Gypsy Moth......a mess!

[Sinbad1]

Last week while enjoying the luxury of St Kaths I took a trip to Greenwich for the first time in 30 years. Gypsy Moth was still there in her concrete tomb. She is sad and very neglected with rotting wood and green slime running off her. She hasn't been scrubbed for a long time and there are signs of considerable decay.

You no longer have access to the boat. She is forlorn and forgotten and would be better serving a kids charity somewhere after a serious overhaul.

Surely the directors of this museum have some obligation to this boat. It should be in a covered display with some history of Chichester to bring it alive.

 

[Rob_Webb]

How sad. I think they also used to have RK-J's Suhali but saw the pity in a great boat ending it's days in cement and let it go to be restored for sailing again - can't remember who's got her though......

 

[ccscott49]

Won't one of these super rich types who rebuild the big beauts, take this on and rebuild her? or couldn't the maritme musuem in Falmouth get a grant from the lottery, or even go forbid the government!! to preserve this peice of our maritime heritage, seems such a bloody shame! I was going to say something really not PC, but nah! better not........................................!

 

[chas]

Who actually owns her - the Maritime Museum? Perhaps a campaign of emails to them might persuade them to take a bit of notice.

 

[durham123]

She is due to be moved to a new home in Lowestoft. Hopefully she will then be re-fitted.

 

[ccscott49]

Do you know if she's going to the wooden boat training school on lake lothing? That would be a great place for her to be re-fitted! I hope she is preserved and used for future generstions to see what can be done!

 

[Mirelle]

He has

R K-J put her there when he thougfht that he could not remove and replace her iron fastenings, so she would cease to be seaworthy. He has since decided otherwise, and taken her back.

 

[tome]

I think she's now owned by the Meridian Trust and based at Gunwharf Quays Portsmouth

 

[halcyon]

Nice new, well if they finish it, National maritime museum in Falmouth. Three years ( ok nearly 4 but it is Cornwall ) and £23,000,000 to finance.


Brian

 

[Rob_Webb]

Wow! I'm based at Gosport myself so I'll have to pop over and see her next time at in Gunwharf!

 

[Bergman]

Some years since I was last at Greenwich and she was a bit of a mess then.

Probably be better to scrap her, don't see any good reason to spend mega bucks to preserve.

After all Chichester never really liked her.

 

[ToMo]

Did he ever really like any of his boats? - I think he was too much of a perfectionist so in the end could never be satisfied.......but for all that he was a very brave man.

TôMö

 

[Guest]

Spell it for a start

Seeing the wrong spelling of GIPSY MOTH all down the page is not a good start. These would-be preservers of ships and yachts are warm hearted, but, except in a few cases, wrong headed. Better take plenty of photographs, make accurate models etc, then scrap.
The worst case of all is the ex-royal yacht Britannia rusting in the north while ice cream eaters gawp around her decks. The Princess Royal, with her customary good sense, suggested she be scuttled at sea, but the government said that the public would be outraged. What tosh! Scores of previous royal yachts were scrapped, sunk or even, in one or two cases, used as coal hulks.

 

[Jeremy_W]

GM3 and developments on that theme were at the front of the OSTAR fleet for four successive races across the Atlantic.

Chichester reserved particular hatred for GM4. The designers' defence - that Chichester meddled and changed his mind incessantly - has largely gone unheard.

 

[ToMo]

Re: Spell it for a start

Errm isn't the difference here that Britania is the last one?

TôMö

 

[Jeremy_W]

Re: Spell it for a start

Chay Blyth was passionate that British Steel should not end up in a museum.

 

[Guest]

Re: Spell it for a start

Re Tomo 3/8: not necessarily. See Daily Tel letters Saturday 3 August. Anyway it was (is) 'Britannia'!

 

[Jeremy_W]

New \"Britannia\"

I haven't seen the letter, but I guess the true odds on a new Royal yacht are precisely zero.