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Swan making her way to sea to participate in the Excelsior Centenary Smack Race.
Scottish herring fishing experienced its peak in the early years of the 20th. century. Every summer hundreds of sailing vessels packed into Lerwick harbour, and other ports around the coastline. Two types of vessel dominated, the Fifies, and the Zulus. These massive timber boats were unique to the Scottish fleet, and were the ultimate development in Scottish herring sail boats.
The Fifies had vertical stern posts, and the Zulus had distinctively angled sterns. The boats measured up to 75 ft. (23 m), and sometimes more, in length, and were fitted with steam capstans that enabled the crew to haul the nets and handle the enormous masts and sails.
The Fifie Swan LK 243 was launched in May 1900 at Hay and Company’s yard in Lerwick, Shetland. She was regarded as 'one of the finest fishing boats afloat in the North of Scotland'. But the Fifies’ days were numbered, steam drifters were already beginning to push the sail boats out of business.
'Launch of a fishing boat', The Shetland News, 5th. May 1900.
"An interesting event took place at Freefield docks on Thursday, when a fine new boat was launched for the yard of Messrs Hay & Co. The boat has been built to the order of Messrs Hay & Co. and Mr. Thos. Isbister, and is acknowledged by competent judges, both local and Scotch, to be one of the finest fishing boats afloat in the North of Scotland, as regards to model, strength or workmanship.
She is the largest ever built in Lerwick, her dimensions being:-
Length overall, 67 feet,
Length of keel, 60 feet 6 inches
Beam, 20 feet outside,
Depth, 9 feet 6 inches from keelson.
The timbers are mostly of oak, with larch and pitch pine skin, and in her whole construction practically no expense has been spared in order to secure strength. Fitted with steam capstan and all the latest labour-saving appliances, the boat has every chance of a successful career, and we hope that good luck will always follow her. The launch was carried out most successfully. Miss Ottie Isbister, daughter of the skipper, performed the christening ceremony, the boat being named the 'Swan'; and when the fastenings were cut, she left the ways in grand style, and took to the water like a duck, being brought up in the limited space in a most masterly manner. Mr. Leask, the builder, is to be congratulated on this his latest addition to the Shetland fishing fleet."
In her early days the Swan was operated from Lerwick and was used for longline fishing for white fish in the spring, and driftnet herring fishing from May to September.
She was taken over by a crew from the island of Whalsay in 1905, and was worked from there for almost half a century. The crew re-rigged her in 1908, to make her more suitable for fishing in inland voes. This ‘smack rig’ is how she is rigged today.
By 1935 the Swan was one of only five herring sail boats left in Shetland. She had an engine fitted and was given a new lease of life. And when the seine net fishing was introduced in the late 1940's, Swan participated in yet another chapter of Shetland's fishing history. Finally, in the 1950's the grand old lady was retired, and in 1960 towed to Grimsby to be converted to a houseboat. In 1982 she ended up in Hartlepool, where she lay neglected, sinking two or three times due to lack of care.
From the thousands of Fifies that once fished around Shetland, the Swan was now the last. And she was spotted as a classic vessel by boat enthusiast Keith Parkes, despite the fact she lay submerged with only her masts showing. Keith bought her in 1989 and began to restore her. On completion he planned to sail her back to Lerwick. But the restoration was too time consuming and he offered her up for sale. His advertisement in ‘The Shetland Times’ newspaper caught the attention of local navigation teacher, Tom Moncrieff.
Tom was a keen yachtsman and expert on all aspects of Shetland's maritime heritage, and also the owner of several classic boats. He wrote a letter to ‘The Shetland Times’ to encourage funding to be sought to buy her, bring her back to Shetland and restore her. He wanted her to be used as a living museum and sail training vessel. He ended the letter saying, "There will never be another Swan". It was true. The Swan Steering Group was formed and negotiations began.
The Swan Steering Group had a survey of the boat undertaken and following a good report it was decided to buy the vessel and bring her back.
In 1991 a crew travelled to Hartlepool, where she was made seaworthy enough to undertake the long journey north to Shetland. Radar, echosounder and a navigational system were all installed to prepare for the trip, instruments which hadn’t been dreamed of when the Swan was fishing. After four days work she was ready to begin her journey. The trip wasn’t without its difficulties, the engine had to be kept running as every time it stopped it filled with water due to a cracked liner. And it was later found that the boat’s nails were in much worse condition that previously thought. However with the crew’s skill and perseverance the Swan made it home. After a three day journey, enthusiasts gathered to watch her arrival in Shetland, she was docked in Lerwick, after an absence of more than 30 years.
