We are here!

 We are here!  And we are going to stay here for the next two days as life has go a bit complicated.  I regret to inform you the nail bar at the end of the bridge doesn’t exist so it is time to look out at the world and think of history.


The advert for, possibly cars, possibly coffee, I can’t remember, had Sting singing ‘I’m an Englishman Abroad’.  It started, properly, with a fade in of some excellent cricketing triumph.  This was later replaced by some footballing moment because of market research I’ll be bound.  The British are coming and they came for Tenerife. 



Tenerife saw the arrival of the First Fleet to Botany Bay in June 1787 - I expect you weren’t expecting that.  The Fleet consisted of two Royal Navy vessels, three store ships and six convict ships carrying between 1,000 and 1,500 convicts, marines, seamen, civil officers and free people (accounts differ on the numbers), and a vast quantity of stores. On 3rd June 1787, the fleet anchored at Santa Cruz at Tenerife.They took on fresh water, vegetables and meat. Commander of the fleet, Capt. Arthur Phillip and the chief officers were entertained by the local governor, while one convict tried unsuccessfully to escape. On 10th June they set sail to cross the Atlantic to Rio de Janeiro and out of our History.




The island was also attacked by British commanders Robert Blake, Walter Raleigh, John Hawkins and Woodes Rogers  Woodes .Rogers was unknown to me and this is to my shame.  He had an interesting life as sea captain, colonial administrator and privateer.  He also picked up Alexander Selkirk - the proto-type Robinson Crusoe. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodes_Rogers  In 1707 he was engaged in a wide ranging 

Privateering venture and called off in Tenerife for supplies of wine. Around this time they sewed the ships blankets into cold weather gear.



On 25th July 1797, Admiral Horatio Nelson launched an attack at Santa Cruz de Tenerife.. After a a bit of a fight which resulted in many casualties, General Antonio Gutiérrez de Otero y Santayana saw him off.. Whilst leading a landing party, Nelson was seriously wounded in his right arm by grapeshot or musket ball, which led to the amputation of most of the arm.

On 5th September 1797, the British attempted another attack in the Puerto Santiago region, which was repelled by the inhabitants of Santiago del Teide. Some threw rocks at the British from the heights of the cliffs of Los Gigantes - which was clearly unsporting.



That’s it for today.  Enjoy the bridge.


No trolls were disturbed in the making of this blog.


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