howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
good to hear sarah, the people working on the project will gain encouragement from people turning up and asking questions.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
just a reminder that work will be taking place tomorrow, the further they get the more interesting it must be to watch.
I checked back on the progress Saturday , even in a week the progress is fantastic it now looks like a boat , I cant wait to see what they have managed to do by next Saturday
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
certainly beginning to take shape now.
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
Looks great! Perhaps we'll get a mosaic of our Bronze Age ship along the underground passage to the seafront.
No-one knows exactly what the vessel looked like, as one piece is still under the ground, and it's not even certain whether the rowers sat or stood in the boat.
Will be interesting to see how these carpenters design it, if for seated or standing rowers.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
disagree alex over 90% of the original was recovered, enough for the experts to do a reconstruction.
perhaps when they do the inaugaral sailing they will do the decent thing and bring me back a few cartons of superking blacks?
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
Indeed, Howard, but that 10% which is missing makes it hard to determine exactly what the vessel looked like. It's not even certain if it was just 10% missing.
Dover Museum have three theories as to how long the boat was.
But the other question is, how tall were the sides of the boat. It seems the one we see in Dover Museum is very low, so it may have had extra planks to increase the size of the sides and prevent water from entering.
As for the rest, the best thing is to recruit a cast of oarsmen for the crossing. I'll volunteer as a member, and at Calais you can organise a cargo of French wine and tobacco.
The Rattling Cat in Walmer is an ideal place where smugglers used to store their goodies.
Guest 705- Registered: 23 Sep 2010
- Posts: 661
..reckon that steam is smoother than oars...this a brilliant scheme-but why not make it full size?
Never give up...
I didn't know about this (serves me right for not logging on often enough) and I think it is very exciting. If it is Damian Lewis on the project he is top man on prehistoric wood working. This really is one thing that has put Dover on the (pre-history) map. I hope to go down on Wednesday if I can get to it in a wheelchair without giving me or the old man a heart attack.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
looks like it is nearly complete, not so many spectators today with the grim weather.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
just got roger's latest newsletter by e mail and the launch date has been announced as the 12th may.
Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 6,025
I hope to be there
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
Thanks Howard - I'll finish of sending it out soon and then post it on here - it's a long newsletter so lots to read.
Roger
I cant wait to see what happens , as I said before there is still some debate about how seaworthy the finished craft will be and the techniques of rowing/bailing . Its been a fascinating project to follow and all of the crafts people involved have been so intresting to talk to
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
just a reminder that the launch is from the seasports centre on the promenade this saturday at 1 p.m.
i was told today that a band would be playing.
great weather forecast too.
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
don't forget the launch later today, ceremony at 1 p.m. launch at 2 p.m.
the telly people will be there so let's have a big turn out to make dover look good.
Guest 1694- Registered: 24 Feb 2016
- Posts: 1,087
Will be there with the family. We've been popping in to see progress every so often whilst its been under construction, so it'll be interesting to see how it does on the water.
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
thanks howard and neil.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
a lot of confused people around earlier spread around the promenade wondering where the launch would be, no signs up anywhere.
the band just sat on the beach wondering what to do.
