On the starboard side, opposite the table, is space for a stove, which, however, on this cruise we used for stowing spare mattresses. Behind it are deep cupboards with low coamings to prevent things slipping. Here were empty portmanteaux, seaboots, and a watertight box for photographic material. The door into the forecastle is on this side, so that it is possible to go through even when someone is sitting at the writing-table. In the forecastle is one full-length comfortable bunk on the port side. On the starboard side there are big cupboards instead of a second bunk. These were used for ship’s stores, such as blocks and carpenter’s tools, shackles and the rest. A seat is fixed close by the mainmast, to a big central cupboard which is the full height of the forecastle from deck to floor, and was used for oilskins and clothes. In the forecastle we stowed warps, spare anchor, tins of kerosene, one of the water-barrels and the sails. This left small room for the Ancient Mariner, but, as he said, “There was room to lie and sleep, and room to sit and smoke, and what does any man want with more?” The main cabin is the general living room.
As you come out of the cabin into the companion-way, you find on either hand a cupboard from deck to floor. On the starboard side is a simple and efficient closet, and aft of that, under the deck, a big space used for all the engineering tools, lubricating oils and greases. On the port side is the galley, with room for three Primus stoves (I am fitting a Clyde cooker). One of the stoves is in heavy iron gimbals for use when under way. Behind this is a shelf and rack for cooking-things, and aft, under the deck, a second water-barrel. The engine, a heavy oil, hot-bulb Swedish engine, burning kerosene (we have no benzine in the ship), is under the self-draining steering-well. It is completely covered when not in use by a wooden case, contrived to provide steps up to the deck. The case takes to pieces, but can be fixed with absolute rigidity, so that people who have visited Racundra have asked on going away, what was the purpose of the reversing lever (at the side of the companion-way, within reach of the steering-well), never having suspected that we had an engine on board. For all the good we got of it during this first cruise we might just as well have had no engine, but next year I hope to take the engine seriously and learn the Open Sesame that will set it miraculously to work. The oil reservoir is in the extreme stern, and is filled from the deck. The companion-way can be completely covered in by a folding and sliding lid, over which we shall have a canvas cover. The raised trunking of the cabin is carried completely round companion, mizen mast and steering-well, so that there is plenty of room inside this coaming for a man to lie full length. In summer this would be a most desirable place to sleep, and even on this autumn cruise, during our days of fine weather, we put one of the spare mattresses there, and anyone who was not busy with something else reclined there, smoked, dozed, read or bothered the steersman with irrelevant conversation. The steering-well itself gives room for two people. In front of it, immediately aft of the mizen mast, is the binnacle, and under the deck, between companion-way and steering-well, is a cupboard for riding light, binoculars, fog-horn, etc. The main sheet, mizen sheet, backstays and staysail sheets are all cleated within easy reach of the steersman, who can do everything but reef without leaving his place. Owing to the height of the narrow mainsail, inevitable in a ketch, the gaff tends to swing too far forward, so I have a vang, which also serves as a downhaul fastened to the peak, and cleated, when in use, close by the mizen mast.
RACUNDRA AFTER RANSOME
Following the completion of Racundra’s third cruise in September 1924 the Ransomes left Latvia to live in the Lake District and Racundra was put up for sale to pay for their new home. She was purchased by Adlard Coles, at that time a young newly married yachting author, who was later to become head of a nautical publishing house bearing his name. The boat was advertised in Yachting Monthly magazine for £300 and after lengthy negotiations sold for £220. She was renamed Annette II, a condition of the purchase, as her new owner planned to write a book about her voyage to England. Coles and his wife sailed from Riga to Southwold in Suffolk from July 23rd to September 22nd 1925, via Sweden, Danish islands, Kiel Canal, Friesian islands and the North Sea, a distance of about 1350 nautical miles. Close Hauled, published by Seely, Service & Co Ltd in 1926, chronicles the trip. The boat was found by its new owner to be woefully under canvassed (she had a sail area of only 480 sq. ft.), and slow but able to withstand the atrocious weather they encountered in the North Sea. Of the engine Coles recorded: “Ran six miles. Six engineers to put it in order. Repair bill, six pounds.”
