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What in the fuck is this? Who let these morons anywhere near the Discovery? I got 6 1/2 mins in and I just can’t anymore. So far the head moron stated that they’re in Dundee, or that is what he “thinks the place is called”… then we have two random women who certainly don’t give the impression they even work there- get your fucking Irn Bru can off the wardroom table!! Jesus. Then they state that Scott got rid of Shackleton because he was more popular than him… oh and the somehow linking of Markham’s death to the ship oh god this needs to be purged from the internet I need to go lie down with a paperback and pretend to still be in the C20th

#spiraling #RRS Discovery

Silas’ words of wisdom

#national maritime museum #royal museums greenwich #charles wright #polar exploration #cheese

Recently got to say hello to Cherry. Here he is looking out the window, away from the memorials to the many other Cherrys and Garrards which are on the wall to his left. I like to think that was a deliberate choice. His grave inscription is on the back of his dad’s. I didn’t think to bring flowers so my daughter picked some dandelions for him 😭

#polar exploration #apsley cherry garrard #wheathampstead

From Richard Farr, Emperors of the Ice

#polar exploration #robert falcon scott #terra nova

Not been here for a while, glad to see you are all still delightful

#my people

From The Character of Meriwether Lewis by Clay Jenkinson. I love this. You don’t normally see professional historians admitting to what they wish had happened, and I’m all with him ❤️

#lewis and clark #meriwether lewis #clay jenkinson #William Clark Lewis!

This makes my heart happy. He really was doing what he wanted to do, without regret. It is OK that he died. It is OK. It is OK.

#robert falcon scott

RFS letter to Kathleen. The “I rather love it” made me feel feelings

#erect quills oh my goodness #Kathcon #scottleen #idk if they have a fandom-approved couple name

More from my polar library

Today I got this first edition (!) of the bio of Scott written by Stephen Gwynn at the behest of The Mighty Kathleen. Some of these photos I don't think I've seen before. It has two fold-out bits, one with the obligatory map (for the benefit of those who couldn't draw it from memory, ahem) and one with a copy of a letter from RFS to KS. That handwriting!! Also one day I want to write or receive a letter with the address "At Sea".

#mmm old book smell #polar exploration #robert falcon scott #antarctica

Should I buy a pith helmet? Because just look at this outfit

#i want to be her #just with no lions please #everything used to be cooler #apart from the stuff that really wasn’t #I know I know colonialism was bad #let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater though

A while back I bought this on Ebay. It's an album made by someone (I'm imagining a boy scout but given its appeal here it may have been a middle-aged woman) with some pretty fragile original press clippings and handwritten notes. I got it laminated so it didn't fall apart any further.

"Every possible thing was provided man could want, so it was nothing to do with food that killed them. after reaching the Pole they retraced their steps. after crossing the glacier, Petty Officer Evans died of concussion of the brain, through walking over rough ice. He was the strong man of the Party and the least expected to succumb. It left them a shaken party.

After journeying on through the average of 47° of frost they reached eleven miles from the one ton depot when a fearful blizzard began. Captain Oates, who had been ill & bearing suffering without grumbling, thought he was keeping back the party & said “I am going out in the blizzard & I may be gone a long time”. They new he was walking to his death, but knew it was the act of a British hero and an English gentleman. His body was never found. They had food enough for two days and only eleven miles more to go, all would have gone well, had not the blizzard detained them. The knew their end was near so this is a brief discription of what Cap. Scott wrote. He said he hoped people would help the relations etc. of people who died. They had taken risks and new it, but did it to show Englishmen could undergo hardships.

Relief parties were sent out and found dead bodies & Cap Scott’s letter."

#terra nova #scott's antarctic expedition #polar exploration #So so sad #partial accuracy #Poor birdie's mother described as his widow :(#Amundsen now's not the time dude

A Dutch history student is campaigning to install a new memorial to a famous explorer at a church in Abbots Langley. Fabiënne Tetteroo, who

OK which one of you did this, own up

#james fitzjames #the terror #obsessive polar nerds unite

lucybellwood

A while ago Falynn K. asked this question on Twitter:

"So on a tall sailing ship you have the mast, and you have the yards across it--is the yard/spar actually attached to the mast, by like i dunno, a pin or something, or is it strictly roped/lashed to it?"

This is a totally reasonable question! A lot of folks who haven't sailed square riggers might think that the yard stays put, but in fact it needs to move up and down the mast so the sails can be fully set. (Y'know how everyone's always talking about halyards? They literally haul the yard up. You're welcome.)

So to answer the question: yards are held loosely to the mast by a looped line strung with large wooden beads called a parrel. The beads roll up the mast as the yard is raised and lowered. Here's a drawover that hopefully clarifies a little:

Once you start explaining things about tall ship anatomy it's hard to stop, so there's a bit more context for how the sails work:

(These are pages from my comic A Week at Sea with OHP, which you can read online here or grab as a print minicomic here.)

Hope this is helpful!

Newest acquisition for my polar library

#robert falcon scott #terra nova #kids books #Love the ladybird art style

So I’m reading about the Franklin Expedition (again) and found a reference to the “broadarrow”. I looked it up on Wiki and learned that this was a way government property was marked, with this symbol: