Sailing Ships 2.2.2017

The stamp depicting the barque Mariehamn is part of the sailing ship series that includes the stamps featuring the schooner Leo, the barquentine Lemland, the brig Altai, the barque Pehr Brahe and the full-rigged clipper Mermerus.
Thank you Ella.

Golden Age of Sailing Ships 10.6.1989

The stamps on the FDC are part of a seven stamp set on the Theme – Golden Age of Sailing Ships. The ships depicted on the fdc are the Nava of Dubrovnik, 16th century;French Sailing Ship, 17th century and an 18th century Sailing Ship.

In the “Golden Age of Sailing Ships, Sailing Ships of the Adriatic Sea” issued by Yugoslavia in 1989, shows Sailing ships as the means of navigation on the seas were very important in olden times when only the wind-power could be used as a means of propulsion. Various types of sailing ships for commercial and war purposes navigated on the Adriatic Sea. In the old historiography the Phoenicians were considered as the first seamen. However later it was proved that the Egyptians had built their ships before them. The Greek’s with their ships conquered the seas on the Adriatic coast and founded their colonies.

The notion of a war ship of that time was the famous Greek trireme. The Illyrians especially the Liburnians who were good ship builders, took part in the maritime commerce on the Adriatic Sea. Their ‘liburna” is well known in maritime history. Later the Romans took over the shipbuilding and navigation skills from the Greek’s and Illyrians and then the Roman Galley appeared, in the 7th century the Slavs gradually took possession of the Adriatic coast. The Croatian ships were the only ones which could resist the Venetian and Byzantine naval forces. In naval history Dubrovnik appears in the 8th century and becomes an important military maritime and commercial centre with a navy and mercantile shipping, while the shipbuilding also develops at Boka Koturska where originated the famous navy of Boka. In the 15th century Dubrovnik reaches the climax of its naval power. The navies of Dubrovnik – merchant ships on long lines are well known. On the Mediterranean Sea the French, English and Dutch ships appear more and more frequently and they push the shipping of Dubrovnik on the Adriatic Sea. The era of the sailing ship ends with the 19th century when steamships, modern and more economical, take over the reign of the seas.

Thank you Karoly.

Lake Transportation by Ships and boats 11.6.1981

From ancient times, Norwegians have been a seafaring people, not just because they love the sea, but because they have had to be.  

It is not only coastal Norway that offers boat trips. For example you can take a trip on Norway's largest lake, Lake Mjøsa, with the world's oldest paddle steamer Skibladner. PS Skibladner (1.10) is the only paddle steamer operating in Norway, it sails on lake Mjøsa.

The Bandak-Norsjø Canal, also called the Bandak Canal was built between 1887 and 1892. The Victoria (1.30), built in Oslo and put into service in 1882, is still running. She has been partially rebuilt and is now a popular tourist attraction.

The next stamp features Motorship Faemund II(1905) (1.50) on Lake Famund.

The ship featured on the next stamp was MS STOREGUT (2.30), built in 1956 was a motor ship, railway ferry on Lake Tinn. 

Lake Tinn is one of the largest lakes in Norway, and one of the deepest in Europe. It is located between the municipalities of Tinn and Notodden in Telemark county. Lake Tinn (Tinnsjøen) is one of the largest lakes in Norway, and one of the deepest in Europe.  

Sailing Ship 5.8.1999

A sailing ship portrayed on this Aland stamp.

Thank you Ella.

Paintings of the brig Altai and the barque Pehr Brahe 2.2.2016

On 2 February 2016, the stamp series featuring Åland sailing ships continues with Allan Palmer's detailed paintings of the brig Altai and the barque Pehr Brahe.

The six-year series started in 2015 with the issues featuring the schooner Lemland and the barquentine Leo. Captain and artist Allan Palmer made a comprehensive research to be able to illustrate the coming sailing ships Altai and Pehr Brahe in a genuine entourage.

The brig Altai was built in 1859 on Vårdö for a jointly owned shipping firm with several part-owners. Altai chiefly transported timber on the North Sea, and she yielded good profits until taken out of use in 1876. On the stamp, Altai lies at anchor outside the port of Copenhagen, a common destination for taking onboard provision and buying gear.

