Maori War Canoe - Ngatokimatawhaorua - Postcard

This wonderful picture postcard sent by my swap friend in New Zealand, Ms. Corinne Pegler, depicting Maori War Canoe.

the information found on reverse side of the card -

Ngatokimatawhaorua (The Adzes which shaped it twice). This, the largest war canoe in the world was built for the 1940 centennial commemoration of the Treaty of Waitangi. Three massive kauri trees were felled in Puketi Forest and it is of the same design, materials, and construction methods used for smaller versions which carried raiding parties on long coastal voyages both before and following European settlements.

The 35 meter canoe carries a crew of 90 paddlers and is regularly launched for annual commemorations of the Treaty signings.

Cape Verde 100 Escudos - Sailship Madalan

Year of Issue: 1994
KM #: 40a
Type: Commemorative
Metal: Bi-metal (Copper-Nickel in center and Brass ring)
Edge: Reeded
Shape: 10-sided
Weight: 10 g
Diameter: 26.5 mm

Obverse: Sailship Madalan
Reverse: National Emblem

Madalan:
Dimensions: 147.6 x 30.2 x14.9ft (draught)
Tonnage: 357 gross. 242 net.
Power: One Cooper-Bessemer 6-cylinder diesel, 300 bhp.

Madalan was built as a yacht in 1928 by Marco U. Martinolich at Lussinpiccole, Italy for an American owner, Mr. Cornelius Crane of Ipswich Ma. She was launched with the name ILLYRIA. Apart from the captain's and crew's quarters she had four double cabins, a library, and a sitting room. Mr. Crane had made his fortune in bathroom fixtures. He made a South Sea expedition for the Field Museum of Natural History of Chicago.

Later, she was owned by George M. Moffett of New York who gave her the name MALAINA.

At the beginning of the second world war, the US Coast Guard bought her for USD 45 000 and spent another USD 44 500 to convert her, equipping her with 2 20mm AA machine guns, 2 depth charge launchers, range finders and gun platforms. She was renamed MADALAN (WYPc-345) and commissioned on 1 April 1943, assigned to the 3rd District based in Fort Tilden, NY. On 7th June 1945, she was decommissioned and transferred to War Shipping Administration.

In November 1946, John B. Pontes, a Boston Cape Verdean businessman, and his business associate Fortunato Gomes da Pina bought her for USD 35 000. Pontes kept the name Madalan, had her re-rigged as a brigantine and had the partitions below deck taken out for optimum cargo space. In 1948, a cattle pen was built under the forecastle in order to have fresh meat during the voyage.

Madalan left Providence on June 8, 1947 under Captain Sebastian Cruz with twenty passengers. It was a crossing with many a windless day. After 74 days, Madalan arrived in Cape Verde. She had a new engine, but Pontes would not allow it to be used because it was too expensive to operate. The return voyage to Providence was a good deal faster, taking only 39 days from Dakar. After staying in for Christmas and New Year she attempted a winter crossing in January 1948 from New England. Five days out of port, Madalan ran into the start of a week of gales that drove her 130 miles a day without sails. Yet apart from the three kerosene drums and a barrel of beef that were washed overboard, the brigantine came through without damage.

The Madalan was back in Providence on July 27, 1948, with forty-two passengers, after making a 48 day crossing from Dakar despite 17 windless days. The comfortable conditions aboard the Madalan had made her a popular ship, and so every year thereafter the Madalan returned to New England in July and left in autumn after the cranberry harvest, when many Cape Verdean cranberry pickers would book passage home to visit family and friends.

Madalan was eventually sold to Antonio Bento of Maio, who neglected her. In 1955 she broke loose in the harbor of Praia and was driven against the rocks. The Providence Journal reported in 1957 that "Antonio Bento can't or won't spend money for necessary repairs on leaks in her steel hull and on her sprung topsail." Sometime later, unattended, she developed a leak and sank.

Click here to see other coins with watercrafts, in my collection.

