A reconstruction of an 18th century French Admiral’s gig, crewed by University of Southampton students and other enthusiasts, will sail up the Beaulieu River to moor at the historic village of Buckler’s Hard on Saturday 25th July.
The 38 foot long gig, called Intégrité, is expected to arrive at the village at around 2.00pm. Intégrité is a member of a fleet of gigs from around the world which race against each other every two years. The next International Contest of Seamanship will take place in Canada in 2010.
Archaeologists from the University of Southampton will also be offering practical taster sessions to interested members of the public at Buckler’s Hard which is situated in the heart of the New Forest.
The event, part of the British Festival of Archaeology, will feature opportunities to try out flint knapping, boat building techniques, geophysics, pot making, and brass rubbing. Hampshire County Council will be helping people find out more about the archaeology of their local area. University of Southampton archaeologist Lucy Blue who is a presenter on the BBC series Oceans will also be there.
Organiser Dr Louise Revell said it will be an afternoon of activities the whole family can enjoy. ‘Archaeology is incredibly popular following the success of TV programmes such as Time Team. We want to spark enthusiasm about people of all ages by giving them the chance to have a go.”
The University of Southampton offers undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in a wide range of archaeological subjects, see www.southampton.ac.uk/archaeology