Back in ye olde days His Majesty’s Royal Navy used to experience a little bit of difficulty in recruiting sailors. Small wonder since the food was awful, the discipline was unbelievably severe, and the accommodation smelly, dirty and very cramped. There being few volunteers to live a life more dire than that of a convict, the navy took to grabbing men out of the fields and inns and even out of their homes. Needless to say, this workforce was not…
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A miscellany of chit-chat, quizzes, and articles about the places we have visitedTo celebrate the Christmas season and greet our friends and readers Roxanne has made a watercolour painting of an Iberian lynx padding through the snow.
Well, it’s that time of the year again – and we’re still little nearer than we were last Christmas to our Southern Ocean goal. As you can no doubt imagine, we spend a lot of time dreaming of the journey ahead. The admiral’s latest painting brings this dream to life; it shows Mollymawk flying along amongst a flock of assorted seabirds, through a sea filled with fish and other animals. No, it isn’t really quite like this, out there on…
We’ve completely redesigned the Yacht Mollymawk website, improving its usability and accessibility, as well as adding a few new features.
Twenty years ago one hardly ever came across a yacht which had livestock aboard, but now seadogs and ship’s cats are a common sight. Sailing chickens are still a rarity, as are toads and snakes, and we have yet to come across a parrot – although we did once meet a chap who had just lost his parrot overboard…
“What does Mollymawk mean?” We’re often asked the question, by people passing by. To us it’s obvious. “Haven’t you noticed that ruddy great bird painted across the transom?” we reply. “You mean the seagull?” ! Worse, some of you have been spelling her name with an h, as if the old girl were a bird of prey… So I guess it’s time we explained.
In which the Admiral muses on friendship, world peace, and on the wholesome nature of the drunken sailor.
Our latest news will astound any of you who have ever met Poppy-Dog.
Bearing in mind all the fuss that the Spanish make about the British occupation of Gibraltar it comes as a surprise to many people to learn that they have their own little enclave on the opposite shore, in Morocco. Indeed, Spain has not one but two tiny territories on African soil. The first, Ceuta, is almost the mirror image of Gib, being a similar but much more lowly rock, standing on the far side of the Straits. The second, Melilla,…
We are thrilled to be able to announce the publication of two books, one by Jill and the other by Roxanne.
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