A ' r un peth i ti Annwyl Nerys
💤💤💤

Morning Doug, It seems as if the principle cargo carried by any of these ships is wine. I'm not suggesting that anything illegal is going on, but doesn't it hark back to smuggling luggers landing cargoes of wine on Cornish beaches!

I'm beginning to think that a lot of people are seeing the green goodness of trading under sail, it could be the beginning of a new age of sail. As long as people realise that under sail, time sensitive cargoes are out, it doesn't matter if a voyage takes a few more days than a powered vessel. Weather is a consideration, but that affects small motor vessels to some extent too.

Yes, I noticed that the 'Tres Hombres' name was used on the wine. The other organisation TOWT, Transoceanic Wind Transport badge their goods TOWT Rhum, TOWT Coffee etc. as I expect you've noticed.

Iechyd dda, nos da.
Nerys

Mornin'😮 Nerys,
"brigantine called 'Tres Hombres' of 32metres."
Yes I noticed her as well and immediately thought of "Tres hombres en un barco!" 😀
Curious; French ship with a Spanish name.
Pourquoi pas "Trois hommes" ?😉

Nice looking ship. Brave crew to take such a tiddler across the Atlantic!
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=tres+hombres+sailing+ship

I also noted that they carried loads of a wine of the same name!
A votre santé!😋
Doug 😎

Looking into this subject a bit deeper, I have found another organisation called 'Fairtransport' operating a couple of cargo carrying sailing craft. The have a brigantine called 'Tres Hombres' of 32metres. She has been sailing since 2009 and carries cargoes up to 45 tons around Europe, the Atlantic Islands and the Caribbean.They also have a ketch, the 'Nordlys' built as a fishing trawler in 1873, so is possibly the oldest cargo carrying vessel still afloat. She works in European waters carrying 25 tons of cargo, such as wine, olive oil and cider. Both have accomodation for a few trainees as well as their professional crews.

I'm beginning to think there is more of this going on than one would think.

Nerys

Was gonna tell ya but Nerys has done so. Went off to the sack after that. And she was correct on her second point!
John b

I believe that one problem for traditional sailing merchant craft was the unpredictability of delivery times - depending as they did on the weather. In particular, docking was a major problem - they might have to wait outside a port for several days before a suitable wind for manoeuvring into harbour was available.

Modern Met forecasts and the use of small auxiliary engines should assist here. But stormy weather is likely to remain an issue...

Thanks Doug. I've seen many pictures and videos of Bisquines over the years, traditional sailing craft of all sorts have been a passion ever since I can remember. I think it started with my uncle who worked at Ranks Mills on Barry Dock, now long gone, taking me from a very early age to see any sailing craft that came in . That varied from the big sailing ships coming in at the end of the grain races from Australia to the local ketches and trows.

I really was suggesting you look at the 'Transport a la voile' website which is all about the small sailing craft carrying cargoes between Brittany and Cornwall and other routes today.

Somebody else can have the Morning Watch, I'm turning in.

Good night.

Nerys.

Thanks Doug, nice to have the deck for once!
Little to say, fully occupied sailing models as the local ponds are now all open water.
Will resume blogs in the fall when my HMAFV Seal enters the build program
Best
Rowen

My pleasure Nerys,
Glad you liked 'em. Funny, thought you'd already seen them!?

Waffle away please 👍 It's great to hear from you how things were really done😉
You and Rowen have the deck🤞
G'night, 😎

Thanks for those links Doug. Those bisquines are a very impressive sight sailing. Lugsails are such powerful sails. Interesting to see how the yards are on alternate sides of the masts, so that on each tack, at least one sail has a good flow over it without the mast disturbing the wind flow as on the other two masts. Hope that's clear. Always the problem with large lugsails which are too big to dip around the mast when tacking. Also note how long the jib was kept aback to help her round.

As far as the yacht build is concerned, every stage was thoroughly planned with three men who knew exactly what they were doing. I'm not sure that was conventional tongue and groove, I think it was a system that I remember seeing in the final days of mass home built boats before that fibreglass stuff took over. 'If God had meant us to have fibreglass boats, he'd have made fibreglass trees!'. It was a form of strip planking where the plank edges were radiused outwards on one side and inward on the other. The plank edges could be laid into each other with a perfect fit. I never tried it but it always intrigued me. I must admit to building a flat bottomed dinghy with traditional tongue and groove when I was thirteen. My first boat.

Sorry to waffle on.
All the best,
Nerys.

Mon plaisir Martin 😊

The videos were a real pleasure to watch, I enjoyed them tremendously.
Thanks for posting them.

Martin.

Nice Nerys👍
I particularly like this one-


This is pretty neat too, How to build a Yacht - Double quick time!
Same as us, just a tad bigger😉

Out with the saws and planes lads 'n lasses!😁
Never thought of tongue and groove for hull planking - but Why the hell not!?

Cheers, Doug 😎

Hi Doug,
Google 'Transport a la Voile'. That gives full information about the firm doing this, the cargoes they carry, routes, the boats etc. Bisquines are very interesting craft, there's been at least one attending the various Festivals of Sail in France and UK. I expect John will say to just go for YouTube Bisquines.

All the best,
Nerys

"Interesting You Tube Vids, ..."
Where John?🤔
Doug

Interesting You Tube Vids, nice solid looking boats.
John B