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July 17, 2003

Cutty Sark — Gaelic for “Short Shirt”

On my desk is a bottle of Cutty Sark. It’s in a little corner of the desk, next to something else that’s glass. I noticed that the level of my Cutty Sark was lower than before. I asked Matt, “Did you drink my Cutty Sark?” He said, “No.” So I spent some time wondering, if was I sleepwalking these days? Or was someone sneaking into the house to take drams of my scotch?

Finally, after much paranoid musing on my part, Matt admits, “Oh yeah! I did have some, last week, I think!”

I hope he did, because the idea of either sleepwalking, or having unknown visitors (the kind that would sneak some scotch but not take my puter) kinda freaked me.

If you haven’t ever noticed, there’s a pretty clipper ship on bottles of Cutty Sark. Cutty Sark Scots Whiskey was created in the 1920′s, and named after an actual tea clipper ship.

The Cutty Sark clipper ship was designed by Hercules Linton and built by Scott & Linton at Dumbarton in 1869 for “Old White Hat” Jock Willis of London at a cost of 21 pounds/ton. She still exists, and is in the process of being restored.

Currently docked and in the process of restoration
http://www.cuttysark.org.uk

Her dimensions are 212’5″ x 36’0″ x 21’0″ and tonnage 963 GRT, 921 NRT, and 892 tons under deck.

She was one of the last true tea clipper ships, used to transport tea from China to London. However, when steam ships took over that role, she was sold and sent down to Australia to be a wool-shipping ship.

Some of her record times and other events:

1879
September 23 – January 12
Sailed from Manila to New York in 111 days.

1880
September 5
Captain Wallace committed suicide on voyage Anjer to Yokohama.

1887
March 26
Sailed from Sydney to London in 72 days

(excerpts from http://pc-78-120.udac.se:8001/WWW/Nautica/Ships/Clippers/Cutty_Sark(1869).html

The words “Cutty Sark” are Gaelic for “Short Shirt”, and became famous because of a poem by Robert Burns called Tam O’ Shanter, about a drunk old man who winds up in the middle of a witches’ dance. He cries out to one of the witches in a short shirt, “Weel done, cutty sark!” And then, next thing he knows, there’s a whole bunch of witches and warlocks chasing him very fast.

“Tam O’ Shanter”
explained by Lynnette Fitch

In ‘Tam O’ Shanter’, the main character, Tam, is an old boozer with a nagging shrew of a wife. One night after a bout of drinking with his cronies, Tam makes his way home on his trusty horse, Meg. Upon approaching auld Alloway Kirk, the haunted church ruin near his home, Tam is shocked to discover a witches’ ceilidh taking place upon the premises; all manner of ghouls and demons are taking part, and the devil himself is present playing bagpipes. Despite Meg’s extreme unease, Tam imprudently moves closer to watch because he has caught sight of Nan, a comely young witch in a short chemise, or cutty sark in Scots dialect, who is very enthusiastically participating in the vigorous Celtic dances (hornpipes, jigs, reels, and strathspeys). The physical repulsiveness of the rest of the coven is a negative statement about female sexuality in general. Tam is so absorbed in watching Nan’s athletic display that he forgets himself and roars out, “Weel done, Cutty Sark!” in approval and appreciation of Nan’s dancing, thus alerting the forces of evil of his presence. They immediately begin to pursue Tam who, on Meg, is now fleeing for his life. Tam spurs Meg on towards the auld Brig O’ Doon, or old bridge over the river Doon, because legend has it that witches cannot cross running water. Nan has her hand on Meg’s rump and is reaching forward to pull Tam off the horse when Meg gives one last mighty leap onto the bridge, leaving Nan with only the horse’s tail in her clutches on the far side. The poem ends with a brilliantly hilarious verse about the danger to men of liquor and lust:

Now, wha’ this tale o’ truth shall read
Ilk man, and mother’s son, take heed:
Whene’er to drink you are inclin’d,
Or cutty sarks rin in your mind,
Think! Ye may buy the joys o’er dear;
Remember Tam O’ Shanter’s mare.

from http://www.pulli.com/lynnette/ucdthesis/cutty_sark.html