In 1926 she was sold to Mr. R. R Baker and reverted to her original name. Lloyds Register of Yachts records her as being owned by R. P. & Lt. H. B. Baker RN and registered in London. In 1927 she was fitted with an Ailsa Craig petrol motor, the new owner obviously giving up on the original 4 hp hot-bulb Swedish engine. In 1928 she became solely owned by R. P. Baker. A Mr. S. E. Palmer owned her from 1930 to 1933.
Racundra moved her Port of Registry to Southampton in 1933 and was owned jointly by Dr. E. T. Wright & Mrs. Alice E. Tyssen-Gee living not far from each other in Paddington and South Hampstead. Could this have been a repeat of the Master & Owner and the Cook relationship? She became solely owned by Dr. Wright in 1937, and was sold to R. J. St. Aubyn-Latham in 1938. He removed the Ailsa Craig and had her fitted with a four-cylinder Ford Universal petrol engine.
From 1939 to 1965, some 26 years, she was owned by J. M. Baldock, the Hampshire M. P. In 1952 Baldock converted her to Bermudan ketch rig, which increased her sail area to 600 sq. ft., and no doubt increased her performance considerably. At some time, possibly in the early 50s, her cabin had been extended to form a small “doghouse” over a part of the cockpit. In 1956 Racundra underwent a major refit at Mariners Boatyard, The Trippet, Bosham. Brian Fitzpatrick who carried out the work, wrote in December 2000:
“I first came across Racundra in a mud berth in Bosham circa 1956. She had been laid up in this berth opposite the main village, known as Gosport side, for some years and was in a sorry state. The mast and gear had been stored in a boatyard on the Trippet known as ‘Scovells’, which yard I had bought soon after acquiring the larger yard named ‘Mariners Boatyard’ in 1952/3. I was approached by the then owner, a Mr. Baldock who lived in a small castle/country house somewhere near Guildford (I think). He wanted to refit her into sailing order and install a new engine. We hauled her out into the undercover sheds to dry out and consider what to do. Among other things we found that the main stem post had rotted to the core. The planks were ‘sprung back’ and the whole stem removed down to the keel joint.
A new stem was fashioned by adze out of a grown oak crook, refitted and the planks refastened. All the plank seams were wide open and almost impossible to caulk, so we did the best we could and then splined them. The massive centre plate, built like a barn door with heavy iron straps, was jammed in its box and needed a lot of persuasion to remove. The external tackle needed to raise this very heavy item also needed renewing. The decks were replaced in large sections and then covered in the then new Epoxide resin and glass cloth. The whole interior was refurbished and new joinery made and fitted. A new Blake toilet installed and the galley fitted with a new paraffin stove. The heavy rack and pinion wheel steering gear to the Dutch barge type rudder was brought back to life again. Finally we fitted a new Coventry Victor flat twin diesel under the cockpit floor.
The masts and spars were scraped and revarnished and the rigging renewed and eventually, after repainting and varnishing, we launched her off into Bosham Quay. The old canvas sails were treated with red ‘Cutch’ before bending on. She looked very smart and ready for sea again. Unfortunately she somehow managed to hit the bar on one of her trial runs and drove the centreboard crashing up into its casing, causing damage and leaking. The owner took her round to ‘Burnes’ yard also in Bosham where they resorted to covering the underwater bottom with a rubber sheathing. ‘Chunky Duff’ of M.G. Duff, Chichester, was involved in the survey of damage and advised on repairs.
The stem was adzed ou
t of a grown oak bend by Stan Bennett, a one-eyed boat-builder of Bosham. Henry Stoveld, boat-builder, rigger and waterman, ex Scovell’s yard, caulked the seams. The interior joinery was largely made by a Les Turner, cabinetmaker, chair frame maker and machinist from ‘Clubley and Rogers’ of Southbourne. Francis Fitzpatrick of Bosham refurbished the sails & other canvas items, and the boat-builders, engineers, riggers and painters of Mariners Yard undertook the remainder of the work.”