The Swan Trust was formed in 1990 and the dream of restoring part of Shetland's maritime tradition was made possible. The restoration was a painstaking process, which took 6 years to complete. Local craftsmen with specialist knowledge worked to faithfully restore her to her former glory.
On 11th. May 1996 the Swan was relaunched in Lerwick harbour, almost 96 years exactly since she first took to the water. The Swan spread her wings in the first week of June 1996, sailing from Lerwick to Whalsay, to be reunited with men who had served as crew members when she was a fishing vessel.
The Swan began her new life as a sail training vessel in 1998. In her first year she did 40 trips, and carried 450 trainees on board. Since then she has become a familiar sight not only in Shetland waters, but also in the fjords of Norway and off the Faroese coast each year. She has also taken trainees to ports in France, Denmark, Ireland, Sweden and Holland and around the United Kingdom to take part in the Tall Ships Races.
Photography and Editing: Dirk Dreyer. Hi-Res pictures and prints available at galleries.dreyerpictures.com
What better way to waste a morning that to pop down to the local motorway bridge and observe the comings and goings for a few hours? I even got spotted (again) by a fellow bus enthusiamist (thanks JB!) Anyway, of the 132 observations in 4 hours, here are 20 for your inspection. One of Mervyn's latest, a Jeakins on an Epsom Explore, an anonymous Army coach sporting a full Army advert, a couple of nice foreigners, and one of only 10 UK Mercedes-Benz 1224L / Ferqui F5 midi-coaches. Ferq me, what a morning!!
Stan Lee has got to be one of the biggest icons in not only my life, but for the lives of millions of people wanting to escape the world of reality and enter a world of creativity. With his characters and all the countless stories he’s made, Stan Lee will live on forever in our hearts. His legacy will never end. Excelsior Stan Lee, Excelsior!
It's that time of year when I put the camera away and get the scanner back out. This winter I will be scanning some Excelsior of Bournemouth stuff from the late 1980s and early 1990s. Here are some of the E/F-prefix Van Hool Alizee coaches seen at the Bournemouth depot in February 1989.
The Excelsior Winery
Trojano Darveniza (1838-1927), established 'Excelsior Vineyard' in 1871, it is now historically acclaimed. By 1896 his Vineyard covered about 100 acres. The official registration of the Excelsior Winery trademark occurred in 1898 & not in 1871 when it was established. Trojano Darveniza never married. He brought out two of his brothers & their families to Mooroopna. Trojano's nephew Peter, migrated to Australia in 1893 & he married Ane Miljkovic. (Thomas Milovitch a great friend of Trojano's). Peter & Ane Darveniza had nine children. Three of the five sons inherited the business when the master died in 1927. Peter was known for remarkable strength & when he died in 1944, the management of Excelsior fell to his sons Paul, Peter Trojano & (when Paul died) John. In 1971 the vineyard covered 30 acres. The winery had a capacity of 60,000 gallons. The winery ceased to function in the late 1970's & the old building & equipment fell into disrepair. They locked the doors and worked away. They were great fortified wine makers, and these 2 metre high maturation barrels were full when it closed. Some, the staves have cracked and lost wine, but some are almost intact, and their sole job in life is to feed the angels their share, When you enter what is left of the maturation shed (which was the only structure left when I took this shot in the 90's), the whole place wreaks of a beautiful treacly port/sherry aroma. Obviously, I have added the building. There are many holes in the roof streaming in light all over the place, making the background awful.
Mooroopna, Goulburn Valley, Victoria, Australia.
06 Dicembre 2024
Novara
sdnews.it/lex-cinema-excelsior-a-novara-come-nuovo-spazio...
L’ex Cinema Excelsior. L’edificio, nel gennaio del 1943, quando era ancora teatro di Casa Littoria, ospitò il debutto alla regia di Giorgio Strehler, che qui allestì tre atti unici di Luigi Pirandello.
ZORKY 4 - KMZ (Anno: 1963 Matricola: 6319438)
Industar Jupiter-8 50mm f/2 n.5735196
Pellicola: AGFA APX 100@100
Sviluppo: D76 KODAK 1+1 20° 12:00
Fissaggio: ADOX ADOFIXPLUS 1+4 - 4':30'' - 20°
Scanner EPSON V600 - 2400 dpi
Clarkes of London Volvo B10M-61 / Van Hool Alizee C49FT E311OPR is seen visiting the September 1992 Farnborough Airshow. The coach was new to Excelsior of Bournemouth in 1988.
