Alan is a science graduate and has worked in the timber, building, chemical, and railway industries, in research and development, sales and marketing roles. He was also a university lecturer for 18 years. He has lectured on cruise ships for 15 years, and has prepared a series of lectures relating to the countries visited on the cruise. These lectures will cover topics related to their History, Geography and Geology. Since we are at sea, he has also prepared lectures on navigation, oceanography, the fishing industry, liners and modern shipping, and the history of maritime exploration. Countries covered include the Baltics, Iceland, Azores, Canaries, Cape Verde, Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar, Malta, Suez canal and the Red sea, Lawrence of Arabia, Morocco, Caribbean, South and Central America, Panama Canal, the Pacific Ocean, China, and New Zealand. Technical subjects covered include the Oil industry, Pollution, Railways, and Climate Change. In all, he has 50 presentations.

A Spanish History

1 Roman and Pre-Roman Spain 1000 BC to 711 AD
Phoenician, Carthaginian, and Greek colonization. Role in the second Punic War. What the Roman Empire did for Spain.

2 Islamic Spain 712 – 1492
This lecture describes the conquest of Spain by the Moors from North Africa, their civilization, their contribution to Spain, and their ultimate expulsion by the Christians. (La Reconquista).

3 Peninsular War 1808 – 1814
How was it that the British fought a Six Year War against the French in Spain and Portugal? The lecture will describe the political situation in Europe in the beginning of the 19th Century. The campaigns of Moore and Wellington will be outlined, as will the weapons and tactics employed.

4 Decline of the Spanish Monarchy 1814 – 1930
The role of the Spanish Monarchy in the decline of Spain as a world power during the Nineteenth and early Twentieth centuries. The US Spanish war of 1898 and the colonial wars in Spanish Morocco. The rise of Franco.

5 The Second Republic and Spanish Civil War 1936 – 1939
The political and economic condition of Spain in the early 1930’s resulted in the election of a left leaning Popular Front Government in 1936. The Generals then planned a coup to prevent the country becoming Communist. The lecture will describe these events, the different factions that made up the two opposing sides, the tactics and armaments used, and the major battles of the conflict which was to become a rehearsal for World War 2.

6 The Franco Years and the restoration of Democracy 1939 to the present day
Franco’s had a hostile meeting with Hitler in 1940 which resulted in Spain’s neutrality during WW2. The Franco dictatorship lasted until 1975 and after his death, despite his upbringing, which was controlled by Franco, King Juan Carlos lead the establishment of a democratic system and a constitutional monarchy. After joining the EU, Spain has received considerable financial assistance and has modernized, but there is still an underlying corruption in many levels of society.

B Latin America History

1 The Conquistadores.
Cortes led a raid from Spanish Cuba in 1519 to conquer the Aztecs in Mexico, which he achieved by both the technical superiority of his vastly outnumbered force, deceit and treachery both to the Aztecs and to the Spanish authorities. He led a virtual eradication of the Aztec people, their culture, and buildings, to be replaced by Spanish culture, the Catholic Religion, and a thirst for gold.
Pizzaro lead several expeditions to conquer the Incas in Peru, using similar tactics to Cortes. The Inca civilisation was ultimately destroyed but it took much longer, and he died before it was completed.

2 Simon Bolivar
Simon Bolivar was born in 1783, and was brought up by a wealthy family in Caracas, Venezuela. He was influenced by revolutionary movements in France, the US and Haiti. After several unsuccessful attempts and a prolonged war with Spain, he succeeded in ending Spanish control of her South American colonies.

3 Fidel Castro, his life and times - Castro became a leader of a campaign to oust the Battista regime in Cuba which he achieved after a prolonged guerrilla war. A US backed invasion attempt at the Bay of Pigs In 1962, failed and subsequently Castro agreed to site Soviet missiles in Cuba. This led to the Cuban missile crisis, which was resolved by Kennedy and Khrushchev. The Soviet Union continued to support Cuba economically. Today Cuba has good educational and health systems but the standard of living is low as the economy had suffered, partly as a result of US sanctions and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Fidel Castro died in 2016.

