Wednesday, March 14, 2012

The Bermuda Ketch 'Suhaili' in St. Katherine's Dock

The Bermuda Ketch 'Suhaili'
In April 2009 I saw a very special boat on display at St.Katherine's Dock, the 'Suhaili' , this is the Bermuda Ketch that Sir Robin Knox-Johnson sailed to victory in the Sunday Times Golden Globe race of 1968-9, making him officially the first man to sail around the world non-stop and single handed. Compared to the Trimaran sailed by Dame Ellen MacArthur it looks very old fashioned, and I like it's classic lines too. Another boat with similar sort of kudos was the Gypsy Moth sailed around the world by Sir Francis Chichester, that boat was for many years on display and open to the public next to the Cutty Sark further downstream at Greenwich  but was deteriorating and had to be moved. 
I still know Sir Robin better for his illustrated book The Twilight of Sail, my well thumbed copy is kept company by many books on the topic I have.  I'm  a great fan of the Clippers and late era sailing ships.

RRS Discovery


So I wasn't to happy when polar explorer Captain Scott's ship the Discovery was moved up to her birth place ...Dundee in Scotland, she had spent many years alongside at the Embankment in central London, and a short while in St.Katherine's Dock where she was open to the public and I bet I went on her, the last wooden three masted sailing ship built in Britain (steel hulled ones continued until about 1914) Further reading..http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RRS_Discovery

3 comments:

  1. I think that I have been here! Thank you for your blog. I really do enjoy them. Love Charlie xxx

    ReplyDelete
  2. As always, very interesting reading! You have a way with the keyboard, as you do with the paint brush. ;-)
    Thank you George.

    M.

    ReplyDelete