An Englishman’s home is his fort
The three Palmerston forts in The Solent off the UK’s south coast are iconic structures known to many, dating back to 1859 when they were built to counter the threat of invasion by the French. For me they are a familiar sight, but I have never had the opportunity to land on these extraordinary structures – only admire them from afar with extreme curiosity.
But knowing they had been for sale for a number of years unsuccessfully, I was interested to see they had recently been sold at auction for a knock down price. No Man’s Fort is a former hotel with 23 bedrooms and fetched £1,120,000 under the hammer at auction. The smaller Spitbank Sea Fort sold for £1,010,000. If I had a spare million sitting around, I might have been interested in bidding for one of them!
No Man’s Fort built of granite has 23 ensuite bedrooms, crew quarters, multiple bars, restaurants and a number of multipurpose rooms. Additionally, it has a helipad and 2 landing stages for visitors by sea.
Historic schooner sails back to the Arctic
This is just a feelgood story and one I am keen to share with you. The image is an evocative one taken of Bowdoin iced in while wintering over in the Arctic on an earlier expedition.
The schooner Bowdoin, built for Arctic exploration in 1921 at Hodgdon Brothers Shipyard in East Boothbay, Maine, is headed for the Arctic for the first time since 2008, more than 100 years since her first such expedition. Owned by Maine Maritime Academy (MMA), she’s carrying six professional crew and 10 MMA students who plan to sail from Maine to Disko Bay, Greenland, and beyond 70° North.
Designed by William Hand, Bowdoin sailed 26 Arctic voyages between 1921 and 1954. At 88 feet long, her gaff-rigged sails fly from two Douglas fir spars, and her white oak hull has wintered over, iced in, four times in the Arctic.
This will be her third Arctic trip since MMA bought her in 1988, and her crew en route will be continuing their studies in vessel operations and technology, marine biology, power engineering technology, and international logistics management. They’ll also be watch standing, navigating, and learning how to manage and sail a traditional ship.
The chance of a lifetime I’d say.
70-year-old round the world skipper inspires global support mid-voyage
Continuing the theme of feelgood stories, here’s another one that grabbed my attention that might just restore your faith in humankind.
Louis Robein is the 70-year-old skipper of the 37-foot cruiser Le Souffle de la Mer III and was still among the sailors navigating their way around the three great capes in the Global Solo Challenge yacht race. He had covered 21,000 miles with just 7,000 miles left to the finish line, despite facing severe setbacks and difficult conditions. After rounding Cape Horn, Robein faced severe weather while trying to round the southern cape of Argentina. Winds were gusting up to 60 knots, which forced him to wait for two days for better conditions. However, when Robein decided to motor to Ushuaia for boat repairs, he made a navigational error that caused him to run aground. Despite Robein’s attempts to free his vessel, he was forced to contact the Argentine Navy who towed him to Ushuaia.
There, Robein came face to face with the bill for his tow, approximately $15,000, a sum of money far out of reach and not covered by insurance. Robein is a pensioner with a very limited budget, so his friends began a fundraiser while other skippers in the race launched appeals on their respective social media accounts. Within two days Robein’s fundraiser received $16,000 from 500 donors.
Shipping industry marks ‘International Day of the Seafarer’ at a time of unprecedented challenges for those at sea
I am sure it will not have escaped your notice that the annual ‘International Day of the Seafarer’ was celebrated at the end of June.
This special UN day of observance serves as an annual recognition for the invaluable contributions made by seafarers the world over to global trade and the economy. With over 90% of world cargo being moved by ship, most of the things we find around our homes will have come on a vessel of one sort or another.
On the ‘International Day of the Seafarer’ Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), praised the 2 million seafarers who keep global markets functioning and supply chains moving. He said, “Seafarers have been sorely tested in recent years – facing hostile acts from piracy or in conflict zones. I humbly acknowledge seafarers’ resilience and sacrifice in the name of work.”
He is right. We all know he is right. As well as regular incidents and accidents endured by seafarers, some of which cost lives, often needlessly, those at sea are facing unprecedented challenges as part of their work.
Please take a moment to think about those (and their families) who have lost their lives and been seriously hurt going about their job as a seafarer.
There’s more next month
Mike Schwarz
