Alan said, “don’t open them on the ferry, I don’t want you bringing them back” – not likely, excellent! 

Once again Adaptgraphics have made a superb job of this new print including the remarque, this will make a thrilling pair when shown with “Trafalgar Dawn the view from H M S Victory” as each picture looks into the other, a true pair. 

As with the previous picture the margin includes a printed remarque showing and naming in order the entire fleet seen on the horizon.

Are you a descendant of a Trafalgar veteran?

Your family oral history might tell or the surviving official ship crew lists in which case you can on this picture, place your ancestor at 06.20 21st October 1805…

In this instance we are among the first since the eye witnesses to see a very carefully researched view of the British fleet commanded by Horatio Nelson, our ship is the French flagship the 80 gun Bucentaure, ’star date’ being Monday, 21st October 1805 at approximately 06.20 a.m.

In this case working out the appearance of the British Fleet was one of 2 lengthy studies with the final parts of the impression only falling into place after the painting was started.

An example being unexpectedly finding evidence of some thing I’d long suspected.

Meaning the British frigates were commanded from Captain Henry Blackwood’s frigate HMS Euryalus.

The Admiralty Committee of 1913, ordered by the king to research from official sources what actually happened at Trafalgar – as opposed to the popular and some what propagandist myth subsequently spun, placed Euryalus ahead of the fleet at 06.20.

However I had noticed Blackwood was said to be with Nelson all morning only departing Victory about the time the first shots were fired.

Of course that does not mean he was with Nelson at first light.

However when one discovers in later years Blackwood retold his story around the dinner table to his subsequent first officer who wrote it down…  and Blackwood was was quite emphatic that Euryalus was near Victory at dawn and he did board at first light.

Thus by such minor finds and others I was gradually able to build up what is probably the best historical guess at the true appearance of the British fleet as seen by the men, many of whom were very gallant that day but doomed to be living their last hours, of the French flagship Bucentaure on that fateful dawn.

Many other pieces of the puzzle had to be dealt with, had to be assembled.

For example why did all the drawings by the officers of the combined fleet show a “wall” of British ships at dawn and yet their journals all agree the “British fleet was not in regular order”…

Then there was the question of Villeneuve, what did he look like, what uniforms were worn, did the uniforms conform to the regulations laid down by Napoleon in 1803 (nop!) and so on…?

These and many other questions I’ll answer ASAP when  have time to fully write up the story, scan my sketches, working drawings and quote the sources, possibly when we start in earnest the follow up book to “Life on the Ocean Wave” ISBN 0 – 978-0-9569109-0-5.

By the way Life on The Ocean Wave is available on Amazon and other leading web sites and both these amazing prints from page

http://frickers.co.uk/prints.html

You can order securely using Paypal or ask to arrange an equally secure bank to bank transfer.

So to the Amorique ferry, quite a new ship launched 2009, 29,500 gross tonnage and one her crew are evidently proud of.

I reached Mill bay with some 10 minutes to spare, enjoyed the crossing using the 6 hours to relax in the sun, watch a film, have a snooze and take a tasty meal.

I don’t often arrive in Roscoff in daylight.

Somehow I managed to be the last but 2 of the vehicles off the ferry so was further delayed by traffic until reaching the auto-route south and an easier drive to Thehillac where crept as quietly as possible into a designated bedroom, not wishing to wake my Hosts.

Good military pictures are rare, now who wants a copy Now, of this historic new picture while stocks last?

Today, I have been working mostly on the remarque drawing which will as per the view of “Trafalgar Dawn” from HMS Victory (available as a signed print from page http://www.frickers.co.uk/marine-art/trafalgar_dawn.html) appear in the margin with the ships on the horizon individually named in order; you do remember HMS Victory?

Here is one of the working studies for the battle of Trafalgar dawn. 

I’ll show you on this blog the actual remarque within the next few days.

Then you can be one of the first people since the eye witnesses to see how the British fleet lead by Lord Nelson appeared at first light on that momentous day.

