Bosun’s Bag is a delight. It is a perfect mix of Tom Cunliffe’s lifetime experience in traditional, wooden boats recorded in prose allied to Martyn Mackrill’s assured, exquisitely drawn and painted illustrations.
The book starts with an introduction to the bosun’s bag of skills and explains its gestation from articles written for Classic Boat magazine. It is then divided into seven sections: Sails, Rigging, Working the Ship, Navigation, Miscellaneous, Maintenance and Seamanship. Tom’s writing style is conversational and when reading his prose you soon imagine yourself in an oil lamp lit, solid-fuel-stove heated saloon listening to him hold forth with what he calls ‘a bottle of the right stuff’ between you. This book is subtitled ‘A treasury of practical wisdom for the traditional boater’ and it certainly that but you do not need to own a classic yacht to enjoy it.
Tom emphasises the physical effort involved in sailing classic wooden yachts and the patience required in servicing and repairing them. But he is also at pains to explain how to do these things properly, thereby avoiding undue strain and he offers a myriad of practical tips on every page. Years of experience are recorded here and any classic boat owner should be thankful that Tom has put together this compendium of his knowledge for their benefit. Of course, if not having to wrestle with the complexities of working and maintaining a large, wooden gaffer it is easy to get dewy-eyed with the romantic associations of such vessels. As a non-classic boat owner I enjoyed reading about the use of, to me, unfamiliar bits of kit such as jackyarders, water sails and wale strakes and dreaming about owning a boat fitted with such items.
This fantasy was made easier by Martin Mackrill’s illustrations. Some reminded me of Arthur Briscoe’s drawings of hands at work in the old clippers: he captures the posture of men pulling on ropes, hanging in a bosun’s chair or handing sails so they look authentic. Equally his drawings of such things as bowsprit housings, lizards or a stropped throat halyard block clarify Tom’s descriptions perfectly. It is the paintings in the book, many of them full page that are the real gems though. Again these illustrate the text whilst adding enormously to the allure of the book as a whole although I loved the one of a dinghy in calm water with the caption: This painting has no relevance to the text opposite but it was too beautiful to leave out!
Many years ago an RNR officer, seconded for training to the frigate in which I was serving, complained of insomnia. We advised him to take the Admiralty Manual of Seamanship to bed with him – that would soon put him to sleep. “Oh no” said this nautical enthusiast, “I’d find that fascinating, I’d be awake all night!” For the same reason I cannot recommend Tom Cunliffe’s intoxicating new book ‘Bosun’s Bag’ for your bedside table but it simply has to be on your Christmas present list.
It is available from Adlard Coles at £25.
DJMM