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Fancy a chance to sail this beautiful vessel? We are offering an exclusive day-sail as a reward for supporters of the Wind, Tide & Oar project.
Visit our Crowdfunder and look at the 'rewards' section:
www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/windtideandoar
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Meet Blue Mermaid, an engineless Thames sailing barge.
She is owned and run by Sea-Change Sailing Trust. She is a 'replica' of her original sister, and was commissioned in 2019.
Blue Mermaid will star in the film Wind, Tide & Oar. She is a very interesting vessel with extraordinary potential for manoeuvring under sail, with exceptionally skilled crew who live and breathe engineless sailing.
She will also be the vessel that brings the film to local audiences, on a sail-powered screening tour, whilst simultaneously teaching young people the elements of traditional seamanship, alongside life and social skills.
We are very excited to be working with such a wonderful boat and crew, and we look forward to sharing their passion and skills.
This footage was shot by Huw Wahl at the Colne Barge Match, 2021, on a Bolex hand-crank 16mm camera.
Sea-Change Sailing Trust National Historic Ships UK Royal Museums Greenwich The Barn Maritime Heritage Trust
DAY 5 of our Crowdfunder campaign, we have reached 23%!
22 days to go.
Can you help?
www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/windtideandoar
Here's a wonderful comment left on our Crowdfunder page yesterday...
"As a sailor of 20+ years who has sailed around Ireland, to Orkney and Norway in a small old boat … I’ve often wondered if I could do the same voyages without an Iron Horse. The only time I’ve had to ask the RNLI for help is when that bloody horse gave up on me.
In hindsight, safely ashore I could of got myself safely into harbour/anchorage without it.
Confidence, practice and going against the belief that you need an auxiliary engine is what held me back…. It doesn’t have to be that way and hopefully this film will illustrate how to sail and live without one." - Andrew Thomas
THANK YOU to all those who have supported our project so far. We are so pleased with the amount we have raised already.
Lets keep going.
This picture is from footage taken on Blue Mermaid on a Bolex camera with 16mm film, by Huw Wahl.
Sea-Change Sailing Trust National Historic Ships UK Royal Museums Greenwich Maritime Heritage Trust The Barn Arts Council England
Its Mental Health Awareness week in the UK, the theme being Loneliness.
Much of our feeling of disconnection stems from the fact that in our modern life we can ignore and overrule the natural elements that once governed our way of living.
A seafarer without an engine must listen. They must consider all their environment, from the tide to the atmospheric pressure, to the localised climate and current.
In a vessel with a crew, that crew must work together in symbiosis to achieve a shared goal. A hard day’s graft exposed to the wind and weather, using hands and rope to make the vessel move, erodes the barriers that separate us; we are brought together in a sense of comradery.
Whether it is connection to others, or connection to the wild landscape and natural elements, sailing offers us the opportunity to put down our loneliness, and realise we still belong.
Donate to our Campaign:
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/windtideandoar
Sea-Change Sailing Trust National Historic Ships UK The Barn Royal Museums Greenwich Maritime Heritage Trust Stephen James Hunt
Check out Ship Happens short video of their day at last weeks National Historic Ships UK Shipshape event!
Meet Birubi, a 42ft engineless steel ketch.
Birubi and her owner, Stephen James Hunt, were the original inspiration for this film project.
Rose met Stephen in 2018, when Birubi was laid up in Ipswich Haven boat yard. This footage shows Birubi being launched after a 5-year long restoration.
Stephen had taken the engine out of Birubi and was filling in the aperture in the hull where the propeller originally was. With a career of skippering Thames sailing barges, along with sailing several of his own boats, Stephen had always pushed himself to sail and manoeuvre as much as possible without using the engine.
The skills Stephen have and is continuously developing are intricate and beautiful, intensely connected to the natural elements. They were also used by sailors for generations before himself.
Rose introduced Stephen to her brother and filmmaker, Huw Wahl, who later came to film Birubi’s launch and first sail since the restoration, which is the footage you see here.
We plan to explore more about him, his life and how he uses his skills in the Wind, Tide & Oar film project.
Help us to make this happen:
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/windtideandoar
National Historic Ships UK Royal Museums Greenwich The BarnSea-Change Sailing Trust Maritime Heritage Trust
We are very grateful to The Longest Johns who have generously donated some VIP Meet & Greet Gig tickets to our Crowdfunder campaign:
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/windtideandoar
They are a folk band that has grown out of their love for folk and sea shanties.
From their brilliant latest album Smoke and Oakum:
"They're down, drowned in thе depths below
Wherе the sun don't shine and the winds don't blow
And the timbers crack and the mainstay fails
We'll all find peace wrapped within our sails"
Pick up the last VIP ticket on our Crowdfunder:
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/windtideandoar
Thank you to The Longest Johns
& to everyone who has so far supported us!
Sea-Change Sailing Trust National Historic Ships UK Maritime Heritage Trust The Coastal Explorer Yarmouth Oilskins The Barn Arts Council England Tom Cunliffe - Sailor, Author & Broadcaster TS Rigging Ltd Royal Museums Greenwich
Harnessing wind power for travel is a proven emission free technology. Sailors have utilised this source of energy for millennia.
Wind power cannot be used up.
It does not damage the earth to access.
It is free, harnessed by sails and a crew who know how to use them.
Sailing is quiet, allowing marine life to communicate effectively.
Over is the time that we can continue being "master" of our natural world. For the sake of our future, we must now act in harmony with the environment.
Help us spread the world about engineless sailing by supporting our Crowdfunder campaign:
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/windtideandoar
We are very excited about what EcoClipper is planning for our future of shipping and travel. Watch this space for our interview with CEO Jorne Langlaan later in the month.
This photo was taken by Huw Wahl with a Fuji fm2 camera on 35mm film.
Thank you to our partners: Sea-Change Sailing Trust, National Historic Ships UK, Royal Museums Greenwich, Maritime Heritage Trust, The Barn, Arts Council England
We recently had a lovely day with Yarmouth Oilskins and The Coastal Explorer, sailing in the marshes in Wells-next-the-sea.
Rose had the chance to wear some of Yarmouth Oilskins gorgeous clothing.
Established in 1898, Yarmouth Oilskins have been making clothing from their factory in Great Yarmouth for over 120 years.
Made using natural materials such as waxed cotton, their clothing is durable, sustainable and beautiful. Strong enough to withstand outdoor work, they stand up well to sailing traditional vessels.
There is still 1 gift voucher available through our Crowdfunder campaign, which they very kindly donated to our cause.
Find out more here:
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/windtideandoar#start
Thank you Yarmouth Oilskins!!!
And to for the beautiful photographs, all taken on analogue film cameras.
& Thanks to The Coastal Explorer, The Longest Johns, TS Rigging Ltd, National Historic Ships UK, Royal Museums Greenwich, Maritime Heritage Trust , Tom Cunliffe - Sailor, Author & Broadcaster, Sea-Change Sailing Trust, The Barn, Arts Council England and all those who have otherwise supported us!
