Grand Turk for sale!
Anyone like to follow in Horatio's footsteps? The ship used widely in the filming of Hornblower is on the market. Now, where's that lottery ticket...... A SHIP that helped propel Hollywood actor Ioan Gruffudd to stardom has been put on sale for £1.75m. The fully-rigged 152ft tall ship, called The Grand Turk, featured in Hornblower – the ITV show that first brought the Cardiff star to wider public attention after his long-running role in Welsh-language soap Pobol y Cwm. He has since starred in movies such as Fantastic Four and 102 Dalmatians. The ship, a replica of the 18th century British frigate HMS Phoenix, was built in 1997 in Marmaris, Turkey. The asking price for the famous frigate came down from an initial £2.8m a week ago. The boat can host 155, including crew and all staff, for day sailing charters and needs up to 28 crew for sailing but around 16 people can handle the vessel under engine power. She was the first wooden British frigate to be built for more than 150 years. http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2009/02/21/for-sale-ship-that-starredwith-ioan-91466-22975710/

Ahhhhh,kind of sad in a way..............one of the last remnants left of our dear Horatio's haunts. I can see him standing atop her lofty mast with the wind blowing back his curls and turning his head to look at Kennedy to smile. . . . . . . . .oh shoot,......my eyes really ARE getting moist,you guys!!

Mmmmm, I agree, Matie! I've been to Marmaris, while holidaying in Icmeler just along the coast, and went on a few of the beautiful wooden ships they build there. Wish I'd know about the Grand Turk connection then!

Those tall ships are truly beautiful sights. Nothing like 'em,really.

Seems incredible that you can fit 155 people on board. It must be much bigger than you would think. Sad that it is being sold off.

I just hope that whomever is going to buy the Grand Turk will open it to visitors and its history and the history of the ships it is a copy of will be shared with them.

Me,too,Frances. There's got to be something that can be done with the ship that would be a fitting tribute to the Hornblower series in SOME way. Whoever buys it will probably turn it into a restaurant,or something!

Good idea, Ship. As long as they serve the meal from the Captain's table and not Salt Pork, Hardtack and Grog. :wink:

Oh,I was thinking something VERY elegant and pricey. Someplace where you'd have to dress-up to even get inside!

Now that would be an event worth paying for.

Yeah,and if I owned such an eatery,you could rest assured what handsome lieutenant would have the first invitation to come and dine at the "Grand" opening! THAT would be a pretty cool photo op,eh?

Yes, it would. Great Idea, Ship! Anybody up for scraping our pennies together and putting in a bid on the Grand Turk to be used as a high class eatery? :wink:

Oh,Money! Wherefore art thou? (And I've got some really GOOD ideas for the place,too!)

I'll bet you do. Too bad I just took my penny collection to the chage machine. We'd have ha $40 to start the fund.

HEY,-----Has anybody heard any up-to-date news about the sale of the ship??????????????