The Legend of Corryvreckan

Whirlpools, Viking Princes ,George Orwell & Austen.

Hi Melinda here.

This post is a little different, but I hope you will bear with me, because  although it does not relate directly to the Regency, it does involve myths, legends and a few literary links, which I hope you will appreciate!

 I have just returned from an Island-hopping holiday in Scotland and the highlight of the trip was chasing whirlpools in the Gulf of Corryvreckan.  You may think there is no link with Regency romance here, but I am sure that anyone who writes historical adventures would find their imagination running riot,  as mine was, and I have no doubt that many sailing ships of the time tried to sail through the Gulf, and possibly some of them foundered. There are many stories surrounding this area and the whole experience was truly inspiring. I could easily imagine the fears of those early sailors who suddenly found themselves in what appears to be a giant boiling cauldron.

The Gulf of Corryvreckan is a narrow strait between the islands of Jura and Scarba off the west coast of Scotland. The seabed at this point is very deep (around 100m) with numerous humps and holes, including one huge hole going down 219 metres and an equally huge pinnacle which rises to just 29 metres from the surface. The effect of these two features forces water upwards into the tidal flow, where is forms whirlpools, even when conditions are otherwise calm.

At full strength the currents can reach over 10 knots, and in stormy conditions standing waves can be up to 5 metres high.  Imagine you are a sailing ship wanting to sail against such a current.  Apparently, it is not too bad at slack water, but ships under sail, and even modern boats without powerful engines, can find themselves going backwards.

Many sailors have drowned trying to navigate through the gulf of Corryvreckan, and – to give you a literary link – George Orwell, who was living on Jura at the time, was nearly drowned there. He had taken his nephew out in a dinghy which lost its motor and was in danger of being sucked into one of the whirlpools. The story goes that he tried rowing but lost the oars, but he still managed to get himself and his nephew to the shore, where they were rescued by a lobster boat.  That was in 1947: if he had perished, then he would not have finished his most famous work, 1984.

We visited the Corryvreckan with SeaFari Adventures (https://www.seafari.co.uk/oban/our-tours/whirlpool-specials/), sailing from Easdale  in a powerful open RIB and had to dress appropriately in waterproofs and a life jacket.

Dressed for the Occasion!

We had three experienced crew members with us, who explained what caused the phenomena and told us some of the tales surrounding the Corryvreckan. They took us into the heart of some of the whirlpools, so that we were spinning around with the water. There was a spring tide but the weather conditions were very calm, so although the waters were choppy the waves were less than a metre. They still provided plenty of spray, though, so our waterproofs were necessary!

 We watched as large areas of the water surface became very flat and calm before swelling upwards and turning into a churning mass of water that would then form itself into a whirlpool. It was exhilarating to be so low in the water that one could reach out and touch the surface, which was calm one moment, boiling the next. It really was like being on top of a giant, bubbling cauldron.

One legend says that Corryvreckan means Breacan's Cauldron. The Viking Prince Breacan wanted to marry the Lord of the Isles' daughter, but to do so he had to prove his courage by anchoring his boat in the whirlpool for three days. He took advice from his father's wise men who told him it could only be done by using three ropes, one of hemp, one of wool and the third made from the hair of pure maidens.

Breacan followed their instructions and at first it seemed he would succeed, for although the hemp and wool ropes broke, the one made from virgins' hair held firm – until the third day, when it broke because one of the maidens was not as pure as she made out! The hapless Breacan drowned in the whirlpool.

And another literary claim (although tenuous), is that the whirlpool of Charybdis, described in Homer's Oddysey, is in fact the Corryvreckan!

As a writer I spend most of my days sitting at my desk making up adventures for my characters. Indeed, I would not describe myself as an adventurous person, but I thoroughly enjoyed "playing" in the whirlpools. It was exciting, exhilarating and maybe, as Austen says - "None of us want to be in calm waters all our lives.”  