Since the EP expo, I have made some minor changes to this painting and am waiting for a calm sunny day to re photograph the picture then we can go to print.

The weather here in Plymouth has been mostly wild wet n windy which I have enjoyed as invigorating, the air smells clean and sweet with the scent of the sea

My time in England is rapidly drawing to a close, I’m scheduled to sail on the 4th from Plymouth.

Moving on, you may like to know I’ll be near Redon for a few days 5th to 9th July.

This new marine painting Trafalgar Dawn, The French Perspective is intended to become a pair with the renowned Trafalgar Dawn already in print.

http://www.frickers.co.uk/prints.html

Can you guess what else is to be done, how it will look when finished?

The picture has about 126 hours actual painting time in it so far; plus of course research, planning and so on.
I am aiming to have it almost complete by the end of this month.

The biggest delays with this new Trafalgar Dawn have been researching the British fleet (even the official Admiralty investigation in 1913 at the command of the king got parts wrong – but then today we have better research possibilities) and the French uniforms plus life’s little ambushes and other work along the way.
Currently I am working on the rigging and lighting on the French uniforms when ever I can.
The latter will be double checked here in France and some people are already saying this painting must be shown at the Musee Maritime in Paris, hmm, easy to say!
A bit of fun, I have a portrait of Villeneuve to copy him in eventually.

~

Indecently, HMS Pickle also appears in “Trafalgar Dawn” and all be it very small  and again in the new almost finished version of “Trafalgar dawn, the French perspective” (an opposite view to make a striking pair).

Although she is tiny on the horizon, Pickle following ground breaking research with all the British fleet Pickle will be named in order in the margin after the way all the combined fleet are named in order in “Trafalgar Dawn“.

Attention to small details which most people will miss but we think are important and fun.

~

Recently I saw a program on French TV about their view of Trafalgar, “ le Catastrophe de Trafalgar“.
I thought in more objective accurate and fair than any of the GB productions I have seen so if it shows in GB you might like to catch it.

A picture showing the progress will appear on this blog soon.
This new painting will make a pair to go with the now renowned “Trafalgar
dawn“, a view from among the crew onboard HMS Victory at 06.05, Monday the
21st of October 1805 and based on eye witness reports and research.

You may recall, “Trafalgar dawn” was painted some years ago as part of a
series commissioned for HMS Victory,
http://www.frickers.co.uk/marine-art/trafalgar_dawn.html ?

That series includes the now equally well known “I have urgent dispatches”
http://www.frickers.co.uk/marine-art/urgent_dispatches.html

Both are available as prestige quality signed limited editions.

The new painting is as yet is unsold unless someone makes Gordon Frickers an offer he
can’t refuse!

This new marine painting is intended to go next year for exhibition
following invitations to exhibit at the European Parliament (the first
marine artist ever invited) and in the City of Plymouth where much research
was carried out.

It is also being suggested “Trafalgar dawn, the French perspective“  is
shown at the Musee Maritime, Paris, also a venue of research, but as I am
not yet know there only time will tell!

This new original painting, 12″ x 48″  shows a scene onboard the French
flagship “Bucentaure” at about 06.20 on Monday the 21st of October 1805
because the French reported they sighted the British fleet  slightly later than
06.05 a.m.

We have not yet decided the final title of this new marine painting.

It took  ages to sort out the British fleet.

Much of the information was conflicting, new research was able to resolve
most of the issues.

Dozens of hours of research, reading, drawing diagrams and cross checking
was required aa well as additional visits principally to “Victory” and the
Musee Maritime..

There were quite a few surprises too including the Official report of the
Admiralty Committee of 1913 got several ships in the wrong place for 06.00.

They failed to notice the British were very roughly in 4 columns at dawn and wrongly placed several ships.
Thus some of the ships logs are wrong? What a bunch of navigators?

Not that they will worry about that, still it would have been a fun debate!

The moment when Gordon Frickers finally had the British fleet marked out as accurately as
possible and stood back was quite moving.

He realised he was the first person to see the sight since those who actually
witnessed the view.

