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active or chill » Sailing Halcyon - school of navigation 
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Written by Steve
, Thursday, 30 July 2009
In 1957 Halcyon was acquired from Madame Renault by the Warsash School of Navigation in Hampshire as a temporary replacement for the ketch Moyana, the winner of the first Tall Ships race in 1956 which foundered off the Isles of Scilly on the return from her triumph.
'As a cadet at Warsash in 1960 I sailed on Halcyon. She was a replacement for the larger ketch Moyana, which sank in the Western approaches after winning the first Tall Ships race to Lisbon. The officers and cadet crew were safely rescued, with their trophy, by the cargo liner Clan Maclean.
During my time Halcyon was skippered by the fearsome Captain Stewart, Captain Superintendent of Warsash School of Navigation. He suffered from a stomach ulcer and lived on jars of Heinz Orange Rice for Older Babies. I remember Bosun Pitt-Pitts and the mechanic, "Fingers" Ferris. Characters all.
I recognised the boat in Milford Haven Marina when I was there in my boat during the year of the eclipse (August 1999?). She was undergoing a refit then and the owner invited me to look around. He was of the opinion that the skills employed by her builders would soon be difficult to match in any major refit.
Incidentally, the cutlery on board was engraved with the name "L'Alcyone" and I was under the impression that she was originally built for a French owner.'She was bought as a “temporary”
During my time Halcyon was skippered by the fearsome Captain Stewart, Captain Superintendent of Warsash School of Navigation. He suffered from a stomach ulcer and lived on jars of Heinz Orange Rice for Older Babies. I remember Bosun Pitt-Pitts and the mechanic, "Fingers" Ferris. Characters all.
I recognised the boat in Milford Haven Marina when I was there in my boat during the year of the eclipse (August 1999?). She was undergoing a refit then and the owner invited me to look around. He was of the opinion that the skills employed by her builders would soon be difficult to match in any major refit.
Incidentally, the cutlery on board was engraved with the name "L'Alcyone" and I was under the impression that she was originally built for a French owner.'She was bought as a “temporary”
She was brought as a replacement for the 1899 ketch Moyana, lost in a gale off the Scilly Isles in 1956. 14 merchant navy cadet officers were trained on her at any one time by 5 officers, learning navigation, seamanship and watchkeeping.
