Tall Ship "Statsraad Lehmkuhl" to Visit Norfolk, Virginia

Location: Otter Berth, Downtown Norfolk, Virginia
Date: November 4-5, 2010
Time: Ship Arrival
Thursday, November, 4, 2010 at 9 am

Ship Tours
Schools Tours (schools only)
Friday, November 5, 10:00 am - Noon

Public Tours
Friday, November 5: Noon - 4pm 

On Thursday November 4, 2010 the unique and majestic 96-year old Norwegian tall sailing ship "HNoMS Statsraad Lehmkuhl" is scheduled to arrive in Downtown Norfolk at 9 am, docking at Otter Berth next to Waterside. The ship will depart on Friday, November 5, 2010.

On Thursday November 4, 2010 the unique and majestic 96-year old Norwegian tall sailing ship "HNoMS Statsraad Lehmkuhl" is scheduled to arrive in Downtown Norfolk.

Arrival will be immediately followed at 9:30 am with a dockside public welcome ceremony.  The public is invited to tour the ship on Friday, November 5, from noon - 4pm; school groups can reserve a private tour from 10 am - noon.

The Statsraad Lehmkuhl is sailed by the Royal Norwegian Naval Academy's first year officer cadets, who are participating in leadership training and team building during the trip. The cadets also get a strong foundation of basic seamanship during their weeks onboard. Stripped of modern communication technology, the students are forced to work together to overcome the timeless challenges and dangers of travelling the seas by sail. Statsraad Lehmkuhl has been part of the basic training program since 2002, whereby the Royal Norwegian Navy leases the ship for several months every year. Norfolk has become a favorite port of call for the ship and her crew; this will be the 6th consecutive year that the ship has called on Norfolk as part of their sail-training schedule. The port visit is sponsored by Norfolk Festevents, Ltd.

The Statsraad Lehmkuhl is sailed by the Royal Norwegian Naval Academy's first year officer cadets, who are participating in leadership training and team building during the trip

The City of Norfolk and her community leaders will officially welcome the HNoMS Statsraad Lehmkuhl on Thursday, November 4 with a flag-raising and dockside ceremony scheduled to take place at Otter Berth in Downtown Norfolk, Virginia.  Lake Taylor High School's NJROTC Color Guard will carry out the flag-raising ceremony beginning at 9:30 am.

School Tour Schedule: Friday, November 5, 2010, 10 am - noon. Please contact Hank Moseley with Festevents, at 757-441-2345 ext.3019 or moseleyh@festevents.org for more information and to arrange for school tours. Schools must provide their own transportation to and from Otter Berth. Ship tours are FREE.

Public Visitation Schedule: Friday, November 5, 2010, Noon - 4 pm. Ship tours are FREE and open to the public from Noon - 4 pm only.

Facts & History: HNoMS Statsraad Lehmkuhl

•The Barque ‘Statsraad Lehmkuhl' is from Bergen.  It is a three masted Barque, launched in 1914.  She was built by JC Tecklenborg, Bremerhaven, Germany and is Norway's oldest and largest sailing vessel.
•Overall Length: 98 metres (321.522309711')
•Length of Hull: 259'
•Rig: Three-masted barque
•Height of Rig: 158'
•Beam: 12.6 metres (41.338582677')
•Draught: 5.2 metres (17.060367454'
•High Carbon Steel Hull
•Carries a crew of 125 (100 training)

New Products and Special Events at Skipjack Nautical Wares as Part of Schooner Days Celebration in Olde Towner Portsmouth, Viorginia

Special events at Skipjack this weekend during Schooner Days! Click on the link below.

 
http://myemail.constantcontact.com/New-products-and-special-events-at-Skipjack-Nautical-Wares-.html?soid=1101310627487&aid=XIE4oZgpKa4

Unforseen Circumstances: A New Novel by Debbi Holmes

Book Signing

Debbi Holmes will be at Skipjack Nautical Wares

Friday, October 15 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Saturday, October 16 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Debbi Holmes recently accomplished a dream she had since high school; she wrote and published a book called Unforeseen Circumstances. The book has turned non-readers into readers and has left avid readers’ wanting more. 

Debbi Holmes will be signing her book Unforseen Circumstances at Skipjack Nautical Wares & Marine Gallery

Inspiration for the Book
Inspiration can come in many forms and can be different for many people. For Debbi, the inspiration came last year when she was struggling to find a good book to read with a mixture of romance, suspense and action. Her husband joking said, “Why don’t you write your own?” Debbi stated, “I don’t think he thought I would follow through on that comment!” Debbi eagerly got to work writing her book.