~

The painting of “Nelson boarding Minerve at Gibraltar” is finished except for
some tidying up and the running rigging on Minerve.

This painting fits well our original brief, re the lesser know but
significant parts of Nelson’s career and as a bonus shows 2 of the ships in
which Nelson served.

This story was the prelude to Nelson becoming seriously famous.

This story of which this painting represents is likely surprise people when
they know the story which reads a bit like a “Boys Own” adventure.

Following diligent research, Gordon Frickers found  this part of the Nelson story is barely
mentioned and not at all in many of the books about Nelson.

In essentials, Nelson, then a commodore, was ordered by Admiral John Jervis to supervise
the British withdrawal from the Med which Nelson described to his wife as an
important but not dangerous service.

The frigate Minerve, within days of leaving Gibraltar, in company with another frigate Blanche,
was in a fierce night action against 2 Spanish frigates.

The story goes the ships paired off, when hailed by Minerve her opponent replied, this is a
Spanish frigate and you may begin when you wish!

The Spanish ship was gallantly defended during a fierce half hour action which left the victorious Minerve but quite damaged.

The Spanish commander turned out to be a direct descendant of bonnie Prince Charlie.

Nelson was very impressed by both the defence and the blod line so most irregularly, returned the vanquished Spaniards sword.

The next day the 2 prizes had to be abandoned to escape a superior Spanish
force which almost caught the 2 damaged British frigates.

The British frigates lost their prizes.

Abandoned  prize crews included one Lt Thomas Masterman Hardy.

Nelson completed the rest of his mission during and immediately after which
he showed some of his finest personal qualities.

On returning to Gibraltar he learned a large force of Spanish ships of the
line had just past Gibraltar sailing West.

He pursued; in turn pursued by 2 large Spanish war ships one of which almost
caught Minerve.

Through out this episode in Nelson’s story, an episode not even mentioned in  many ‘Nelson’ books, Horatio Nelson demonstrated many of the fascinating qualities which lead to his eternal fame.

An example being while pusued by the 2 Spaniards, both much stronger ships than the frigate Minerve, a man fell over board.

Upon hearing the dread cry “man over board”, Lt Thomas Hardy gallantly rushed up from below and jumped into the little ‘jolly’ boat which went to look for the lost sailor.

The poor fellow was not found, worse, when the jolly boat tried to pull back to Minerve it was soon apparent the jolly boat was dropping further astern.

Despite the oncoming Spaniard, Nelson exclaimed “by God I’ll not loose Hardy” and ordered the mizzen topsail of Minerve backed to slow her down.

The Spaniard, suspecting a trap, also slowed to allow her consort to catch up.

The jolly boat and her people were recovered, little wonder the men loved Nelson, Minerve escaped.

One of Nelson’s dictum’s was “often the boldest course is the best“.

Not sure if the Spanish fleet were going to head North or West Nelson  was
prepared contrary to orders to abandon his post and sail West to warn the
British in the Caribbean or North to join John Jervis’ fleet on watch off Cadiz.

As luck would have it Minerve sailed right into the middle of the Spanish fleet – in thick fog.

Skillfully extracting herself, the following day Minerve found the British Fleet, Nelson reported to Jervis then rejoined HMS Captain (also shown in this painting).

Very soon after there followed the battle now known to the British as “The battle of Cape St Vincent” during which Nelson disobeyed orders and created “Nelson’s patent  bridge for boarding first rates”; but that is another story and maybe another painting…

The next marine painting Gordon Frickers will be preparing will be a scene from the voyage of the French explorer Laperouse showing the day he met with ‘The first fleet‘ at Botany Bay and that painting to be followed by a new version of the ubiquitous HM schooner Pickle.

This is only a brief account of an adventure in the story of Horatio Nelson.
The full account is even more remarkable.

Gordon has agreed to write more about these two historic paintings soon, discussing the details of the paintings, outlining the finer points of his research, much of it previously unpublished , giving us greater insights into a facinating period of naval history.

If you think I can help you in any other way, don’t hesitate to ask.

