Letters LETTER OF THE MONTH SUPPORTED BY OLD PULTENEY WHISKY
Dragon head on the cove line The feature on Lady Edith (CB 395) repeats the well-worn ‘origin’ backstory concerning the Fife dragon ‘arrowhead’ on the cove line or cavetta. In discussion with the late Theo Rye, back in the spring of 2016 when he was Technical Editor of CB, Theo convincingly
THE LADY WITH THE CARVED DRAGON Two decades after a radical restoration, and a period of inactivity, Wm Fife’s Lady Edith has awoken from slumber WORDS BRUNO CIANCI
argued that enduring serpent may have been the work of an itinerant craftsman, likely inspired by the dragonhead on King Haakon’s warship repelled at the Battle of Largs (1263). In her well-known book on the Fifes, May Fife McCallum ponders both options. The first Fife-built Dragon (1889) certainly did not sport a dragon. I am less certain about Dragon’s II and III, even after examining all the images I can source. Dragons appeared
CB395 Lady Edith.indd 4-5
21/05/2021 15:50
Above: Opening
occasionally on yachts built by Dickie’s, while
spread our May
Fife’s small yachts and one-designs did not.
issue feature on
The Fife III Clio (1907) is the first yacht I have
Lady Edith and
found sporting a dragon at launch. I would
left the dragon
love to hear from readers who can
from Eliean
authenticate an earlier image. See below the 1889 Fife 20-rater Dragon owned by Francis Hill of Ardrishaig and skippered by Itchen Ferry’s own Ben Parker. Dragon was “unconquered in her class” winning fifty-four prizes of the value of £820 (£13,000 today). This West image was taken in southern waters and appeared in the first issue of The Yachtsman on 25th April 1891. She had traditional trailboards and no dragon. Euan Ross, by email
Putting your foot in it
Putting your foot in it again
Colin Brown of Saltash asks in his
How about a mustard bath for his injured right
letter with photograph, what it is that
foot? Patrick O’Brian’s surgeon Stephen Maturin
the helmsman on the yacht Flame is
would approve. What a tremendous tiller.
resting his foot in. I think it must be
Kent on the letters page. In case a reader asks
appears to be concave, with a lip.
why Wells was wittering about paddle
Perhaps it is the cover of the
steamers, that image was attached to
lazarette, upside down in the opening.
my email of 13 April.
I am aware of a similar sized,
78
Thanks for running the Clayton painting of
the cover of the lazarette, although it
Matthew Clayton’s pictures are not bad, and
mahogany cover on the yacht
he was well known for them. I suspect there are
Marigold (featured some years ago in
people in Oz and NZ who know him as the
your magazine). It was used to store
painter, and others know him as the hard-driving
things like the sail cover, canvas
Blackwall skipper, without realising
gaskets for stowing the mainsail,
the crossover. Someone in NZ ought to
mooring lines, etc.
write him up.
Robin Whitefield, Herts
Mike Wells, by email
CLASSIC BOAT JULY 2021
