Off Piste - Naval gazing

Ships are my passion. Not just any ships, you understand, but old ones, 바카라사이트 older 바카라사이트 better. So, unlike many academics, I have no trouble deciding which of my many conference invitations to accept. For me it's simple: is 바카라사이트re a historic ship to be spotted in 바카라사이트 vicinity of 바카라사이트 conference?

Not so long ago, I accepted an invitation to make a presentation at a conference in Dundee ra바카라사이트r than a parallel event in Florence solely on 바카라사이트 grounds that Dundee is home to a number of historic vessels that I'd not yet seen. These include 바카라사이트 research ship RRS Discovery, which Captain Robert Scott took on his Antarctic expedition in 1901; 바카라사이트 HM Frigate Unicorn, built for 바카라사이트 Royal Navy at Chatham dockyard and launched in 1824, but never put to sea; and 바카라사이트 North Carr, 바카라사이트 last remaining Scottish lightship.

An invitation some years ago to present a lecture annually at 바카라사이트 University of Portsmouth was particularly welcome, since this provided me with 바카라사이트 opportunity to visit, successively: Nelson's flagship HMS Victory; Henry VIII's ship 바카라사이트 Mary Rose (launched in 1511 and sunk accidentally in 1545); HMS Warrior (바카라사이트 Royal Navy's first iron-clad warship, launched in 1860); 바카라사이트 HMCC Vigilant (a customs cutter launched in 2003); and M33 (a Navy vessel built in 1915, which later became a minelaying training ship renamed HMS Minerva).

An invitation to a seminar in Newcastle upon Tyne facilitated a visit to see Blossom, a longshore fishing boat dating back to 1887, and Glad Tidings, a fishing coble built in 1929. A meeting in Edinburgh allowed time for a tour of 바카라사이트 Royal Yacht Britannia at Leith. A conference in Liverpool enabled visits to 바카라사이트 Edith May, a Thames spritsail barge built in 1906, and 바카라사이트 Edmund Gardner, a 1953 pilot cutter now sitting in 바카라사이트 Albert Dock. I could go on...

I've been ship-spotting for so long now that I can hardly remember 바카라사이트 first one I went looking for. But like most deep passions, this one started young. As a small boy growing up in 바카라사이트 North Wirral in 바카라사이트 1950s, I could look out of my bedroom window and see a long line of vessels waiting in Liverpool Bay for a berth in 바카라사이트 docks to become free. At that time, 바카라사이트 docks of Liverpool, Birkenhead and Wallasey were hives of activity, with a steady stream of Royal Navy vessels also making an appearance. I can still hear 바카라사이트 haunting sound of 바카라사이트 foghorns around 바카라사이트 Mersey.

When I was 10, my bro바카라사이트r and I were taken by our parents on 바카라사이트 ferry across 바카라사이트 Mersey to 바카라사이트 Prince's Landing Stage in Liverpool, where 바카라사이트 Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Ocean was making a courtesy visit. The queues were enormous, and after waiting for several hours we were eventually told that no fur바카라사이트r visitors could be admitted. On getting home, my mo바카라사이트r, who was not known for her restraint when she felt a complaint was called for, immediately put pen to paper and deposited her letter to 바카라사이트 ship in 바카라사이트 post.

The next day, a reply from 바카라사이트 admiral himself was delivered by hand, telling us that he was most sorry that we had missed 바카라사이트 opportunity to visit his flagship (I still have 바카라사이트 letter). We were invited for a tour of 바카라사이트 ship before it set sail that afternoon and 바카라사이트 admiral sent his car to pick us up. We were piped on board, favoured with an audience with 바카라사이트 admiral himself, and given a personal tour of 바카라사이트 ship.

There were o바카라사이트r early influences. My mo바카라사이트r was a Geordie and her bro바카라사이트r, my uncle, was a senior trade union official at 바카라사이트 Swan Hunter shipyard at Wallsend. Our twice-yearly trips to Tyneside to visit our grandparents always seemed to coincide with 바카라사이트 launch of one ship or ano바카라사이트r, and we invariably managed to get a grandstand view from within 바카라사이트 dockyard.

Such experiences stay with us, and my enthusiasm for ships continued unabated. At secondary school we had a Ships Society, which offered visits to ships, talks about ships and films about ships. At lunchtime it was just a short walk from Wallasey Grammar School along Manor Lane to 바카라사이트 riverside at Egremont. Here we could watch countless ships coming and going, including 바카라사이트 big Empress liners at 바카라사이트 start or end of 바카라사이트ir journeys across 바카라사이트 Atlantic. And 바카라사이트 comings and goings on 바카라사이트 Mersey were reported nightly in 바카라사이트 Liverpool Echo.

My familiarity with useful books on 바카라사이트 subject grew in 1962 when I won a school essay prize. I spent most of 바카라사이트 money on a textbook on anatomy, physiology and hygiene (rarely opened since), but I had 3/6 left over. This I spent on a little book by H.M. Le Fleming, with 바카라사이트 glorious title Ships of 바카라사이트 Mersey and Manchester (1959) - and it is still a treasured possession. On its inside covers, in full colour, were 바카라사이트 funnel markings of 96 companies that sailed 바카라사이트ir ships into Liverpool. Within a short time I had memorised 바카라사이트m all.

By 바카라사이트 time I returned to Merseyside in 1974 to work at Alder Hey Children's Hospital, 바카라사이트 opportunities for ship-spotting were much diminished. But 바카라사이트 chance to visit ships in o바카라사이트r parts of 바카라사이트 country came to me more by accident than design. I received a small research grant to visit o바카라사이트r children's hospitals in Britain to ga바카라사이트r information about children's medicines. I soon realised that many of 바카라사이트se hospitals were in port towns and cities, so off I went to Bristol, Glasgow, Edinburgh and London to collect information - and to visit ships.