Email with your phone number and I’ll give you a call.

I have the keys to a friends house where I often help out while passing through, then eventually found my way back to Itzac in the Tarn, Midi Pyrenees.

The picture of my cottage was taken last year before the house warming but balloons apart the place has not changed much for 50 years and was in 1825 the village forge.

You can order your copy of this most striking painting, easily and securely from page:

http://www.frickers.co.uk/prints.html

http://www.frickers.co.uk/landscape/hot_rain.html being an example,

I have the marine painting “Cattewater Plymouth, Australia bound emigrants prepare to board the clipper ship Samuel Plimsoll” 98% finished, here is a detail, I’ll show you this complete major painting on this blog any day now.

I have been looking for good photographs of HM Submarine Unique. I found a link that took me to the Submariners Association only the page was blank.

Or was it? I am reminded of the joke about the model of a stealth ship in a museum, it goes some what like this, “The models were wonderful, so detailed until I got to the Stealth ship, the case was empty… or was it?”

Why the  British U class submarine HMS Unique?

I am preparing a painting for the son of her last commander Lt R.E. Boddington.

British U class submarines are not to be confused with the German U Boats.

The U class were a class of 49 small submarines all of which had names beginning with ‘U’, built just before and during the Second World War originally intended as unarmed training vessels.

The boats ( in the Royal Navy submarines are called boats never ships…) mostly served in the home waters and with the 10th Submarine Flotilla based at Malta.

The submarine Unique was part of a second batch, the group included a number of submarines that would  become particularly famous.

There was a grim price though, only three out of the twelve survived the war.

Unique became overdue after being ordered to patrol on the surface off the Spanish Atlantic coast.

Her loss with all hands has never been explained.

My submarine painting will be a special family memorial and tribute to the lads who never came home.

~

I am also trying to find out how to define the ensigns flown by British war ships during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars.

We know there were Admirals of the Blue, Red and White so the questions are who flew which ensign, where and why, did the ships under their commands fly the same colour ensign?

I’d particularly like to know which colour ensign was flown at Gibraltar on the 10th December 1796 by HMS Captain and HMS Minerve?

While in that period It would also help to find some or all of the flags and signals of Admiral Popham’s code (published 1803), or at least some of the more famous signals.

One of the reasons for this supplementary question is I am about to begin a marine painting of the action in which the Spanish frigate Mercedes, carrying near a million in treasure, tragically blew up and sank

~

Also on the stocks is a marine painting I have been ‘threatening’ to produce for about 6 years, a new version of Trafalgar Dawn

( http://www.frickers.co.uk/marine-art/trafalgar_dawn.html ) only this time we will see the view not from HMS Victory but from the French Flag ship Bucentaure.

I have the research as complete as I can manage although as usual with historical scenes it is only a best guess all be it a very well informed guess.

Typical of the problem is the French seamen  did not always conform to the regulation book issued by Napoleon in 1803.

Similarly we do not know exactly what the order of the  British fleet was so have to estimate some of the ships and this after reading logs and eye witness accounts ~ unless you know better in which case tell me and I’ll see you have a complimentary copy of the picture, one of our Prestige prints on cotton canvas, numbered and signed, the sort of collectors item you can order from the www.frickers.co.uk Marine Print Gallery (http://www.frickers.co.uk/prints.html)

~

This week in the Tarn,  following 2 days of some times heavy rain we have had clear blue and mostly vapour trail less skies with temperatures over 10 C at night climbing to the high twenties during the days.

The light has been at it’s luminous best.

This is spring in the Tarn and forests of Siven and Grisigne although to me it feels like high summer in Cornwall.

The birds and small animals here know better and are apt, minds focused on procreational problems, to forget their curb drill so most of us drive at not over the speed limits here because it makes sense and besides the wee beasties lives are hard enough with out some nitwit doning 90 mph instead of 90 kph.

They make a heck of an ‘amoure’ driven racket including at night constantly reminding me I exist very alone.

