It was the ingenuity that struck me: how a combination of wood, rope and metal could take you thousands of miles across the ocean.
I was sailing on the replica of the Matthew, the ship which explorer John Cabot launched from Bristol in 1497 in search of the New World. Henry VIII had asked him to 'seeke out, discover and finde whatsoever iles, countreyes, regions or provinces'. Eventually, Cabot landed in Newfoundland and took possession of it in the name of the King.
As I hoisted the sails, I was overwhelmed by what a daunting experience it must have been to venture into the unknown. Yet it was that spirit of discovery and endeavour that led to Britain becoming the greatest naval power the world had ever seen.
Dan Snow
or as he is more often referred to – Historian Dan Snow :)
