It’s a pleasure to be back writing for The Local Answer after a few years off – I wrote the Leader’s Life column for a number of years, until the end of 2019, while I was Leader of Gloucester City Council. Since standing down from that role, I’ve written a number of books, including ‘100 Facts, Myths and Legends About Gloucester’ with my friend Matt Cass, which gave me the idea for this column.

For my first article, I want to write about Captain Howard Blackburn. Back in August, we marked the 125th anniversary of his voyage from Gloucester, Massachusetts to Gloucester, UK. In 1899, Captain Blackburn sailed single-handedly across the Atlantic, taking 61 days, and arrived in Gloucester Docks after being towed 16 miles up the canal from Sharpness by the SS Sabrina – a steamboat made by well-known local firm Fielding & Platt. This achievement was all the more remarkable because Captain Blackburn had lost all of his fingers and some of his toes on an earlier expedition.

This event was re-enacted at Gloucester Docks on Retro Day, with former councillor Gordon Taylor as Captain Blackburn being rowed into the Docks by the Sea Cadets, to be met by Mayor Lorraine Campbell, Sheriff Pam Tracey and Town Crier Alan Myatt.

Each year in Gloucester, Massachusetts, a ‘Blackburn Challenge’ boat race takes place in Captain Blackburn’s honour. This year, letters were exchanged between the mayors of the two cities to mark the anniversary, and read out at the Blackburn Challenge and the Gloucester Docks re-enactment, respectively.

In her letter, Mayor Campbell described the story of Captain Blackburn as “a remarkable tale of courage, heroism, adventure and overcoming adversity”. The event was part of efforts to forge links between the various Gloucesters around the world, of which there are 13 that we know about, in countries ranging from the USA to Australia to Sierra Leone.