The storyline needed to have all the components she was looking for: romance, suspense and action. The idea came from stories she heard from “transients” that visit the dock, where she lives on her boat, about pirates in the Caribbean. She also had her nephew as a resource, who is in the Coast Guard, to provide stories about pirates coasting the Caribbean waters. She states, “I live on a boat so some of the experiences the characters have are interwoven from both my own experiences and fantasy.”

She had a co-worker read the book to get her opinion and see if was worth taking the time and expense to publish it. After her friend raved about the storyline and characters and encouraged her to follow through, Debbi began researching what it took to publish a book.

Patience is a Virtue

The good ole statement, “Rome was not built in a day”, is rule of thumb to keep in mind when writing and publishing a book. It takes both time and dedication to go through the process. Since she is a full time manager, the book was written at night and most weekends. “My husband found me disappearing from enjoying friends out on the dock, to being holed up in the bedroom, writing”, she states. Writing the story, for her, was the easiest part. She was able to finish the story in 3 months. Then it was time to design the cover, edit, and publish the book.

The cover was Debbi’s idea. She wanted to design a cover that would catch an individuals’ eye who is scanning the shelf for an interesting book to read. She utilized a photographer based on a referral and her daughter as the model. After 6 hours and over 80 different photo shots, she finally found the one that she imagined.

The road for editing was a little bumpy. She paid a student, who was working on their Masters in editing, to do the original editing. She didn’t think to go behind them to re-read the whole book. It went to the publishers and the first edition went out for people to buy. Luckily, only friends and family purchased the first edition and informed Debbi of misspellings, punctuation errors, and missing words. She immediately pulled it back out of print and had it re-edited by three different friends as well as going over the book herself an additional 2 times. “I have learned patience through this process and that has been the hardest thing for me”, she states. The second edition was completed and the book went back to printers. It is now available for purchase.  

Upcoming Projects

Debbi is not finished pursuing her dream. She is currently marketing her first book and has a few book signings lined up. She is half way through the sequel to the first book, which many are anxiously awaiting. She also has 2 other ideas for books that are going to be a completely different story line from the first two. She wants to maintain the theme of boats and water in all of her books, making it her signature style.


Comments from Fans

I had the privilege of reading Debbi’s book, which I must say was simply amazing. I was so engrossed in the story line that I could barely put the book down. She did provide a little snip-it of the sequel in the back of the book and I choose not to read it because I wanted to be completely surprised. I, like many others, are eagerly waiting for the sequel to be finished.

“When I heard that Debbi had written a book, I went online that evening and purchased it.  Just a few days later, I brought it to work and had Debbi sign it.  I was very excited for her and showed the book to everyone I saw that day.  I have to say, I really enjoyed reading Unforeseen Circumstances.  The early references to local landmarks sparked my interest in the beginning.  As I read on, I noticed that Debbi's descriptive story telling really made you feel as if you were right there with the characters.  This book had a little bit of everything, Romance, Suspense and Action.  There were times; I just couldn't put the book down.  I am looking forward to the sequel.” By: Sharon Hughes

“The story is so intriguing; I immediately got immersed in the characters lives.
Debbi has such great way of making the reader feel that they are a part of the story.  She's also a very descriptive writer.  When she talks about the beaches and some of the downtown Portsmouth landmarks, I can completely envision myself there! By: Michelle Garrett

For more information on the book and Debbi please visit www.debbiannholmes.com.
You can also purchase Unforseen  Circumstances  at Skipjack's web store: Click here!

Written by Shannon Dickson.

The Sextant Cruise: A Course and Sail in Celestial Navigation

 

Learn how to navigate with a sextant using today's advanced technology with Captain J. C. Waters aboard the Schooner  

SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENCE.

October 26, 2010

 

Schooner SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENCE sailing on the Elizabeth River.