The barque Pehr Brahe was built in 1877 in Parainen for major shipowner Nikolai Sittkoff in Mariehamn. The barque is presumed to be the first actual deep sea ship from Åland and, sailing to Vladivostok and Nikolayevsk on the Pacific Coast in 1879, she became the first Åland ship to reach the Far East. Allan Palmer has depicted Pehr Brahe on a long eastward voyage with a certain sail panel with studding sail described in the ship's logbook.

Cape Horner Antoinette 10.4.1971

The Stamp on the FDC depicts the Cape Horner Antoinette under full sail.  Antoinette was a four-masted barque built in 1897 and used in the nitrate trade between Chile and France; she was lost in 1918. In the background of the stamp one can see the Solidor Tower, a strengthened keep with three linked towers, located in the Rance river estuary in Brittany. It was built between 1369 and 1382 to control access to areas up-river. Over the centuries, the tower lost its military interest and became a jail. It is now a museum celebrating the Breton sailors that explored Cape Horn.

The stamp on this FDC commemorates one of the Tall Ships the SS Antoinette. The original Cape- Horners. In 1520, for the first time in the history of navigation, a flotilla led by Magellan bypassed South America and reached the Pacific Ocean. The Strait of Magellan, between Tierra del Fuego and Patagonia, a narrow passage and very difficult for navigation was the reason for its isolation for almost a century. In 1616 the Dutch sailors named rocky cape the "Horn", the name of their city of departure.

The brave Dutch navigators had just opened up the Pacific route. Sailors and those sailing along this route would be nicknamed the "Cape Horners". The passage via the Cape Horn was not an easy undertaking. Strong winds, rain, hail, shallows of less than twenty meters and bitter cold were hurting men who ventured into this Southern region.

In 1850, the discovery of gold in California attracted ships from around the world. The majority of settlers preferred the dangers of those heading the route of the Far West. Rapid clippers from the US connected New York San to Francisco in less than 90 days. Later, the wealth of Australia, California and Chile  provided the Cape Horners an advantageous freight. 

The First World War and the opening of the Panama Canal sounded the death knell of tall ships. In a few years, they disappeared from these seas. 

Thank you Merja.

19th century clipper ships that sailed in Australian waters

Australia Post set sail with the release of four new stamps depicting four 19th century clipper ships that sailed in Australian waters. Australia Post Philatelic Manager, Michael Zsolt said both stamp collectors and maritime enthusiasts alike have a fascination with clipper ships and this evocative period of maritime history.

“The sailing ships featured in this issue have played a role in Australia’s maritime history. We trust everyone, especially maritime history enthusiasts, will ‘hoist their sails and set sail’ to collect these beautiful clipper ship stamps,” Mr Zsolt said.

“From the earliest days of European exploration, sailing ships were crucial in the development of Australia.” Clipper ships were widely used in the mid-19th century due to being fast, yacht-like vessels. The clipper route from England to Australia and New Zealand, returning via Cape Horn, although subject to dangerous weather conditions, generally offered captains the fastest circumnavigation of the world.

The clipper ships at the helm of this new stamp issue featured on this lovely set of maxicards (designed by Lisa Christensen of the Australia Post Design Studio) are:

(70c) Frances Henty – was constructed in Aberdeen, Scotland in 1852 and named after the wife of Thomas Henty. The vessel carried passengers, gold and wool between London and Victoria until at least 1869. The stamp is based on a painting by EC Moore, titled The Frances Henty, 1854.

 (70c) Phoenician – was the first clipper ship to come to Australia, arriving in Port Jackson on 21 July 1849 - taking 91 days from England. The stamp design is based on a painting by Frederick Garling, titledClipper barque Phoenician, 1850s.

(A$1.40) Arabian – was one of many clipper ships that sailed in Australian waters. The stamp design is based on the 1840s lithograph by John Raphael Isaac, after a painting by CP Williams.

 (A$1.40) Monkchester – was a clipper barque built in 1865 by Messrs. Peverill for Messrs. A. Strong of North Shields, England. The stamp design is based on the 1865 painting by John Scott, a noted English oil painter from Newcastle.

Thank you Dear Merja for this wonderful set of maxicards.

Åland sailing belles sail again – on stamps

On 2nd February 2015, Åland Post Stamps launches a six-year stamp series featuring Åland sailing ships. The new series covers the golden age of Åland sailing ship history from the mid-1800s until World War II. The first two stamps feature the schooner Lemland and the barquentine Leo, both characteristic of the mid-1800s.

