The Leaving of Liverpool

Aboard Devonia – I’m the one who thinks he’s captain …

“Fare thee well to Princess Landing Stage, River Mersey fare thee well……..” I must have sung that song about sailing away from my home town a thousand times. Loretta and I sang it in public for eight years, when we were in the Navvypoets, we sing it at gatherings of family and friends and now we sing it with our little ukulele club. At twelve years old, I was lucky enough to go on an education cruise from Liverpool, with lots of other Scouse kids, on MS Devonia – an old WWII troop carrier – to Bordeaux, Cadiz, Oporto and Tangiers. I went to Ireland a couple of times, on school trips, on old cattle boats that bobbed about violently on the Irish sea and I have flown from Speke to Dublin. For the past 10 years I’ve worked occasionally on cruise ships and joined them in New York, San Francisco, London, and Dover, but mostly from Southampton and never from the town of my birth and formative years. Until now!

In August we are booked to sail on the lovely little ship, MV Azores, from the Mersey to Scotland and the Norwegian Fjords. I am so excited! We have been to the Fjords once before on the small Fred Olsen ship, Black Watch. They really are glorious and I’m sure best viewed from the water, on vessels that do not dwarf the splendour of the surrounding landscape. Azores, with only 500 passengers would seen to be ideal.

When I was a child I was fascinated by my Dad’s tales of life at sea, when he was a Chief Steward, in the Merchant Navy. I grew up so wanting to go to sea, but by the time I was old enough, the British Merchant Navy was threadbare and the port of Liverpool on it’s uppers. Just as well that I had some talent as an artist and I have been able to enjoy a career as a teacher and museum professional. I am very blessed to be able to sail these days, on wonderful working holidays and I will be singing that song and remembering my Dad and Granddad, Uncles and cousins and all the generations of old salts who have sailed down the River Mersey and out to sea.

“It’s not the Leaving of Liverpool that grieves me

But my Darling when I think of Thee”