The bird song here is constant including our first cockoo over 2 months ago and nightingales at night to accompany the crickets and singing of frogs – and for frogs I mean frogs, not the Toulouse Rugby supporter sort, these are more likely to be heron’s dinner sort of frogs,  they can be very noisy in full passion!

This evening about 20.00 I went for an evening run by the lakes at Vere one of which is a summer pool drained over each winter, being refilled now.

I do not kid you, you could hear the joyous frogs at least 300 yards away maybe more!

My only problem is my shared studio is to small for meduim sizes paintings which causes problems while painting any picture over 2′ wide as it is adequat to get to the right viewing distances.

Eventually I’ll have to move but to where and how much will it cost?

I have often wished I was painting landscapes and building on the tan I acquired after Easter at the Antibes Yacht Show however the demands of marine art are holding me in the studio.

The roads are suffering  – again… This time it is shrinkage that is the problem, Chasse Deformer is a frequent road sign around here as surfaces distort some quite dangerously.

Difficult for drivers but it is never a good idea to speed around here not so much because of the flick rather the plants and animal wild life are having a great time particularly the latter.

Went to Gaillac, shopping for food, not exciting ?

The first of the new fruits are “in”. h

Huge baskets of huge succulent strawberries, 1.5 Euro, the first melons a euro each, and lots of other delicious foods are appearing all cheap,  little wonder French women are not fat like so many Brits and Americans.

We have so many very tastey healthy things to eat here in the temperate South West of France; I had half a perfectly ripened melon for breakfast, great start to the day.

It is a novelty for me with my roots in S E England in the aftermath of the second world war, ration cards, oranges a luxury for Christmas, I still think of these foods as luxuries but they are not luxuries here, nor is asparagus, artichoke and a tasty heap of other good eating.
Problems?

Well yes this is a flawed paradise, chocolate melts.

There is a selection of books we can highly recommend because

A. they feature Gordon Frickers marine painting and

B. they are excellent book (not that we are biased, much), see page

http://www.frickers.co.uk/marine-art/trafalgar.html

The books can be ordered via that page from Amazon.

The original of Trafalgar Dawn was sold about 15 years ago to a private collection however the owner has indicated he is now open to offers.

Offers can be made via Mr. 10% on this web site!

More affordable, Trafalgar Dawn is available as a superb quality numbered, signed, Prestige edition on printed canvas, from page
http://www.frickers.co.uk/prints.html
where it can be ordered 100%  securely using Paypal or by a direct bank to bank transfer.

The new Trafalgar Dawn is in an advanced stage of research and pre sketching following visits to research at Portsmouth and in Paris last December (as mentioned in this blog, early December).
As for

Nelson at Gibraltar, you can follow the development of this painting on this blog.

The painting has evolved from a drawing Gordon Frickers  made one evening in 1998 while in the member’s lounge of the Royal Plymouth Corinthian Yacht Club.

Gordon was a very active member of the Royal Plymouth Corinthian Yacht Club for many years and the club has 2 magnificent marine paintings of his in it’s collection.

One features the Royal Yacht Britannia HRH Queen Elizabeth disembarking, to visit Plymouth, the other shows a typical Spring Series race of the period and is very rich in details.

That original sketch was intended as an idea for a painting of the French navigator and discoverer Laperouse entering Botany Bay.

The Laperouse painting is an other currently under development after a long interval.

Gordon was researching for the Laperouse painting and Nelson at Gibraltar last November at H.M. Hydrographic Office, Taunton,  and another reason he was in Paris and at the Muse de Laperouse, Albi (Laperouse home town).

A friend of his, Chris Boddington former very successful lawyer and a skilled painter in his own right, saw the sketch last summer and suggested it would work well as a painting of Nelson transferring from HMS Captain to HMS Minerve at Gibraltar so guess what?

Since the attached pic was taken, the composition and colouring have advanced significantly.

There will be a new blog entry on this painting of Nelson and Gibraltar  in the next few days.

