English BLoG

The Monitor sank on the 31st of December, 1862 in 230 ft of water off the coast of Cape Hatteras. 16 of the crew were lost but most of the men were saved by the brave Rhode Island. By Jim Dyson The U.S.S. Monitor made naval history when it fought the C.S.S. Virginia to a draw on March 9, 1862. This battle, the first of ironclad vessels, made all wooden warships in the world obsolete and ushered in the age of rotating gun turrets. The Monitor and Virginia never met again, the C.S.S.Virginia was blown up by her crew to avoid capture near Craney Island, Portsmouth, Virginia and the U.S.S. Monitor sank December 31, 1862 in a violent storm off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina . U.S. Navy divers search for U.S.S. Monitor artifacts. Some artifacts from the C.S.S.Virginia have been salvaged over the years but the wreck site is now covered by increasing amounts of dredge material as Craney Island has increased in size. The U.S.S. Monitor, however, and all her relics remained lost for near...

Shad carved from white cedar by Jac & Tricia Johnson for Skipjack Nautical Wares.  L 72" W 24" D 4 I feel inclined to begin this blog by stating that throughout the 30 plus years of being a dealer, appraiser and collector of period American Furniture as well as fine and decorative arts, that I have received the greatest pleasure from collecting American folk art. We have also been fortunate to have represented some of the best contemporary folk artist from around our great country. Our focus today of course is nautical/marine folk art, both period and contemporary and a number of collectors have found their way into our gallery doors to acquire them. Here are a few great examples that have adorned the rooms and walls of Skipjack throughtout the years. This early 20th century sailor-made folk compass box was hand-carved from walnut with whale bone clasp and keep. A carving of a mermaid carrying a light in oval adorns the top of ...

By David Cartier Author of "A New Day ion Olde Towne" Here is your opportunity to sell, swap, barter or buy and visit with boating friends. Ocean Marine Yacht Center Ocean Marine Yacht Center will hold its first Elizabeth River Boat & Nautical Yard Sale and Flea Market on Saturday, April 24, 2010 . The event will take place in the Ocean Marine parking lot on Wavy Street, south of the nTelos Wireless Pavilion at Harbor Center in downtown Portsmouth. It will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Got Nautical Stuff? Interested vendors should clean out their vessels and/or storage lockers for items like marine equipment, dive gear, marine products, clothing, electronics, antiques, fishing gear, nautical arts and crafts, boats on trailers, etc. In other words, if it's nautical, bring it! Vendors will not be charged a fee; admission is free for all. Vendors should bring their own tables and/or tents. To sign up, call Ocean Marine Yacht Center at 757-321-7432. The deadline to regist...

By David Cartier Author "A New Day in Olde Towne " The time has come for us to help the Schooner Virginia. We need to put some wind back in her sails to keep the Hampton Roads icon afloat. Since its inception, the Schooner Virginia provides an invaluable contribution to Hampton Roads and the Commonwealth of Virginia. As with many organizations, corporate donations and grants have been severely impacted by the economy. The Schooner Virginia is no exception. Private contributions have slowed as a result of the poor economy and a state grant was discontinued two years ago. The Foundation ran out of operating capital to support the mission of the vessel beyond January 1, 2010. As a result, the Schooner Virginia returned to Norfolk in December 2009. The Virginia Maritime Heritage Foundation, owners and operators of Schooner Virginia returned the vessel and crew to her homeport of Norfolk, Virginia and have winterized her until further notice. The return to Norfolk does two thing...

The stone fireplace mantle displays a Chelsea clock and a Bendix Friez barometer saved from salvage below Robert Lyn Nelson's "Extinction is forever." A Royal Copenhagen bowl, an Inuit soapstone fish carving,  part of an Alaskan Oosic and an old coin-dot lamp. A n unplanned excursion is certainly a great way to discover new horizons as well as promising prospects for upcoming blogs. So it was when our recent trip to the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountain of Virginia took us to visit with long-time friend and photographer Allen Graves. Allen, while visiting us a few months back to photograph 360 degree panoramic views of the interior and exterior of Skipjack’s showroom and the interior of the Schooner “Spirit of Independence,” told us about a friend's farm house that we should view and include in a Nautical Living blog. So off we went to meet with Jacqualin Davies and preview her wonderful farmhouse -- her home is nothing like you might expect in the mountains ...

Schooner SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENCE Participants sight the sun using a sextant Most of us are enthralled with the sea and are drawn to stories and movies that have a sea theme. We can all relate to the human experience of these stories and movies accept when we consider how they found their way across the featureless expanse of ocean. That to many of us is a mystery. Peter Youngblood demonstrates the use of a sextant. Recently, area sailors and crewmembers had a workup on celestial navigation in preparation for our cruise aboard Schooner SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENCE to Bermuda. The workup session was held on board at her berth, which is docked at Tidewater Yacht Marina in Portsmouth, VA. Sun sights were taken throughout the day, with emphases on sextant technique used to bring an object to the horizon. Between shooting sessions the group discussed the geometry behind finding ones position with a sextant. Additionally each person used his or her sight data for sight reduction using a celestia...