Utopia tours post-war Europe
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The following is taken from the Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune, February 25th, 1948 article about Utopia’s crew member describing the journey around post war Europe.
Crew member describes six-month vagabond junket of the 65-foot schooner Utopia
Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune, February 25th, 1948.
Wednesday, February 25th, 1948.
The lure of adventure is as strong today as before the war, and men still answer the call of far horizons.
Keith Roberts, son of John Roberts, 1021 3rd Street South, has just returned from a six-month cruise of the Atlantic and Mediterranean, reminiscent of the pre-war vagabond junkets of Richard Halliburton. Roberts was a member of the 11-man amateur crew of the 65-foot schooner Utopia, which sailed the Atlantic, circled the Mediterranean, backtracked across the South Atlantic, and wound up with a leisurely cruise through the Caribbean. It was a trip, says Roberts, that proves that an extended vacation cruise need not be a luxury reserved only for the rich.
The crew of the Utopia, recruited from throughout the nation, found this method of travel was a good way to get a quick look at Europe and far cheaper than the conventional means of overland travel.
"Cut red tape"
It not only eliminated the need for hotel accommodations and expensive restaurant food, but also cut the red tape of customs inspection, since as crew members they were exempt from this formality.
After leaving Sturgeon Bay last July 15th, the Utopia took part in the Mackinac sailing races, finishing second from last. After the races, the ship headed eastward through the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River to the Atlantic. First stop on the east side of the Atlantic was the Azores.
Then with stops at ports and excursions inland, the crew visited Lisbon, Cádiz, Madrid, Gibraltar, Algiers, Anzio, Nice, Barcelona, and Tangiers. After a stop at the Canary Islands off the Africa coast, the ship headed west across the South Atlantic to Trinidad, through the West Indies to Antigua and Martinique. Roberts left the crew at Martinique, but the others planned to visit Cuba and Haiti before returning to Miami to sell the schooner.
Although Roberts contended that the trip was less dangerous than he had imagined it would be in so small a ship, there were moments of tenseness and drama.
"Lost on Lake Michigan"
Only once was the ship lost - and that time not on the Atlantic but right "at home" on Lake Michigan.
Nearest accident occurred at Erie, Pennsylvania when the ship lost its centerboard, a six-thousand-five-hundred pound appendage that served as keel and ballast. It was recovered in shallow water by the use of a diving helmet and caused no further trouble throughout the cruise. A few uneasy moments occurred as the Utopia sailed the coast of Italy through mine-infested waters after the captain, in his quest for souvenirs in Rome, neglected to pick up charts showing the areas which had not yet been cleared.
"Little Trouble with Water"
The weather caused relatively little difficulty. A hurricane on the Atlantic proved far less troublesome than the storm encountered on the Mediterranean between Nice and Barcelona.
Most enjoyable part of the cruise was the trip across South Atlantic from the Canary Islands to Trinidad, a part that had seemed the most risky when the original plans were drawn. The weather was ideal, Roberts says, and permitted swimming and sunning and easy sailing for almost the entire 20 days. Europe, rich in history and scenic interest, provided scores of sidelights and highlights.
Spain, the country in which Roberts was particularly interested, still lies uneasy under the hand of dictator Franco. People talk of politics only in whispers, even in the security of their own homes, he reported. While in Spain, Roberts stayed at the home of a Spanish family and had an opportunity to observe more of the life of the country that can be seen ordinarily by a tourist.
On the surface, Franco has improved conditions, he concludes, but the people dislike him. Wages are slightly higher, but prices are still out of reach of the average worker. A day's pay will buy only one good meal at a restaurant.
All phases of Spanish life are permeated by politics and political influence is needed even to get and hold a job. In Algiers, gangs of urchins, which are familiar sight to American soldiers who liberated North Africa in the fall of 1942, are still operating in force. Now organized, incapable bands of racketeers, they combine begging with a refined type of pocket picking.
Roberts recalled with some chagrin that he had been robbed of some 5,000 francs by youngsters as they mobbed him to beg cigarettes.
"Marks of War remain"
On the beach at Anzio, rusted hulks of landing craft can still be seen and many houses are still in ruins three and a half years after the bloody end run by which the 5th US Army sought to capture Rome.
Even today, Roberts reports landmines still remain along the sides of the road running from Anzio to Rome. Anzio, today is one of the strongholds of Italian communism. Red neckerchiefs are almost standard apparel for the well-dressed Anzian and the Communist Party not only operates openly but is one of the strongest in that coastal area of Italy.
Rome, some 30 miles inland from communist Anzio, has more well-dressed men and women than most of the European cities Roberts observed. Yet though new clothes and new autos are abundant, children still pick up cigarette butts. Roberts sums up his observations of post-war Europe something like this, people with money find life in Europe as good as ever, food is plentiful for those who can pay the price, and starvation is not apparent, at least on the surface.
Wednesday, February 25th, 1948: Crew member describes six-month vagabond junket of the 65-foot schooner Utopia