~

Also currently for re sale, given an offer they can’t refuse,  by clients of Gordon Frickers are the following Marine Paintings, several quite famous,  (by the way we should mention, prices often with paintings are the reverse of most cars so re sale prices are likely to be considerably more than the vendors paid or the current price of new paintings direct from the artist):

“H.M. Schooner “Pickle”, carrying the news of the Battle of Trafalgar”

“Nelson’s Column”

“Trafalgar Dawn”

“First Shots, Trafalgar”

“Nelson’s Pickle, first with the news”

“Ferriera” ex “Cutty Sark”, “Last Departure” (mentioned on this blog, 27.01.10)

~

Another  email was an invitation to go on a Dutch gallery web site ( for a fee).
The site seems to feature mostly Russian artists, some quite good.
It has no marine artist.
It did have an interesting link to a gallery in California, that set Gordon thinking…
He does not  have a list of galleries which might be worth approaching, should he have one?
Can you recommend any galleries?

“Masterpiece … … Renowned Marine artist has presented a stunning framed print to Plymouth Central Library” recorded The Herald and The Extra, while less helpfully leaving out my web site or contact details.  

I felt is was about time I did some thing more tangible to show my appreciation to the staff at Plymouth Central Library , something they would like. My suggestion was accepted with alacrity.

Thus a signed numbered Prestige copy of my marine painting “Trafalgar Dawn” http://www.frickers.co.uk/marine-art/trafalgar_dawn.html, partly researched at the excellent Plymouth Naval Library, and suitably inscribed in the margin “Presented to Plymouth Local and Naval Studies Department by the artist in appreciation of much help willingly given and a world class facility“.

The picture was accepted on behalf of the Central library by Alastair MacNaughton and for the Naval department by Ian Criddle.

Alastair was kind enough to say he thought it about time Plymouth or at least the City Museum, gave a major exhibition of my paintings and he said he would discuss this with them.

Nice idea Alistair, lets hope they approach me maybe after I have shown in the European Parliament next May my home town could book the exhibition?

I understand it will soon be displayed permenantly in the naval reference section, like the books, to be used, to inspire but not to be taken away!

I felt the inscription might help the accounts departments of the City of Plymouth appreciate the library which I have found to be better than some more famous naval libraries, and maybe the picture will help inspire other future researchers?

I am planning a new piece of marine art, the opposite view.

Today was very 21st century though.

I have had today 3 enquiries about my marine painting which may be of interest and found myself yet again busy with Trafalgar and Admiral Nelson issues. 

In particular “I have urgent dispatches“, my marine painting about communication, news and the battle of Trafalgar, of HM Schooner Pickle has attracted more attention (available in print from page http://www.frickers.co.uk/prints.html).  This Pickle painting was produced after a vast amount of research while I was working on a project for HMS Victory. My interest in Pickle continues to this day and I plan to meet one of the decendants of her Trafalgar Commander in about 2 weeks time.

Maybe we will meet on Pickle Night, the 4th of November? You don’t know about Pickle Night?

A detail of HMS Pickle is shown above.

A memorable day and some fun here today but only partly thanks to HMS Pickle.

Most days pass quietly enough, this 21st of October has not been one of them.

By co incidence I met recently in of all places (medieval) Castelnau de Montmiral a New York based art director, owner of a chain of very successful advertising agencies, who saw via a friend, my new brochure (you can have a coy free from my home page).

He asked to see some originals (so we had dinner at my cottage at Itzac) and would now like to see my work shown in New York.

I was very intrigued by his suggestion to show my extraordinary French landscape art works in New York.
Who knows, maybe we can tie it in with Pickle Night next year at the New York Yacht Club?
I’d love to visit New York city.
How to pay for this though???

Unlike my marine art, with the French landscape art, I turn off my “learned” colour vision and paint the colours I uniquely see with my natural very odd colour vision.

I’d be up for that expo, could be a lot of fun.

I’d be more than interested to know if it is really possible, is it?

To date the main things stopping me have been funding and knowing the right places and people.

Today an email bought an enquiry for a  possible yacht portrait of a modern racing yacht which is making quite a reputation, a  Class 40, “Cutlass“, owned by a member of the NYYC,  Alex Mehran Jr who wrote generously about my work.

