Classic Cars

Came across three of my favourite classic cars on a walk in the countryside yesterday...

... and a couple of dream cars in a mall last week...

The Cotswolds - Artistry in Stone

We’ve come to Tetbury in the Cotswolds to spend a few days with Pen’s cousin Paul. I’ve been aware of the picturesque reputation of the region for years, but have never visited. This week we’re suddenly immersed in it, not just passing through but actually living in one of the historic stone homes that dot the region. Best let some pictures do the talking...

Reality Check

Whoops! Guess I spoke too soon. Yesterday we spent an afternoon in the Brent Cross shopping mall. While it’s true that British business men both young and old appear to be very fit and svelte, the mall demographic was more representative of the average body type. None-the-less my observations in the CBD have stuck with me and I remain determined to firm up my mid section for the long haul.

No beer guts please - we’re British

During our first foray into the bustling London metropolis, I was immediately struck by the preponderance of straight-backs, tight abs and perfectly fitted tapered shirts of the men-about-town - both young and middle-aged. Of course the city swarms with tourists, who far outnumbered locals at our Piccadilly Circus destination. But the locals are easy to spot at a hundred paces. On this warm summer day they are mostly clad in smart suits or slacks with their ‘modern fit’ shirts hugging their modern, fit, bodies. They stride confidently among the throngs of punters, brief cases swinging nonchalantly at their sides.

There has been some kind of revolution here since I last visited 20 years ago. No more beer guts; no more fish and chip guts; no more flab. I found myself instantly inspired to suck in my own protuberance, brace back my shoulders and do my best to walk tall. I was reminded of the striking appearance of Prince Phillip, just a few days before and a few hundred meters away, at 96 walking proudly ramrod straight to his place an his grandson’s wedding ceremony, just weeks after hip surgery.

There appears to be a new 21st century element to the old British “stiff upper lip”. I’m inspired to adopt their “stiff upper back” as well. And whatever gym tricks they’re using to achieve such notable results!

Arborarium Extraordinaire!

An early morning ramble down Southside Road, Inverness, set me to contemplate the early history of this leafy lane. At first I was struck by the beautiful heritage stone homes, from cozy cottages to grand mansions, mostly set behind bulky stone walls. Then I began to notice the exotic gardens and an incredibly diverse collection of trees and shrubs from around the world. 

Western Yew?

How could it be, I wondered, that in one tiny corner of this historic town, so many plants “from away” were thriving here in the northern reaches of Scotland. Towering over one  particular front garden was a massive Douglas Fir, as big as the monster that sits at the top of our driveway on Vancouver Island. Just below it, a Canadian Red Cedar and a Broad Leaf Maple. This signature ‘Canadian Corner’ had obviously been planted by someone celebrating another time and place. A little further on, at the intersection of Southside Road and Old Edinburgh Road, I found a thriving Eucalyptus, emblematic of my other motherland. Many of the exotic trees I spotted were beyond my limited knowledge, but obviously imported from far away.

Douglas Fir

When I asked John Ridgway about my discovery later in the day, he explained that this part of town had originally housed wealthy tea plantation owners who had obviously returned home with seeds and seedlings in memory of their oversees adventures. (My discoveries would suggest that there were maybe a couple of fur traders and perhaps a couple of ex convicts living among the tea planters!)

Eucalyptus 

My entrepreneurial spirit led me to contemplate an interesting hobby-job. How fascinating it would be, with an arborist’s assistance, to estimate the age of a sampling of the more exotic Southside Road trees and shrubs, then research the titles of the related homes to determine who the likely planters were. One could then develop a walking tour of this beautiful neighbourhood, merging its history and biology. Hmmm... Maybe I should initiate a franchise of the concept, with the proceeds funding our next visit to Scotland!

Crown Deli, Inverness

Jet lag eased me out of bed at 5.30 AM the morning after our reunion celebration, so I snuck off to explore the historic neighborhood of the Corriegarth Hotel. Surprised to discover the tiny Crown Deli open for business at 6.00 AM on a Saturday, I peaked inside to spot my favourite appliance at that time of day - an espresso machine! “Any chance of a coffee at this time of day?” says I. Roddy Morrison the owner said not a word, but turned briskly to his shiny machine and deftly set about the daily ritual I generally enjoy at home.

Roddy’s tiny wedge-shaped corner deli specializes in custom catering of home style Scottish delicacies, several of which were already well underway. Roddy rolls out of bed at 3.00 am and after a short walk to work, commences preparing ingredients for the day’s orders by 3.30 AM.

I guess my strange blended accent made it obvious that I was “from away”, so we chatted about Vancouver Island and Tasmania. Roddy had two relatives who’d migrated to Tasmania, and I had a Morrison friend years back, so we easily found a mutual Tasmanian connection. While one of Roddy’s relatives had remained in Tassie, the other returned home only to drown in the River Clyde!

After a pleasant chat in the time it took to make my coffee, Roddy set me on my way for a delightful morning walk, which I’ll describe in my next post. However on my return to the Corriegarth an hour and a half later, I popped back into the Crown Deli to secure two more lattés for Pen & me. A lovely start to my day!

