Monthly Archives: December 2008

Help Save the Falls of Clyde

Posted on December 9, 2008 by Rick Spilman

Falls of Clyde is the only surviving iron-hulled four-masted full rigged ship and the only surviving sail-driven oil tanker in the world. She was launched in 1878 in Port Glasgow, Scotland, for the Fall Line . The ship was towed to Hawaii … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships | Tagged Falls of Clyde, four-masted, Hawaii, iron hull, tanker | Leave a comment

Melville’s White Jacket and the question of justice

Posted on December 9, 2008 by Rick Spilman

In a comment on a prior post, Fiddler’s Green, Redwing mentioned White Jacket, or The World in a Man-of-War, by Herman Melville. I had never read the novel. I am now doing so and enjoying it very much. (It can … Continue reading →

Posted in Critiques, Seastories | Tagged Abu Ghraib, flogging, Harpers, justice, Melville, Scott Horton, White Jacket | 10 Comments

Thad Koza – Tall Ships International

Posted on December 7, 2008 by Rick Spilman

This afternoon, at the 21st Annual Indie and Small Press Book Fair, I had the pleasure of meeting Thad Koza, a wonderful photographer of tall ships. I bought a copy of his Tall Ships 2009 Calendar and plan on buying his book, Tall … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships | Tagged photography, Tall & Historic Ships, Thad Koza | Leave a comment

Fiddler’s Green

Posted on December 6, 2008 by admin

Stan Rogers, the late Canadian folk sing/songwriter, sang a song about an ill fated privateering voyage during the American revolution called “Barrett’s Privateer’s“. He was often asked where he learned the song. Most assumed that it was a traditional folk … Continue reading →

Posted in Lore of the Sea, Songs | Tagged Barrett's Privateer's, Bernie Klay, Burl Ives, Fiddler's Green, Irish legend, John Connolly, Stan Rogers, Tarpaulin Jacket, X-Seaman's Institute | 7 Comments

A Junk at Risk

Posted on December 3, 2008 by Rick Spilman

From Dione Chen writing in the Museum of Underwater Archeology site: “The Free China is a historic century-old Chinese sailing vessel on the verge of extinction. An authentic Fujian junk used during the first half of the 20th century to … Continue reading →

Posted in Lore of the Sea, Ships | Tagged Free China, junk, Museum of Underwater Archeology | Leave a comment

Sailor’s Tattoos – Pigs, Chickens, Swallows, and Tattooed Backsides

Posted on December 1, 2008 by Rick Spilman

Tattoos have become very popular of late. Tattoo Facts & Statistics notes that “thirty-six percent of those ages 18 to 25, and 40 percent of those ages 26 to 40, have at least one tattoo, according to a fall 2006 … Continue reading →