| the town of Ipswich... |
| We left Felixstowe on the 4th of April. The people there
gave the crew quite a send off. We arrived at the Ipswich
Custom House in the beautiful town
of Ipswich,where another gathering was in store for us. This
was to be the beginning of many functions that the crew would attend during
our stay in England. And during this period, we still had to get
Godspeed ready for sea. At times this would be hard, but getting
things stowed or installed and at the same time entertain guests would
become the norm. Sometimes, it became quite amusing. We would
be in the middle of a project, maybe in the 'tween deck area and you'd
look up and see a group of people touring the main cabin. If some
of our visitors knew we were there, they wouldn't have worn skirts!
We worked in shifts, some of the crew on and the others off to do what ever they wanted. Not too far down the quay was the Malt Kiln. Tied up behind it was a Thames Sailing barge. This vessel was pretty big. And lucky us, it had a pub set up down below. So it wasn't far to go to get a pint and relax. And it was the first place to look for AWOL crew! We were provided with a place to shower, eat and on rotation sleep, at an old place called Neptune's Inn. It was built in the 17th century. There were people from town that prepared meals for us and provided the crew with clean laundry. This was a big help while we were working on Godspeed. Though last names are forgotten, a few first names of these kind ladies I do remember were Jane, Helju and Louise. One of the functions we attended was at the ancestral home of Bartholomew Gosnold, the original captain of Godspeed. John Mossison and his wife, invited the crew to a costume party. Well to be more exact, we wore the costumes. We had a very nice time and delicious food. |
| on to Harwich... |
| Our next port was Harwich. Godspeed was greeted by pipers and the local officials. Upon tying up, the crew was paraded up the street to the Town Hall where we provided with lunch and drinks. After which, we were given a tour of the town. Most of the time, I hated wearing the costumes that were provided for us, but this is one occasion where we didn't and wished we had. The folks here really treated us well and had made a big event out of our visit, and we were wearing our work cloths... |
| Gravesend... |
| The 16th of April we departed for Gravesend, just inside the entrance of the Thames. We made off to a mooring at the Alexandra's Towing Company anchorage. The following morning, we had a work day. Jim Cox and John Robinson (from Felixstowe) helped me install the loop antenna that we would use for our ham radio operations onboard Godspeed. I fired up the radio and made a few contacts. There were still lots of projects to do to get ready for the Atlantic crossing. Besides the stowing a gear, Godspeed was in need of oiling and paint. We had just about everything we needed for maintenance onboard, but those things we lacked were bought in town. Since we did not have the shallop in use at the time, we were shuttled to and from Godspeed via a local waterman. We remained at Gravesend until the 19th when at 1100, we again picked up a tow to St. Katherine's Dock. |
| London and St. Katherines Dock... |
| Joe Gowdey writes...Gravesend to St.
Katherine's Docks -- About 12 miles,
so could not have been much more than 3 hrs. One lock-gate to get in, plus a small drawbridge. Don't remember how long we were there, but it was more than 4 days, possibly as many as 7. Which ancestral home are you thinking of, Gosnold's old house, or the Queen Mother's? Don't remember much about Gosnold's, seems like it was heavy hors d'oeuvres with lots of drink. Remember the grand dinner at the Queen Mother's house, but can't place it as to when it happened. And don't forget the dinner at the Trinity House. The stay at the Jamestown Condos in the East India docks was about 3 days, and was just prior to dropping down to Greenwich for our grand departure. Mike Brookman writes... It was St. Katherine’s Dock. (When he first got to England) I arrived at the ship on April 24th. You (Tanner)and other crewmembers, with the help from some very talented Brits, had re-rigged the ship at Felixstowe and did a shake down voyage before bringing it to London. I was impressed by the history of the area. What a great place to show the ship. It was kind of difficult at times trying to do work while the English looked on. I remember seeing the aft cabin with all kinds of stuff hanging from the overhead. The ship was later moved to the Isle of Dogs where we completed our preparations. I wasn’t sure if we were going to make the sailing date. But, in the end we all pulled together and made it happen |
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...to
be continued............
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| ...return to port... |
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