YBW Thames/Medway Report howler

[tcm]

It says something along the lines of "we spotted a dutch-registered yacht in the same anchorage and couldn't help wondering if the occupiers were descended from the dutch fleet who 200 years ago attacked and burned british boats".

Good stuff, sub-editorial team! Tell us, is the name "Gelder" perhaps descended from the Norse/Vikings who atacked the british isles years ago with much raping and pillaging dyathink? Or perhaps it might be of German descent and is related to some senior Nazis who were involved in the Blitz? Hm?

jeez....

 

[Evadne]

Now you're being silly. To the casual observer it would be obvious if they were vikings or nazis, those horned helmets and blood-stained axes, or jackboots and goosestepping would be a dead giveaway. The Dutch, on the other hand are just like us except they put mayonnaise on their chips, which isn't quite so easy to spot. They even speak English better than we do, so there's every chance they were descended from Dutch naval chaps who did all the boat burning on ther last visit.

 

[jhr]

But...

I seem to recall that Van Tromp hoisted a Broom up the mast of his flagship, which must have upset the Norfolk Boatbuilding community a bit?

 

[Sans Bateau]

Re: But...

[ QUOTE ]
I seem to recall that Van Tromp hoisted a Broom up the mast of his flagship, which must have upset the Norfolk Boatbuilding community a bit?

[/ QUOTE ]

It would have confused anyone trying to work out day shapes on a YM course as well!

 

[waterboy]

Re: But...

Yes but could you blame the Dutch. The mooring charges up the Medway, even in those days....

 

[reginaldon]

Re: But...

The Dutch, on the other hand are just like us except they put mayonnaise on their chips, which isn't quite so easy to spot. They even speak English better than we do, so there's every chance they were descended from Dutch naval chaps who did all the boat burning on ther last visit.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
What about the wooden clogs? - when I was a kid I remember seeing a trawler in Scarborough with a row of clogs outside the companion way.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Re: But...

<The Dutch, on the other hand are just like us except they put mayonnaise on their chips>

And I always thought that was the plucky little Belgians.

 

[peterb]

Pedantry

[ QUOTE ]
I seem to recall that Van Tromp hoisted a Broom up the mast of his flagship, which must have upset the Norfolk Boatbuilding community a bit?

[/ QUOTE ]

Tromp is said to have hoisted a broom to his masthead after the battle of Dungeness, in 1652. It was de Ruyter who commanded the Dutch fleet in the Medway raid in 1667.

The Medway raid is still having its repercussions. To rebuild the English fleet required oak. But oak was the only English wood that would give long service on the outside of the then traditional timbered buildings. So the regulations covering London buildings were changed to forbid the use of wood on the outside of new buildings, and at the same time the Navigation Acts (effectively the import/export regulations) were changed to allow the import of Baltic pine. Nothing to do with fire performance (in which oak is very good); it was just to allow the rebuilding of both London and the fleet.

Incidentally, N.A.M. Rodgers, in his excellent naval history "The Command of the Ocean", says of the broom story: "It cannot possibly be true: such vainglory would have been quite out of charactor, and the ordinary meaning of hoisting a broom to the masthead was that the ship was for sale."

 

[alldownwind]

Re: Pedantry

[ QUOTE ]
It was de Ruyter who commanded the Dutch fleet in the Medway raid in 1667.

[/ QUOTE ]
I've always felt it was a great piece of humour on the part of the Dutch that they gave De Ruyter's name to the marina at Vlissingen, the first port of call in Holland for many Brits each year.

 

[Bergman]

Re: Pedantry

I'm sorry

I don't doubt for a moment that you are right

But I simply can't accept a "Battle of Dungeness"

I mean

All battlefields have certain quality - glory, horror, courage etc etc.

But Dungeness is nothing but dreary

There just can't be a battle of Dungeness

 

[albineer]

Re: Pedantry

That's because it was a sea battle off Dungeness - 3oth November 1652

 

[TheBoatman]

Oi tcm - hold up, we sufferners get to race the Dutch every year because they came up the Medway and attacked Upnor Castle.

Some bright spark found an original cannon ball fired by our Dutch friends at the castle so being true Brits we race them every year for the "Cannon Ball" trophy.

We normally win but if we don't we always slaughter them in the drinking competition afterwards.

The Medway YC (approx 1/2 nm downstream of Upnor Castle) has a proud tradition of up-holding British values and regularly recruits sailors from the East Coast clubs to take part in such a prestigious event in the sailing calender.

200+ years ago they (the Dutch) sailed up the Medway and fired a few volleys at one of Her Majesty's Castles - it didn't do any serious harm, just knocked a couple of chunks out of the stonework, but because they're "Johnny foreigners" and we don't entirely trust them we always meet on their "turf" and sail in Dutch waters.

Peter.