Page 29 - Captain William Strike of Porthleven

first English vessel with cargo, that has ever visited that port. It was indeed a cheery
novelty yesterday, to see an ocean trader with the Union Jack astern, moored alongside
the station of the Boca railway, having on board two locomotives for the Western
Railway. The Ready Rhino is 127 tons register, and commanded by Capt. Strike. When
Captain Strike goes back to England he may fairly claim a testimonial from the Royal
Geographical Society for having opened a new port to British commerce, and we have
no doubt those friends of Buenos Aires who may meet him on the Liverpool Exchange
will warmly congratulate him on his success in landing the locomotives without the
troublesome intervention of lighters. We believe the Ready Rhino will be shortly ready to
receive cargo and sail for England, and we hope to see her on her return hither at the
same moorings, with perhaps a few other ocean traders, discharging bales of goods into
Mr. Wheelwright’s [barges] for immediate transmission to the city by steam. On behalf of
the commerce of Buenos Aires we declare Capt. Strike and his vessel well deserving of
the country and salute the pioneer of the Boca navigation with a hearty greeting.
[Reproduced from ‘Life in Cornwall in the Late Nineteenth Century’ (Bradford Barton,
Truro, 1972)]

The river known as El Riachuelo just referred to defines the southern boundary of
Buenos Aires on which stands the La Boca neighbourhood. La Boca is located near the
estuary where El Riachuelo flows into the River Plate: Rio de la Plata. La Boca is
notable for its Italian influence after an influx of mainly southern Italian immigrants from
th
the middle of the 19 century. Along the waterfront there are brightly painted houses.
From the time that William Strike first took ‘Ready Rhino’ into the port locals have been
in the habit of decorating their houses with unused ships’ paints.

Freights to Buenos Aires obtained by William Strike multiplied rapidly in the following
year, 1866. Ships logs suggest that no fewer than three voyages were made to Buenos
Aires. On one of these occasions it appears that ‘Ready Rhino’ sailed north to New York
after leaving Buenos Aires towards the end of April. In between these long trips to South
America, William Strike continued to develop a string of successful freights down to
Spain and the Mediterranean. Interspersed were coastwise trades between London,
Bristol and Cardiff.

Mediterranean trades

In the year that followed, 1867, ‘Ready Rhino’ stuck to trades nearer to home although
on July 22 the ship sailed from Newport South Wales for Tarragona and Patras. The
ship arrived at Tarragona on August 18 and spent two days in quarantine. Spain,
together with Portugal, Greece, Turkey and Russia practised quite stringent quarantine
requirements at this time. In the case of Spain strict quarantine for arriving ships was
deemed necessary by virtue of the advent of yellow fever in that country. Later, in 1831
there would be no lessening of regulatory requirements following the arrival of Asiatic
cholera in Spain. Although vessels arriving from the United Kingdom – like ‘Ready
Rhino’ - would not be delayed unduly, vessels arriving from so-called ‘scheduled ports’
where these diseases were known to be rife could be subject to much lengthier periods
of quarantine.

Continuing this Mediterranean voyage in 1867, William Strike and ‘Ready Rhino’ sailed
from Tarragona on August 30 and arrived at Patras on September 14, sailing a week
later. Ultimately this Mediterranean voyage terminated at Hayle, on November 1.

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