Cutty Sark

[Twister_Ken]

Should she be:

a) Scrapped?
b) Rebuilt?
c) Scrapped and a real-life sailing replica built?

£50+ million seems an awful lot to spend rebuilding a not-very-good museum in a hole.

 

[Neraida]

Judging by the "Boost for Curry Sark repairs..." headline, there may be another option...?

 

[Gunfleet]

<<£50+ million seems an awful lot to spend rebuilding a not-very-good museum in a hole>>

not to people who want to spend £12 bn on foreigners running round a field in Stratford.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Another option? Surely the plan there is just to make-do and mend, leaving a follow-on static exhibit, with even less of the original ship than the pre-bonfire version.

Far more aspirational to create a sailing replica, maybe reusing some of the surviving bits, if they're hard enough.

 

[Neraida]

Ummmmm, sorry Ken. I was commenting on the IPC proofing tools (or lack thereof)
i.e. "CURRY Sark"

It's an emotive subject. Easy to get curried away....

 

[Twister_Ken]

Instant Korma, to quote John Lennon.

 

[Judders]

My gut reaction is to be rally rather keen on the sailing replica option, especially if it uses plenty of the surviving orignial (sic) parts, however in doing this we would be missing the whole point of what makes Cutty Sark special.

In my pre-sailing days, a visit to Cutty Sark in Grenwich helped inspire me. Indeed I remember my first visit well. The former SWMBO lived in Bromley and took me there as an escape from her parents one Easter. Whilst I (and indeed she) probably knew deep within myself that I wanted to follow my blood (as it were) and persue a casual interest in the sea, Cutty Sark must surely have helped stir that up. Now ten years later, here I am, ex RNR, owner of a boat, Lloyds Marine claims chap. Now I am not saying it was all down to a visit to Cutty Sark, of course not, but we only went out of a fairly casual interest. There must be genuinely inspriing places, ships and exhibits for the casual interest and their children. Had Cutty Sark been at sea, we would never have gone and she would only have been magical to those who already knew they wanted to go to sea.

I am probably making my point very clumsily, but I hope I am making it.

 

[jamesjermain]

You make your point very well Judders, but in my view, if she had been sailing, she would have been seen on tele and by people all round the coast. The sight of a square rigged clipper in full flight would have been, in my humble opinion, a much more inspirational sight than a very static and musty static exhibit. I went round her when I was about eight and was, to be honest, a bit bored, I seem to remember.

 

[Judders]

I take your point JJ, but these days, with so many amazing images on TV, and such poor explanation by presenters, there has to be room for both. Cutty Sark in Greenwich was not simply visual, it was a far more ecompassing experience. That said, if someone wants to go and build a clipper of her ilk and sailing it, then I'll sign on for three square meals a day!

 

[Twister_Ken]

Last time I was on Cutty Sark, I resented the entrance fee. The displays seemed to be nine-tenths about what they doing to restore her, how jolly clever they were to be doing it, and how much they needed my hard-earned shilling to continue to do it, rather than about trade, empire, tea, life under sail, or anything else of general interest. Museums, like ships, have moved on. Cutty Sark hadn't.

 

[Gunfleet]

Well it had moved on. They were charging. When I went to school there it was buckshee.

 

[bigroger60]

Build another one useing what parts are still useable and lets see here as she should be seen, its a lot of money for a static exibit!

 

[cliffordpope]

Make sure it is managed by new trustees this time, with more appreciation of fire precautions.
Vet carefully anyone with "Old Caledonia" in his C.V.

 

[Slow_boat]

Surely if she is going to be rebuilt from the keel up she may as well be built as a ship and not a static museum.

All of the artefacts were ashore anyway, weren't they?

 

[Sui Generis]

Sorry JJ but I agree with Judders. Yes in full flight she would be a very inspirational sight, but how often, in reality, would that happen; furthermore if she was in full flight she would be offshore so how many would be close enough to see and appreciate? I sail with the TSYT and thoroughly enjoy it, but sadly, due to crew limitations, it is a rare occasion to have all sail up - and we don't have stunsails!