Author Topic: bruetsch - tourette like a dog with a bone  (Read 19311 times)

Big Al

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Re: bruetsch - tourette like a dog with a bone
« Reply #45 on: February 04, 2012, 10:53:03 AM »
Yep, setting light to the Cutty Sark to claim on the insurance and a quick whip round for un nailed down State and saps bunts was a smart move to get it done up properly once it was realised the keel was as rotten as a pear. Still not sure why we are paying Millions to restore ships not to use, Mary Rose, Britannia, etc. when we have a load of usable boats needing cash and are a maritime nation. I blame that blasted tunnel and its associated vision.......

Now a restoration like Shamrock 4, the J class racing yacht, I can go along with. We saw it going round the Isle of Wight off Ventnor. Alive and impressive. This leads me to one of the best thing I think I have experienced. A sub J class we saw under full canvas in front of the butterfly colours of the main Tobermory Week racing fleet following. It rounding Ardnamurchan Point in the far distance, running hard passed Mallaig into the Sound of Sleat beneath the backdrop of the ever brooding Cullen boiling ever ominiously with a flashing norse saga of a black thunderstorm of hail. The speed it maintained under a spinnaker was incredible as was the angle of heel it took on gaining the Sound's off shore cold downdraft. The boat's only chance to beat the racing handicapper was to outpace the impending storm. We cheered it passed on its way to shoot the Kyle of Lochalsh having, by about 10 minutes, beaten the terrific squall that fell off the mountains of Skye obliterating vision in a force 8 blast and in which we got a right going over. You cannot really buy an experience like that. Made you proud to be of an island race and tough enough to be out in the conditions, as everyone else would be running and hiding. Better than any fake ship in a bottle I think. You cannot beat a machine working to the maximum in its element, like a fully loaded up steam locomotive in sub freezing temperatures, old racing car being driven on the limit, just hardly anyone does any more. Health and safety, might get broken etc etc. or you pay for the privalage to see it.

Liquorice wood, fantastic. Don't mention lozenges again! Must be an old recipe as the RAF had not been invented I guess. Not into those jobbies either. Sounds like there needs to be a RUM run to a real Sweet Shop.

Can you get Cocker Spangles?
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Bob Purton

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Re: bruetsch - tourette like a dog with a bone
« Reply #46 on: February 04, 2012, 11:10:40 AM »
Have you just swallowed a book on maritime poetry?   :D  Sounds like a wonderfull sight though.
I would still have my taxes spent on the Cutty Sark than on Olymipics!! Greenwich is a great place, the naval college, observatory, Maritime museum and just wouldnt be the same without the Cutty Sark.

Big Al

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Re: bruetsch - tourette like a dog with a bone
« Reply #47 on: February 04, 2012, 11:21:00 AM »
Oh, I definitely go along with you there Bob. Wasting money on a permanent historical item is one thing, and debatable. Misappropriating tax payers money on an expensive white elephant using only certain persons paint is entirely another.

Otherwise I am bored, and cold if I do anything useful, so the grey matter is jogging.
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marcus

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Re: bruetsch - tourette like a dog with a bone
« Reply #48 on: February 05, 2012, 08:52:05 AM »
Great bit of Sea Writing there Al! Before they built the Dordfart Bridge the Tall Ships Race used to start in That London, and I regularly headed over to Tower Bridge to see the magnificent sight of the great ships, with masts and rigging adorned with flags and bunting. I saw the last one, and there was a fly-past, the last pre-restoration flight of the Fleet Air Arm's Fairey Swordfish, my Dad's old bus, and this was the only air-worthy one in the world. The was a strong wind blowing downstream which the Stringbag was battling against, and white horses on the Thames. I was on Tower Bridge directly under the plane, and it was making about 3-5 knots at most, so a great lingering view. Dad's FAA Pilot, a certain Laurence Olivier (later Lord Olivier) was totally beyond discipline and was always getting grounded, he used to love vertical take-offs and landings in the Stringbag, and once flew the whole length of the runway backwards.

Here are my photos of the Cutty Sark:

http://s581.photobucket.com/albums/ss260/Captain_Bubble/Greenwich%20Cutty%20Sark%20resto%202%202%202012/

Sorry about the thread hijack Mike!
Just remember: as one door closes behind you, another slams in your face

Big Al

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Re: bruetsch - tourette like a dog with a bone
« Reply #49 on: February 05, 2012, 10:43:22 AM »
Being there is the thing. I am looking forward to seeing the restored MTB boat powered by Merlins. But will they give it some beans?

Being present when the Saab Viggan was being displayed at Farnborough against the American equivalent, forget what that was, F16? The USA went first. Low display due to cloud and at the end the pilot spun the plane in a vertical climb through the cloud punching a small blue hole. Impressive. The Saab pilot went nuts on his display and ended up doing the same trick with the cloud. OK we've seen that. Seems he did a loop and suddenly appeared back through the hole and managed to pull the thing up with feet to spare. Fork and knife! Sadly despite his best efforts the Dutch etc bought the USA offering. Yet Concord stole the show as it was displayed at the height of humidity and pulled vortices and pressure waves of condensation out of the air in a superbly flown display by Trubshaw. Truly a beautiful machine and I still cannot believe it and the associated technology is now scrapped without a replacement. Do we march backwards?

The Stringbag was what was called a firm weapons base. Also could do what a helicopter could in a good breeze. So eccentrically out of date it was a success, where as the just out of date Battle was pretty much a useless death trap.
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Bob Purton

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Re: bruetsch - tourette like a dog with a bone
« Reply #50 on: February 13, 2012, 11:45:03 AM »
Good news, I have finally made contact with Paul Merkelt, son of Albert Merkelt who designed the Tourette. He has come up with some interesting information but importantly just to put to bed what has been an issue much debated on this thread, if it was a Brutsch design built under license or not, I quote part of the last email I received from Paul  "Thanks for your message. With regard to your queries as to the history of the tourette, this vehicle was designed and produced in the Uk. My mother was correct in this respect. It was a British product and was not produced under licence from any German company." I asked about what his mother said re the shape being sketched out in the 1940s but Paul was too young to remember anything about that, so whether the shape was influenced by 1950s European designs we will never know. Paul also sheds light on the early stories of it being a tipper! Apparently, Albert originally designed the car to have two motorcycle coil over shocks on the front for each side instead of just one, this must have looked weird! In this form it handled very well but when it went into production to save money and against Mr Merkelts advice only one each side was used and as a result the car was rather skittish! Its great to be in contact with Paul and I hope to glean more from him. Watch this space.