The very technology that seemed to question  the viability of the practical use of the Sextant is now the tool that makes the Sextant once again an important navigation tool for the small boat cruiser as well as the professional navigator.   Traditional companion tools for the Sextant were the chronometer, almanac, sight reduction tables, worksheets, and plotting board.  All of these tools were required and were tedious and time consuming to work with and maintain.  Now enter the i-phone app “Star Pilot”, hand held computer with dedicated sight reduction program and the inexpensive digital watch.   Now the procedure to get a fix becomes:  Take the shot with the sextant, observe the time with the digital watch, enter the observed information in the i-phone app or the computer program and mark the fix on the chart.  Granted the i-phone is also a GPS tool but the i-phone app will still work even if the constellation of GPS satellites fell out of the sky.

Tamaya Spica Sextant

For the Sextant Cruise, we will have aboard, Sextants, handheld computers and will demonstrate the iphone app.  If you have an iphone or ipod that you wish to use, please load the app. STAR PILOT.  There may be other apps. available but this is the one we will be demonstrating.

The cruise  will  sail to the Chesapeake Bay in search of a  good sea horizon.  We'll take a series of sun shots to reduce, using programs that will give you feedback on your sextant skills and show you how easy it is to use a sextant.

Captain J. C. Waters instructing a course in celestial Navigation.

What you need to bring:  Required:  Watch.  Optional:  smart phone w/program, Sextant, etc.

 Cruise participants is limited to 16 people. Cost per participant is $65.00 and includes lunch aboard the schooner. Board the schooner SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENCE at Tidewater Marina, Olde Towne Portsmouth, Virginia  at the end of dock D. The SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENCE will set sail at 9:00 am and returning early evening.  No instruments required.

For additional information and to make reservations, call  Captain J C Waters at 757 971-1865 or Email  j.c.waters@earthlink.net.

Follow the link here for information about the Schooner SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENCE AT http://www.spiritofindependence.net/

The 2010 Schooner Days in Olde Towne Portsmouth, Virginia

Schooner Days 2010,  Portsmouth, Virginia

October 15-16, 2010

 

Schooner Days is a celebration of the world’s largest gathering of schooners along the waterfront of Olde Towne Portsmouth, Virginia. It's held this year in conjunction with the 21st Annual Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race from Baltimore to Portsmouth- racing to save the bay!

 

Schooners LADY MARYLAND  and LIBERTY CLIPPER at Portsmouth, Virginia's Schooner Days.

This two-day celebration offers numerous maritime-related activities along the seawall and at the High Street Landing; many are free to the general public.

Schooners line the seawall at Portsmouth, Virginia's High Street Landing

The Portsmouth waterfront from North Landing to beyond the High Street Landing will showcase over 40 schooners from local and distant ports and is considered the largest gathering of schooners in the world.

A gathering of  great vintage wooden schooners are clustered together in Olde Towne Portsmouth for Schooner Days.

 

 Schooner Days was created to commemorate Portsmouth, Virginia's rich maritime history with a variety of scheduled historical recreation events including demonstrations by shipwright artisans, maritime related musicians, costumed actors and even a hands-on building of a skiff! Other exhibits will be on hand to bring awareness for the need to preserve and improve the natural resources of the Chesapeake Bay. For more information, visit the Schooner Days site at http://schoonerdays.blogspot.com/

Nautical Impressionism- North Carolina Artist Sandy Nelson Brings marine Paintings to Life at Skipjack

"Summerwind" by Sandy Nelson, oil on canvas measuring 24 X 36 inches. "In mid-summer, the winds beckon sailors to sail the marshes and intracoastal waters. A lazy afternoon is all that's needed to beckon participants out onto the water of the intracoastals.

My influences are as diverse as the great Spanish, Russian and French impressionists to a childhood amid the dark hills of eastern Kentucky. In the latter I found a sincere appreciation for the beauty of the world around me, in the former, inspiration to express it. My work is not edgy nor avant-garde; it doesn’t follow fads or trends – it is simply truth, as I perceive it. That is what I hope the viewer takes away with them.

"Evening Sail" by Sandy nelson, oil on canvas measuring 24 X30 inches " A long day sailing invites the sailors to come home late, taking to port just at dusk. A good meal, a glass of wine are all that's needed at the end of the day of working the sails. Tomorrow is another day of taking the wind."

 The subjects of my painting may be a cloud, a boat, a figure or bowl of fruit – one is as monumental as another. The paintings are memories of a moment in time, a representation of my emotions and ideas, which is transferred to the viewer. In my studio I live with these words, which remind me that it is truly a gift to be an artist.

