The lady herself

It's a feat of the master carver, Khun Prapan Suja in Thailand, that he managed to combine a demur expression, appropriate to a boddhisattva (often translated as a goddess) and a more open expression of a lady bringing compassion to the world - she is the figurehead of a boat after all. In my humble opinion, he combined these two contrasting expressions well. She is not coy, nor wanton. Please judge for yourself - and don't hesitate to comment.

she holds asprig of willow in her right hand and vase of "holy" water in her left hand.

Kuan Yin's dragon

Unfortunately Kuan Yin cannot be fitted in the usual place for a ship's figurehead - under the bowsprit - because there are anchors on either side that would soon damage her. I had thought of positioning her in front of the pulpit - on the bow of the boat, but the minor accident in November convinced me she would be too vulnerable there. So on the boat, she will stand part way up the mast. This will add some windage and also raise the centre of gravity of the boat very slightly. All being well, the staysail (the inner headsail) will not touch the figurehead.

Here's a closeup of the dragon's head (before the teak was painted) on which Kuan Yin stands. The workmanship is intricate and excellent.

I have yet to figure out exactly how the figurehead will be attached the mast. I was planning to have a bracket made here in Thailand of marine bronze, but have now decided that it's probably better to wait until the figurehead is on the boat and arrange the work in situ.

Figurehead of Kuan Yin

Traditionally, every ship should have a figurehead. Even "little ships" are good candidates if their design can support the embellishment. The same figurehead that graced Nelson's ship at Trafalgar would certainly look out of place on an uber stylish racing yacht, as well as adding unwanted windage.

My boat "Kuan Yin" is a classic design that I believe can support the addition of a figurehead. What better figure than a statue of the Kuan Yin, the boddhisattva of compassion. So last week I came back from a quick trip to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand searching for a carver who would be able to create a suitable figure.

There are important differences between a "statue" and a figurehead for a vessel. It's vital that the figurehead looks like she belongs to the ship, and is not taken from the shelf in someone's living room.

For practical reasons, I have had to move the location from the traditional place, at the bow of the ship, under the bowsprit, to before the main mast. Hopefully this will work and not add too much windage nor get in the way of sails and lines.

In addition, the posture and gaze of most figures of Kuan Yin, very popular in many parts of area, tend to be focused immediately in front of the figure. Obviously on a vessel, it's important to the wellbeing of the ship and to the people who greet her in harbours, that she is looking up and outward, offering compassion to the whole world, humans, whales, fishes and icebergs!