Source: numista.com and worldofcoins.eu

Titanic - Personalized stamp from Finland

Received this interesting cover last week, thanks to my friend, Kristiina from Finland.

The special postmark in the design of porthole window was issued during the event - Helsinki Stamp Fair 2012 conducted on October 28th.  It is the largest annual philatelic event in Finland. It attracts thousands of collectors. The Helsinki stamp fair 2010 is arranged by the largest stamp company in Finland; Suomen Filateliapalvelu oy – Philatelic service of Finland.

Finland Post offers its customers to print personalized stamp and one such stamp is on this envelope with image of Titanic to commemorate its century. The other stamp showing a passenger ferry (the design taken from the old posters inviting foreigners to the lake district Saimaa) is this year's Europa theme - Visit... to promote tourism.

Macau 1992 - 5 Patacas

Type: Circulation coin
Year: 1992
KM #: 56
Composition: Copper-Nickel
Weight: 10.100 g
12-sided planchet

Obverse: MACAU written across territorial emblem with date below

The reverse depicts a three-masted lorcha against the background of the facade of the Ruinas de Sao Paolo. The obverse depicts the territorial emblem. the ornate granite facade featured on the reverse is one of the hallmark architectures of Macau. The facade and 68 stone steps are all that remained of St. Paul's Church, the church of the Jesuit college of Madre de Deus, after a fire in 1835. The church was built by Chinese and Japanese Christian craftsmen between 1620 and 1630 according to a design by an Italian Jesuit, Carlo Spinola. In 1987 the Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration was signed that set forth arrangements for Macao's handover to China in 1999. In consequence thereof Macau's circulation coins issued after 1987 use the territorial emblem, replacing the Portuguese coat-of-arms that was in use prior thereto.

Lorcha:  The lorcha is a type of sailing vessel having a Chinese junk rig on a Portuguese or European style hull. The vessel is faster and able to carry more cargo than the normal Chinese junk because of its hull structure. The vessel was developed around 1550 in Macau, then a Portuguese colony in China. This hybrid type of vessel sailed faster than traditional pirate ships and it began to be used by British traders after the First Opium War.

Source:
1. from Book - Watercraft on World Coins by Yossi Dotan, Volume II America and Asia, 1800 - 2008

2. Wikipedia

Click here to see other coins with watercrafts, in my collection.

25 Years of ICS in Sri Lanka

Date of Issue: February 09, 2012

The Philatelic Bureau of the Department of Posts issued to commemorate 25 years of Institute of chartered Ship Brokers, Sri Lanka Branch.

Being an island nation, SRI LANKA was heavily depended on her Shipping Industry for promotion of the export/import trade with her overseas trading partners and for the development of her economy. No wonder therefore, the local shipping industry was buzzing with activity day in/ day out.

Up to about the early 1980s, professionals in shipping were rarely found in the island. It was around this time and sensing the Lacuna, the management of the Ceylon Shipping Corporation (CSC) - the National Carrier - formulated a policy decision which made it mandatory for its staff (clerical and middle management level) to qualify the examinations conducted by the “Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers (ICS) - UK” to be eligible for promotion in the hierarchy of the organization. In order to facilitate this process and also assist the aspirants who desired to qualify; the management of CSC provided a well-equipped library including study material required for these examinations. Having followed a traditionally set process of shipping practices that existed in the local industry which had evolved over the decades; this move by the CSC was to revolutionize the approach to many issues that emanated in the industry, come future. And it did as it subsequently turned out to be.

Many thanks to my swap friend, Prasanna Jayathillake (Jay Dew in Facebook) for the stamp and First Day Cover.

Text Source: srilankastamps.lk

Watercrafts on Banknotes #14 - Oman 1 Riyal

Issued By: Central Bank of Oman
Catalog #: KM 43
Year: 2005

This banknote is a commemorative issue on event of 35th National Day of Sultanate of Oman, in 2005. On the reverse, left side there is a three-masted ship, more information unavailable. anyone knows?

Click here to see more banknotes with watercrafts, in my collection.