Christmas in Falmouth

At the end of 1971 the Bowditch spent two months in Falmouth, Cornwall England for yard overhaul. Because the ship was unlivable, arrangements were made for the Ocunit One’s crew to stay at the Pentargan Hotel which opened especially to host our crew. It catered to summer tourists and was normally closed in winter. It was a fantastic experience for everyone. Ms. Molly Morris ran the establishment and went way out of her way to ensure that we had a near home experience. Food was great (actually outstanding) and the accommodations were exceptional. She once confided to me that her biggest surprise was how much water that 18 American sailors could use. We used as much water a day as her normal crowd of 80 guests would use in a week!

Mrs. Molly Morris, the proprietor, served us a special seven course banquet on Christmas day 1971 shortly before we headed back to sea. It was one of the most memorable of many memorable events. I suspect that most of the crew had no idea what a seven course dinner was. Molly even had gifts for each person which made Cornwall almost as good as home. It ended up with our host toasting the President of the United States and I, as acting commanding officer, toasting the queen of England, whose picture is prominently displayed in one of the photographs.