BLACK DOG STUDIOS

'Farewell old England' by Robin Brooks

This print is available fully framed, mounted and ready to hang, an example of the framing can be seen to the right of the above image.

"Farewell Old England"
Resolution & Adventure
13th July 1772
Ref. BD2

" It was an exciting moment for me when at 5.30 am July 2nd 1990, I was finally able to get to sea, armed with the journals and logs of Cooks second voyage. I followed Cooks track out from Plymouth Sound as they had done. I believe the weather conditions, state of the sea, and lighting were as near perfect as possible. Making notes and sketches, visualizing the planned painting that I would later create was an emotional experience that I will never forget. There was a light haze over the land which the rising sun was burning off by the time we were off Rame head"

When Captain Cook returned to England from the first voyage commanding Endeavour in 1771, he knew there were vast tracts of the Southern hemisphere still left uncharted. Plans were soon made for a second voyage to the South Sea to explore the high Southern latitudes. They were to search for the supposed Southern continent. The ships chosen for this second voyage were once again built in Whitby, Yorkshire. They were of a type known as 'Whitby Cats' and they were then named the Marquis of Granby and the Marquis of Rockingham. They were fully fitted out and stored for a long distance voyage and subsequently renamed by the Admiralty 'Resolution' and 'Adventure'.This painting was inspired by the writings of Lieutenant Richard Pickersgill. Giving the moment the appropriate sentiment, he embellished the border of his journal with the words 'Farewell Old England' in large letters. The 'Resolution' was not to return to the shores of England for three years and eighteen days. Resolution and Adventure had lost contact in a great storm off the coast of New Zealand and had returned home separately, Adventure in 1774 and Resolution in 1775.Robin Brooks is meticulous in his research and refers back to all known source material. The painting has taken over six hundred hours to paint and two hundred hours to research. It shows the Resolution hove-to off Rame Head, Plymouth England. A local lugger can be seen in the foreground. Dr Irvin the inventor of a sea water distillation apparatus was aboard the Resolution carrying out final improvements. He had accompanied the Ship out from Plymouth Sound, and had breakfasted with Cook aboard. His apparatus was attached to the great copper for the distillation of fresh water. Forster was to note later in the voyage that it could never yield more than three gallons per hour."

When we just had left Plymouth - Sound, Dr Irvin & his friend Mr Jones followed us in a small boat. They were making a little tour into Cornwall as far as Fowey & St Austle & were going to the first place by Sea, and wanted to take leave of us: they came on board our Ship & breakfasted with is, they took leave of us and stood for the shore, and we directed our course into the Channel under a N.W.b.W. wind. At 8 o'clock the Ramehead bore North, distant 2 miles. At 12 o'clock at noon the Latitude was observed 50° 7'N. the Rame head bore N.E¾ E. distant 7. leagues. We passed Eddystone light house, it was about 2 leagues to leeward."Extract from 'The Resolution Journal of Johann Reinhold Forster 1772 - 1775. Vol. 1. 13th July 1772. Published by the Hakluyt Society 1982.(Forster and his son, George were the principal naturalists aboard Resolution. He was a brilliant mind, though sometimes cantankerous)