Historical accuracy

[Pat]

Could the RYA as the governing body of British sailing be persuaded to work with them and maybe their clout could influence accuracy and assist fundraising?

[davidh]

Pat,

In an ideal world, your's would be the correct answer.

BUT (cor, that word is working overtime right now) the situation is closer to Dave C's prognosis.

Falmouth are in receipt of big chunks of Lottery funding, but their whole rationale is based around the needs of a tourist attraction (which in this case just happens to feature boats).

For your idea to work, firstly the RYA would have to take an interest in the subject, something that to date they have blown 'hot and cold' on. Then, Falmouth would need to change the ethos to include the investment in a country wide 'knowledge base'.

I take the point made in 'Forum Etiquette' but I do not think that anything that has been said to date, by either myself of any of the other contibutirs to the subject, is anything we wouldn't say openly in public.

Hence my involvement in the British National Yachting Archive, at least there are two people 'on board' with a wish to see the dinghy story told. The alternative COULD have been that old yachts had a historical archive, with funding, whilst dinghies were, by default, left out in the cold.

Maybe...just maybe, once I've got some of the really 'good' names recorded and an acceptable level of content on the website, then both the RYA and the NMM will suddenly find that this is all a good idea and offer some help!

Again, being mindful of the etiquette rules posted today, I'll say no more but I'm sure you're savy enough to read between the lines of what I've said, to see that the issues with 'doing something' run far deeper than I'm actually reporting. It is very easy for any task to slump back into 'talking about talks' (a quote that has been made elsewhere in the last 24 hours) but getting the project off the ground is taking more and more time - in fact, it is not far off full time employment at present.

One thing the CVRDA can be proid of is the record of 'actual acheivement' rather than just 'activity' - if it wasn't for that, Half Cut, Showstring, Unit 7 and many other boats would be ashes by now!!

So - we set the pace, let the others wake up and smell, if not the coffee, the 2 pot!

David

[Ancient Geek]

For those who like me enoy the "unbiased right wing views" of the Daily Telegraph todays motoring sections James May Column has some excellent and rather good views on museums and vintage anything. It seems rather akin the CVRDA ethos. Sorry I cannot seem to create a link to the electric version. Worth getting hold of though I'll scan it when I get home on Tuesday and send anyone who wants a copy a JPEG.

[neil]

I do hope the ethos of the CVRDA is far removed from right wing views.

[Rupert]

Or left wing, really...

[Nigel]

One of the reasons for sailing is to leave left and right behind to concentrate on port and starboard . Long may it be so

[Ancient Geek]

I apologise if my humourous description od the Daily Telgraph has upset some, we should always remember Michael Flanders & Donald Swann!

The fragrant Honeysuckle spirals clockwise to the sun
and many other creepers do the same
But some climb anticlockwise,
the Bindweed does for one,
or Convonlulus, to give her proper name.
Rooted on either side a door
one of each species grew
and raced up to the window ledge above
Each corkscrewed to the lintel in the only way it knew
where they stopped, touched tendrils, smiled
and fell in love.

Said the right-handed Honeysuckle to the left handed Bindweed
'oh let us get married if our parents don't mind we'd
be loving and inseparable, inextricably entwined we'd
live happily ever after' said the Honeysuckle to the Bindweed.

To the Honeysuckle's parents it came as a shock,
the Bindweeds, they cried, 'are inferior stock,
They're uncultivated, of breeding bereft
We twine to the right and they twine to the left'.

Said the anticlockwise Bindweed to the clockwise Honeysuckle;
'We'd better start saving
Many a mickle mac's a muckle
Then run away on a honeymoon and hope that out luck'll
take a turn for the better', said the Bindweed to the Honeysuckle.

A bee who was passing exclaimed to them then;
'I've said it before and I'll say it again
Consider your offshoots, if offshoots there be,
They'll never receive any blessing from me'.
Poor little sucker, how will it learn
When it is climbing, which way to turn,
Right, Left, what a disgrace
Our it may go straight up and fall flat on its face.

Said the right-hand thread Honeysuckle to the left-hand thread Bindweed
'It seems that against us all fate has combined
Oh my darling, oh my darling
Oh my darling Columbine
thou art lost and gone forever
We shall never intertwine'.

Together they found them, the very next day
They had pulled up their roots and just shrivelled away
Deprived of that freedom for which we must fight
To veer to the left or to veer to the right.

[Michael Brigg]

I remember hearing this played on a radio tribute. Flanders and Swann are an act that hopefully the BBC will never loose the tapes of (in the manner of the older Dr Who material)

They are a class act that, if they were a boat, would define the nature of what is Classic and should be preserved and held up to future generations to show how things shouldd be done. I use the present tense because although sadly now departed I have no doubt that this duo would continue if they were alive today to lead the field in their class.

I've always remembered the sentiment of the song and wanted to know which of their recordings it is played in.

The programme outlined the obstacles that they had to overcome in a society far less tolerant than what we have today. Michael Flander at Oxford was told that Oxford university had "No place for cripples" and Swann was a refugee White Russian from the Bolshevics. In 50's Britain it was quite risque and the same BBC archive contains a version of the Hippopotomous song with the falsetto verse sung spontaneously and without a pause in Russian.

"Ichabod" is the answer to the crossword puzzle clue "The Power and the ....."

In some cases "The Glory" has indeed departed.

[Ancient Geek]

Never fear Michael there are several "tribute" duos out there including one Michael (Never let the bastards grind you down.) Mates M.P. who doers it very well and for charity.
Recently we had both Flanders & Swann on one night and Tom Leherer (Tom Foolery.)
We should never lose sight of our posterity!

[MartinH]

I've always remembered the sentiment of the song and wanted to know which of their recordings it is played in.

This was on the recording of "At the Drop of a Hat" and the track is called "Misalliance" In my younger days this and the sequel "At the Drop of Another Hat" were favourites of mine and we used several of their songs in a 6th Form Review.

This has got me thinking; did Flanders and Swann ever write anything abouts boats or sailing?

[Michael Brigg]

This has got me thinking; did Flanders and Swann ever write anything abouts boats or sailing?

Quite probably no, but unfortunately Gary R has....

You have been warned....viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1481

[Garry R]

ANd I was lucky enough to get the Complete Flanders and Swan cd set for my birthday and it is on there. Published by EMI

[Ancient Geek]

And the Flanders dynasty continues his daughter Stephanie is the BBC Economics Editor!

[ACB]

The NMM website says that the RNSA 14 was designed by Charles Nicholson and Uffa Fox. Is this true?