I have no idea why, but I was giddy to see The Edwin Fox — the last surviving ship to carry convicts to Australia. It carried troops in the Crimean War and carried settlers to New Zealand. I had first read about it in Straying from the Flock and marked it as something to see. For some reason, the ship mystified me.
For twenty years, Edwin Fox sat in Shakespeare Bay, partially submerged as the tide came in and out. The salt water preserved the bottom halves of the teak beams. Spending part of the day in air, and part in water, a portion of the beams have been eaten away.
I was BLOWN AWAY when we stepped near the ship and realized that we could actually go into it. And down into the hull. And down into the dry dock. We marveled at the orange rust and green patina and weathered teak. It really was beautiful and super cool, and I’m glad that they are preserving it.
