March 20, 2015

Some of Sir Winston’s favorite vacations were spent aboard Aristotle Onassis’ yacht, Christina. On this occasion they cruised the Caribbean. The plan was to meet Onassis at Gibraltar, but as they approached the rock they encountered gale-force winds which caused the pilot to overshoot the runway twice. Roy Howells, Sir Winston’s valet, describes the frightened state of the passengers, “but the calmest man on board was Sir Winston, who quietly puffed away at his seven-inch-long cigar, gazing out of the window as if nothing were wrong.” Churchill’s physician, Lord Moran, ascribes other causes to WSC’s placid behavior: “The blanching of his brain has wiped out his fears.” Moran’s account relates the story of an octogenarian with only sporadic touches – and those were usually unhappy – of reality.

Yet according to Howells, Churchill was so active exploring even the most inaccessible parts of the yacht and the small ports in the Caribbean that it was a constant challenge for a well-trained crew to facilitate those wishes.

Onassis was determined to be a perfect host for his idol and guest and even learned Churchill’s favorite card game, bezique, in order to play with him. Great crowds welcomed them at every port. Often the flotillas of private boats endangered the passage of Christina in the harbors.

Nelson had a dockyard and the Duke of Clarence had a house at Antigua. When a tour of these facilities had not left time for a visit to the dockyard, Sir Winston was very disappointed because, after Napoleon, Nelson was his idol. Another disappointment was the failure to sail up the coast of Florida; but General de Gaulle was paying a state visit to Britain and Churchill had to fly home from Puerto Rico.