Sir Alec Rose (13 July 1908 – 11 January 1991) was a nursery owner and fruit merchant in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

who, after serving in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

during World War II, developed a passion for amateur

single-handed sailing The sport and practice of single-handed sailing or solo sailing is sailing with only one crewmember (i.e., only one person on board the vessel). The term usually refers to ocean and long-distance sailing and is used in competitive sailing and ...

. He took part in the second single-handed Atlantic race in 1964 and circumnavigated the globe single-handedly in 1967–68, for which he was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the G ...

. His boat '' Lively Lady'' is still seaworthy and is used for sail training by a charity.

Naval career

Alec Rose was born in

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of t ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

he served in the

as a diesel mechanic on a convoy escort, HMS ''Leith''.

''Lively Lady''

After the war, Rose learned to sail in a former ship's lifeboat before buying the 36-foot cutter ''Lively Lady'' second-hand. ''Lively Lady'' was built of paduak by S. J. P. Cambridge, the previous owner, in

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, commer ...

, with the help of two Indian cabinetmakers. Cambridge had studied boat design during the war, and ''Lively Lady'' was basic, but sturdy and stable. In 2015, the charity "Around and Around" undertook a 25-year management of the yacht and restored and extensively refitted her in time to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Rose's circumnavigation.

Single-handed Atlantic crossing

Sailing Yacht Lively Lady, Port Solent, Jun 2012

Rose converted ''Lively Lady'' to a

yawl A yawl is a type of boat. The term has several meanings. It can apply to the rig (or sailplan), to the hull type or to the use which the vessel is put. As a rig, a yawl is a two masted, fore and aft rigged sailing vessel with the mizzen mast p ...

by adding a

mizzenmast The mast of a sailing vessel is a tall spar, or arrangement of spars, erected more or less vertically on the centre-line of a ship or boat. Its purposes include carrying sails, spars, and derricks, and giving necessary height to a navigation lig ...

and in 1964 participated in the second single-handed transatlantic race, finishing in fourth place. Not having any means of communication on board, he did not know of his success until after he crossed the finish line. The race started at Plymouth, where Rose was photographed on board by Eileen Ramsay, the chronicler of sailing in post-war Britain.

Single-handed global circumnavigation

When Rose heard that

Francis Chichester Sir Francis Charles Chichester KBE (17 September 1901 – 26 August 1972) was a British businessman, pioneering aviator and solo sailor. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for becoming the first person to sail single-handed around the worl ...

intended to sail single-handedly around the world, he was keen to compete. He attempted to start his journey at approximately the same time as Chichester (sailing '' Gypsy Moth IV'') in 1966, but mechanical failures and a collision off Ushant meant he had to postpone the event until the following year. The voyage began on 16 July 1967. While he was away Rose's wife Dorothy ran their fruit and vegetable stall, displaying a map charting his progress. On 17 December, after 155 days and 14,500 miles, he arrived in Melbourne where he met his son who lived there. Among the people who came to watch Rose's arrival was Prime Minister

Harold Holt Harold Edward Holt (5 August 190817 December 1967) was an Australian politician who served as the 17th prime minister of Australia from 1966 until his presumed death in 1967. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party. Holt was born in ...

, who disappeared later the same day after going for a swim. Rose stopped once more, an unplanned call into

Bluff Harbour The entrance to Bluff Harbour viewed from the International Space Station in 2008, with Foveaux Strait at bottom. The town of Bluff, New Zealand">Bluff sits on the north shore of the Bluff promontory, lower left, with the angular form of Island H ...

, New Zealand, to repair a damaged mast. The voyage was closely followed by the British and international press and Rose's landfall at 12.33pm in

Southsea Southsea is a seaside resort and a geographic area of Portsmouth, Portsea Island in England. Southsea is located 1.8 miles (2.8 km) to the south of Portsmouth's inner city-centre. Southsea is not a separate town as all of Portsea Island's s ...

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most d ...

, on 4 July 1968, 354 days after he set off, was met by cheering crowds of hundreds of thousands. It was 10 days before his 60th birthday. On 10 July 1968, he was made a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are ...

