is this the richest waterfall in the world?

[Crow]

Hello Don jose

I am a hopeless cause The missionaries tried so hard. Apparently I am going to get out old and disgraceful just the way I want it. My hooch is not too bad Kanacki seems to like it? In another fortnight that old priate will be anchoring in the bay and catch up with me and the two of us will wait for Hardluck the third member of this unholy trio.

I got the feeling I am going to get shanghaied again. So much for my retirement. It seems the opportunity has arisen for Kanacki to look under his water fall.

Crow

 

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[truckinbutch]

All of you can rest assured that my hooch is held to the highest standards of the craft . Only the best part of each run saved and aged to perfection . Smoother and safer than bottled in bond . I even drink it myself .

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

Crow, mi buddy, Shanghaied or press ganged ? for that beautiful Schooner, love it. Of course it goes without saying, that I hope for the best for you modern Bully Hayes types.

Jose el santito

p.s.Truckers hooch is a natural for shanghaing.

 

[Crow]

Hello Don Amigo

Kanacki that crazy Kanacka been telling me one day he will take me down into the roaring forties latitudes..... And round cape horn as he recons you haven't lived until you have rounded the horn.

There is old seaman saying...

In the roaring forties you praise god for surviving.

In the screaming fifties your screaming there is no God.

Crow

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

Crow, I hope that his aux wind power works ok. My Grandfather was from Maine, home of swabbies since Adam and Eve split.

He tried to tell me of being on one of the last square rigged sailing ships to round the tip of South America. He said that for 6 months he never had a dry set of clothes, despite the freezing weather. The food consisted of about 50% maggots and weevils - it was that or nothing.

He said that after weeks of ?? it couldn't rightfully be called 'reaching or beating into the wind' they would finally see the water change color and the tip of the Western South America, when a force 9, or 10 wind would simply shove them back into the Atlantic , without enough control to reach land for fresh provisions or water --- so be sure to take along enough of your brew to last...

Side thingy, but from this experience he developed one of the worse cases of rheumatism that I have ever seen. Late in life he decided that he wanted to play the violin. With his rheumatic fingers, shoulder etc., plus being hard of hearing, you can prob imagine how it came out.

Perhaps this is why I really didn't understand him and sit down and LISTEN to what a passing era was like - shoulda had my smart alec butt kicked, but such is the attitude of youth. We in turn are now being subjected to the same thing, sigh..

Frankly, I thoroughly and completely envy you three, more power to you, and when possible drop us a line to let us know that Kanacker still remembers enough of his deep sea navigation to get you from here to there --the treasure site.

Or is he into the water color, floating debris, clouds, birds, and current direction type of navigation?

Don Jose de La Mancha

 

[Crow]

Hello Don Jose

You not alone there If we had only had the time to listen. Such is the regret of letting such an opportunity pass.

Its been estimated 15000 sailors have perished underestimating Cape Horn. Australia was still sending wheat by windjammers right up until the 1930,s to London via Cape Horn. It was the only commercial run left profitable enough for them. All of them have passed into history. But there is no bragging rights as they were going east with the wind. It was much harder going west because your against winds and currents.I have no doubt the most experienced cape Horners was from Maine and the whalers from New Bedford.

Kanacki his in his element when on the water he uses all types of navigation modern as well as Polynesian. His little tall ship head turner as it reminds people of the freedom now since lost to many of us of being at one with the wind and the sea. And the journey to far away places was an adventure in itself. He is on a 6 month cruise around the western Pacific. From Melanesia to the Solomon islands, to the coral sea, Down the great barrier reef to Maggie then to New Caledonia to Vanuatu on to Fiji then onto western Samoa and America Samoa onto Tonga and Cook islands to Wellington in New Zealand, back to Australia then up to Rabaul new Britain back to Melanesia. And who knows he may even call in on that secret island of his?

Crow

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

J O I N H I M Crow! even IF you have to do some work, That would be a cruise of a lifetime.

Kanacker's dream machine.

