Tower Bridge to Dartmouth
Our “Journey Around the British Isles” began yesterday in London where the MS Endeavour was tied alongside the HMS Belfast just opposite the Tower of London. By the end of the first day, however, we were moored in the tiny harbor at the mouth of the Dart in full view of the town and the Royal Naval College high on the hill to the north. Our adventure had begun.
Guests arrived just after lunch, boarded the tender ‘Brunel’ named after that famous builder of objects magnificent, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and arrived on a falling tide by way of the decks of the Belfast. At 1600 we cast our lines and, aided by a brisk current, passed under the Tower Bridge where friendly watchers waved us ‘bon voyage.’ Making our way down the Thames, we passed from the Western Hemisphere into the Eastern at Greenwich within sight of one of the most famous of the tea clippers, the Cutty Sark.
As we crossed the 0-degree meridian, we also passed over the walkway under the Thames, which connected Greenwich with the north side of the river, a passageway constructed by Brunel, the father, and finished by the son. We learned, this may have been one of his least spectacular constructions. Further along, however, on the Isles of Dogs, he created one of his most impressive, the Great Eastern. Powered by sail, screw and side-wheels, this mighty ship, the biggest until the Lusitania was built, laid the Atlantic Cable and gave her name to a rock just east of Long Island’s Montauk Point when she hit it causing a 97-foot gash in her side. But unlike many ships today, she had been built with a double hull and so preceded without incident up Long Island Sound to New York City.
Further downstream we passed the Thames Barrier, an ingenious construction that can be swung into place to prevent flooding in London. As the river widened, the charts showed shoals on both sides. Some held relic buildings on stilts that reminded us of the dangers in World War II.
By morning we were sailing west along the south coast in calm seas and light winds. Gannets and fulmars crossed our course signaling that there would be more wildlife further to the north. Midday found us off the white cliffs of chalk on the Isles of Wight and Purbeck. David Barnes, our historian, spoke about “The Making of the United Kingdom”, a talk that set several themes for our journey. Later, Art Cooley described the significance of British geologists as the study of geology matured from the days of James Hutton two hundred years ago and his seminal work, “The History of the Earth.”
Just before the Captain’s Welcome Dinner, we entered the narrow entrance to Dartmouth passing St. Petrox Church on our port. With all on deck we marveled at both the beauty of this snug harbor and at the skill with which our Captain brought us to our mooring. With Kingswear hard on the east bank and scenic Dartmouth on the west bank, we realized that our expedition was now underway.
Our “Journey Around the British Isles” began yesterday in London where the MS Endeavour was tied alongside the HMS Belfast just opposite the Tower of London. By the end of the first day, however, we were moored in the tiny harbor at the mouth of the Dart in full view of the town and the Royal Naval College high on the hill to the north. Our adventure had begun.
Guests arrived just after lunch, boarded the tender ‘Brunel’ named after that famous builder of objects magnificent, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and arrived on a falling tide by way of the decks of the Belfast. At 1600 we cast our lines and, aided by a brisk current, passed under the Tower Bridge where friendly watchers waved us ‘bon voyage.’ Making our way down the Thames, we passed from the Western Hemisphere into the Eastern at Greenwich within sight of one of the most famous of the tea clippers, the Cutty Sark.
As we crossed the 0-degree meridian, we also passed over the walkway under the Thames, which connected Greenwich with the north side of the river, a passageway constructed by Brunel, the father, and finished by the son. We learned, this may have been one of his least spectacular constructions. Further along, however, on the Isles of Dogs, he created one of his most impressive, the Great Eastern. Powered by sail, screw and side-wheels, this mighty ship, the biggest until the Lusitania was built, laid the Atlantic Cable and gave her name to a rock just east of Long Island’s Montauk Point when she hit it causing a 97-foot gash in her side. But unlike many ships today, she had been built with a double hull and so preceded without incident up Long Island Sound to New York City.
Further downstream we passed the Thames Barrier, an ingenious construction that can be swung into place to prevent flooding in London. As the river widened, the charts showed shoals on both sides. Some held relic buildings on stilts that reminded us of the dangers in World War II.
By morning we were sailing west along the south coast in calm seas and light winds. Gannets and fulmars crossed our course signaling that there would be more wildlife further to the north. Midday found us off the white cliffs of chalk on the Isles of Wight and Purbeck. David Barnes, our historian, spoke about “The Making of the United Kingdom”, a talk that set several themes for our journey. Later, Art Cooley described the significance of British geologists as the study of geology matured from the days of James Hutton two hundred years ago and his seminal work, “The History of the Earth.”
Just before the Captain’s Welcome Dinner, we entered the narrow entrance to Dartmouth passing St. Petrox Church on our port. With all on deck we marveled at both the beauty of this snug harbor and at the skill with which our Captain brought us to our mooring. With Kingswear hard on the east bank and scenic Dartmouth on the west bank, we realized that our expedition was now underway.
