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The recreation of Shackleton's Boat - The "James Caird" comes to The Beale Park Thames Boat Show
Wednesday 20th May 2009
The recreation of Shackleton's Boat - The "James Caird" comes to The Beale Park Thames Boat Show
Shackleton's voyage: In 1914 Sir Ernest Shackleton mounted an expedition to cross the Antarctic from sea to sea, but his ship, the Endurance, soon became trapped in the pack ice of the Weddell Sea, and after nine months was finally crushed and sank. The ship was abandoned in November 1915 and the 28 men crossed a chaotic maze of ice in three salvaged boats, one of which was "James Caird", to make their way to landfall on Elephant Island. By this time the world was at war and no-one knew that Shackleton and his men were alive, winter was approaching and supplies were running loShackleton and the seamanship of Frank Worsley. This leadership style is central to the motivational curricula at business schools all over the world. w, so the only option was to go and get help, the nearest being 800 miles away on South Georgia. Shackleton and five men set out in April 1916 and, after 17 days of gales, constant pumping, and chipping ice from the hull and rig to prevent capsize, they landed on South Georgia. They then climbed a four thousand foot mountain climb before three of them staggered into Stromness whaling station to raise the alarm. It took three rescue attempts to finally reach the crew. The fact they survived such an epic voyage is a remarkable testament to the leadership of Shackleton and the seamanship of Frank Worsley. This leadership style is central to the motivational curricula at business schools all over the world.
The re-build of Shackleton's boat, the "James Caird", comes to the Beale Park Thames Boat Show, as students from the International Boatbuilding Training College (IBTC), continue their build of a replica of the boat at this year's show – 5th-7th June.
The IBTC was approached at the Earls Court Boat Show, in December 2007, by The Honourable Alexandra Shackleton, to build a boat that could handle the Southern Ocean. From that came an agreement, as a training project, to build a replica of the "James Caird" for the environmentalist and explorer Tim Jarvis, who is leading the expedition to re-create the voyage and mountain climb.
The part built "Caird" will be at the Beale Park Thames Boat Show, where the IBTC will work on the deck beams and caulking; constructing each section, just as the original, which was built at the Isle of Dogs, in London, in 1913.
"We are delighted to be at the centre of such an exciting project," said Nat Wilson, Managing Director of IBTC. "The "James Caird" is a significant build, so having the opportunity for our students to demonstrate the skills and craftsmanship which they are learning is a huge benefit, particularly as they use the show to help them network and meet boat builders."
Nat continued, "The original boat was constructed of Baltic Pine on steamed Elm frames; in the absence of these, the students are using European Larch on steamed Oak. She is copper fastened with keel stem and a stern of grown Oak.
The students have planked her to the same sheer and then built up a further three planks, as was the original "Caird", and she will be decked in and canvassed. Caulking will be with cotton and she will be paid up with white lead putty, and then the whole boat painted white."
