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DOUGAL
on tour
ALL AT SEA AUGUST 2021
Solent based dinghy sailor David Henshall is a well known writer and speaker on topics covering the rich heritage of all aspects of leisure boating.
To Boldly Go… Whilst going into space is undoubtedly a bold adventure, daring quests have long been undertaken by brave explorers on our own seas and oceans.
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t may seem interesting to introduce this month’s page with the news that the Star Trek actor William Shatner, at the grand old age of 90, will at last ‘boldly go where no man has gone before’, as he heads into space, a passenger on a Blue Origin rocket. Yet on the same day that this story broke, a slightly less media focused story was in the news, one that should have attracted the attention of all keen yachtsmen. On 17 September, a group of Scouts were aboard the Thames Barge, the Lady Daphne, as it passed under Tower Bridge to head off downstream to celebrate the centenary of the final departure of Sir Ernest Shackleton, who was setting sail for the still uncharted waters of the Antarctic. The real difference in the two stories, of course, is that 100 years ago, Shackleton really was ‘boldly going where no man had gone before’, as most of Antarctica was still waiting to be explored. However, if there was one man alive who knew the frozen continent Thankfully today we can follow in the footsteps of Scott and Shackleton, gaining an understanding of the hardships that the crews experienced at the incredible Discovery Point Museum on Dundee’s waterfront. The centrepiece of the museum is the Royal Research Ship Discovery, which carried the brave men to the very bottom of the world and back. Image: Chris Lawrence Travel / Shutterstock.com
better than anyone else, it would have to be Shackleton, a maverick traveller made in the same mould as other great Victorian explorers. Ernest had been born in Ireland and throughout his life would remain proud of his roots, but at an early age his family moved to London. Despite a love for the English romantic poets, Shackleton was not a great scholar and left formal schooling early in order to head out to sea. With the family unable to afford the cost of taking up a cadetship with the Royal Navy, he took the hard school route, by shipping aboard a squarerigged cargo ship that would take him
across all of the great oceans. The young Shackleton applied himself to the task of becoming an officer and, by the time he had reached his mid-20s, was already qualified as a Master Mariner.
Aboard Scott’s Expedition
The chiselled features of Ernest Shackleton show a determination to succeed - and survive
A chance meeting saw him seeking out a berth on the National Antarctic Expedition that was being prepared in London, and in July 1901 he departed as Third Officer aboard the Discovery, under the leadership of Robert Falcon Scott. Not only was Shackleton a popular officer on the long voyage south, once in Antarctica he would join Scott on a further expedition across the ice, finally reaching a latitude of 82° 17’ which, at that point, was the furthest south anyone had ever travelled. Their passage
over the ice became fraught with difficulties which would have a lasting effect on Shackleton’s health. Once he had returned to public life after a period of convalescence, Shackleton’s long-standing aim, though he had numerous lines of employment, was to raise the finance needed for a second Antarctic expedition. He would finally achieve this and in 1907 was back on the ice, where in another heroic feat of endurance he set a new record by getting to within 112 miles of the South Pole, with his route south including the first ever ascent of the 3,800m high Mount Erebus. Even though they failed to reach the South Pole, Shackleton was still feted as a hero on his return to London, which culminated in being knighted by King Edward VII. Plans for a further assault on the Pole were tempered by the news that Roald Amundsen had finally reached it on 14 December 1911, plus the tragedy that had befallen Scott’s own attempt. BELOW: The 10 scouts who will be heading off to Antarctica line the rail as the Lady Daphne passes under Tower Bridge. What an incredible experience they will face during the opening days of 2022!
“Although Shackleton is rightly revered for his Antarctic expeditions, his seamanship in sailing the James Caird northwards, through hurricane strength winds, must make this one of the most extraordinary passages at sea ever made.”