4 Che Guevara After qualifying in medicine in Buenos Aires, his travels took him to Guatemala, where he witnessed the overthrow of President Arbenz in a coup instigated by the CIA. He escaped to Mexico where he met Castro, and together they planned to overthrow the Batista regime in Cuba. He played a major role in the campaign, and in the Cuban government after the takeover. He left Cuba to try to organise revolutions against what he saw a corrupt and oppressive governments in Africa. He was killed in Bolivia at the instigation of the CIA while fighting in a revolutionary campaign

5 Brazil. Cabral discovered Brazil by accident but it lead to Portuguese colonisation. The Napoleonic invasion of Portugal caused the Portuguese monarch to flee to Brazil and the establishment of a Brazilian Monarchy which was overthrown in 1889 and the republic was created. Between 1964 and 1985 there was an army takeover. More recently democracy has been re- established.

6 The Amazon
Geology of South America and the Amazon . The tropical rain forest and its structure. Rubber and the rubber boom. Fordlandia, The Jari project. Brazil’s environmental policies.

C Maritime History

1 Portuguese Maritime Explorers
The marriage of the Portuguese King John’s sixth son to Phillipa of Lancaster and the birth of their son, Henry, who became known as the Navigator, proved to be the starting point of Portuguese maritime exploration. The deployment of the caravel, the colonization of Madeira, the Azores and Cape Verde islands lead to the discovery of the African coast, the rounding of Cape of Good Hope by Bartholomew Dias 1488, and of a sea route to India by Vasco De Gama in 1498. By their exploits, they established the Portuguese Empire

2 Columbus and Magellan
Columbus had a dream that he could sail around the world to reach the east. In 1492, he finally got financial support from Ferdinand and Isabella, monarchs of Spain. He sailed to the New Word four times, “discovered” many of the Caribbean islands as well as Central and South America.
Magellan was also Portuguese, but was financed by the Spanish King Charles 1 in 1519 to sail around the world, and was the first western navigator to enter the Pacific from the east around Cape Horn. He finally arrived in the Philippines which he claimed for the Spanish crown. Unfortunately, he got involved in a local war and was killed.

3 Captain Cook – James Cook was born and brought up in North Yorkshire. His first maritime experience was in the coal trade from the North East to London. He transferred to the Royal Navy at the commencement of the seven years’ war to achieve more rapid promotion. He led three voyages of exploration of the Pacific Ocean, probing The Northwest Passage and Antarctica. He also “discovered” New Zealand and Australia. He was killed in Hawaii on his third voyage.

4 William Blythe and the Bounty
William Blythe commenced his Naval career during the Seven Years war, and was a junior officer on Cooks third voyage. He subsequently was appointed Captain of the Bounty, whose task was to ship breadfruit trees from Tahiti to the Caribbean. The mutiny was led by Fletcher Christian, a family friend. Blythe navigated an open boat with the loyal survivors of the mutiny over 700 miles to Timor. Many of the mutineers were captured and tried. He subsequently became Governor General of the New South Wales colony, in an attempt to control the racketeering associated with the rum trade, but he was captured and imprisoned in the so-called rum rebellion by the colonists. He eventually returned to Britain where, after some more assignments, was appointed a Vice Admiral. He died in 1817

5 Liners and Modern Shipping
The engineer I K Brunel designed the first paddle steamer to cross the Atlantic, the “Great Western.” Subsequently he also designed the “Great Britain” the first ship with screw propulsion. From this beginning, many British shipping lines developed including Cunard, P&O and Union Castle. Today, modern shipping and containerisation have become an integral part of globalisation. Liners have evolved into the cruise ship industry.

6 The Panama Canal
Physical and environmental difficulties caused the failure of the French attempt to build the canal. If the US were to build it, they required that the adjacent land (the Canal Zone) had to be under their control. The Chagres river had to be tamed and the Culebra cut excavated, but in 1914, the canal was completed. Recently a new set of locks have been built to enable larger ships to use the canal.

7 The Red Sea and the Suez Canal
Over the centuries, a cut from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean was discussed but it was not until De Lesseps obtained the capital by creating the Suez Canal Company 1858 to support construction, that the canal was started. It was completed in 1869. The British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, arranged the purchase of a controlling interest in the company, and this led to the British occupation of Egypt. In 1956 President Nasser nationalised the canal, and it became a significant feature in three Egypt Israeli wars. Recently, it has been updated to take larger ships and speed up the transit

D European History

1 The Baltic.
Glaciation during the ice ages lead to the creation of the Baltic Sea. Being almost land locked has caused important physical characteristics. Recent developments include the Kiel canal and the Oresund bridge tunnel.

2 The Vikings
The Vikings have a bad reputation because of many recent films and documentaries that emphasize their warlike characteristics and their association with rape and pillage. They certainly were a tough group that came from Denmark, and the Southern areas of Norway, and Sweden. They conquered half the known world in the early Middle Ages and gradually settled down and became more civilized, even adopting Christianity.

