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A Pickle meeting on Pickle night 04.11.09 "I have Urgent Dispatches"

Because of H.M. Schooner “Pickle“, carrying the news of the Battle of Trafalgar (see  http://www.frickers.co.uk/marine-art/urgent_dispatches.html }
Anne Maddever, descendant of Lieut. John LAPENOTIERE, meeting with Gordon Frickers, marine artist and probably the leading authority on HMS PickleA_M__GF__VD_IMG_6365_wp.JPG

Because of a forthcoming BBC Channel 4 TV documentary, “Boats that made Britain”, Anne and Gordon had been in touch by email and phone for several months and decided to have their first rendez-vous appropriately on 04.11.09, Pickle Night.

The venue chosen was Les Jardins de Bagatelle, a French café in Old Town Street Plymouth owned by Frenchman Vasli Dimitrovski, a friend who had previously advised Gordon pre Gordon Frickers June 2009 tour of the cote d’azur to look at the  super yacht industry.

Boats that made Britain” will be introduced by the renowned Tom Cunliffe, journalist, author and sailor, for a BBC C4 six part high end documentary in the spring of 2010.
By now you have guessed one of the boats featured will be H.M.S. Pickle?

This diminutive schooner so typical of many a Royal Navy schooner, still has to suffer more than her fair share of miss conceptions and much wrong information including in some other wise eminent books by distinguished authors.

H.M. Schooner “Pickle“, first with the news of the victory at Trafalgar and death of Nelson, arrived at Falmouth Bay, Cornwall on the 4th of November 1805, a date still celebrated in the Royal Navy as “Pickle Night
May/June 1802 Lieutenant John Richards Lapenotiere (perhaps the most misspelled name in the Navy) was appointed to command, and at that time both a Sting and a Pickle are named operating from Portsmouth.

Perhaps a confusion of a recently renamed vessel, what do you think?
1802 Plymouth, Lieutenant John Richards Lapenotiere commonly misspelt Lieut. PELLETIER’s command was first used as a dispatch vessel.
You can read more of an incredible sea story, Gordon Frickers research into Pickle and Lapentiere’s story in Gordon’s blog and on page http://www.frickers.co.uk/blog/2006/11/22/useful-facts-excellent-stories-about-hm-schooner-pickle-carrying-the-news-of-the-battle-of-trafalgar/#more-995
Anne and Gordon had much to discuss re John LAPENOTIERE and Pickle, 2 hours flew by.

While the painting: “I have Urgent Dispatches” (see http://www.frickers.co.uk/marine-art/urgent_dispatches.html ) was the original reasons for the contact,  Anne and Gordon soon found much in common and have decided to keep in touch, try to solve some of the Pickle mysteries and maybe next year attend together the New York Yacht Club Pickle Night Dinner.

“H.M.S. Pickle” is shown in Gordon Frickers marine painting here during her dramatic 1,000 mile voyage to England in the great gales which followed the battle of Trafalgar.

I have Urgent Dispatches” is partly about communication, the difference between then (1805) and now.  Pickle__detail_of_signal_2214__Popham__s_code_e.jpg
Pickle” sighted another ship which gave chase; fortunately she turned out to be “H.M.S. Nautilus“. “Pickle” commenced to signal her dramatic dispatch by flying flags 2214, a then secret Royal Navy 1805 (Popham’s) code signal capable of conveying over 3,000 messages.
The 2 detail inserts help you have some idea of the stunning level of finish and detail in this remarkable limited edition print,

Have you spotted the one showing her commander and the other, the signal “I have Urgent Dispatches“?