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Bezig met laden... The Voyage Alone in the Yawl "Rob Roy" (1867)door John MacGregor
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Riveting tale of a 1,500-mile voyage on a 21-foot sailboat in 1867, undertaken in response to a "Boat Exhibition" and regatta staged by Napoleon III to encourage the youth of France to explore the rivers and streams of their native land. This rapturous account became known as "the book that launched a thousand ships." Geen bibliotheekbeschrijvingen gevonden. |
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Google Books — Bezig met laden... GenresDewey Decimale Classificatie (DDC)797.124094434The arts Recreational and performing arts Water & Aerial Sports Boating Boating by types of vessels Sailing (sports)LC-classificatieWaarderingGemiddelde:
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By the standards of modern sailing boats the Rob Roy looks rather awkward and impractical — the tiny cabin which is only usable when not under way; the very short cockpit that seems to have been designed to cause maximum backache; the outdoor galley; the undersized sails and heavy double-skinned hull; the single fixed keel that causes problems in tidal harbours.MacGregor didn't invent small-boat sailing, of course: several times during his voyage he mentions meeting other sailors who've completed long voyages in small craft (including three men who sailed a rubber liferaft across the Atlantic to drum up business for its American manufacturer). But MacGregor and his designer chum clearly put a lot of thought into it, and you can see him working out improvements all through the voyage (things like more efficient stoves, binnacle lights that don't blow out, quick-release cleats for the jib-sheet ...).
Apart from its interest as a document in the development of sailing as a middle-class recreation, the book is also great fun to read. MacGregor was clearly very much in the Victorian tradition of the muscular Christian and practical philanthropist. Whenever he gets the chance, he dishes out copies of the New Testament and Pilgrim's Progress to fishermen, dock-workers and the crews of the ships he meets. In between his thoughts on binnacles and cookery at sea, we're more than likely to get a short reflection on Science vs. Religion, the reasons for the poverty problem in England, the weaknesses of Roman Catholic doctrine, etc. More reflective than George Borrow, more sane than his imitator E.E. Middleton, but a true Victorian down to the top-hat he keeps in the fore-peak for "state occasions". ( )