‘I’ve Always Loved the Smell of Rum’: King Charles Shares a Tot of Pusser’s Rum With Sailors on Board Royal Mega Yacht
(Photo: The Royal Yacht Britannia)
King Charles commemorated the Royal Yacht Britannia’s 25th year in Edinburgh on Monday. In 1994, the conservative government at the time decided to decommission the 400-foot vessel in 1997 because it cost almost $14 million per year to operate. Former sailors joined the monarch in toasting with a tot of rum as part of the anniversary celebration.
The royal yacht first set sail in 1953. It sailed over 1 million nautical miles during its 44 years in use including almost 1,000 state visits to 135 counties. The massive ship transported several notable passengers namely Ronald Regan, Nelson Mandela, Rajiv Gandhi and Winston Churchill.
King Charles joined the former seamen in a tot of rum, the traditional ration given to members of the Royal Navy until 1970. Although, on board the Britannia the now deceased Queen continued to treat crew members to a rum ration on special occasions which was announced with the words “splice the mainbrace.”
The king was witnessed puffing out his cheeks as the Pusser’s Gunpowder Proof Rum went down. Gunpowder refers to the test used to confirm the alcohol percentage of rum. The expression of Pusser’s rum tasted at the event has a somewhat hefty 54.5% ABV.
The old sailors toasted to the monarch while standing on the deck of the Britannia. He then returned the toast and said, “To all the marvelous Yachties who keep it all going, you are all brilliant.”
One of the previous sailors, Mark Carron served on Britannia for 4 years from 1994-1998 as reported by the Daily Mail. After chatting with King Charles, Carron said “He said, ‘I’ve always loved the smell of rum, it’s a unique smell.’”
Carron continued, “This was the place out of the public eye, they could relax and be themselves. On board Britannia that was their family time and it was our job to make their stay comfortable.”
The royal family would take an annual trip to the west coast of Scotland. The two-week journey was a welcome vacation for the royals and according to the Sun, the late Queen Elizabeth once said, “Britannia is the one place where I can truly relax.”
The king’s visit to the Britannia marks the start of the Royal Family’s Holyrood Week. The royal tradition involves a week of coronation celebrations and King Charles will also receive the Honors of Scotland, the nation’s crown jewels.
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