Eye of the Wind
Encyclopedia
The Eye of the Wind is a ship built in 1911 by C Lühring of Brake, West Germany, originally as a topsail schooner named 'Friedrich'.
and North
seas, and for fishing herring off the coast of Iceland in during summer. In 1969, then stripped of her masts and sailing as a motor vessel, she was severely damaged in a fire that all but ended her days on the sea.
In 1973 a group of sailing enthusiasts, including Anthony "Tiger" Timbs, who later became her Master, starting the great task of rebuilding her as a sailing ship in Faversham England. In this restoration she was rigged as a brigantine
by Master Rigger Wally Buchanan. After the restoration was completed she was given the name Eye of the Wind, inspired by Sir Peter Scott's book published in 1961. In October 1976, three years and eight months after her purchase by the new owners, Eye of the Wind set sail for the first time since the restoration, on course to Australia.
In 1978 she set sail from Plymouth as the flagship of Operation Drake
, a 2 year sailing expedition, which brought her back to London in December 1980. In the years to follow she sailed the seas, manned by the people who had restored her in Faversham and a group of people who had fallen for the old lady and her great crew.
While under the care of Tiger Timbs the ship was hired for several film roles. During one the film producers had it it fitted with a tan coloured sail set in order to be able to play two different ships. This noticable colouring was maintained thereafter making the 'Eye of the Wind' very distinctive .
In 2001, by then rigged as a two mast brig
, she was taken over by a new owner and registered in Gilleleje, Denmark. Her interior underwent a substantial renovation, introducing a more luxurious accommodations. Again in 2009 she found a new owner with the Forum Media Group, Germany.
History
The 'Friedrich' was initially used as a schooner for the South American hide trade. In 1923 she was registered in Sweden and under the name “Merry”, and was used for transport in the BalticBaltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
and North
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
seas, and for fishing herring off the coast of Iceland in during summer. In 1969, then stripped of her masts and sailing as a motor vessel, she was severely damaged in a fire that all but ended her days on the sea.
In 1973 a group of sailing enthusiasts, including Anthony "Tiger" Timbs, who later became her Master, starting the great task of rebuilding her as a sailing ship in Faversham England. In this restoration she was rigged as a brigantine
Brigantine
In sailing, a brigantine or hermaphrodite brig is a vessel with two masts, only the forward of which is square rigged.-Origins of the term:...
by Master Rigger Wally Buchanan. After the restoration was completed she was given the name Eye of the Wind, inspired by Sir Peter Scott's book published in 1961. In October 1976, three years and eight months after her purchase by the new owners, Eye of the Wind set sail for the first time since the restoration, on course to Australia.
In 1978 she set sail from Plymouth as the flagship of Operation Drake
Operation Drake
Operation Drake was a round-the-world voyage with the participation of young people from many countries. The voyage was centred around the brigantine Eye of the Wind. She left Plymouth in October 1978 and returned to London two years later, in December 1980.Named after Sir Francis Drake, who had...
, a 2 year sailing expedition, which brought her back to London in December 1980. In the years to follow she sailed the seas, manned by the people who had restored her in Faversham and a group of people who had fallen for the old lady and her great crew.
While under the care of Tiger Timbs the ship was hired for several film roles. During one the film producers had it it fitted with a tan coloured sail set in order to be able to play two different ships. This noticable colouring was maintained thereafter making the 'Eye of the Wind' very distinctive .
In 2001, by then rigged as a two mast brig
Brig
A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...
, she was taken over by a new owner and registered in Gilleleje, Denmark. Her interior underwent a substantial renovation, introducing a more luxurious accommodations. Again in 2009 she found a new owner with the Forum Media Group, Germany.
Published Books
- "Eye of the Wind", by E. A. Mitchener (1984 Published by the author 1984, ISBN 0959128603)
Filmography
The 'Eye of the Wind" has been used for several film and television roles.- The Blue LagoonThe Blue Lagoon (1980 film)The Blue Lagoon is a 1980 American romance and adventure film directed by Randal Kleiser. The screenplay by Douglas Day Stewart was based on the novel The Blue Lagoon by Henry De Vere Stacpoole. The film stars Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins...
(1980) where the ship appears as the 'Northumberland'. - White SquallWhite Squall (film)White Squall is a 1996 American drama feature film, directed by Ridley Scott.-Plot:The film is based on the fate of the brigantine Albatross, which sank on 2 May 1961, allegedly because of a white squall. The film relates the ill-fated school sailing trip led by Dr. Christopher B. Sheldon , whom...
(1996) as the 'Albatross'. - Tai-PanTai-Pan (film)Tai-Pan is a 1986 film directed by Daryl Duke, loosely based on James Clavell's 1966 novel of the same name. While many of the same characters and plot twists are maintained, a few smaller occurrences are left out. Filmed under communist Chinese censorship, some portions of Clavell's story were...
(1986) as the 'Morning Cloud' and the 'White Witch'. - Nate & Hayes (1983) as the 'Leonora'.
- Lost at Sea: The Search for Longitude (1998) This was an episode of the U.S. television series NOVANOVA (TV series)Nova is a popular science television series from the U.S. produced by WGBH Boston. It can be seen on the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States, and in more than 100 other countries...
.