This week's Sepia Saturday prompt photograph features a group of friends in a boat with the sea in the background on what looks like a rather grey cold day.
Cue for me to look at being AT SEA with a random collection of sea, ships and boat stories.
Would you join a boat trip with this fellow ? A marketing sign at Whitby, Yorkshire on England's north east coast.
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I was reminded of a poem we learnt at school by English Poet John Masefield.)
“I must go down . to the sea again
More boats in Oban harbour
In September 1966, I returned home from a year in the USA, travelling aboard the Cunard liner "Sylvania" from New York, calling at Boston and Cobh, Ireland, to Liverpol. Commercial jet planes services were hitting the transatlantic scheduled shipping and the Liverpool-New York sailings were axed in November after my return. Still I enjoyed this experience and had my first glimpse of Ireland with dawn over Cobh.
To the lowly sea and the sky
And All I ask is a Tall Ship
and a start to sail her by!
Here is the Tall Ship "Discovery", moored on the River Tay in Dundee, Scotland. It was the last 3 masted ship to be built in Britain in 1901. It was taken on two expeditions to the Antarctic by Captain Robert
Falcon Scott. The second expedition saw a party of five reaching the
South Pole in 1912 only to find that Norwegian explorer had preceded
them. Scott and his four comrades all perished on the return journey.
From large to a small sailing ship - not
the Greek Islands, not the Caribbean, but a beautiful scene on the
island of Iona off the west coast of Scotland, (often portrayed as "it
always rains"), looking across to the hills on the Isle of Mull.
Sailing from Oban the Cal Mac (Caledonian McBrayne) ferry that serves Scotland's west coast island communities
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My
husband's ancestors (Donaldson, White, Moffet) were mariners, sailing
out of South Shields,on the River Tyne in north east England, whilst extended family members were in related
occupations as a caulker, seaman, river policeman, shipwright, roper, ship’s carpenter, and
marine engine fitter.
It is amazing what diverse directions family history can take you. To
me
"snow" was the white stuff falling in winter and a "smack" was a slap to
a recalcitrant child. But that all changed as I began researching
maritime history, and learnt about the different names for
ships in the 19th century - barque or bark or barc, brig, sloop. smack
and snow.
The River Tyne in more recent times,
with the Norwegian ferry in the background.
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My own connection with ships is slight, but here are some memories.
In September 1966, I returned home from a year in the USA, travelling aboard the Cunard liner "Sylvania" from New York, calling at Boston and Cobh, Ireland, to Liverpol. Commercial jet planes services were hitting the transatlantic scheduled shipping and the Liverpool-New York sailings were axed in November after my return. Still I enjoyed this experience and had my first glimpse of Ireland with dawn over Cobh.
A statue on the waterfront at Cobh commemorates the leaving of Ireland. It depicts Annie Moore and her brothers. Annie was the first person to be admitted to the United States of America through the new immigration centre at Ellis Island, New York on 1 January 1892. On 11 April 1912 Queenstown (as Cobh was once called) was the final port of call for the "Titanic" as she set out across the Atlantic on her ill-fated maiden voyage.
[Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobh#History] ***************
Back to some "grey days"
The River Clyde , south of Glasgow, on the west coast of Scotland . with a man fishing from the rocks.
On England's north west coast, an empty Blackpool Promenade with the North Pier in the background. - the town of my birth!
Crossing
the Border back to Scotland again and the East Lothian coast, south of
Edinburgh to Canty Bay, looking over the Firth of Forth, with the Bass
Rock in the background, with its lighthouse and seabird colonies - once a prison in the 18th century.
We
had the top deck to ourselves on this dreicht day, sailing from Oban to
the Isle of Mull. Even our dog did not look very happy
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To end on a more cheerful boat scene!
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Sepia Saturday gives bloggers an opportunity to share
their family history and memories through photographs.
their family history and memories through photographs.
Click HERE to see more posts from Sepia Saturday bloggers.
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Wonderful ships, and connections with you and your family. It made me think of how sailing ships didn't ever go in a straight line, but would have to tack and come about with the wind. It must have meant the sailors were changing sails all the time when in harbor areas.
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