Nombre científico: Cinclodes excelsior
Nombre común: Cínclodes Cavador
English name: Stout-billed Cinclodes
Lugar: Villamaría (Caldas), Colombia
Important legal note.
All images are copyright and must not be re posted or water marks removed, anyone found reposting is liable to prosecution
I think I took this at a car show in the Wyoming suburb of Cincinnati,, Ohio. There was a rusty old Excelsior motorcycle there that, in spite of it's rough looking condition, obviously ran as the owner rode it in to the show. Still, this looks rougher than I remember the bike itself, so I'm at a loss to explain if further until I get time to look through my archives. .
From Wikipedia: "Excelsior Motor Manufacturing & Supply Company was a U.S. motorcycle manufacturer operating in Chicago from 1907 to 1931. It was purchased by Ignaz Schwinn, proprietor of bicycle manufacturer Arnold, Schwinn & Co. in 1912. In 1912, an Excelsior was the first motorcycle to be officially timed at a speed of 100 mph. The Henderson Motorcycle Company became a division of Excelsior when Schwinn purchased Henderson in 1917. By 1928, Excelsior was in third place in the U.S. motorcycle market behind Indian and Harley-Davidson. The Great Depression convinced Schwinn to order Excelsior's operations to cease in September 1931."
It's that time of year when I put the camera away and get the scanner back out. This winter I will be scanning some Excelsior of Bournemouth stuff from the late 1980s and early to mid 1990s. Here are some of the coaches seen at the Bournemouth depot in October 1992.
Yellowstone National Park is famous for the amazing geysers - and the ones we stopped at were extremely hot geothermal pools with amazing color. This particular pool bubbled with naturally heated spring water and when the steamy mist blew over to you, it felt like I could melt. I can only imagine how hot the water in the pool is!
EXIF:
Exposure Program: Aperture Priority
Exposures: 7xp
Aperture: f/11
Focal Length: 10.5mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Large and on black (or press 'L')
303, FN09 AOV
Volvo B12BT, Volvo Prestige 9700 C53Ft bodywork.
Seen parked on Victoria Embankment , London.
The coach would later serve with Hams Travel, Flimwell where it was re-registered to become DW09 HAM.
It's that time of year when I put the camera away and get the scanner back out. This winter I will be scanning some Excelsior of Bournemouth stuff from the late 1980s and early 1990s. As a taster, here are a couple of their double deck coaches used on the London express service.
XEL4 was a Volvo B10M-53 / Van Hool Astral CH52/13FT new in 1988 as E880RPR becoming fleetnumber 701 in 1992. It is seen at the Bournemouth depot in April 1991.
It's that time of year when I put the camera away and get the scanner back out. This winter I will be scanning some Excelsior of Bournemouth stuff from the late 1980s and early to mid 1990s. Here are some of the coaches seen at the Bournemouth depot in April 1996.
Volvo B12M/Plaxton Paragon.
Noted on Elizabeth Bridge, Victoria on unidentified NX work from the South Coast? On a personal note, these B12Ms with 51 seat PLaxton Paragons are a real favourite of mine.
4 Mar 14
Measuring 23.5 metres long with a 6 metre beam and a draught of 3 metres, Excelsior LT472 was built by John Chambers of Lowestoft in 1921. She was purchased by a local consortium to replace their 1885 smack that had been condemned after a collision with a steamer in foggy weather.
More about the Excelsior here:
Hulkbuster "Mark 44"
Ever since TLG released the official Hulkbuster set, I was in full agreement with a number of my fellow flickr friends who felt that the build was simply too big (or more specifically too tall) compared to the big fig Hulk.
I've been taking notes, reviewing and following builds posted not only on flickr but other forums / sites and found an incredible "mid-sized" HB MOC by Yong-kwan Lim. IMO this particular build has done the best job in:
1) Staying faithful to the major design elements of the HB; while
2) Maintaining a proper / correct scale to the Hulk big fig.
In sum, this MOC is basically a tribute to his version (with a few minor tweaks). Not only that, he was extremely helpful in sending information, build details, parts used, instructions, etc -- Kamsahamnida! 감사합니다! Thanks!