Bootmakers All at Sea
Bootmakers All At Sea... is an article written by Doug Elliott published in Canadian Holmes (Vol. 15 No. 4, Summer 1992).
Report of a memorable 1992 New York-to-Bermuda sherlockian cruise aboard the Horizon, combining Canonical quizzes, lectures, theatrical sketches, rough seas, fellowship, and a joyful tribute to Sherlock Holmes.
Bootmakers All At Sea
Bootmakers on the Horizon: (from left) George Vanderburgh, Maureen Green, Pat Vanderburgh, Doug and Dianne Elliot, Ed van der Flaes, Veronica Flannigan.
Dr. Al Rodin (left), a Canadian now in Chicago, and Dr. George Vanderburgh.
Doug ("Avast, me mateys!") Elliot reports on a group of Horizon-tal Sherlockians
- "Folks on their way to Heaven stop off at Bermuda and think they have arrived." Mark Twain.
- "A man who went to sea for pleasure would be likely to go to hell for a pastime." Woodes Rogers, Governor of the Bahamas, 1718-1720.
Dedicated Bootmakers are known to travel far afield in their pursuit of the Master. On May 16, 1992, deerstalkers and Canonical tee-shirts raised a few eyebrows among the more than 1200 passengers as seven hardy Canadians joined a group of about 60 Sherlockians in one of the more unusual such outings, embarking from New York City on the MV Horizon for a 7-day cruise to Bermuda. The Horizon is a 2-year old immaculately maintained 46,811 tonne ship, and guests were well looked after by a staff of more than 600. The ship set sail to the musical accompaniment of Mr. Sinatra's ode to New York, and in spite of the progressive Saturday afternoon drizzle, passengers crowded the rails to catch a glimpse of the great metropolis through the fog.
That evening, the Sherlockians gathered for a preprandial cocktail to meet each other and their cruise committee: Susan Rice, Mary Ellen Rich, Dorothy Stix, and Bob Thomalen. They also learned something of the events that the committee had scheduled for the two full days of that the ship was to be at sea. The group was informed that they would be subject to one of John Bennett Shaw's diabolical all-Canon quizzes on the following Friday, and each received a copy of the Bantam two-volume edition as an aide-memoire. A few vowed to read the sixty adventures that very night.
The program began the following morning in the ship's Zodiac Lounge (specially reserved for the occasion) with Susan Rice's welcome to all, reflecting upon Sherlockian friendships. Sarah Montague read her poem, "Slouching Toward Baker Street", which echoed the present travels with the travels in which Holmes left London to find his adventures. Alan Devitt and Susan Diamond of Chicago read an inspiring passage from The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, by Chicago's great Holmes commentator, Vincent Starrett.
Tom Stix, currently at the helm of the BSI ("Wiggins"), recalled the origins of that organization and read its original constitution, which seemed to be chiefly concerned with who shall order and who shall pay for drinks. He then recounted some of the highlights of the BSI's history, in an address called, "Putting the BS in Old BSI." Further reminiscences were offered by Cecil Baring-Gould, whose late husband William S. Baring-Gould authored the classic The Annotated Sherlock Holmes. The morning's events concluded as Mary Ellen Rich announced that she had at last identified the Island of Uffa as the Scilly Isles and proceeded to defend her thesis with unassailable evidence and irrefutable logic in the time-honoured Sherlockian manner.
By this time, the decks were bathed in warm sunshine, and the participants took advantage of a long lunch break to explore the ship from Deck 4 (Florida Deck) to Deck 12 (Sun Deck) and from the bow to the stem, 682 feet away in the direction of new York. At this time, too, they began to realize the quantity and frequency with which food was to be offered to the passengers, and to ponder the inevitable resulting expansion of waste bands.
As the group re-assembled in the afternoon, Carl Stix, a third generation BSI read from an account of how his grandfather discovered Sherlock Holmes, and then recalled his own introduction to the Master. Andrew Joffe discoursed upon Holmes' associations in the contemporary theatre, assisted by audio recordings of actors and theatrical styles of the Victorian age. As a dramatic and hilarious wrap-up for the afternoon program, a cast of thousands presented a Dickens of a radio drama entitled, "The Case of the Mad Chemist".