This was when Åland peasants first acquired the right to import steel and build their own vessels. The so called peasant sailing started and, from having transported only their own goods, the peasants could now transport even the goods of others.

Launched in Åland in 1856, the form of the hull of the schooner Lemland was simply a development of rustic fishing boats of the time. The schooner was typically used for transporting timber across the Baltic Sea and the North Sea and is believed to be one of the pioneers of North Sea shipping in the 1860s. Lemland wrecked in the North Sea in 1876.

Built in Finland in 1870 for Åland parties, the barquentine Leo had a more international design of both rig and hull. For almost 30 years, the vessel was used to carry wood and iron between ports in Scandinavia and Great Britain/France.  

On the Wheat Route

Åland has always immortalized ships and boats of all vintages through her pretty stamps, throughout her philatelic history. The Australian marine artist Robert Carter has immortalized Finnish sailing ships during their last trip on the wheat route in 1949. The Four-masted steel barque Pamir is shown departing from the Port Victoria in the Seychelles. The barque Passat, another vessel of Gustaf Erikson's fleet, is seen in the background with her sails reefed and loading. Although the Passat couldn’t sail away until five days later, she rounded Cape Horn before the Pamir. Pamir thus became the last sailing merchant vessels that rounded Cape Horn on 11.7.1949. Both vessels were sold to Germany. Passat served in Travemünde as a school and museum ship. Pamir was one of the famous Flying P-Liner sailing ships of the German shipping company F. Laeisz. She was the last commercial sailing ship to round Cape Horn, in 1949. Outmoded by modern bulk-carriers, and having severe technical difficulties after her shipping consortium was unable to finance much-needed repairs and recruit sufficient capable officers, on 21 September 1957 she was caught in Hurricane Carrie and sank off the Azores, with only six survivors recovered after an extensive rescue effort. Pia gave me this nice cover.

Tall Ship Pommern

The Aland Postal Service issued a new stamp with postage value of 0,55 Euro named "Pommern” which Celebrated 100 Years" on the 6th of June 2003. The stamp depicts a ship named "Pommern" which was built in 1903 in Glasgow by a German shipping company. Originally the ship was named "Mneme" after the Goddess of Memory Mnemosyne, until it changed ownership in 1906 when it was renamed Pommern. At that time the ship used to sail between Europe and South America. In 1923, Gustaf Erikson from Aland the world's last big sailing ship owner, bought the ship. As with most of his fleet, Pommern sailed in the grain races and carried grain from Australia to Britain. In 1939 Pommern sailed to her homeport Mariehamn and remained there until she finally was donated to the Town of Mariehamn as a museum ship. Pommern is one of four original masted steel barque in the world today. A trip to Australia took almost a year to manage and life was hard. The space on ship you had to share with pigs, sheeps. dogs, cats and rats.....Food and water where strictly rationed, meat stored in salt somethimes even for several years, where called "Old ropes", (strings from hawsers, in old days produced from hemp). And when the rain come, after a long heated trip in the Tropics, the sailors where happy, at least they could have a bath.

The picture on the stamp was taken from a painting by an Australian painter named Arthur Victor Gregory. This painting was done in 1931 and shows the Pommern with full sails caught in a storm. The artwork may be admired at the Aland Maritime Museum. Pia gave me this nice FDC.

Sailing ships

Åland's geographical position created early opportunities for trade and shipping. Bond sailing developed, but it was only after the middle of last century that sea trade here got a major boost. Large sailing vessels were built in Åland shipyards. Although after World War I steamboats took over more and more freight, large Åland shipping companies did not abandon sailing ships. Gustav Eriksson (1872-1947) who lived in Mariehamn, was in the 1930s the owner of the world's largest private sailing vessel fleet. The sailing vessels pictured on the stamps on this FDC issued on 4.6.1988 are generally from that generation

GALEASSE ALBANUS (1,80 mk) about 100 net tonnage, was built in 1904 in Äppelö in Hammarland under the direction of ship builder Johan August Henriksson. After about ten years Albanus was sold to the kingdom. - In 1988 a new Albanus was built in the traditional way, she serves as PR- and camp training ship on the island.

