Arthur Ransome in Estonia


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Posted by Mark Sinisoo on July 16, 1996 at 13:33:06:

My recent research concerning Arthur's stay in Estonia has revealed
the following facts: Arthur's yacht Racundra, as it appears in the
Lloyds Register of Yachts, 1971, was registered under Id. No
Y087443 161729, type: AuxKch, Owner: Adrian Haskins, Home Port:
Southampton. It is Arthur's yacht because there can not be a similar
one built in Riga 1922. I found also an article in the Baltic Outlook,
Issue 8, p. 10-11: Sailing Across the Lines, One of Britain's Best-
Known Authors Was a Mid-Wife to Estonia's Pre-War Independence, by
Hilary King. Hilary King writes that Racundra's First Cruise took
place in 1922, but the book Racundra's First Cruise does not specify
the year explicitly, but when comparing the dates and corresponding
weekdays, then only 1923 fits. Hilary King writes that Racundra was
found in a very sad state in Tangiers, the new owner (Adrian Haskins?)
refitted it lovingly, but run it aground on the reefs north of
Carracas. Hilary King was in Tallinn 1992 aboard a yacht attempting
to trace the route of Racundra's maiden voyage. The British Embassy
here has no records of Hilary King's attempt. The Tallinn Yacht Club
has not (yet) found logbook entries concerning such attempt, but some
people remember a British yacht resembling Racundra, but not the name
of the yacht. Ransome wrote that Minister Piip told him about an entry
in the Tallinn Secret Police dossiers describing Ransome as a
Bolshevik agent. I shall make an attempt to locate the Ransome file.
The Hilary King's article has a World War I time photo of Arthur,
in Czarist Army uniform, with an officer's cap carrying the letters
B.K. (Voyennyi korrespondent - war correspondent). I shall keep you
informed about my research.


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