One Trainee's Experience

A Detailed Account by John M. Donohue

As you may or may not know, and as you certainly will see from the electrons which follow, I recently returned from a one-week trip on the "HMS" Rose, a square rigged training ship which is a 500 ton replica of a 1750's 24 gun Royal Navy Frigate which terrorized the US East coast during our slight unpleasantness with the "Mother Country."

As you might also know, I participate in an Internet group centered vaguely around the works of the author Patrick O'Brian, who writes so beautifully about the Napoleonic War, the Revolutionary War eras and the Royal Navy that many people re-read the 18 books published thus far, and are eagerly awaiting the 19th. I have listened to the collection twice on audiotape, and discover something new each time.

The narrator of the audiotapes, Patrick Tull, recently organized a mainly Patrick O'Brian group trip on the tall ship "HMS" Rose, a two-week affair going from New York city to Bermuda and thence to Savannah, Ga. I couldn't make the Bermuda trip, but did sign up for the next one, Savannah to Glen Cove, on Long Island Sound, where to my great surprise we were an integral part of a huge festival and special gathering of Tall Ships. Upon the completion of that trip I wrote the following. It is probably the first in what will be a series of my impressions of that voyage. It is posted primarily for my fellow Patrick O'Brian fans (we call ourselves Listswains, or "Lissuns" for short) and there will undoubtedly be some allusions or such which will make no sense to you. I have neither the time nor the talent to try to write two versions, so you'll just have to wade through this one if you are interested. I certainly don't want to inflict anyone with this if they are not interested, and if you feel that your time could be more profitably spent sorting your socks, washing the car or just smelling the roses I understand. You may either ignore all further Emails from me, or you may respectfully or not so respectfully request that you be spared any further sea tales and be removed from this list.