Arwen's meanderings

Hi everyone and welcome to my dinghy cruising blog about my John Welsford designed 'navigator' named Arwen. Built over three years, Arwen was launched in August 2007. She is a standing lug yawl 14' 6" in length. This blog records our dinghy cruising voyages together around the coastal waters of SW England.
Arwen has an associated YouTube channel so visit www.YouTube.com/c/plymouthwelshboy to find our most recent cruises and click subscribe.
On this blog you will find posts about dinghy cruising locations, accounts of our voyages, maintenance tips and 'How to's' ranging from rigging standing lug sails and building galley boxes to using 'anchor buddies' and creating 'pilotage notes'. I hope you find something that inspires you to get out on the water in your boat. Drop us a comment and happy sailing.
Steve and Arwen

Saturday 15 May 2010

The name 'Arwen'

Someone has just emailed me to ask if I am a Lord of the Rings fan.......well yes......but that isn't where I got the name from.  I'm from Wales.......as a small kid I grew up in sight of the best Castle in Wales - Conwy Castle. My brother and I and friends off the small estate used to sneak in and pretend to be medieval warriors - great times. My dad used to take me to work...in Llanberis in the summer holidays...and you won't get much more welsh than that....in the shadow of the World's most spiritual and glorious mountain - Snowdon. In short, Arwen is a welsh name.....it has two or three meanings....and slight deriviations......Arwen can mean.....'Royal Maiden'.......or Evening Star'.  'Muse' is another meaning and finally 'Pure' and 'Beloved one'.  All appropriate really........so a good name I thought! The little tender being built for Arwen is to be called Angharad.....the name can be traced back to the C9th. In the C12th Mabinogion (a collection of medieval welsh folktales), Angharad was the fair lady who initially rejected Peredur but later fell in love and married him when he returned in a different guise. If I ever build another boat, she'll be named Rhiannon'..........after a welsh horse goddess!  And, for the eagle eyed.......now you know why I fly a welsh flag from Arwen's topyard.  Cymru am byth and Nos Da!

Steve

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