The Schooner Ruth - her construction and recent launch in Barbados

[Bajansailor]

The Builder of the Schooner Ruth (www.schoonerruth.com) was inspired by the old wooden cargo schooners that used to carry most of the inter-island cargo in the Windward and Leeward islands - there was still one remaining (carrying fruit from Dominica to Barbados) 15 years ago, so he decided then to build a modern day cargo schooner in steel, to carry on with this tradition.
And fifteen years later, Ruth was finally launched in November last year.
Here are a few photos showing her under construction, on launch day, and on her maiden sail in the annual Mount Gay Round The Island Race on the 21st January.
A large slab of concrete was cast on the beach 15 years ago and then later on the keel was set up.
It took a few years for the frames to be added, and this is what she looked like in November 2007 :

April 2008 :

July 2008 :

October 2008 :

October 2009 :

November 2012 :

On the beach, ready for launch, November 2014

On the way! One of the Bridgetown Harbour tugs pulled the trailer into the sea, while a big Caterpillar bulldozer acted as a brake at the other end.

Finally almost splashed!

My photo limit is used up, so I shall add some more in the next post of her maiden sail in January.

 

[Bajansailor]

Here is a nice video of her launch :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AglsXOzbNvM

And another one, this time from a birds eye view using a quadcopter :

https://vimeo.com/114397231

And lots of amazing photos of the launch (far better than any I took), taken by Peter Marshall :

http://jalbum.net/en/browse/user/album/1574488

Peter also has an online album of photos he took of the boats in the Mount Gay Round The Island Race on the 21st January, and there are some of Ruth in here, as well as the lovely Herreshoff schooner Elena, the topsail schooner Tres Hombres, and the Volvo 60 Monster Project.

http://petersimages.jalbum.net/Mount Gay Round Barbados Race January 21st 2015/

 

[sailorman]

Thanks what an achievement & a handsome ship too

 

[Tradewinds]

Fabulous.

 

[sarabande]

you must be very proud of her, and what she represents to the people of your Island.

 

[Hadenough]

"StRuth", what an achievement, well done?

 

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

Not wood <sniff>

But really -- Oh, wow!

You must indeed be very proud of her.

Mike

 

[sipsiwn]

Beautiful! Proper sailing vessel.:encouragement:

 

[Bajansailor]

Thank you for the kind compliments about Ruth - I really didnt have any involvement with her build, I was just watching from the side lines over the years.

Ruth went for her first sail ever when she took part in the Round the Island Race in January - I was honoured to be onboard, and will post some photos of our trip up the west coast below.
We only sailed up to North Point and back, same as Tres Hombres, as this was just a trial sail and nobody was too keen on going the whole way around (about 65 miles) without getting more experience with her first (especially as the next 20 miles after North Point would have been sailing south along the windward side of the island, with a lee shore not too far away).

First of all, here are a few photos taken of us by Peter Marshall, with the Bajansailor on the helm.

And some that I took onboard :

Other vessels in the Mount Gay RTI included Tres Hombres - here are a couple of links about her.
http://fairtransport.eu/ships/tres-hombres/
http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais...ES_HOMBRES?_=d45f90a56370089ae0d2d4a25375db3c

And the Schooner Elena - http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/photos/of/ships/shipid:195235

And the Volvo 60 Monster Project - http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/photos/of/ships/shipid:470165/

And the TP 52 Conviction - http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/368482000/vessel:CONVICTION

Here is a video produced by the Convicts of their sail around Barbados - https://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-ts=1422579428&v=UB9ImofNFpA&x-yt-cl=85114404

The owner of Schooner Ruth is determined to make her work carrying cargo around the islands under sail - she has a cargo hold amidships that can carry approx 30 tonnes, same as Tres Hombres, and once the Stability Booklet has been formalised and the remaining outfit work in the accomodation is completed she will be ready for trading under sail.

 

[Seajet]

What a wonderful thread, and ship !

Thanks for posting this all, a huge well done to everyone involved.

 

[Horace]

That Tres Hombres one for me but I am a bit concerned that it seems to have sunk,what happened there?

PS:I am also shocked that none of these vessels seem to have 'proper' anchors How can this be? Serious question.

 

[Wandering Star]

That Tres Hombres one for me but I am a bit concerned that it seems to have sunk,what happened there?