Reunion Celebrations

  Photo: Tony Dallimore 

Well the past couple of months of planning and preparation culminated in a marvelous gathering of Whitbread crew mates and partners in Inverness, Scotland May 18-19. 

To kick off the celebrations, five crew and partners gathered for lunch at the historic Corriegarth Hotel on Friday May 18. 

Mid-afternoon, John and Marie-Christine Ridgway hosted a delightful garden party at their charming cottage on the banks of the Ness River, replete with champagne, fresh strawberries and cream.

It was here that we presented John and MC with a gift expressing our gratitude for the adventure of a lifetime - a photograph printed on canvas capturing a constant  Southern Ocean companion, the Wandering Albatross.

Our evening celebration included an excellent 3 course meal at the Corriegarth, interspersed with a few surprises. 

In December 1977 during our stop-over in Auckland, Paul McCartney launched his recording “Mull of Kintyre”. Someone brought the tape aboard and it promptly became our theme song for the remainder of the voyage. The significance of the song for us all lay in the fact that the Mull of Kintyre was the last prominent headland to be rounded on the final leg of our return voyage to Ardmore on the north west tip of Scotland. 

With a little help via the Web, I  commissioned 17 year old champion piper Angus MacFee to enter our dining room playing Mull of Kintyre. It was a delightful moment to watch the faces of my crew mates as they first heard the pipes in the distance, then recognized the tune, and finally came to the realization that Angus had actually come to pipe for our celebration.

In sealed envelopes at each couple’s place-setting were lyrics for the song, so after the initial grand entrance we all joined the pipes in a lusty rendition of our forty year old theme song.

The next surprise arrived immediately afterwards, as our hostesses Bella and Maya were piped into the room carrying bottles of Fonseca Bin 27 Port and copies of The Fonseca Story. 

During the race, Fonseca sponsored us with numerous cases of their fine vintage port, which became the staple of our daily “happy hour”. At each port of call, a fresh pile of cases would await us on the dock ready for the next leg.

Through their London agent Mentzendorff, Fonseca generously sent a case of Bin 27 to our reunion, plus 8 copies of their beautiful coffee table book celebrating the history of the company. We all signed the books as a record of the gathering, also honouring our piper and hosts with their own signed copies.

After dinner we gathered around a screen for a slide show. Each couple had been invited to submit 10 photos capturing some of their favorite memories of the past 40 years. Crew member Tony Dallimore has continued his lifelong passion for photography which first blossomed during the race. Tony compiled our joint photo collection into a delightful and very professional presentation, with each crew member narrating their own set. It was a great way to round out the evening, accompanied by tea and desert.

The following morning we reassembled for breakfast, continuing to recount numerous memories of our shared adventure around the world, blended with family stories from the past 40 years.

The icing on the cake happened at 11.30 am May 19 when our friends Colin and Ana Ladd,  Penny and I dropped in to bid John and MC farewell before driving back to Aberdeen. The TV coverage of Harry and Megan’s wedding had just commenced and John and MC insisted that we join them for the occasion. Armed with a bottle of Fonseca Bin 27 to toast the happy couple, we settled into a comfy circle with our crew-mates once again, to take in the television spectacle of the year.

In addition to compiling the magnificent reunion slide show, Tony acted as official reunion photographer. By the time he arrived home from his 7 hour train journey from Scotland, Tony had edited and posted a great record of our gathering. 

https://www.flickr.com/gp/t3imaging/661w2Q 

In 1977-78, Tony captured a fabulous set of images of our adventure, topped up with a few from other sources. View that collection here:

https://www.flickr.com/gp/t3imaging/91ssvu

Out of respect for Tony’s private Flickr account, please don’t forward either of these links.

Enjoy!

Cap’n John, Mate M-C, Pen and Pete - Inverness 19/5/18

40th Anniversary Crew Reunion

For the past few months, I’ve reconnected with ten of our Whitbread Race crew. We’ve remained in touch with five through the years, but tracking down the other five took a fair bit of online sleuthing. Once the connections were made, Pen and I decided that the 40th anniversary warranted a reprise of the 20 year reunion we organized in 1998. That was celebrated  aboard English Rose VI at Ardmore, Scotland, where the whole adventure began. 

After canvassing the group, we finally settled on May 18-19, gathering at the Corriegarth Hotel, Inverness, Scotland. Seven of our crew plus our partners will gather to reminisce over lunch, dinner and brunch. Pen & I will also meet with our Southern Ocean navigators, Tom Woodfield OBE who piloted us safely from Cape Town to Auckland (via the Antarctic pack ice) and Alan Green, longtime Secretary of the Royal Ocean Racing Club, who piloted us from Auckland to Rio via Cape Horn. That gathering will take place over lunch at the London HQ of the RORC.

On Wednesday May 16, Pen & I fly Victoria - Vancouver - London - Aberdeen, on the first leg of our journey. Check back for a re-cap of our celebrations!