Don Jose de La Mancha

 

[Furness]

Hi All, interesting subject regarding the clippers my main hobby for many years was ship modelling and other things along the same lines although mostly from an earlier period but latterly i have had an interest in early steamers,

the clippers traded by the shortest route and where they could get the cargo, but it wasn’t just the American skippers going round the horn against the wind, many European and British ships did as well taking migrants to California and the gold fields these were anywhere from about 200 tons to about 600 and a lot of guano shipped from Valparaiso to the uk all going the wrong way against the prevailing winds either getting there or returning along with the American ships,
although many were built before 1830, the hey day of the American clippers was from about 1830 to 1850 after that the lucrative trade with migrants to California and those heading for the gold fields from the east coast dropped off and most American clippers were sold to European owners,

the larger ships that followed were Barques 4 masted first built of iron and then steel 1,000 to 2,000 tons and up wards and could carry a lot more cargo and fitted with a brailing winch to turn the yards to the best position, these were on the deck in front or behind each mast also these were used to reef the sails as well to cut down on the crew,
i think this was a German invention and cut down the number of AB’s that were needed , like many things it was a progression, the largest was the Prussian a German ship 11,000 tons and five masted, she was sunk in the channel when she ran into a steamer that misjudged her speed and tried to cut across her bow the Prussian was doing 16 knots at the time,
the wages were poor a skipper in 1860 got about 100 US dollars a month the first mate and carpenter about 40 and the poor crewman about 20
eventually the steamers captured all the trade except on the longest routs especially after they invented the compound engine but as crow mentions right up to 1930 they could still make a profit shipping grain and wool from Oz to the UK as they didn't need coaling facilities,

the little ship in José's Photo was originally a Baltic trader, small ships used round the Baltic sea and to Norway for all sorts of cargo, many between the wars had their masts removed and fitted with a diesel engine, i have seen one photo, a small ship like joses photo, without masts taken in the 1950’s loaded with timber so high above the deck that it was higher than the deck to the waterline,
these were mostly family owned and well looked after, and as the Baltic is a dead sea has very little marine life to destroy the timber if looked after and treated, in the last 30 years a number have been saved and refitted by groups and single enthusiasts to what they were when they were built in the 1900’s

the one shown was probably German or Norwegian going off her hull design (that's a guess) , re masted and re rigged, with fore and aft sails on the mizzen and square on the fore and would be termed a brigantine, or hermaphrodite brig, and a beautiful little ship, although it could be a completely new build sometime in the last 10 years as I have a vague recollection that a Norwegian group have raised money for that,

John

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

Furness, a top post another coffee? You earned it. This particular ship, is just about the right size for a small - all girl - crew, to just go sailing around Oceana indefinitely.

Don Jose de La Mancha

 

[Crow]

Hello furnace

I know Kanacki really well for years.

Your pretty close on the mark. Kanacki once told me she was built in the early 1930's and owned by a Dane who had her coopered with Muntz metal and had her rigged back then as schooner for the copra trade in Tahiti. Her original name was "Hivite Swane" meaning I think white swan. She worked the islands until the copra prices crashed and sat out the war in the society islands as a inter island trading vessel called the "Aruni". She has her masts removed and converted into lobster fishing boat in Tasmania in 50s and 60s. She was derelict for about 20 years in a backwater. Where she was rescued and just about stripped down to bare bones and rebuilt with Huron Pine. Kanacki bought it of a master wooden boat builder in Huronville Tasmania. The fellar went broke fixing her but hey the guy just loved restoring old sailing ships.

So she is a grand old girl of about 80. Maybe old enough to date Don Jose But she is virtually a new boat from the mid 1980,s She now sails under the name Drumbeat. kanacki has sailed her around the world 3 times. I have sailed on her twice before. Panama to Valparaiso to Marquess to Tahiti then to Auckland New Zealand. Another time Solomon Islands and New Guinea and New Britain to Melanesia. She looks almost identical to another vessel that has be scrapped just recently.

kanacki told the last time I spoke to him that he had her up on the slip with her hull cleaned and re coated. So he is off again every year or two he does the big voyage.

So I will see if he can talk me into sailing with him. I am not a good sailor I spend most of the time heaving over the side.

Coffee anyone

 

[Crow]

Hello don Jose

And yes I almost got keel hauled once for my snoring ability by the crew. The girls hauled me up in my sleeping back up the mizzen. Such is the fun and pranks of Kanacki's pirate ship.

Crow.

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

G'morning Crow peeps. Frankly I am not sure if you deserve any coffee after that remark I am effectively only 39 into my third childhood. Snifff

The next time that you board that beautiful boat, use a few seasick prevention pills instead the usual quarts of Jon Bols Distilled Geneva Gin which you usually consume by the gallon. humph.

Don Jose de La Mancha ( <-- he is only 39, well, plus a teeny bit more )

Don Jose de La Mancha

 

[Crow]

Hello Don Jose

Here's me thinking your 21 four times over. But hey who's counting? Gin nah! Pirate brew for me.

