O responded with the immortal line ` I don't care if you are Sir Basil (expletive) Brush, you still can't have your call'. A letter of complaint duly followed, in which Sir Basil stated that he understood why he couldn't have the call, but he did take exception to being compared to a furry rodent. Other anecdotes will appear from time to time on the web page; numerous others will appear in the authors forthcoming book on the history of Portishead Radio, which is (still) being researched.Any additions most welcome! Please send to gka@btinternet.com Wacky headlines1. Irish police are being handicapped in a search for a stolen van, because they cannot issue a description. It's a special branch vehicle and they don't want the public to know what it looks like. (The Guardian) 2. Would the congregation please note that the bowl at the back of the church labelled `for the sick' is for monetary donations only. (Churchtown Parish Magazine) 3. There must, for instance, be something very strange in a man who, if left alone in a room with a tea cosy, doesn't try it on. (Glasgow Evening News) 4. A young girl who was blown out to sea on a set of inflatable teeth was rescued by a man on an inflatable lobster. A coastguard spokesman commented, "this sort of thing is all too common". (The Times) 5. At the height of the gale, the harbourmaster radioed a coastguard on the spot and asked him to estimate the wind speed. He replied that he was sorry, but he didn't have a gauge. However, if it was any help, the wind had just blown his Land Rover off the cliff. (Aberdeen Evening Express) 6. Mrs Irene Graham of Thorpe Avenue, Boscombe, delighted the audience with her reminiscence of the German prisoner of war who was sent each week to do her garden. He was repatriated at the end of 1945, she recalled "He'd always seemed a nice friendly chap, but when the crocuses came up in the middle of our lawn in February 1946, they spelt out "Heil Hitler". (Bournemouth Evening Echo) 7. Commenting on a complaint from a Mr. Arthur Purdey about a large gas bill, a spokesman for North West Gas said "We agree it was rather high for the time of year. It's possible Mr. Purdey has been charged for the gas used up during the explosion that blew his house to pieces." (Northern Post) | |||||
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WATCH OUT FOR SUNFISH!
Following the sighting recently of a great white shark off the Cornish coast there have now been confirmed reports that Ocean Sunfish are visiting the seas off Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion. Most commonly a native of the California coastline, this gentle giant inhabits all tropical and temperate seas. Sunfish are believed to have migrated to the west coast of Wales in search of new territory in response to the global warming phenomena and recent hot weather. The fish get their name because of their habit of rising to sunbathe on the surface if the sea temperature gets too low, they can be a danger to small vessels as they can measure up to almost two metres across their backs and weigh in at nearly two tonnes. | ||||||||
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The ocean sunfish vies for the title of strangest fish in the sea. Its Latin name, Mola mola , means millstone. Have you encountered this fish? The dorsal fin can be seen sticking vertically out of the water when the fish is sunning itself. If you see one you should report it at www.oceansunfish.org - Go to this web page for more great pictures.
WHALERS AT IT AGAIN
Icelandic Whaling ships were again harpooning whales around the west coast of Iceland during August under that tired excuse of Scientific research. Iceland stopped Whaling in 1989 under international pressure after it was announced that 7 of the 13 species of Whale was in danger of extinction. This research is aimed at harpooning only the Minke Whale that is not endangered. It is estimated that as many as 40.000 Minke Whales inhabit Icelandic waters eating up to 2 million tonnes of fish and Krill a year. All the pressure and animal welfare groups have voiced their opposition and condemmed the action as deplorable. I apologise for using these pages as a personal soapbox and appreciate others may disagree with me, but in plain English "I'm against it". | ||||||||
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SEAL ATTACKS ARE ON THE INCREASE
Seals are lovely creatures, that is the common consensus, children's books and films continually anthropomorphised them with traits of intelligence and gentleness. Not so, seal attacks on humans in the sea are on the increase. An attack on Mr. Wesley Cook of Hertfordshire while trying to surf off the coast of Norfolk has brought the total of UK attacks this summer to an unprecedented two following an earlier attack on a Mr. Levi Clark off Leigh on sea in Essex during July. Both men had a leg badly broken by being rammed by seals who it is believed attacked because they felt the men were threatening their cubs. Mr. Cook was lucky to survive the encounter as his leg was broken in three places leaving him in a serious situation a long way offshore, luckily his brother in law who was surfing with him realised he was in trouble. Wildlife experts warn that seals should not be approached, especially during the summer months as they may have young nearby and will attack if they feel threatened. A marine biologist, Kirsty Brown was buried in her Sussex home town in early September after being killed by a leopard seal while working in the Antarctic. So be warned, admire them from a distance but don't approach.