Melinda Hammond/Sarah Mallory

Sense and Sensibility 08

I'm really looking forward to the new adaptation of Sense and Sensibility. I've just finished writing Colonel Brandon's Diary (which will be out sometime in 2008) so I'm particularly interested to see what Andrew Davies makes of Brandon. From the trailers, it seems as though we're going to see more of him than we usually do, which is a good thing, I think,




Meanwhile, I found this wonderful picture and caption on the BBC site.

"Janet McTeer and Charity Wakefield know there's always going to be some
picky person who'll spot that their costumes aren't quite period-perfect."





Let's hope the series also displays a sense of humour, because although I'm a sucker for historical drama, Austen is also very funny and her humour is sometimes forgotten in TV dramas.

If you want to see more photos then visit the BBC site by clicking here

And come back and visit the blog later in the week / month to share your views on this new adaptation and to read about ours!

Open Book

One of my very lovely friends, Katie Fforde, author of such fabulous books as Going Dutch and Bidding Love, alerted me to the fact that Mr Darcy's Diary was going to be discussed on Radio 4's Open Book programme.

As it happened the book discussed was another Mr Darcy's Diary (Jane's sandpit is getting distinctly crowded). BUT one of the contributors, the fiction editor of the Sunday Times, spoke eloquently about retellings, and mentioned that Amanda Grange had also written a book called Mr Darcy's Diary, as well as Mr Knightley's Diary and Captain Wentworth's Diary.








The programme raised an interesting point: why do writers love to write sequels to famous novels? In my case I think a lot of it is down to curiosity. It's rather like picking up a much-loved antique vase in order to see what it looks like from a different angle. There's also the pleasure of being able to use formal language, and to create Austen-like minor characters to populate the new sections. And of course there's the joy of spending all day in Austen's world.








I particularly loved creating Captain Wentworth's brother, not only because I wanted to explore Wentworth's relationship with his sibling, but also because I was intrigued by him. Wentworth is a naval captain, his sister is an admiral's wife, and yet his brother is a country clergyman. I thought that this situation would lead to a lot of teasing and I enjoyed imagining what it would be like.

This is from the start of the book, when Wentworth meets his brother for the first time since coming ashore in 1806:

As we walked back to his house along the dusty road I told him all my news, of the ships I had sailed in and the Captains I had sailed under; of the battle of St Domingo and my promotion to Commander; and in return I listened to his tales of sermons and services, of neighbours and parishioners. I could not help laughing at the difference.
‘What! One of your neighbours climbed over your wall uninvited last month? What a calamity! I do not know how you survived the excitement!’

‘A pretty time you have had of it!’ Edward retorted. ‘Never knowing where you would be in a few hours’ time, and whether you would be alive or dead. I would rather be safe in my parish with my garden and my books, my home and my church, rather than tossing about on the open sea in a flimsy wooden boat. You were always the bold one, Frederick.’

‘And why not? The war has made it possible for men of ability and ambition to rise in the world, and I mean to use the opportunities it has given me to make my fortune. Ah! the limitless horizons, both at sea and on land, the battles to be fought, the prizes to be won. I will be a wealthy man soon, and I mean to own an estate before I am done.’

‘And then be off again the minute you have bought it! You will never settle on land, you will find it too dull. I believe you will scarcely be able to tolerate your shore leave. I can offer you no battles, unless you wish to frighten my parishioners into listening to my sermons instead of whispering about each other’s bonnets, and I can offer you no glory, save the glory of being a novelty, to be examined and talked over like a prize bull at a fair.’

‘It is enough. I have had my fill of battles for the time being, and I am ready for variety. A man may grow weary of the sea as well as anything else, and I will fight all the better for the change. Besides, I mean to enjoy myself whilst I am here, and to do all the things I cannot do on board ship. I mean to ride and walk and explore the countryside, and I am looking forward to meeting your neighbours. You have told me a great deal about them in your letters and I cannot wait to make their acquaintance. I hope there are some pretty girls hereabouts!’

‘I have never noticed.’

‘Come, now, even a curate notices a pretty face,’ I said.

‘If you had been plagued by every spinster from sixteen to sixty for the last twelvemonth, as I have, you would not be so eager to attract their notice.'




If you'd like to listen to the programme you can find it by clicking here here until next Sunday, 4th November