In search of George Vancouver

Since King's Lynn was a bustling and wealthy port in the 18th century most people would have been connected with the sea in one way or other. George Vancouver was no exception. Son of a merchant family with good connections, he landed a job with Captain Cook as a fourteen-year- old midshipman and sailed around the globe.

Here is Alastair getting a bit of training at the ship's wheel.

Unfortunately, the festivities were marred by the rain. At one point we took shelter in the sea cadets' hut. While the brass band practised in the back, Gregor wanted sit in the canoes and be shown how to paddle.

Here's Gregor hurrying past the statue of Captain George on his way to the Custom House to register his imports of coal, wine and timber.

The Great Ouse River under East Anglian skies. Vancouver's ship, the Earl of Pembroke, joined the weekend's festivities.

Here's Buzz reading about Cook and Vancouver and why his home town was named after the boy from King's Lynn. As they were preparing Cook's third voyage - this time to survey and attempt to discover an as yet uncharted North-West passage of North America to link the Pacific to the Atlantic - the Spanish and English were arguing over Nootka Sound (apparently an Englishman had bought Vancouver Island for a few sheets of copper and the Spanish didn't like it). Anyway, to cut a long story short, Cook died en route in Hawaii, Vancouver continued and went up the coast searching for the northwest passage, didn't quite find it, but did manage to survey the coastline on his way and make maps. Enlighted Canadians changed the then Gastown to Vancouver around the beginning of the 20th century.