In 1965 she was sold to Tom Dickinson who had the troublesome centerboard removed and sold her to Adrian Haskins the following year. According to Lloyds Register his address was Tangier, Morocco. New Jeckells sails were purchased in 1967 & 1968. Her ownership was transferred to Quitos Ltd, No. 3 Governors Place, Gibraltar in 1974 and her homeport changed to Gibraltar.
In 1971 Mr. Haskins wrote to Mr. Glover, of Fareham:
40 SIDI BUJARI
TANGIER
Tel. 37397
November 12th. 1971
Dear Mr. Glover
I am glad you are so interested in ‘RACUNDRA’. She is a lovely boat, & has personality, & evokes the admiration of all who see her, especially in full sail.
I am sorry to be so long in answering your letter, but my wife sent you a postcard, on sale in Morocco, taken unknown to me, just prior to her bi-annual visit to the slipway for anti-fouling etc. It gives you some idea of her present condition & rig, although the bowsprit is hardly discernable, the photograph having been taken dead for’ard.
She has been in my possession since 1965, & was bought by me in Gibraltar. She was on the slipway for over a month for various repairs & minor alterations, painting & varnishing. The masts were unstepped & all the rigging replaced. Mainmast 45’, mizen 26’. She is now Bermudan rigged, with a sail area of over 500 sq. feet. Jib, foresail, mainsail & mizen of Terylene, by Jeckells, 1968/9., the centreboard having been removed. A Coventry Victor Diesel engine 17HP, self-starter, was installed in 1959. A very solid & reliable job, which after an overhaul, is chiefly used for entry & exit from our marina.
“RACUNDRA” IN TANGIER CONVERTED TO A BERMUDAN RIG.
“RACUNDRA” FITTING OUT IN TANGIER.
She is in exceptionally good condition, as I have a Moroccan sailor, a very good chap, whose sole occupation has been to look after her in every way, under my supervision, for the last six years.
The hull is a sound as the day she was launched, & the only water in the bilge is via the propeller shaft bearing, which is very little. You will notice in the photograph, I now have railings surrounding the deck, which are well worthwhile, when I have my grandchildren & their friends aboard, on occasion, 14 in number.
The tiller has been replaced by a wheel, & the rudder actuated by SS cables. All stays & running rigging (halyards in part) are in stainless steel with Norseman terminals in SS, as well as shackles, although the majority are in bronze. All blocks are “Maine Marine”, & ropes in nylon.
There is an excellent ‘Head’ in the foc’s’le, completely enclosed by a mahogany surround, immediately aft the Samson post & chain locker.
EQUIPMENT. Lifeboat type compass, just aft the mizen, & for’ard of self-draining cockpit, barometer & clock as a pair. The Briggs & Gatehouse ‘Homer’ direction finder, & radio, Ferrograph depth sounder & 2 fire extinguishers are within the main hatchway visible from the cockpit, together with instrument panel, revolution counter, ampere meter, oil pressure gauge, & temperature of water in engine, there being an ancillary heat exchanger.
The exhaust pipes have been fitted with water jackets, to avoid the smell that usually follows those, which are lagged, the silencer being also water-cooled. Simpson Lawrence winch, 401b. Danforth anchor & also Fisherman’s with nylon rope, 70 fathoms of chain.
The cabin has had little structural alteration, & the revolving bar is a surprise & delight to everyone. All the upholstery is plastic, in blue to match the coaming between deck & cabin roof, in which brass opening scuttles have been fitted. The lockers & roof bearers are in oak, as originally made, the remainder of the boat being white. The deck, Admiralty grey/blue non-skid paint. The illumination is excellent three to cabin top & one over each end locker, i.e. one for chart & one for bar, one also, over mirror above door to foc’sle. 15 watts each.
She moves easily through the sea, & her hull design gives a very comfortable sail. She is quite handy, in spite of her beam, & as you have read in many sailing books, she is a first class heavy weather boat, & if she is maintained, as she now is, has a long life ahead. I sail every day when circumstances permit, & a force 4/5 is the sort of wind in which she revels. She was built in Riga, by 0. Eggers, in 1922. 30 ft. long at waterline, she being a double ender, 36ft. overal, beam 11ft. 9ins. & 6ft. from sole to cabin top, draught 3ft. 9ins, TM 13 tons.
