NOTE: These reviews are by an American reviewer and so are a bit America-centric. Most if not all, however, will appeal to anyone who loves classic yachts and traditional boats, their design (and designers), construction, history… In short, included are books about the art and craft of sail and seamanship.
Late this afternoon (Labor Day, 2012), and in preparation for writing a review of [mostly] recently published nautical books I drove up to the pointy end of Martha’s Vineyard, the island off the coast of Massachusetts where I live. The views – as highlighted by the westering sun, of the marshes, coastal ponds, dunes and beaches, the Elizabeth Islands off to the NW and Noman’s Land to the SE, the moors of Lobsterville and Moshup’s Trail, along with Vineyard Sound and the Atlantic Ocean, those great waters which surround our island home – are, at this time of year mesmerizing, compelling, and drop dead gorgeous. I was reminded of the line: “though every prospect pleases and only man is vile.” Being in a scholarly frame of mind I spent some time researching this line and discovered that it is from a well known missionary hymn From Greenland’s Icy Mountains, composed by the early 18th century British cleric Reginald Heber, and actually the words in the hymn were in response to his years in India and, most specifically, a visit to Ceylon. Mahatma Gandhi took exception to the words, interpreting them as a slur against his countrymen; but others have written that what was really intended was in accord with the 17th/18th century religious thinking, which was that man himself (any human in fact) is but an imperfect version of their maker. This was interesting because I had been thinking that it was enlightened environmentalism, particularly enlightened for being from almost 200 years ago.
In any event, the sights of the sea around us and a bowl of Kristine and Betsy Larson’s fabulous seafood chowder from Menemsha set the tone for an evening of maritime literature.
First to come to hand is Francis B Cooke’s Cruising Hints. Published in June of 2011 by Lodestar Books in London, this is the 7th edition and in the publisher’s words this is actually a compilation of the two-dozen books that F B Cooke wrote, beginning in 1883, about yacht design and construction, yachting, seamanship, outfitting, and maintenance. It was based on his experiences over the course of a very long life on the waters of the British Isles. The descriptive material comments that FB Cooke was all about “yachting with economy.” The foreword is by Charles Stock who just retired from sailing at 83 after having sailed over 75,000 miles in his small gaff rigger over 40 years. That is about 2000 miles a year which is impressive by any measure. I have a number of Cooke’s books and didn’t need one more but this book is compelling in its content and presentation. With over 700 pages including numerous sketches, plans, photos, and all sorts of valuable information it is everything that you could wish to find in his books, all carefully organized, annotated and indexed. I had to order a copy for myself, and then a copy for my son, as well as copies for two special friends. It is only available by order from the publisher – I ordered directly from: [email protected] – in England but by ordering four copies at once the postage was significantly reduced. I ordered the books on a Sunday and they were delivered to me, FROM LONDON (!!!) on Tuesday. This is a lovely old fashioned book with all the charm, engaging commentary and details to be found in books by the likes of Uffa Fox, Claud Worth, Dodson Bowman, L F Herreshoff, Harrison Butler, or even Eric Hiscock. It is an incredible book and an incredible bargain; originally published in a limited edition, I believe that Mr Wynne is arranging for a second edition. In any event I urge you to order immediately lest you be disappointed.
G L Watson, is authored by Martin Black, who has devoted 20 years to studying the great designer. This is Volume I in a projected two volume set about the 19/20th C Scottish designer cited by Olin Stephens II as the designer who all other yacht designers ought to study. This first volume is an exhaustively and meticulously researched biography of almost 500 pages, which sets a new bar for such biographies, and for their production. Immensely readable as a biography and history of yachting – since many other designers and numerous boats are featured, as well as races, events, theories of design and construction, it is filled with photos, sketches, quotes, anecdotes, and all sorts of detailed ephemera. Included is reference material from acknowledgments and abbreviations to numerous appendices including maps, a design list, and so forth. There is a bibliography, general index and index of vessels as well as information on the images, and many other bits of information as well. Edited by Jenny Bennett Marshall (formerly of Classic Boat and Wooden Boat magazines, and a talented marine writer herself) the book is carefully organized, beautifully produced and printed in Italy for Peggy Bawn Press of Ireland. Being an American, I have two local minor quibbles: Llewellyn Howland (not Louis) and Olin J Stephens II (not junior) are cited in the acknowledgments.
The book reveals George Watson as a peerless yacht designer, and author Black notes in his commentary: “The names of three yacht designers stand out as being the leaders in their field prior to the First World War: Fife, Herreshoff and Watson. The more I dug down into the records of the time, the clearer it became that it was Watson who stood head and shoulders above the pack. His successes were regularly reported in the pages of the New York Times and the Boston Herald.” Presumably British and Scottish as well as other newspapers wrote in a similar vein. Watson is credited with “inventions” and innovations as disparate as the modern form of RNLI lifeboat and turnbuckles (or bottle screws). Watson’s maxim was “Straight is the line of duty; curved is the line of beauty,” and his boats were beautiful as well as fast. The second volume will follow in due course and is scheduled to include plans and details of the various designs and vessels. This set is not inexpensive but is a fabulous, must-have addition to any serious yachting library.
More reviews to follow…
Copyright 2012 by Virginia Crowell Jones