I love painting modern subjects so hope this enquiry turns into a great painting.

Another surprise this Trafalgar Day came from the team producing a new series for BBC TV who specialize in making High End Factual documentaries, in this case ‘The Boats that Built Britain’, voice overs by Tom Cunliffe, to be shown in the Spring of 2010.
Apparently I have become a leading expert on HM Schooner Pickle and they wish to interview me as part of a program; could be fun.
Doubt I’ll be paid, could be good PR though.

As if that was not enough for one day, I had a call  from the editor of Sea Breezes.

He would like an article on my super yacht experiences this year on the cote d’azur based around the Monaco Yacht Show 2009 and my June tour de cote d’azur but looking forward into 2010…

Wishing you all a memorable Trafalgar Day and many more to follow.

He and his son Jack invited me to join them that evening in a pub at Stoke (Plymouth) to meet The Plymouth Morris Men who turned out to be quite a bunch of characters.

They were raising a modest fund and a glass or 2 for a park bench to commemorate one of their number deceased. Having seen Morris men in Kent and East Sussex in my boat building days it was apparent The Plymouth Morris Men were both traditional and different.

Innovations included their choice of hats, not cheap at £18.00 a throw they assured me, and a rather alarming  sword dance using naval cutlasses. One of their number is the chief “Fool” for all the GB Morris men, a sort of grand master of fools, an enviable title??? www.plymouthmorrismen.org.uk They in turn were fascinated by my descriptions of the detail and research in my marine painting “Trafalgar Dawn” and they asked if the could have a print (you can order a copy from http://www.frickers.co.uk/prints.html) to show when they make exhibitions of themselves, appropriately I agreed.

Yesterday was Rosh Hashanah which meant a visit to Plymouth’s historic synagogue, the oldest Ashkenazi English speaking “schule” in the world. Both the community and the building have many unique features, not least a board in the synagogue, black with gold lettering, proclaiming a prayer for the royal family (King George III), still read all be it for the present royal family. I’ve never seen anything like that in a church let alone a mosque; I found it rather touching. After the service all present including about a dozen Christian visitors were treated to a generous and tasty buffet followed by  learned discourse on Jewish life including questions and answers.

Today has been more mundane, shopping for treats for my friends in France and food the French don’t understand.

However, once again the Internet threw up a surprise.

I had an enquiry about my painting and more especially the print, “Vagrant off the Needles“.

An owner of a print who lives in London, wrote that it was signed both by myself and the then owner of the schooner “Vagrant” Peter de Savery.
The print owner asked a curious question but did not explain his interest,  if all prints are so signed.

Here is my reply:
> To the best of my knowledge, yes, all copies of this print were signed
> by both parties.
> The edition was issued by De Montfort Fine Art, from memory in late 1988.
> This was the first ever limited edition signed by Gordon Frickers.
> Peter kindly endorsed the copies with his signature as owner of
> “Vagrant”.
>
> We have only 2 copies left in stock.
>
> If you have not already found it page
> http://www.frickers.co.uk/marine-art/vagrant_needles.html and the link
> to “further reading” may be of interest.
> Any stories or facts you may have about “Vagrant” will certainly be of
> interest to us, we’d love to read them.
>
> You may be aware, other available prints from Gordon Frickers can be
> viewed on page http://www.frickers.co.uk/prints.html
>
> I am reliably told (I was there last week delivering 2 new paintings
> of the superyacht they currently have nearing completion at the yard)
> the original painting now hangs in the club house at Pendennis
> Shipyard Ltd, Falmouth, Cornwall.
>
> If I can help you in any other way, don’t hesitate to ask.

He responded in similar vein, “Many thanks for your prompt reply.

I may well be down in Falmouth later in the year, and may find time to
call in to the Pendennis Shipyard to view the original.

Our print of Vagrant has hung in our lounge for many years and still
brings pleasure to us and visitors.  There is always something else new
to find in the detail.

Happy painting.”