We were at the Chilean bicentenary naval review. Kanacki's little tall ship was warmly welcomed. We broke a spar and the Chilean offers and crew came over from the Esmeraldas and helped us replace it. We spent quite some time with the officers and crew.. Over 700 thousand visited the ship review. We exchanged gifts. Kanacki gave them some very old scrimshaws dating back to 1824. We we treated very well our hosts was fantastic. We had 4 tall ships lined up on the pier and had a sea shanty competition one night. The locals loved it. Drumbeat look tiny compared to the Esmarelda. One thing you find my friend all the crews have a deep love for old sailing ships. They are hard and now getting more and more expensive to maintain but there is a universal camaraderie of sailors of all nations on old sailing ships because they are truly the last of a generation. And in their passing into history we have lost a special place in history when mans destiny was determined by wind and sail.

There was no grander site than sailing on a warm sunny day with hundred of thousands of people watching on the coast of Valparaiso we followed the Esmareldas. It will be a sad sad day if there is not a sailing ship gracing the ocean somewhere my friends.

Fond memories of Valparaiso. Here's a picture of the smareldas.

View attachment 835616

Don Jose your talking me into sailing again.

You owe me a coffee.

Crow

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

Crow my amigo, flap your wings and go with Kanacker, if he can stand you urping all over his beautiful lil toy and bothering his all girl crew..

A chance for true irreplaceable memories, only comes to a few chosen ones. This is your chance, then when you are old, you can drag them out of your loaded memory banks to relive and pass on to yer great, great, great ,great grand
kiddies unless they do as we did, but enough dusky maiden stories, and your adventures in the cave behind Kanacker's waterfall, will keep most of them interested. especially when you explain how dividing up pirate loot thins out the crew quickly.

Don Jose of the drooling mouth, Mancha

 

[Crow]

Hello Don jose

It seems my fate as part of that unholy trio is sealed my friend. The end game. So until then my friend I may enough time have one last yarn to tell you and to all lovers of treasure legends.

In crack of thunder there was knocking at my door Hardluck. Looking at me strait in the eyes and said its time.

Crow

 

[Furness]

jose amigo, you've mentioned this all girl crew on a schooner before in other posts --- mmm does tiger know about this obsession of yours,

with the women I think you suffer from the same problem as me, --- young eyes,

John

 

[Furness]

Hi Crow, thanks for the details, she still has the schooner masts and probably built as a top/sl schooner with 2 slightly shorter yards than she has now on the fore mast,
although her aft mast looks to have been moved back from its original position,? to balance her better with the extra yard and square sail when quartering,
i'm a wood butcher by trade and can appreciate the work involved rebuilding her and planking her with huron pine as I used some when I was out there,
you have travelled a few miles on her I envy you, well apart from the shouting huey bit that is, I spent 8 hours leaning over the rail on the ship going out to OZ when we crossed the bay of Biscay, it was only the hope I would die that kept me alive,

John

 

[Furness]

Hi Crow you mentioned Muntz metal, by the end of sail and wooden ships most were sheathed with it as it was only 2/3rds the price of copper and just as good,

John

 

[Crow]

Hello John

As far as I am aware Muntz metal was a patented Alloy the next generation of sheathing as it lasted longer than copper as copper suffered from a greater rate of wear. Indeed by the end of sail nearly all vessels had Muntz metal. One thing the America ships had plenty of Oak for their ships. British ships used more and more teak and even experiments in composites because they had after 300 odd years depleted the oak forests for their navy in Britain. I got told one America tea clipper had more structural flexibility where the British vessels tended to be harder wearing and push there ships harder under sail than the oak built ships.

As for Drumbeat I tend to agree with you. Personally I think they wanted more out of what she was originally design for. I think she should of stayed a Schooner. However Kanacki is happy with the arrangement as it makes fair headway even in light winds in the current arrangement and works well tacking in light winds. As most of his sailing is around tropical latitudes. The Bottom line she doing things now she never originally designed for. Like you said originally designed for the Baltic not the Pacific or Southern Ocean. That said I have ridden out a Typhoon in her.

Ps the no shame in being sea sick in Bay of Biscay that place has a natural funnel upwelling from the shape of sea floor many ships have come to grief there especially if you get it on a bad day.

Crow

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

Crow,,you have sealed your fate, you have such a store of unpublicized memories, things that dreams are made of, that you will be forever cursed if you don't start writing some of them.

Remember, I have a pH D in Caribean Voodoo.

Don Jose de La Mancha