A Weekend in England
by John Phillips
On my last trip to England I was fortunate enough to have a free weekend to spend in the Portsmouth area. I caught the train from St. Albans on Friday afternoon, changed to the underground in London and then hooked up with another train at Waterloo that would take me to Portsmouth. Arriving after dark I was not able to appreciate the fun that was waiting for me.
Each day in England starts with breakfast and breakfast in England can only be called “civilized.” A Full English breakfast, by a fire, with old ship models and charts decorating the walls and 40’s big band music softly playing in the background is the way to start any, absolutely any, day.
After breakfast I walked from the hotel, past the D-Day Memorial, to Portsmouth’s Historic Dockyard area. As you walk you can remember the descriptions from Forester’s books of Hornblower leaving Portsmouth and prisoners of war being returned. In fact, several islands in the middle of the harbor were created by these and later prisoners dredging and digging out the harbor.
Across the bay you can see Spice Island. The island was named Spice Island because it had 90 some pubs in a three block area. On Sunday mornings the locals sprinkled spices on the sidewalks to hide the hideous smell of the drunks. Today, as you approach the recently developed area of the harbor, you begin to realize the extent of this area’s sailing heritage when you are greeted by the Spinnaker Tower.
The Historic Dockyard offers the visitor many days of maritime fun. There are three old warships to visit (HMS Victory, Mary Rose and the HMS Warrior), a Royal Naval Museum, a Harbor Tour and an interactive display called Action Stations. At Action Stations you begin by watching a B grade movie depicting a dramatic rescue by the Royal Navy of a whimsical young woman held captive by dreadfully evil third world pirates. After the theatre you can try out a wide range of simulators from flying a helicopter to firing weapons to being the commander of your own advanced warship. Now, doesn’t that bring out the boy in you?
At the Dockyards I spent most of my time on the HMS Victory which was Admiral Nelson’s warship that he commanded during the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Nelson and the British fleet successfully cut the allied fleet of France and Spain into thirds. He then captured or sank a significant number of the enemy’s fleet and stopped Napoleon’s efforts at controlling the sea. Unfortunately for England and particularly Admiral Nelson, a French sniper was able to shoot and kill him during this battle.
After seeing the Victory, I headed over to the work area where restoration of the Mary Rose is carried on. The Mary Rose was built in 1510 by Henry VIII (I am, I am), sunk on a fine summer day and then excavated and returned to Portsmouth Harbor in 1982. It was in this area that I saw this interesting collection of work and pleasure boats that had been restored and were moored by the quay.
If you would like further information on the Historic Dockyard go to this link. http://www.flagship.org.uk/welcome.html
Sunday morning I caught the train for London with plans of being at London Bridge by 9:30AM. Ellen Macarthur, the latest addition to a long and rightfully proud sailing history for England, was sailing her tri-maran up the Thames River and then planned to turn around and sail back to Greenwich Pier. I arrived in London too late to go to London Bridge and went directly to Greenwich Pier. Here, next to the Cutty Sark, a stage with a large video screen was set up for her to greet the crowd and receive their adulation.
Watching the big screen videos of her record, around the world trip and hearing her describe the conditions, made “big” winds and waves on Branched Oak seem pretty lame. Here is a link that will tell you more of her story. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/sailing/4229079.stm
I had arrived early and was carrying my Harken soft sided bag, a computer case and a brief case. Stationed near the front I was sure that I would get a good photo of Ellen, except I was still too far away for my camera and with all of my gear, so early and so close, I immediately drew the attention of the Bobbies. I guess that is life in the new world of terrorism.
After the ceremony I walked a short distance to the Gypsy Moth pub. This is, of course, named after Francis Chichester’s boat. The debate was still raging as to who was the greatest, Chichester, Knox-Johnson or Macarthur. It was nice to see that the Brits argue over meaningless things also. Despite the debate, this was a great place to have a pint and a plate of bangers and mash and watch a big, black Jamaican do card tricks for the customers. I laughed so hard that I needed another pint. A few blocks from here are the Royal Observatory (as in Greenwich Mean Time) and the Royal Naval Museum. I had visited them on the previous weekend.
As you can see, if you have an interest in sailing and the sea, England is a wonderful place to spend some time. Besides warships and museums there is punting on the Cams river….
….or in the northwest on the Bristol Sea you can be amazed by a 62 foot tide and watch the ambitious racers from the Clevedon Sailing Club push their dinghies out for Sunday races.
Yes, the love of the water and boating is the same worldwide.