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The Vanishing Man
For many people who know anything about sailing he is the greatest sailor who ever lived. Simple as that. It’s hard to argue with them because what heachieved is truly remarkable. And what happened to him is still one of the great mysteries of the sea. His name is Joshua Slocum. Bornin a place called…
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The pirate of Jaywick
This picture was taken at Brightlingsea Sailing Club in Essex on the last of five days of sailing as part of our Buoyed Up programme. I am not a sailor and I don’t know much about boats, but I wanted to have some fun with our pupils and well as work with the sailing instructors.…
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Sir Michael Morpurgo, storymaker
Who are you? Sir Michael Morpurgo, storymaker. What was your first experience of working? I was in the army for a year in 1963 2hen I was 19. So that was my first paid job. What is your earliest memory of being on or close to the sea? Bournemouth on my first family holiday when…
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Interview with Shirley Robertson
Who are you? My names Shirley Robertson, I’m Scottish, I have 2 gold medals, 2 children, I work in TV. I’m passionate about all things boaty. What was your first experience of working? Selling jeans!! Hated it, became a sailing instructor after that so I could workin in the holidays. What is your earliest memory…
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Mike Bullock Sea Views
Who are you My name is Mike Bullock. I joined the Royal Navy straight from school when I was 18 and worked in a submarine as well as surface ships including an aircraft carrier. My naval career took me across the world and I even worked in the United States for six years. I am…
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Interview With Lisa Månsson
Who are you? I am the museum director of the Vasa Museum in Stockholm, the world’s most visited maritime museum. I am also a keen sailor since I was very young. What was your first experience of working? When I was a student my summer job was as a lockkeeper at Göta Canal. The Göta…
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Geraldine McCaughrean’s Sea Views
Who are you? Geraldine McCaughrean – writer since I was eight, published since I was 28. What was your first experience of working? I delivered newspapers very early in the morning, every day. It paid 15 shilling (75p) a week, which meant I could ride a horse for an hour on Sundays. All the other…
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The Lighthouse by Geraldine McCaughrean
Henry Winstanley designed playing cards and lived miles from the sea. So he was not the most obvious person to build a lighthouse. But whereas others tried and gave up, Winstanley insisted it was perfectly possible and that he was the man to do it. In 1696, he mustered carpenters and engineers and, with his…
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Dee On A Wide Wide Sea
Maybe you have read Michael Morpurgo’s wonderful book Alone On A Wide Wide Sea. Maybe you haven’t. It’s one of those books that takes you on a long journey and you’re never quite sure of what’s going to happen next. As you might expect, given the title of the book, the sea comes into the…
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Radhika Menon, Captain On The Bridge
Have a look at India on the map of the world. What do you see? You should be able to pick out the major cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai. You’ll probably also be struck by how much of the country is surrounded by water: the Arabian Sea to the west; the Bay of…