Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Classic Boat

    The witch that crossed the water

    Jun 07, 2019 4 minutes

    In his article on Cutty Sark (last month), Eric Kentley notes that witches were unable to cross water and ponders why the figurehead represents Nannie, the witch in Burns’ poem.

    In 1830, James Fenimore Cooper published his The Water-Witch; or The Skimmer of the Sea. As a result of that story, Water Witch became a popular name for sailing ships and yachts.

    The book describes the Water-Witch’s figurehead as having “a female form … the figure rested lightly on the ball of one foot, while the other was suspended in an easy attitude… The drapery was fluttering, scanty, and of a light sea-green tint… The face [portrayed] a superhuman expression. The locks were dishevelled, wild, and rich…. while a smile so strangely

    You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

    More from Classic Boat

    Classic Boat2 min read
    Italian Sailors Mourn The Loss Of Giancarlo Lodigiani
    The Italian classic sailing community mourns the sudden loss of Giancarlo Lodigiani, Chairman of AIVE – Associazione Italiana Vele d’Epoca, at the age of just 61. During his two years of presidency, Mr Lodigiani radically innovated AIVE, combining co
    Classic Boat2 min read
    Spray Returns To Her Home Waters Of Morecambe Bay
    Morecambe Bay prawner Spray is at Glasson Dock near Morecambe, where her new owners, the Morecambe Bay Prawners Trust, are undertaking routine maintenance before setting her to sail around the bay and beyond this summer. The prawner was the local fis
    Classic Boat3 min read
    The Versatility Of Wood
    Classic boats are out of the woods. The evidence of my own eyes is enough to convince me that wooden boatbuilders are no longer an endangered species, as some have claimed, nor are the boats they build, mend or restore. Within a radius of 50 miles, I

    Related Books & Audiobooks