QUOTESomeone was strapping his fast growing and inquisitive grandson into the booster seat in the rear of his car when the electric window buttons caught the boys attention, "Whats that for?" he asked his grandad. "You must never touch that" said grandad, "If you do the roof of the car blows of and the seat is ejected into space then a parachute opens to bring you back to earth". Grandad shut the rear door, walked around and got in the drivers side, put the key in the ignition when a small voice said "Grandad?"- "Yes" the man replied. "It don't work". SURGEONS Five surgeons are discussing who makes the best patients on the operating table. The first surgeon says, "I like to see accountants on my operating table, because when you open them up, everything inside is numbered." The second responds, "Yeah, but you should try electricians! Everything inside them is colour coded." The third surgeon says, "No, I really think librarians are the best. Everything inside them is in alphabetical order." The fourth surgeon chimes in, "You know, I like construction workers. Those guys always understand when you have a few parts left over at the end and when the job takes longer than you said it would. But the fifth surgeon shut them all up when he observed, "You're all wrong. Politicians are the easiest to operate on. There's no guts, no heart, no spine, and the head and ass are interchangeable." WHAT COURAGE! A mild-mannered man was tired of being bossed around by his wife; so he went to a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist said he needed to build his self-esteem, and so gave him a book on assertiveness, which he read on the way home. He had finished the book by the time he reached his house so he stormed into the house and walked up to his wife. Pointing a finger in her face, he said, "From now on, I want you to know that I am the man of this house, and my word is law! I want you to prepare me a gourmet meal tonight, and when I'm finished eating my meal, I expect a sumptuous dessert afterward. Then, after dinner, you're going to draw me my bath so I can relax. And when I'm finished with my bath, guess who's going to dress me and comb my hair...." "The funeral director," said his wife | |||||
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SULLY ISLAND
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Marisco himself was captured and publicly hanged for treason to the pleasure of the local populace. | ||||||||
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The history of Sully continues with an association to wreckers who were studied in detail by Annie Jenkins, daughter of a well known cabinet minister. She wrote a book entitled "The wreckers of Lavenock". My source for most of the historical data for this article has been unable to locate a copy of this book but it is obvious that boats could have been lured onto Lavenock spit by placing false lights that led the ships master to believe he was entering Cardiff bay. We all know the dreadful tales of ships lured to disaster, their crews murdered and anything valuable on the boat carried away by the cowards who carried out this type of | ||||||||
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A view from the anchorage to the area known as the spinney, the Captains Wife pub can be seen | ||||||||
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atrocity. Later the Island was famous for involvement in the local smuggling trade and it is said that a storage tunnel exists between the island and Sully house. It is also said that a local sea captain who plied a not altogether honest trade out of Sully suddenly told everyone he was going away to live elsewhere, abandoning his house he was never seen again. Years later while being refurbished the skeleton of a woman was discovered bricked up in the chimney of the building now known as the captains wife. What is true is the fact that a Mr. Charles Evans bought property which included the building known as Sully House, In 1900 he had the building demolished as it was beyond repair, while making alterations to the grounds the a hastily buried body of a tall man was found in a shallow grave about two feet deep. The body was re-buried in the same spot and was found again in 1958 during the building of a wall. What happened to it after this is unclear.
The area was not always known as Sully, Sully means "South lea" or "South pasture" and is relatively recent. The area was known as Black rock, Swanbridge (It is still part of the manor of Swanbridge and there is a lord Swanbridge), The spinney and Plovers island because it was used as a bird sanctuary for breeding plovers who's eggs would then be stolen and sold up to London hotels as a delicacy for fastidious diners.
There was for many years a family living on the island "in a most primitive manner" believed to be among the last of the beach cave dwellers who eked out a meagre living along the shore line of Britain from the earliest times. | ||||||||
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ANOTHER CAUTIONARY TALE.
Moonraker calling Swansea coastguard.BY NEVILLE BARNES
The plan was to sail from NUSC down with the tide to Sully and anchor in the pool at low tide for lunch. Skipper Ray and Crew, Neville and Vic. Neither of us had been there before and Ray had invited us along to show us the way. We left on the tide at 09.30, with a westerly force 4 and headed out to Newport Deep and then back into Wentloog and then kept inside the Cardiff bank, passing Penarth, across the Ranny and into Sully. Moonraker made good progress, making 6 knots and we arrived 1 hour before Low water. By this time the wind had strengthened and with the outgoing tide, the sea was very choppy. With myself at the helm, and Ray acting as pilot with his expert knowledge of the area, he guided us up the narrow channel into the pool, first towards the island, then turning hard to starboard towards the grey house and then back to port in behind the causeway. We dropped our anchor and fell back, but the 25lb Danforth didn't bite and we dragged a few times and had to motor forward again back into the pool to keep off the stony beach astern. We found out the reason why, when we raised the anchor to leave. A flat stone 7" Diameter and 1" thick had jammed itself between the fluke and shaft of the anchor, preventing the fluke from opening. All we had to hold us was the anchor lying flat on the bottom. We were now anchoring head on to a westerly 4 coming over the causeway, but as the tide fell, we were more sheltered behind the causeway and the waves subsided. When we finally stopped dragging and could look around us, we noticed that another boat, about 20' fin keel that had also been heading towards the pool, but had come in over the Lavernock Spit and had run aground. The wind was picking up and waves were breaking all around it. The skipper had gone over the back and was up to his waist trying to hold the boat steady, keeping the bows towards the oncoming waves. | |||||||
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As the tide was receding and the boat kept lying over further on it's side, and still getting a pounding from the waves, we decided to alert the coast guard to his predicament. | |||||||
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The Pennant | ||||||||
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When the RNLI rib from Penarth arrived, the skipper was walking out his anchor along the sand bar, now only up to his knees in water, and the rib maintained station at the end of the bank, while a crew member walked back to meet him. You can see a passing ship between them, out in the channel with Flat Holm behind. | |||||||||
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A smaller lifeboat also arrived and they waited until the tide fell and the boat was completely dried out on the sand, when the RNLI crewmember led a young passenger ashore and the boats returned to Penarth. We were able to enjoy our lunch, safely at anchor while watching the proceedings, and were also treated to a view of a French tall ship, making her way up channel for the festivities in Bristol that weekend. You can see her just come out from behind Sully Island, with the spit we had to navigate in the foreground, about to sail in front of Steep Holm. | |||||||||
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The Pennant | |||||||||
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On our way back to the club we passed the Frenchman Gallant, at anchor off Cardiff, waiting to lock in through the barrage. | ||||||||||
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We thanked Ray for the excellent day out and the practical demonstration on running aground and the consequences thereof, and look forward to the next lesson. | ||||||||||
Thanks to Neville for the excellent article and photo's, I had to shorten it a little to fit it in and hope I havn't
ruined it as a result. I think the pictures will be great on the clubs web page.
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