Frank Cowper – Victorian Yachtsman

 

'Lady Harvey'

While exploring Twitter I found this link:

Frank Cowper – the Forefather of Modern Cruising

http://www.pbo.co.uk/cruising/frank-cowper-forefather-modern-cruising/

I hadn’t realised the extent of Frank Cowper’s influence in popularizing yacht cruising as a worthwhile and exciting pastime. Other pioneers of that era in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries include E.F. Knight, Claude Worth, R. T. McMullen and Erskine Childers.

Frank owned a number of yachts: the ‘Lady Harvey’, the ketch ‘Undine 11’ that he designed and she became his favourite. After selling her in 1899 he purchased a yawl named ‘Zayda’; then a French fishing lugger, ‘Idéal’, followed by a 14 ton cutter ‘Little Windflower’, and finally the 41’ cutter ‘Ailsa’ purchased in 1921.

His most well known books, ‘Sailing Tours’ published in five volumes, describe his adventures cruising the coasts of Essex and Suffolk, the Nore to the Scilly Isles, Falmouth to the Loire, Land’s End to the Mull of Galloway and the Clyde to the Thames.

Links

Frank Cowper, 1849–1930

 http://www.smallcraft.net/research/the_sailors/frank_cowper/

Cruising Sailors

 http://www.betty-ck145.com/docueng/classic_boats/cruise_sailors.html

‘Little Windflower’

http://www.dorsetbelles.com/about/gaff-rigged-41ft-cutter-1890--history/sandeman-yacht-company/  

Frank Cowper Sailing Books

http://www.abebooks.co.uk/book-search/author/frank-cowper/kw/sailing/ 

Sailing Tours: The Yachtsman's Guide to the Cruising Waters of the English Coast, Volume 1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sailing-Tours-Yachtsmans-Cruising-English/dp/1179443586

Barnes and Noble – Some Frank Cowper Books

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/frank-cowper

Google Frank Cooper Books

http://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Sailing_tours.html?id=w_cWAAAAYAAJ

Sailing Tours – Part 5 - £75.00

http://www.mclarenbooks.com/sailing-tours-the-yachtsmans-guide-to-the-cruising-waters-of-the-english-and-adjacent-coasts-part-v-5-the-west-coasts-of-scotland-the-orkneys-and-the-west-coast-of-the-north-sea-frank-cow/  

The Vagaries of Lady Harvey: The Meanderings of a Freak Among the Orkneys and Elsewhere

http://www.amazon.com/The-Vagaries-Lady-Harvey-Meanderings/dp/B00266A74A

Jack All Alone

http://www.amazon.it/Jack-All-Alone-His-Cruises-Frank-Cowper/dp/1150562382