SCHOONER INGRID (2,40 mk) 450 net tonnage, was built in Geta, Olofsnäs 1906-07 under the leadership of Eric Söderström. She is a typical representative of the ships that were used in the Baltic and North Sea Traffic. The vessel was sold in 1919 to England, where she was used as a motor sailor in coastal shipping until the 1930s.

BARKER PAMIR (11,00 mk) 4500 net tonnage, was built in the steel hull in Hamburg. Gustav Eriksson bought her in 1931 and she was inserted in the wheat trade between Australia and England. Pamir was sold back to Germany in 1951 and served as a training ship until 1957 when she sank in the Atlantic. Thank you Pia for this nice FDC.

The Kruzenshtern

Further to my post dated 2^nd June, 2010 under the ‘Tall Ships” group in this blog, Nataliya sent me this lovely FDC dated 29.6.2006. The Kruzenshtern or Krusenstern is a four masted barque and tall ship that was built in 1926 at Geestemünde in Bremerhaven, Germany as the Padua (named after the Italian city). She was surrendered to the USSR in 1946 as war reparation and renamed after the early 19th century Baltic German explorer in Russian service, Adam Johann Krusenstern (1770–1846). She is now a Russian Navy sail training ship.
Of the four remaining Flying P-Liners, the former Padua is the only one still in use, mainly for training purposes, with her home ports in Kaliningrad (formerly Königsberg) and Murmansk. After the Sedov, another former German ship, she is the largest traditional sailing vessel still in operation.

Cyprus - Tall Ships

Tall ships have a particular place in the history of shipbuilding that is vessels with sails that hang from the mast or from the spars of the mast and which capture the force of the wind so that these vessels move along. The ancient Egyptians were the first to build sailing vessels. The first sails manufactured were from animal hides or reeds and woven linen sails were manufactured subsequently. Sails come in various shapes and have different names (for example topsail, topgallant, etc). The Arabs were the first to introduce triangular sails, known as "latini" which were suitably adjusted on the masts and gave the vessel the ability to "cruise" even against the direction of the wind. By the 16th century when shipbuilding developed, a second deck was added to sailing vessels and the variety of sail formations and naval architecture created countless varieties of vessels (caravels, frigates, brigs, brigantines, barques, galleys, etc).

The invention of the steam engine at the end of the 18th century and its introduction into shipbuilding at the beginning of the 19th century led to an abandonment of sail and the domination of steam engines on the seas. Today, tall ships are powered by sails and engines and sailboats are used for pleasure purposes or to take part in sailing competitions.
Cyprus issued three stamps on 8^th June 2011 to commemorate the Tall Ships – Galleon, Caravel and the Brig. Merja sent me this nice cover.

Tristan da Cunha - TRISTAN DA CUNHA 1983 SHIPS SET OF 4 MNH

Tristan da Cunha is a remote volcanic group of islands in the south Atlantic Ocean and the main island of that group. It is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, lying 2,816 kilometres (1,750 mi) from the nearest land, South Africa, and 3,360 kilometres (2,088 mi) from South America. Tristan da Cunha is said to be the "most remote inhabited location on Earth." The territory consists of the main island of Tristan da Cunha itself, which measures about 11.27 kilometres (7.0 mi) across and has an area of 98 square kilometres (37.8 sq mi), along with the uninhabited Nightingale Islands and the wildlife reserves of Inaccessible Island and Gough Island. It has a permanent population of 275 (2009 figures).
Tristan da Cunha is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha which also includes Saint Helena 2,430 kilometres (1,510 mi) to its north, and equatorial Ascension Island even farther removed, grouping the British South Atlantic islands into one far-flung centrally administered aggregate.
Maria sent me this lovely set of four sailing ship stamps on the FDC of TRISTAN DA CUNHA. The stamps are 5p "Islander", 20p "Roscoe", 35p "Columbia" and 50p "Emeline"

Finland - Tall Ship's Race 1972

The term has been in occasional use since at least Shakespearian times:

"The Goodwins, I think they call the place, a very dangerous flat, and fatal, where the carcasses of many a tall ship lie buried ...."
Shakespeare - Merchant of Venice

"I must down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
..."
John Masefield - Sea Fever

and can also be found in folklore with "Mackerel sky and mare's tails make tall ships take in sails" (probably a corruption of "mackerel sky and mare's tails make lofty ships carry low sails").

