The FitzRoy storm glass owes its name to a true admiral. In the middle of the 19th century, the Briton Robert FitzRoy was entrusted with setting up a meteorological measuring network and used, among other things, the storm glass, which had been known since 1750. He believed, as did many of his contemporaries, that the crystallisation of the glass indicated changes in the weather over the next 24 hours.
A prominent user of the storm glass was Charles Darwin, who sailed the world's oceans under Captain FitzRoy on the HMS "Beagle" between 1831 and 1836. The storm glass pictured here, made by Danish manufacturer E. S. Sørensen from Copenhagen, is available from Hamburg ship chandler Toplicht for 124.95 euros. It is available in polished brass, polished stainless steel and matt stainless steel. More information at www.toplicht.de.
This article appeared in the current issue of YACHT classic, which has been on sale since 21 May. YACHT subscribers receive the magazine delivered to their door free of charge. You can also read a portrait of the shipyard founder Henry Rasmussen, the history of the "Nordwest" and look back on Classic Week 2024 in photos by Nico Krauss.