"Coming Home" by Sandy Snyder, oil on canvas measuring 24 X 30 inches. " The working boats along the coast are a different layer to the sailing tradition. There is a time of day, where the evening sky meets the water, and there is almost no separation. In this painting, a small glimpse of a distant shore is the only thing between the sky and the water, Against this color and reflected color, the lone fishing boat comes home."

 "I believe in Michelangelo, Velasquez and Rembrandt; in the might of design, the mystery of color, the redemption of all things by Beauty everlasting and the message of art that has made these hands blessed: Amen. Amen." George Bernard Shaw

 These works were created in the beautiful Outer Banks of North Carolina, Sandy's home away from home and in the coastal area of Wilmington and the Cape Fear which stretches along the coast to South Carolina.

Sandy Nelson has been a professional artist for many years. She studied Fine Art and painting at the University of KY and the Scottsdale Art School. Her portraits and landscapes have been accepted to national juried competitions from Maine to California, many winning national awards. Her work is included in over 60 corporate and museum collections including those of Sam Walton, founder of Walmart and George Steinbrenner, owner of the NY Yankees. She was named one of the top 200 artists by the Artists Magazine and has been profiled in “The Rotarian” an international publication. One of Nelson's portraits was the cover of “Bench & Bar” magazine in 2007 and one of her marsh landscapes graced the cover of “Carolina Art” magazine in 2008.
She maintains her studio in Leland, NC but travels extensively to paint. She is a member of ASOPA, the New Mexico Pastel Society, Pastel Society of the Southwest, Midwest Pastel Society and Women Artists of the West.
Click here to visit Sandy Nelson's artist page at Skipjack's web gallery or stop by and view her exceptional marine paintings in our Olde Towne Portsmouth gallery.

American Folk Art- A Coastal Homeowner's Nautical Inspired Collection

Nautical inspired folk art with a country flair.

Throughout the years, we have had the great fortune at Skipjack Nautical Wares and Marine Gallery to meet some really fine people who have become customers and also good friends. Some share our passion in collecting and are "ready at the helm" when great new objects are found. These collectors share the same compassion for great nautical-themed folk art as I do and we are equally as pleased to see these exceptional items find a place in such a wanting home. Our friends are kind enough to now share some of  their favorite discoveries with you. Enjoy!

(Top Picture)  A carved and painted contemporary "sailors Valentine"  was created by Jac & Patricia Johnson, two of my favorite folk artists working today. Their work is simply wonderful. The double heart-shaped valentine with carved lace edge features a hollowed out center with angels and painted verse with country and marine designs. As the poem reads "I hold you in my heart for god hath placed you there; I hold you there my darling for I know you truly care. You have been so very faithful through each passing year. I love you more than ever, In my heart I hold you dear." You can only imagine such verse written and given to a loved one from a saddened sailor before heading out to sea for an undetermined length of time...maybe forever!
Placed below the sailors valentine is a vintage ships in a bottle featuring a pair of  racing schooners. This fine work of art even had  sailors up in the masts! To the right is one of my all time favorite items, a lamp made with an antique birdhouse modeled after a famous New England lighthouse and mounted onto a thick piece of old driftwood pine. These pieces are displayed upon the owners 19th century paint-decorated blanket chest.

This whaling diorama that is displayed above a blue plaid sofa in the family room was also created by Jac and Patricia Johnson. It features a carved "harpooned" white whale and whalers skiff applied to a painted board with sailing ship in background and a sailors account to the event written across the total art piece.


The simple rounded and stylized contours of this primitive whale perched upon the top of an oak armoire convey an impertinent energy. This handcrafted weathervane was created by New Jersey folk artist Steve Hazlett from a single 100+year old heart pine board salvaged from a barn located in Bath, NY. Antique copper flashing was applied to the tail and outer edge of whale. Blue and gray buttermilk paint was applied in numerous layers to give the piece a dry and crusty as-found appearance.

 An antique New England schooner weathervane stands sentinel by the living room fireplace. The weathervane was created with a painted wooden hull and tin sails. She is still attached to it's original metal roof mounting base.

Visit these other Skipjack's Nautical Living articles featuring American folk art:

http://skipjacksnauticalliving.blogspot.com/2010/04/nautical-folk-art-dealers-passion.html

http://skipjacksnauticalliving.blogspot.com/2010/02/sailors-valentines-gift-of-love.html

http://skipjacksnauticalliving.blogspot.com/2010/02/from-sidewalks-to-rooftops-outdoor-folk.html