December 2009 Newsletter

admin — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 14:17:25 +0000

North East Maritime Trust

Company No. 5562737 Registered Charity No. 1117855

Newsletter Dec. 2009

Royal Diadem.II

The restoration of the Royal Diadem is progressing well although we do need all the hands available to maintain our schedule.

The stem and forward keel was found to be in a very poor state but has now been rebuilt and now ready for nailing up. I think the following photographs can explain our progress better than my long winded description!

Everyone’s skills and boat building techniques have developed immensely,

producing a confident and proficient working team. Our aims which the North East Maritime Trust set out with of learning and retaining these skills, can be clearly seen to be developing and we can all now feel proud of our achievement. Come and see for your self as I’m sure you will be suitably impressed.

“Spring Tide”

This 16ft clinker Salmon Fishing boat has been donated to the trust by Mrs Susan Mackiver. Having been used by her late husband Robert Anthony for fishing off Whitburn beach where it has been laid up at the fishing club for some years now and we are very pleased to be able to rescue her before any further deterioration sets in from the rain water. Thwarts, knees and transom need replacing but planking and timbers are in fair condition.

Spring Tide was one of two boats ( the other was “Autumn Tide”) built by ship wrights Billy and Jimmy Ray at Whitburn.

The boat has provided the NEMT with excellent learning material upon which to perfect and pass on our skills in wooden boat repair.

Heritage Open Days

Our thanks to Tim West for making a splendid speech on behalf of the NEMT at the opening launch of 2009 Heritage Open Days. This years’ venue was at the Arbeia Roman Fort just up the hill from us. Other guest speakers included John Anglin our South Shields Mayor and John Grundy with his usual very interesting and amusing talk.

The weekend of 12^th and 13^th Sept was a great success with over 100 visitors passing through over the two days. A steady flow of tea and coffee with much chat and cheer! Many thanks to all that helped with making the event go so well and of course for all the generous donations received which are so important to the success of our projects.

Associated Boats

We have just introduced a new kind of membership: for historic boats.

Shortly we will have a few “Associate Boats”. These will be vessels that we wish to have under the umbrella of NEMT and they will be boats whose owners are committed to their preservation.

The Trust wishes to support historic craft that are restored or being restored; and we mean support in the non-financial sense. We also mean “restored” in the literal sense: being put back the way they were. We are looking at vessels that merit display, not just historic ones but ones that are worthy of exhibition, so conversions or neglected boats are unlikely to quali

Before a vessel can be included the owners must sign up to the following pledge:

“The Owner(s) pledge that they will do their best to manage the restoration and preservation of the vessel in accordance with the “Barcelona Charter”; they further pledge that it is their intention to give the vessel a sustainable future beyond their ownership should it be transferred to others. They declare that their interest in the vessel is not for personal gain other than the satisfaction gained in pursuit of its preservation, display and related activities.”

The “Barcelona Charter” includes recognised guidelines for conservation, restoration and sustainability of historic vessels and is to be commended to all owners of heritage boats as the way to ensure their valuable possessions are properly respected. It was adopted at the European Maritime Heritage Conference in 2001. To read it , look on the web at…………

http://www.european-maritime-heritage.org/docs/sc/NewMOUSouthAttBarcelonaCharter.pdf

Our working together with Associated Boats will raise the profile of both NEMT and the boats involved. Let’s hope they will give us the opportunity to “fly the flag” up and down the coast.

Joke for a Boat.

A massive thank you goes to Ray Spencer, executive director of the Customs House for a most successful fundraising night for the Henry Frederick Swan life boat restoration. Enthusiasm and support of this scale is so important and encouraging

Your membership is so very important to the Trust and the future of our maritime heritage, we value you as a supporter / helper and look forward to welcoming your future input, be it just £10 or better still come along to our revised days. We now open on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday AM each week. We need You

We wish you all a Very Merry Christmas with fine days and fair winds for a good sail.

If you get the chance!!

How to find us:

By Ferry from North Shields, Turn left at the main road after leaving the ferry landing. Pass the Alum House pub on your left (although I do recommend the excellent selection of real ale!! Don’t stay too long).

Take a left at the next roundabout and cut through the housing, keeping the river on your left.

In a couple of minutes you will reach “Comical Corner”(by the Sea Cadet Headquarters) and we are 50yards on the left.

North East Maritime Trust

Fisherman’s Workshops

2/3 Wapping St.

South Shields

Tyne & Wear

NE33 1LQ

Friends of NEMT

Dave Parker,

dave.a.parker@talktalk.net Tel. 0191.5295381.

Mob. 07779785666