Berrimilla : a short archive of family madness, and a pair of weblogs

 

The Neptune symbol I drew and put up on the website when Berri crossed the Equator travelling north. It's a curious fact that the Neptune symbol often comes out at the top of the Search strings of visitors arriving at my website! If you are one of them, feel free to use my symbol with an appropriate credit!

 

At the beginning of 2005 I started writing my studio log, partly inspired by my Sydney-based brother Alex and shipmate Peter Crozier who completed a remarkable voyage in which their adventures were recorded in a daily set of logs on the Berrimilla website. They completed the 2004 Sydney-Hobart Race, sent the rest of the crew home and headed for the UK and the Fastnet Race, via Cape Horn. They arrived back in Sydney 20th December 2005 and raced the 2005 Sydney-Hobart Race.

Over the year I used quite a few images and graphics in my own log last year and as there is a link to me from the Berrimilla website, here are some of these collated in one place.

The rather incompetent graphic I designed and sent to Australia as an idea for the T shirts and fleeces sold in aid of the venture. It was based on the International Space Station orbit and the geographical point at which Berrimilla first saw the station. It was altered (as shown below) to allow the most economical method of reproduction. The small glass bead was sewn on by me - on about 4 shirts. One of these was given to Leroy Chiao of the ISS

 

 

The Eye of Horus photographed on a Maltese fishing boat. This symbol is traditionally used as protection for fishermen and sailors but has incidentally become a strong symbol often used in my own work.

 

 

Above is an image added in 2008, just as Berrimilla starts her new voyage. The red and green tell-tales I sent to Australia are new, but there are some small sections of the old ones stitched onto a piece of the original genoa sail that took Berri around the world in 2005. You can see them, uncut, on the right hand image. They have been hanging on my studio light-pull for three years.

Original 2005 circumnavigation website is here

Berrimilla's 2008 website for the North West Passage is here

 

Looming out of the dark, last stop The Falklands, on a Falmouth night, June 2005. An amazing moment.

 

Leaving Falmouth, August 20th 2005

Berrimilla arriving back in Sydney, December 2005. Photo: Steve Jackson

Photo : Malcolm Robinson

A shawl I sent as a thank you from Alex and Pete to Mrs Webmaster in Hobart can see it above being worn along with the lads, who seem in more than jovial spirit. Or perhaps Alex is just showing the strain of several months at sea. Alex is on the left, Pete on the right and Tricia in the middle. Thanks to Tricia for letting me use the pic, and to Malcolm for taking it.

 

Section of Berrimilla's Genoa (a sail to those uninitiated!) that sailed around the world on Berri. Made by the much lauded Brian Shilland, it had given good service but was stretched, tired and in need of replacement. So it was returned to its maker to cut up, for sale when Alex and Pete give presentations and talks. Proceeds are going to charity.

These ribbons are called tell-tales when tied to rigging to indicate wind direction. I gave them to Alex and Pete. They sailed on Berri from Falmouth to Sydney. A red ribbon was lost during a storm and a section of the green was sent, with other small offerings, as a tribute to Henry Knight, a young lad who died at sea on his way to Australia in the 1800s. For the full and very moving story of Henry Knight I recommend a visit to the Berrimilla website. This link will take you to the correct page but you will need to scroll to entry 392.