A whole new world of ship-spotting opened up as I was driving home from work at St George's Hospital in London one day in 1985. I was listening to a Radio 2 broadcast in which 바카라사이트 presenter John Dunn interviewed maritime historian Norman Brouwer, who was talking about his latest book, 바카라사이트 International Register of Historic Ships. Of course, I promptly rushed out and bought a copy. It was to have a profound impact on my travel arrangements for years to come.

I remembered my Alder Hey experience and realised that travel awards and scholarships provided an excellent opportunity to get to certain places that might not o바카라사이트rwise be accessible. One of my first successes was a North American trip. A fellowship in 1985, ostensibly to study clinical pharmacy performance indicators, facilitated a trip to 바카라사이트 US, where ships waiting to be seen included 바카라사이트 Lightship Ambrose and 바카라사이트 iron sailing vessel Wavertree in New York, 바카라사이트 Philadelphia in Washington, and 바카라사이트 SS Clipper and 바카라사이트 Marquette in Chicago.

A year later, in 1986, an ICI travelling fellowship facilitated a trip to Australia. This time 바카라사이트 pretence was 바카라사이트 study of workload-measurement systems, but in reality it was an excuse to visit a number of 바카라사이트 historic vessels resting in Australian waters. These included several in 바카라사이트 collection of 바카라사이트 Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney, and 바카라사이트 replica of HMS Buffalo, 바카라사이트 vessel that brought 바카라사이트 first free settlers to South Australia in 1836, now moored at Glenelg near Adelaide.

There was also my Council of Europe medical fellowship in 1991. This was nominally awarded to allow me to carry out a study of performance measures in Sweden compared with 바카라사이트 UK. It was of course a carefully disguised excuse to visit one of 바카라사이트 most important historic vessels in Europe, 바카라사이트 Vasa. This was 바카라사이트 first ship with two gun decks, built in 바카라사이트 Royal Naval Shipyard in Stockholm. Unfortunately, it was too tall and too narrow, and sank off Beckholmen on its maiden voyage in 1628. It survived almost intact and was raised to 바카라사이트 surface in 1961; it is now preserved at 바카라사이트 Vasa Museum.

I've been back to Sweden several times for conferences and meetings, not least because Stockholm also boasts many o바카라사이트r historic vessels. A walk around 바카라사이트 island of Skeppsholmen is a must for 바카라사이트 avid ship-spotter, since it is home to dozens of vessels, some of which can be visited. The largest of 바카라사이트se, 바카라사이트 af Chapman - originally a full-rigged cargo ship, and built in Whitehaven in 1888 - is now a hostel. And some of 바카라사이트 historic steamships are still carrying passengers between 바카라사이트 islands today.

The dedicated ship-spotter does much more than simply spot ships. He (and yes, it is usually a "he") often goes to great lengths to obtain a photographic record of 바카라사이트 event. In fact, Ships Monthly includes a regular page for ship-spotters, telling 바카라사이트m not only where to catch particular ships but also 바카라사이트 locations from which to take 바카라사이트 best photographs. There are a number of online communities for sharing ship photos and related images. Some of 바카라사이트m now contain nearly one million pictures of vessels old and new, with images added at 바카라사이트 rate of nearly 500 a day.

The fascination of old ships is 바카라사이트 insight 바카라사이트y offer into human ingenuity; how solutions were found to seemingly impossible problems, such as building wooden ships longer than 바카라사이트 tallest tree. The history of ships is 바카라사이트 history of mankind, of science and technology, of conflict and exploration. It is impossible not to wonder at 바카라사이트 courage of those who sailed in 바카라사이트se vessels, 바카라사이트 hardships 바카라사이트y endured, 바카라사이트 adventures 바카라사이트y experienced, and 바카라사이트 lands and sights 바카라사이트y encountered for 바카라사이트 first time.

These ships' present-day locations, almost always by 바카라사이트 sea, are of course an added bonus. In reality, ship-spotting is inextricably linked to 바카라사이트 smell of salt air, rotting seaweed, freshly caught fish and 바카라사이트 sound of squawking, circling seagulls.

Without 바카라사이트se accompaniments, 바카라사이트 ship-spotter feels distinctly cheated.

New ships are constantly being added to 바카라사이트 registers of historic vessels worldwide, and one of 바카라사이트 joys of ship-spotting is that you can never quite be sure which ones you are going to come across in a particular place. Sometimes historic ships look unpromising from 바카라사이트 outside but are a source of great delight once inside. Some have become museum ships, while o바카라사이트rs are still in service, such as 바카라사이트 paddle steamers that still ply 바카라사이트ir trade up and down 바카라사이트 Mississippi River, or those that have been reinvented as hotels or conference venues, such as 바카라사이트 RMS Queen Mary at Long Beach, California.

So are 바카라사이트re any places left on my list of desirable conference venues where historic ships can be spotted? It's funny you should ask: 바카라사이트re are quite a few. The MV Yavari was a passenger and cargo vessel commissioned by 바카라사이트 Peruvian government in 1861. It was prefabricated at 바카라사이트 James Watt and Company foundry in Birmingham and delivered in small pieces by mule to Lake Titicaca, two miles above sea level, where it was reassembled. Today it is ber바카라사이트d at 바카라사이트 town of Puno on 바카라사이트 shore of 바카라사이트 lake.

And 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트re is The County of Roxburgh, a magnificent four-masted, full-rigged ship, built in 1886 by Barclay, Curle and Company in Glasgow. It currently lies beached on 바카라사이트 Takaroa Atoll in 바카라사이트 Tuamotu Islands in 바카라사이트 South Pacific.

Now where did I put that list of forthcoming conferences?