PS:I am also shocked that none of these vessels seem to have 'proper' anchors How can this be? Serious question.

What a beautiful "working" boat, the owners must be extremely proud, thanks for posting these pix Martin.

I haven't checked the pix of the other boats yet as I'm on a slow internet connection but the pix of Ruth clearly show she has a massive windlass on the foredeck with two equally and appropriately sized massive anchors catted to the port and starboard bows.

 

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

Thank you for some wonderful photos.

Do I take it from the scuppers that there's a break in the deck forward of the house (rather like on Bluenose)?

Mike

 

[Horace]

What a beautiful "working" boat, the owners must be extremely proud, thanks for posting these pix Martin.

I haven't checked the pix of the other boats yet as I'm on a slow internet connection but the pix of Ruth clearly show she has a massive windlass on the foredeck with two equally and appropriately sized massive anchors catted to the port and starboard bows.

But if Rocnars & all those 'modern' anchors are really all they're cut out to be you have got to wonder why two working boats in somewhere like the Caribbean still use fisherman anchors hav'nt you?

 

[Bajansailor]

Thank you for some wonderful photos.

Do I take it from the scuppers that there's a break in the deck forward of the house (rather like on Bluenose)?

Mike

Aye Mike, that's correct - it is a step of about 8", just forward of the main mast.

Horace, re Tres Hombres, I have not heard anything about her having sunk - Marinetraffic simply mentions that she is now out of range. I think that she is on her way back to Europe now from Bonaire, and I am pretty certain that a significant amount of the cargo on board is organic chocolate produced in Grenada, bound for Holland.

The owners and crew of Tres Hombres are die-hard traditional sailors to the max, and they would probably be horrified at the thought of anchoring with a Rocna........

But I might be mistaken - the Schooner Ruth has a humunguous Rocna currently stowed in the cargo hold - if they ever have to anchor in earnest I think they will use this instead of one of the fishermen anchors catted on the bulwarks.
Tres Hombres might have one lurking deep in the hold as well.

 

[Horace]

Aye Mike, that's correct - it is a step of about 8", just forward of the main mast.

Horace, re Tres Hombres, I have not heard anything about her having sunk - Marinetraffic simply mentions that she is now out of range. I think that she is on her way back to Europe now from Bonaire, and I am pretty certain that a significant amount of the cargo on board is organic chocolate produced in Grenada, bound for Holland.

The owners and crew of Tres Hombres are die-hard traditional sailors to the max, and they would probably be horrified at the thought of anchoring with a Rocna........

But I might be mistaken - the Schooner Ruth has a humunguous Rocna currently stowed in the cargo hold - if they ever have to anchor in earnest I think they will use this instead of one of the fishermen anchors catted on the bulwarks.
Tres Hombres might have one lurking deep in the hold as well.

In that link you gave Bajan http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais...ES_HOMBRES?_=d45f90a56370089ae0d2d4a25375db3c It shows a picture of a vessel sinking,is that not her?

 

[Bajansailor]

Aye, that's her in the photo, but I don't think she is sinking - there seems to be a significant swell and she is in the trough between the peaks of two long waves.
The photo mentions that she is at anchor - she has no engine, so if she runs out of wind and has a foul tide against her she probably dropped her kedge anchor to stop her from going backwards (or even ending up on the rocks).

 

[Deleted member 36384]

I think schooners are beautiful rigs. What a great boat and I think steel is a good choice if she is to have a long, long life.

Thanks for posting,

BlowingOldBoots

 

[Horace]

Aye, that's her in the photo, but I don't think she is sinking - there seems to be a significant swell and she is in the trough between the peaks of two long waves.
The photo mentions that she is at anchor - she has no engine, so if she runs out of wind and has a foul tide against her she probably dropped her kedge anchor to stop her from going backwards (or even ending up on the rocks).

Glad to hear she did'nt sink Bajan,that would have been a terrible tragedy.

 

[dombuckley]

In that link you gave Bajan http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais...ES_HOMBRES?_=d45f90a56370089ae0d2d4a25375db3c It shows a picture of a vessel sinking,is that not her?

Fear not! It's just one of a sequence of photos taken of her anchored off Brest. Still not sure i'd want to be sitting there waiting for the tide...