3 Marco Polo and the Venetian Empire
Venice was founded in 421 and by the 7th century, she had established a trading empire. The 7th century also saw the spread of Islam in the Middle East. In the 12 century, Venice was very involved in the Crusades At this time, Genghis Kahn lead the Mongols and conquered much of Eastern Europe and China. He established a new Yuan dynasty in China, and was succeeded by his grandson Kublai Kahn (1215-91). During 1260-69 Marco Polo’s father and uncle travelled to China and met Kublai Kahn. He instructed them to return with knowledge and gifts from Europe. In 1271 Marco Polo and his father travelled to China. Marco Polo stayed for 24 Years. When he returned to Venice, he was captured by the Genoese during a war with Venice. Whilst in prison he wrote his memoirs. He was later released and died in Venice in 1324.

4 The Romanov’s 1613 to 1918
The Romanov Dynasty was established in 1613.The most significant Tsars were Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, Alexander 1 and Nicholas 11 who abdicated in 1917 and was assassinated with his family in 1918.

5 The Battle of Waterloo June 1815
In April 1814. Napoleon was banished to Elba. However, the Allies fell out at the Congress of Vienna and Napoleon saw his opportunity to escape and within 100 days had raised an army to challenge the Allies. He was finally defeated by Wellington, and Blucher at Waterloo and he was banished to St Helena where he died.

6 The German Invasion of the Soviet Union 1941 -1945
In 1941 German forces advanced into Russia, encircling Leningrad and stopping only 30 miles short of Moscow. In 1942 they advance to Stalingrad, where their 6th Army was later surrounded and forced to surrender. In 1943 The largest tank battle in history took place at Battle of Kursk. In,1945 Germany was defeated

7 Finland
The early settlements were under Swedish control for 600 years, and then after 1815 were part of Russian until 1917, Independence was gained after the first world war and an uneasy peace followed, broken by the winter war 1939.

8 Sweden,
During the 11th and 12th centuries, Sweden became a unified kingdom and controlled Finland. In the 15th century, the Lutheran church was established, after breaking with the papacy. Finland and Norway were lost in the 19th century. Sweden has managed to be neutral in WW1 and WW2

9 Gibraltar
In ancient times, Gibraltar was a crossing point between Africa and Europe, and was an important conduit in the conquest of Spain by the Moors. The rock was occupied by British and Dutch Forces during the War of the Spanish Succession, and was repeatedly attacked by the Spanish subsequently, during the 18th Century. During the Second World War, it was a very important base for the supply of Malta, and the landing in North Africa. Today, it is an important military base, a tax haven, a tourist resort, and a centre for smuggling. Spain still wants it back!

10 Malta Then and Now
Maltese history tells a story of an island that has been occupied by many foreign powers in the last 3000 years. In some periods it has been in the center of things and during others, on the edge. This talk will cover the Phoenician, Carthaginian, Roman, Arabic, Norman, Aragonese, Spanish, Knights of St John, Napoleonic, British, and independent periods of Maltese History and more recently as part of the EU.

11 Madeira
Madeira and its archipelago had a volcanic origin, but the discovery and occupation of the island was an early development in the era of Portuguese Maritime expansion. After the Napoleonic wars, British involvement led to the development of wine production and tourism. Today, the islands have greatly benefitted from EU investment.

E World History

1 Paul Gauguin – Paul Gauguin was brought up in Peru, but returned to France to complete his education. He became a successful stockbroker in Paris, but after a financial crash in 1882, he decided to become a fulltime artist. He deserted his wife and family, and after a brief period with Van Gogh, emigrated to Tahiti where he developed a unique style in his paintings, depicting local native people, their culture, and the landscape of French Polynesia.

2 China Since 1911 - Sun Yat-sen lead the first government of the Chinese Republic. After the first world war, a communist party was established and led by Mao Zedong. Mao and the Communists achieved a takeover of China in 1948. China endured the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, but then adopted a more capitalist economy under Chairman Deng Xiaoping and now Xi Jinping
History of New Zealand - Geology of New Zealand. Indigenous flora and fauna. Arrival of the Māori’s, their culture, and origins. European exploration led to British involvement, and the Treaty of Waitangi. New Zealand was Involved in the two world wars. New Zealand suffered a huge economic impact when Britain joined the EEC, but reacted with economic development and the establishment of a low tax and tariff, open economy.

