Tristan Jones

[Hwyl]

In Magwitch's "What have I forgotten" thread Andrew SY Roquette posted quote:
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Originally posted by Hwyl:
Tristan Jones (who was a made up identity) said...

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No he wasn't!!! I knew him quite well in 1985/6 in Cyprus and the Eastern Med. Not that a lot of his stories and personal background wasn't a product of his own imagination and embellishment, but the man existed and the timelines/main events of his sailing exploits are pretty much correct.

As it happens, I also own the Royal Naval Sailing Association burgee flown from "Sea Dart" on Lake Titicaca as described in the book "The Incredible Voyage"...it was given to my father (another RNSA member, as I now am) by the then owner of "Sea Dart" in 1980 in Seattle where we were commissioning our yacht "Goondooloo"...it's sitting in a chest of drawers at home, to be flown from "Rocquette" on special occasions.

Andrew

I loved Tristan Jones' books, but was dissapointed to find out that rather less than what I thought was based on whole cloth was fact.

Check out this http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0071402519/qid=1113233388/sr=8-4/ref=pd_ka_2/102-1351428-8213700?v=glance& s=books&n=507846 I agree he existed, but he wasn't called born with the name Tristan, he was born in Lancashire and called Arthur Jones. There is no LlanGareth (my name is Gareth, so I already knew I have no saintly precursors), he wasn't in the Navy. He could swim, I know he did the Lake Titicaca thing and probably the Dead sea, I'm not sure how much of the rest is fiction. He was certainly a great writer.

I did not want to hijack, Ian W's excellent thread.

[Andrew S/Y Rocquette]

Good point re the thread hijack! Thanks for moving it across...

He certainly was not born Tristan Jones, but then again, what's in a name - not sure that's a hanging offence?!

Apparently his Royal Navy record also isn't what he claims - don't know specific details other than I believe you to be correct, but he certainly claimed to be an RNSA member and flew the burgee (I have it, as I said!) - I recollect somewhere the "truth" was he may have done a short stint of RN National Service post WWII, as his age also wasn't what he stated - he was younger and missed the war! That said, it makes it an even better-told story (referring here to "Hearts of Oak"), and pretty well researched, and believable in its detail.

I knew him for a number of months in Cyprus, after meeting him several months before in Kastellorizon in Greece, when I was about 14. I was living aboard my family's "Goondooloo" towards the end of a 7 year not-quite circumnavigation with my parents and 2 sisters, and ran myriad errands for him in Larnaca - many to the local post office helping deal with his copious letters and manuscripts to editors and others. He had, by this time, lost a leg, thus my errand-boy role, as he couldn’t get around too well.

He could certainly spin a good "dit" as the navy saying goes, and he was very good at inflating incidents and weaving them into factual experiences – which in the end is probably what made him such a good story teller. His book "Outward Leg" covers in a few pages the period over which I knew him, and the months before and after I can also pretty safely say are pretty accurate. Not that I rated a mention by name (but my left foot sneaked into one photo!).

smile.gif

He was a garrulous, often ill old man who had a large ego when I knew him, however his heart was in the right place. Can’t really add a lot other than I remember him very well 21 years later – oh, and the old bugger went off to the Levant without paying me my last week’s wages…! Think the experience of knowing him was worth the twenty-odd dollar loss of earnings…

Not much more I can add, but there you go. A small insight perhaps.

[Andrew S/Y Rocquette]

...and just read the bio summary on the link you kindly provided. A correction to my knowledge on his RN service in so much as he served for the 14 years!

But don't you think that his very complexity and eccentricity of character is what made the man into who he was, and without which he nver would have written what he did?

Just a thought...

Andrew

[ 04-11-2005, 02:29 PM: Message edited by: Andrew S/Y Rocquette ]

[Hwyl]

Thanks for the information and the great stories, I apologise for being wrong about the Navy. I haven't bought the book I linked to, because i don't want to water down any more of my illusions.

Having said that; Do you know how much truth there is in "Ice"?

As a transplanted Welshman, I bristle at his describing the Welsh character.

In one of his books (I think it was "Yarns") he writes in the style of Conan Doyle and ,in another story, the style of Joseph Conrad. I particularly enjoyed those and take my hat off to him for being able write in the style of others.

[Andrew S/Y Rocquette]

No worries - sorry I misunderstood youre emphasis in the first place! Also havn't read the bio, and also not sure if I want to or not!

I have, incidentally, removed my comment from Ian's thread as you moved it here...

Re "Ice" - I must admit I haven't read it. Must get around to it sometime. Will have to add to the moveable ballast (qv - think they meant lead though, in that thread) aboard Rocquette...

Cheers

Andrew