Date archive: July 2014
I met up with Trevor Potts, Antarctic adventurer and historian, in Ardnamurchan last year, having been introduced to him on my 1st Antarctica trip in 2003. He was the first man to successfully re-create Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 1916 epic rescue voyage from Elephant Island to South Georgia in the 23ft whaler, the James Caird. The picture shows Trevor with ‘Sir Ernest Shackleton’, his replica…
2707.14
A good friend took me out on the River Mersey yesterday in his Seabird sailboat, the oldest one design class still sailing in Britain. It is a 20 ft carvel planked sailing boat, with a design dating back to 1898. The weather was good, the water calm and Mark asked ‘fancy sailing around Brazil’. Wow, this is going to be…
2707.14
I have always thought the telephone to be the worst Scottish invention. Unwanted calls, cold callers etc, have made telephones so intrusive in our daily lives, and things have only got worse with the ubiquitous mobile and smart phone. But my phone line went down for 2 days this week – no calls possible plus…
2107.14
Had an exclusive visit to the Draken Harald Hårfager, the world’s largest reconstructed Viking longship. The 115ft long boat arrived on Merseyside following a dramatic voyage from Norway, surviving storms on a treacherous 3 week journey. A huge wave snapped the boat’s mast just off the Shetland Islands last week. Norwegian boatbuilders have been flown…
1307.14
Went for an eye test today, my first in 20+ years, quite amazing the technology available to photograph the inner workings of the eye since my last visit to an optician. It made me realise the miracle of sight, which we often take for granted. The amazing people, places and things I have seen in…
I am pleased to announce my first Lectures and Courses with Dillington House in Somerset from this October. To be honest I am chuffed to be on the same page in the brochure as the BBC’s reporter Kate Adie, Lars Tharp from the Antiques Roadshow, and the travel writer Colin Thubron.
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I am giving my series of Activity Week Illustrated Talks at Wirral Grammar School for Boys again this year, after a successful and well attended series in 2013. I will be presenting 8 Illustrated Talks to Lower 6th Formers from Mon 14th to Fri 18th July, with diverse topics ranging from Ernest Shackleton, Galapagos, to Global…
207.14
I have entered Quark Expedition‘s competition to provide the image for their 2015/16 Brochure cover. If you like my photo, please vote for it on this link : http://quarkexpeditions.votigo.com/fbcontests/showentry/Test-369/144340 Many thanks if you do so.