Phoenicia Visit — 20 September '12

Thursday 20th September at 6.30pm

 

Members are invited to come along to the Phoenician Ship Exhibition that is currently running at the St Katherine Docks. This will be a guided tour, conducted by Philip Beale. Some of you know him and the story of the Phoenicia from the Talk that was held in the Club in October 2011.

Inspired by Herodotus' story, in 2005 a Dorset adventurer, Philip Beale set out to recreate this incredible journey. The first challenge was to reconstruct a Phoenician ship. With extensive research and advice from eminent scholars, marine archaeologists and shipwrights his team came up with a design based on an ancient wreck found in the western Mediterranean. From this template they built a Phoenicia. The project took years to plan and execute. A dedicated team of specialists and enthusiasts from around the world were involved at each stage of the process. Philip captained ‘Phoenicia' as he set out to retrace the route of the original journey. He left Syria in August 2008 travelling  through the Red Sea, into the Indian Ocean and down the east coast of Africa. Phoenicia successfully rounded the Cape of Good Hope in March 2010. On her return journey she sailed far out into the Atlantic, reaching the Mediterranean via the Azores.

She arrived back in Arwad, Syria on 23rd October 2010. The successful conclusion to the expedition proved that the Phoenicians were capable of circumnavigating Africa. Their ships were strong and seaworthy and would have been able to withstand ocean sailing for long periods at a time. The expedition helped to bring to a wider audience the maritime skills and achievements of the Phoenicians, an ancient cultural heritage largely overlooked today.

Time: 6.30pm

Location: St Katharine Dock

For more information or to book please click here or contact Lucia on 020 7201 6267.

Priority will be given to those Members who attended the Talk in October 2011.