“Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum”
Two important elements lurk behind a swift and eventful voyage: a good gust of wind and a good measure of rum. John Hillman explains from behind the bottle of Bacardi.
When taking to the sea the average passenger feels a great connection with the waves and wind for we are after all an island of seafarers.
No other country in the northern hemisphere has developed such a natural affinity with the sea; we’re a nation with salt in our bones.
So it’s no surprise that most of us head straight to the duty free shop and stock up on supplies of old Kill-devil, or Nelson’s Blood, whenever we’re on board – I refer of course to the ancient mariner’s favourite tipple: Rum.
Ever since the British Navy captured Jamaica, in 1655, rum has been closely associated with all manner of seafarers from pirates and smugglers to officers and oarsmen. The Royal Navy saw rum as the only effective counterweight to sodomy and the lash to such an extent that it couldn’t bring itself to abolish the daily grog ration until as late as 1970.
Rum’s origins can be traced back for centuries and there is no official date or place that can lay definitive claim to having invented the drink. Some say it was first discovered in ancient China, others that it was invented by Caribbean slaves in the 17th century.
Rum’s Caribbean connection is of course much stronger than China’s, unless someone knows of a good Chinese rum – in which case please do let me know.
However, it was actually once America’s drink of choice (before the invention of the soda machine obviously), in fact prior to the American Revolution it was estimated that 13.5 litres of rum were consumed each year for every man, woman and child in the American colonies.
Indeed; one can only imagine the happy equilibrium that would exist in the world today had these colonials remained sober for long enough to properly consider the consequences of their actions.
So whether you like yours light or dark, flavoured or spiced, the main thing is that you enjoy your rum socially, responsibly and avoid all political discourse whatsoever, lest you awake to discover that your house has declared independence and elected the one of the garden gnomes as president.
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