The Finnish Training Ship Suomen Joutsen is featured on this stamp on the FDC commemorating the Tall Ship Race in 1972. Suomen Joutsen (Swan of Finland in English) (former names are Laënnec, Oldenburg) is a three-mast, steel hull, full rigged ship. She was built in 1902 in St. Nazaire, France to serve in the trade between Atlantic and Pacific ports. In 1930 she was bought by the Government of Finland to serve as Finnish Navy training ship. Before World War II she made eight long ocean voyages. From 1956 she was a stationary Seamen's School for the Finnish Merchant Navy. Since 1991, she has been a museum ship owned by City of Turku, Finland.

Finland – Sailing Ships

The stamps on the FDC displayed were issued on 19.5.1997. The six sailing ships on the stamps were: -

(a) Astrid - Astrid, built in 1918 in Scheveningen, the Netherlands, was built as a cargo ship, and traded in the Baltic until the mid seventies. A period of dubious trade under the Lebanese flag followed, until a fire destroyed the ship and she was found off the English coast in 1984. Her strong hull survived, and she was saved by two British ex naval officers, who used her as a sail training ship for young people. She was given her imposing rig and made Atlantic crossings. Since 1998 Astrid is back in her native Holland and she has been fully restored and equipped as a luxury sailing ship.

(b) Jacobstads Wapen - The Jacobstads Wapen is a modern replica of an 18th century galeas built in Jakobstad, Finland between 1988-1994. She is built according to blueprints by the Swedish warship architect Fredrik Henrik af Chapman (1720-1808) dating from 1755, the oldest vessel blueprints found in Finland. She is classified by the Finnish national board of navigation as a passenger, special-purpose vessel. The 18th century galleon Jacobstads Wapen was sold off in Amsterdam. She has been used as a symbol for Jakobstad but as of late has had financial problems. She participated in the festivities at the 300-year anniversary of St. Petersburg, Russia in 2003. In 2005 it was discovered that some of the woodwork had deteriorated and is currently awaiting renovations.

(c) Suomen Joutsen – The fullrigger Suomen Joutsen (ex Laënnec, ex Oldenburg)
Ship was built in St Nazaire 1902 and sailed as a cargo vessel under French and German flags until 1930. She was purchased by Finland as a training vessel for the Finnish navy in 1930 and renamed Suomen Joutsen (The Swan of Finland).
She made eight training voyages in 1930’s and served as a mothership and support vessel during the WWII.
In 1960’s she was rebuild as a stationed Naval trade School. The Suomen Joutsen became a museum vessel in 1988. She is currently stationed at the Forum Marinum, Turku, Finland.

(d) Tradewind - The Tradewind is a Dutch topsail schooner. She was built in the Netherlands in 1911 as a herring lugger named Sophie Theresia. In 1952, she was refitted for use as a coastal merchantman and an engine was added. She was renamed Aaltje en Willem. In the 1970s, when it was no longer economical to run her as a commercial vessel, she was converted to a house-boat, then later to a charter boat.

(e) Merikokko lifeboat - 1997 The Finish Lifeboat Society celebrated its hundredth anniversary. The society has over hundred vessels and boats, and more as 10.000 members. To honour the society one of their lifeboats is shown, she is the MERIKOKKO and was built in the 1930s, she operated from Utö. She has an engine, but is also fitted out with sails

(f) Sigyn - Sigyn, built in Göteborg 1887, now museum ship in Turku, is the last remaining wooden barque used for trade across the oceans. At the time she was built there were thousands of similar vessels, but she was one of the last ones built. She was quite small even for her time, considering she was built for long-distance trade, but well built and considered fast and beautiful.

This lovely FDC was sent to me By Brita.

Jersey – Ship Building

During the second half of the 12^th century the Channel Islands grew in importance as a stopping off point for travellers between the Plantagenet possessions in England and Aquitaine. As trade increased the islands would have been used by all sorts of merchant shipping. It was during this time that ships in northern waters began to adopt the stern hung rudder, and the old fashioned steering board gradually disappeared. Ships continued to be clinker-built, that is with overlapping planks, as opposed to the more Mediterranean influenced carvel-built tradition of end-on-end planking. It is also about the end of the 12^th century that the compass made its appearance although most mariners still followed the old practices of observation. The ships still tended to stay within sight of land which meant that most shipping between England and Gascony would have passed within sight of the Channel Islands and many would have stopped off especially in St Peter Port with its sheltered, deepwater anchorage.