The next morning at 9:00, the Horizon docked alongside Front Street, the main thoroughfare of the city of Hamilton, Bermuda. Under a hot blue sky, the exploration of that gentle island began. Passengers went their separate ways, exploring the shops, beaches, historic forts, and twisty roadways. Bermudans have tried to maintain their home's tranquillity by prohibiting rental cars and restricting tourists to motor scooters. The constant drone of scooters on even the most isolated track nonetheless breaks the calm engendered by green hillsides flecked with oleander and morning glory blossoms, and charming pastel-and-white cottages built from slabs of coral rock.
On the second day in Bermuda, the weather closed in and ruled the rest of the ship's stay. During the remaining three days onshore, passengers dodged intermittent downpours to explore the shops, beaches, and historic sites.. An attempt by the Horizon to navigate the narrow cut that leads to the quiet village of St. Georges at the opposite end of the island was foiled by high winds. In spite of the weather, most spoke fondly of their time on Bermuda when on the Thursday afternoon the Horizon weighted anchor for the return journey to New York. That evening on the open sea, ten-foot swells challenged the ship's state-of-the-art stabilizers and a decided roll was evident. Some constitutions rebelled, and the staff thoughtfully made airsick bags readily available in the public areas. The hardy Sherlockians, for the most part, were made of sterner stuff, and the attendance was up to expectations at the nightly gathering in the Americas Cup Bar that had by then become traditional for the group.
During the next day, the second of Sherlockian events, the seas abated gradually. The morning program was an all-Canadian occasion, if one discounts the devilish John Bennett Shaw quiz that wrapped it up. The opening speaker was Bootmaker (and Meyers 92), Ed Van der Flaes, who discoursed on men's clubs, modern and Victorian. Dr. Alvin Rodin, (a Canadian now resident in Ohio), presented an illustrated history of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's nautical experiences during actual, fictional and visionary voyages. Bootmaker George Vanderburgh (our Tongue, or quiz master for 1992), read from an essay by Edgar Smith who persuasively argued the reality of Sherlock Holmes: "The test of any man's having lived lies at least in the imprint he has made upon the minds of the millions who knew and loved him well." The program was interspersed, as was the previous Sunday's. with sketches dramatizing the adventures of Holmes and Watson aboard the SS. Friesland, as performed by "The Friends of Bogie's on Baker Street": Andrew Joffe, Sarah Montague, and Sherlock Holmes disguised as assorted Sherlockians. The nautical quiz was, from all reports, up to the Shaw standard for tenuous connections and tortuous puns. (What Canonical title answers the question, "A falsified ship's record of cargo"? Answer:" The Crooked Man(ifest)".
After a brief lunch break, the program resumed with Evelyn Herzog's timely tips for amateur detectives. Her advice was well illustrated by the abundant amateur sleuths in the Canon who failed to follow it. The readings from prominent, now alas, departed, pioneers of the BSI concluded with Peter Crupe's quotations from Christopher Morley's Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson A Textbook in Friendship. Susan Rice then awarded many prizes for the leading participants of all the week's contests. The winner of the Shaw quiz, Andrew Joffe, received a facsimile edition of the manuscript of "The Dying Detective" published by the Marleybone Library. In the final episode of the adventures of Holmes and Watson on the SS. Friesland, all was revealed, and Moriarty was dispatched once again to a watery grave to general applause and hilarity. By the time the gathering concluded, the sun was blazing down upon the decks and the last day of the cruise was brought to a peaceful end with a concluding cocktail party for the group.
The following morning, the Horizon sailed majestically past the Statue of Liberty again, and docked at the New York City passenger terminal. Addresses were exchanged, wistful farewells were said, and an historic event in Sherlockian history was concluded. Passengers who traveled from Toronto to join the festivities were: Dianne and Doug Elliot, Maureen Green, George and Pat Vanderburgh, Ed Van der Flaes, and Veronica Flannigan.
For those who missed this memorable adventure, take heart: there are babblings of another cruise in 1995.
- Article courtesy The Bootmakers of Toronto.