3 Lawrence of Arabia
Lawrence was the illegitimate son of a penniless Irish Lord. Despite this he managed to become a student of Archaeology at Oxford University. After graduation, he joined an Archaeological Expedition in the Middle East. He was recruited into a spying operation for the British in the Ottoman Empire before the First World War. He became fascinated by Arab culture, and persuaded tribal leaders in Arabia to join a revolt against the Ottoman Empire once the war had started. Having won a successful campaign at the end of the war, he became very disillusioned by the British and French policy in the Middle East, particularly because it established a home for the Jews in Palestine and established colonies in lands that he felt should be ruled by the Arabs who had supported the revolt. He returned to England, joined the RAF for a time, and died as the result of a motor cycle accident. In 1935.

4 War in the Pacific 1941 – 45
In the early 20th century. Japan was becoming increasingly militaristic. Having occupied Korea, and Formosa (Taipai), in 1931 they occupied Manchuria. In 1937 Japan attacked China and by 1939 occupied most of the Chinese coast. They had also established bases on mandated island groups in the Marianas, Carolines and Marshalls, at Saipan, Truk and Kwajalein. In an attempt to curb Japanese expansion, the Western Powers created an embargo to prohibit the supply of oil and other essential raw materials to Japan. Japan decided to attack and in December 1941, their attack on Pearl harbour initiated the second world war in the Pacific. The Japanese attacked and occupied French, US, Dutch and British colonies. After six months of rapid expansion, their naval forces were stopped at the battle of the Coral Sea, and in June 1942 they lost four carriers in the battle of Midway. Further defeats occurred at Guadalcanal in the Solomons, and in the naval battles of the Philippine Sea and Leyte gulf. The occupation of Iwo Jima and later Okinawa lead to the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Japanese surrender in August 1945.

5 Australia then and now
First human occupation was about 60,000 years ago but these early arrivals remained virtually isolated until the arrival of European in the 17th Century. After Captain Cook’s voyage of discovery, the British Government decided to use Australia as a penal colony after the loss of the American colonies. This was not finally phased out until the 1868. Gold rushes and agricultural development brought prosperity in the 19th century and the individual colonies were amalgamated into the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901 with the new capital established in Canberra. Australia made considerable contributions to the Allied war effort in both world wars and this led to a close alliance with the US. Immigration from many European and Asian countries has increased the population to 25 million. Today Australians have an enviable standard of living but their economy relies heavily on the mining industry which dwarfs both agriculture and manufacturing.

F Science and Technology

1 Navigation
The Captain’s Report. How we know where we are at sea. Latitude and Longitude, Knots and Nautical miles, Chronometers. Planning a course. The Sextant, Dead Reckoning, Pilotage, Buoys and Lighthouses. Flags. This lecture will relate to the current cruise.

2 The Universe and the Solar System - How did it all begin? Birth, maturity, and death of stars. Red giants, White dwarfs, Neutron stars, Supernovae, Black holes. Our sun and the Solar System

3 The Structure of the Earth Creation of the earth and the moon forming event. The internal structure of the earth. The magnetic field. Three main rock types and their origin. the rock cycle. Dating rocks.

4 The Oceans. Currents and tides, Mapping the Deep. Physical Conditions in the sea. Life in the Sea, plankton, food chains and fish. Coral reefs, bioluminescence. Intertidal zone, Continental Shelves, The Slopes and the Abyssal Plain. Trenches and Hydrothermal Vents.

5 Pacific Ocean - The ring of Fire. Hot spots and the Hawaiian chain. Polynesian migration. The Arrival of Europeans. Colonisation.

6 The Galapagos Islands - Volcanic origin. Sea currents and upwelling. Darwin’s time on the islands. Modern pressures on the environment

7 Climate Change - What is the scientific evidence for climate change. Is Carbon dioxide the problem? Computer predictions. The IPCC. The Paris Agreement. What are we doing about it. Are these measures effective?

8 Evolution – Part 1
What are the basic requirements of living things and how could they have evolved. Chemosynthesis and Photosynthesis. What traces of early life on earth can be found. Snowball earth and the Cambrian explosion. Life in the sea. Algae and seaweeds, Invertebrates and vertebrates.

9 Evolution Part 2 Conquest of the land by plants and animals. Amphibians and Reptiles. Dinosaurs. Mass extinctions Flowering plants. Conquest of life on earth by mammals. Grasses. Evolution of humans.

