Following a talk about The Cutty Sark by Tony Turner, Sue & I visited this last remaining tea clipper on a crisp, bright day. A short walk from Greenwich Station we could soon see the masts towering above the roof-line.

The self guided tour provides an engaging, immersive and interactive experience. The smell of tea as you enter, the bulk of the wool bales to the rolling of the sea. The large space provide by the wrought iron hull structure would be filled with produce from the East and raced home. The prestige from a fast run was valuable.

From below the ship can be viewed through the glass “ocean” canopy. Here, we met John “Jock” Willis. the man who commissioned and owned The Cutty Sark. A distinctive individual who was known in the London shipping circles for his stylish white hat. He can be seen here below the copper coated hull, another innovation to aid the fast running of the vessel. There is a fun display of ships figureheads.

Up on the open deck the high masts display the many ropes that managed the sails. The benign weather conditions on our visit could not portray the conditions of savage seas whilst managing wet ropes and heavy sails. Jock Willis recounted one story of two sailors washed overboard by a large wave, only to be washed back again as the swell surged and the ship rolled!

We concluded our visit by taking the Greenwich Pedestrian Tunnel under the Thames and viewed the scene from the north bank.