I could not help but notice an article about one of the grand old ladies of the sea when browsing yesterday’s Saturday Telegraph, Weekend Section.
I have not been in that part of London for some considerable time, having last seen the Cutty Sark long before her fire damage in 2007, but reading the description and seeing the pictures (of which there are more on Andrew Gilligan’s blog to which the above link will take you) was just heartbreaking. All the more so for reading of the millions of pounds of public money that has been thrown into the desecration of one of the shrinking number of examples of our maritime heritage.
The Cutty Sark High and Dry : Saturday Telegraph, Weekend, 21.4.12
It also made me very cross, knowing of the good work that Dan is doing on trying to faithfully restore the Scot II through his own painstaking efforts and fundraising, which could have been bought and paid for with a fraction of the finances thrown at this useless project. (Further Scot II links can be found here, here, here, here, here, and here)
There are already examples of some Robb’s ships being used for commercial ventures other than those they were designed for, and I have mixed feelings about the likes of the South Steyne, as her use as a floating restaurant does at least mean that she is still in one piece. Also, she is not being presented as fully historically accurate with a slap of veneer and glass staircases and being hung from a coathanger, that’s an entirely different thing!
Henry Robb's Shipyard 