10 The End of the Line
The application of new technology combined with the introduction of factory fishing methods has resulted in many fish species being endangered. The lecture will describe the methods used, and the attempts being made to control the industry. The fate of the cod and tuna will be featured.

11 The History of Oil. Geology of Oil Formation, Early development in the US. John D Rockefeller and Standard Oil, Samuel Brothers and Shell, Anglo-Persian Oil, Role of Oil in WW1 and WW2, St Philby and Saudi Arabia, Oil Nationalism and OPEC

12 Pollution
Our environment is becoming increasingly polluted. The principal environmental effects are found in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and the rivers and seas we swim in. The principal sources of this pollution are emissions from transport, power generation and heating, farming and sewage. Plastics are a major problem because they are rarely biodegradable.

13 Continental drift
Why does South America seem to fit into Africa? If it ever did, how could it have moved? What is a tectonic plate? Why do we have mountains?
14 Volcanoes – The anatomy of a volcano. What can come out of a volcano, types of lava, pyroclastic flows, where do volcanoes occur and why. Major volcanic eruptions in history and pre-history.

15 Glaciers and Glaciation Ice Ages, Milankovitch Cycles, Atmospheric CO2, Long Carbon Cycle, Ice Caps and Shelves, Evidence of Glaciation. Antarctica

16 Earthquakes and Tsunamis - Tectonic plate movements. Subduction. Faults. Seismic measurement. San Andreas Fault, Anatolian Fault, L’Aquila Italy, Haiti, Christchurch NZ. Tsunamis. Boxing Day Tsunami 2004, Fukushima, La Palma.

17 Geology of the UK - Movements of the continents in the last 500 million years of geological “history”. The type of rocks that are found in Britain that were formed during this period and their influence on the local environment.

18 Geological History of the Atlantic Islands Iceland, Faroes, Azores, Canaries, Cape Verde Islands, Ascension, St Helena, Falklands, Tristan da Cunha.

19 Geology of the Mediterranean Tethys sea, Mountain building, Pyrenees, Alps, Rif, Italy, Balkans, Closure, Quakes, Anatolian fault, Vesuvius Stromboli, Santorini.

20 Geology of Iceland and Norway
Iceland, Pangea, Development of the North Atlantic, Volcanism, Laki, Hekla, Heimaey, Eyjafjallojokull, Glaciers, and Ice caps. Norway, Baltica, Caledonian Orogeny, Ice Ages, Milankovitch Cycles, Evidence of Glaciations, North Sea Oil.

21 Geology of the Caribbean and Central America. –
The formation of Central America, Cuba, and Haiti. The Puerto Rico trench and island arcs.

2007 Lectured on "Van Gogh" 95 Days Around the world 6 lectures
Guest Lecturer " Saga Ruby" 15 Days Marseilles to Southampton 6 Lectures
Guest Lecturer " Spirit of Adventure" 15 Days Canaries 6 Lectures
2008 Guest Lecturer " Spirit of Adventure" 15 Days Spain to Scotland 6 Lectures
Guest Lecturer " Saga Ruby" 15 Days Western Mediterranean 6 Lectures
2009 Guest Lecturer on "Discovery" 14 Days Western Mediterranean 6 Lectures
2010 Guest Lecturer on "Braemar" 14 Days Western Mediterranean 6 Lectures
2010 Guest Lecturer on "Black Watch" 14 Days Iceland and Norway 6 Lectures
2011 Guest Lecturer on "Saga Ruby" 11 days Portugal, Italy ,France and Spain 6 Lectures
2013 Guest Lecturer on "Braemar" 14 Days Iceland 6 Lectures
2016 Guest Lecturer on "Magellan" 15 Days Canaries 6 Lectures
2017 Guest Lecturer on "Magellan" 15 Days Scotland, Faroes, and Iceland 6 Lectures
Guest Lecturer on "Marco Polo" 15 Days Bay of Biscay 6 Lectures
Guest Lecturer on "Columbus" 15 Days St Petersburg 6 Lectures
2018 Guest Lecturer on Columbus 42 days UK to New Zealand 18 lectures
2019 Guest Lecturer on "Marco Polo" 70 Days South America 18 lectures
Guest Lecturer on "Columbus" 12 days Canaries 10 lectures
2020 Guest Lecturer on "Magellan" 43 days Amazon and West Indies 18 lectures
2022 Guest Lecturer on Spririt of Discovery" 30 days Caribbean 9 Lectures