The miniature sheet shows a few of the important ships that were constructed in Jersey. Merja sent me this MS.

Percy Douglas, a three-masted ship named after Major General Sir Robert Percy Douglas, then Lieutenant Governor of Jersey. Although the Percy Douglas was built in Beaumont, Jersey by Edward Allen, it was registered in Liverpool to Thomas Hayley to whom the ship was awarded when Edward Allen went bankrupt. Registered as 781 tons and launched on 8 August 1861, the Percy Douglas worked the China routes until 14 December 1871 when it was finally wrecked after running aground off Rangoon, India.

Gemini, a three-masted barque built by Daniel Le Vesconte of First Tower for Messrs. Deslandes and Pallot. The Gemini was registered as 430 tons and launched on 7 May 1864, making voyages to China, South America, the West Indies and New York. Records indicate that the crew was paid 2.5 pounds per month and the mate received no less than 5 pounds. She was eventually broken up in Singapore in 1880 after being declared unseaworthy. However, some experts believe that after a name change, it sailed for many more years.
Tickler. This two masted schooner was built in Jersey in 1858 for the Le Boutilier Company. The Tickler with a weight of 93 tons, measured 93 feet long, had a beam of 19 feet and drew some 10 feet of water. She plied the trade routes of northern Europe and the Mediterranean, with occasional voyages to Newfoundland. After ten years in service, the Tickler was mortgaged with the Jersey Joint Stock Bank and was subsequently sold to Charles Robin and Company. Some three years later Robin and Company, a principal ship owning company on the island took control of the Tickler. Because of financial difficulties the schooner, along with other vessels, was sold to France in 1888. She was last mentioned in the Lloyd’s List in 1864.
The Hebe was built by Daniel Le Vesconte of First Tower and owned by the Le Boutilier Company. This brig, launched in January 1861, weighed 236 tons, measured 119 feet long with a beam of 24 feet and had a draft of 13 feet. She plied her trade on the North Sea and the North Atlantic. She was also used to ferry emigrant workers from Europe to Canada. She was wrecked in October 1887 on Bryon Island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. And by the way, Hebe was the daughter of Hera and Zeus and the sister of Ares and Eleithyia. She is the goddess of youthful beauty and the cupbearer of the Olympus, later to be replaced by Ganymedes. She married Herakles after he won immortality.

USA - Star of India

Star of India was built in 1863 as Euterpe, a full-rigged iron windjammer ship in Ramsey, Isle of Man. After a full career sailing from Great Britain to India then to New Zealand, she became a salmon hauler on the Alaska then to California route. After retirement in 1926, she was restored between 1962 and 1963 and is now a seaworthy museum ship at the San Diego Maritime Museum in San Diego, United States. She is the 2nd oldest ship that still sails regularly and the oldest iron hulled merchant ship still floating. The ship is both a California and United States National Historic Landmark. The 1863 Star of India is the fourth oldest ship afloat in the United States, after the 1797 USS Constitution, the 1841 Charles W Morgan, and 1854 USS Constellation, and is the second oldest ship in the entire world that still sails regularly. Unlike many preserved or restored vessels, her hull, cabins and equipment are nearly 100% original. Thank you Hemant for this lovely cover.

Åland – cargo vessels

Ever since the Middle Ages Åland inhabitants have transported different things in their cargo vessels for trade and commerce. Things like firewood, living animals, meat and fish from Åland to Stockholm, Åbo (Turku), Helsinki and Tallinn. The four different types of boats shown on the stamps were among the many vessels used. Along with the First Day Cover I have also displayed the stamp booklet issued during this issue.

Ireland - Asgard II

This FDC and the special stamp was issued on the commissioning of Asgard II. This tall ship was a 104' long brigantine from Ireland, owned by the state and operated as a sail training ship. She was built in Wicklow, Ireland, and launched in 1981 as a replacement for the original Asgard. She has 372 square-metres of sail and boasts an unusual carved figure-head of Granuaile, the famous 16th century Pirate Queen. Her name comes from Norse mythology and means Home of the Gods. Thanks Hemant lovers of tall ships will love this.