. He was made a Freeman of the City of Portsmouth in the same year, was guest of honour at the Anglo-American Sporting Club gala evening at the London Hilton, and fêted with ''Lively Lady'' outside the Daily Mirror Building at Holborn Circus. He opened the Bamboo House Chinese restaurant in Southsea in 1968. He was granted the Freedom of the City of London in 1969. Rose's voyages are detailed in his book ''My Lively Lady''. He wrote a children's version, ''Around the world with Lively Lady'' (1968) and another book ''My favourite tales of the sea'' (1969).

After circumnavigation

In 1973 Rose was given the honour of firing the starting gun for the first

Whitbread Round the World Race The Ocean Race is a yacht race around the world, held every three or four years since 1973. Originally named the Whitbread Round the World Race after its initiating sponsor, British brewing company Whitbread, in 2001 it became the Volvo Ocean Rac ...

. On 17 May 1975, he opened 5th Littlehampton Sea Scouts' HQ ''Gordon Hall'' in Lineside Way,

Littlehampton Littlehampton is a town, seaside resort, and pleasure harbour, and the most populous civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England. It lies on the English Channel on the eastern bank of the mouth of the River Arun. It is south sout ...

, West Sussex. Rose provided the foreword for the 1980 reprint of Brouscon's ''Tidal Almanac'' of 1546.

Publications

* ''My Lively Lady'', November 1968, Nautical Publishing Company. . * ''Around the world with Lively Lady'', 1968, Geoffrey Chapman, London. . * ''My favourite tales of the sea'', 1969, Nautical Publishing Company, Lymington, in association with George G. Harrap & Co. .

Personal life

Rose was born in Canterbury and was educated at

Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys (also known as The Langton Grammar School for Boys and simply referred to as The Langton) is an 11–18 foundation grammar school for boys and mixed sixth form in Canterbury, Kent, England. It was establish ...

. In his book ''My Lively Lady'' Rose described himself as a shy youth and a loner, fascinated by nature and the sea. He preferred to be self-employed rather than take a regular job, which allowed him to spend the time (over several years) preparing his yacht for the trans-Atlantic race. Rose and his wife Dorothy ran a greengrocer shop at 38 Osborne Road, Southsea. Alec Rose died aged 82 on 11 January 1991 at Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth. At the time of his death he was Admiral of the Ocean Cruising Club, and in an obituary Tim Heywood, a founder member and past Commodore who had known Rose since 1966, described him as ''the epitome of the breed of great seamen: quiet, reserved and humble''. Rose was survived by his wife Dorothy, two sons and two daughters. He bequeathed ''Lively Lady'' to Portsmouth.

Legacy

Alec Rose Lane in Portsmouth city centre is named after him, as is a Wetherspoon public house in

Port Solent Port Solent is the commercial business name of a housing and leisure development located in the Paulsgrove suburb of the English city of Portsmouth, Hampshire, comprising a marina, a housing estate, shopping and leisure facilities. The Port S ...

, Portsmouth and the 3rd Worthing Scout Groups 'Rose' Cub Pack. An elderly people's residence in

Gosport Gosport ( ) is a town and non-metropolitan borough on the south coast of Hampshire, South East England. At the 2011 Census, its population was 82,662. Gosport is situated on a peninsula on the western side of Portsmouth Harbour, opposite ...

bears his name. Sir Alec's sailing club Eastney Cruising Association in Portsmouth has a Cornish Pilot Gig named after him. There is a plaque commemorating his global circumnavigation near his landing point at

. Rose gives his name to the RNSA Sir Alec Rose Trophy for Outstanding Single Handed achievement. ''Lively Lady'' was displayed at the 2005 London Boat Show. A pub in Bracklesham, near Chichester, West Sussex, is named ''"The Lively Lady"'' after Rose's yacht. From 2006 to 2008 Alan Priddy, founder of the ''Around and Around'' charity, circumnavigated the globe aboard Rose's yacht ''Lively Lady''. The 60-year-old boat was crewed in stages by a group of 38 disadvantaged young adults. Priddy attributed his passion for sailing to Rose. ''Lively Lady'' was in 2009 leased to ''Around and Around'' for 25 years so the charity could maintain and use her for training. In 2011 the charity announced that, after a refit, ''Lively Lady'' would undertake another circumnavigation to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Rose's achievement. The charity restored and extensively refitted the yacht in time to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Rose's circumnavigation.