I am very glad to know the origin of her name, as I have so frequently been unable to give an answer. The previous owner, immediately prior to me, was a Mr. Dickinson, & before him, a Mr. Baldock, who I think was an M.P.
I am glad you are so devoted to the sea, & wish you the best of good luck, & many many years of happy sailing!
Yours truly
Adrian Haskins
During the ownership by Quitos Ltd in 1974 she must have deteriorated. In 1976 ocean sailor and adventurer Rod Pickering found her in a poor state in Morocco, purchased and restored her to her former glory. He crossed the Atlantic with her and arrived in Caracas in 1978. He spoke of her as being a “fine sea-going boat”. He had intended to return to England via the West Indies. Later whilst sailing single-handed off the Venezuelan coast she hit a reef on Las Rogues and had to be abandoned. In a letter to Classic Boat magazine in June 1990, Humphrey Holland wrote:
“Some years ago a friend of mine, Rod Pickering, found her quietly decaying in a corner of Tangier Harbour. She had a crude doghouse over her main hatch and her centreboard and case had gone. She was rigged as a Bermudan ketch but her mizen was missing. After much wrangling we eventually obtained permission to take her out and, despite her depleted rig, she performed remarkably well. Rod bought her and refitted her in Estepona.
I had the good fortune to sail her a number of times and despite her great beam and minimal freeboard, she was a slippery and sea-kindly little boat.
About eleven years ago, Racundra was lost on Las Rogues north of Caracas. Her last cruise had encompassed Madeira, the Canaries, the Cap Verde Islands and the West Indies; it was an adventure to compare with the best of sea stories and I hope that Arthur Ransome would have approved.”
Having lost his boat and his home, Rod Pickering said that he “felt like a snail without a shell.” In June 1982 Rod and his cousin set sail in a catamaran from Martha’s Vineyard, New England possibly bound for England. They were never seen again.
A final mystery survives: the very last Lloyds Register of Yachts in 1980 records Racundra as being owned by Rod Pickering as does its short-lived successor Debrett’s Register of Yachts in its only two issues in 1983 & 1985. Perhaps she was “unwilling yet to accept the idea of a final resting place.”
...UNWILLING YET TO ACCEPT THE IDEA OF A FINAL RESTING PLACE.
CHRONOLOGY
1884 Arthur Michell Ransome born on 18th January, Headingley, Leeds.
1897 Cyril Ransome, Arthur’s father, dies; Arthur enters Rugby School.
1901 Enters Yorkshire College (now Leeds University) to read science.
1902 Leaves for London, works as errand boy for London publishers and becomes freelance writer.
1903 Meets W. G. Collingwood and his family.
1904 First book The A.B.C of Physical Culture published.
1907 First major book Bohemia in London published.
1909 13th March marries Ivy Constance Walker.
1910 9th May daughter Tabitha is bom.
1912 Oscar Wilde, a Critical Study published. Sued for libel by Lord Alfred Douglas, won his case.
1913 Marriage falls apart, first visit to Russia.
1914 Leaves to work in Russia for Daily News.
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1916 Old Peter’s Russian Tales published.
1917 Meets Trotsky’s secretary Evgenia Shelepina.
1919 Becomes special correspondent for Manchester Guardian and moves to Tallinn with Evgenia. Later they move to Lodenzee, Lahepe Bay about 40 miles from Tallinn.
1920 2nd July buys his first boat Slug on the beach at Tallinn. 3rd July sails it 60 miles along the coast of Esthonia to Lahepe Bay.
5th July writes to his old friend Barbara Collingwood with lots of questions about sailing.
During the night of 7th – 8th July mainsail stolen.
Wrote essay on the subject.
1921 In the spring, purchases second boat Kittiwake. 13th April goes for trial sail.
15th April meets Otto Eggers, boat designer.
Possibility of Racundra looms.
4th May dinghy, for Kittiwake, ordered from local undertaker arrives.
11th May undertakes first major voyage of Kittiwake from Tallinn to Paldiski North.
20th July sets sail on Venera (the pirate ship), lands on Hiiumaa and meets old man building large boat.
24th July walks to Heltermaa, visits Captain Konga on Toledo of Leith.
Racundra's First Cruise Page 22