Blue Plaque at Sir Alec Rose’s Grocery

Alec Rose, the yachtsman Grocer from Southsea who sailed around the world in Lively Lady in 1967/68 has been honoured in his home town with a blue plaque over the shop which he used to run as a greengrocer. This is said to be the place where Rose did some of the planning for his epic solo circumnavigation.

Sir Alec made headlines and was knighted for his achievement in the Fred Shepherd-designed 36ft teak yacht which had been built in Calcutta in 1948. He had bought the yacht in 1964 originally planning to enter the Transatlantic race that year. But instead he had the heavy displacement yacht’s rig redesigned by John Illingworth and Angus Primrose, who added a mizzen mast so that he could set a mizzen staysail.

The yacht’s heavy build and the altered rig made her very different from the original Shepherd design and to describe her as being quirky at sea is an understatement. Alan Priddy, who sailed her around the world again – taking dozens of young crew from Portsmouth in a series of legs in 2006-2008, recalled that Rose was so unsteady on his feet after the voyage that Vauxhall provided him with a car and chauffer for several weeks so that he could get to the engagements his feted status required.

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Priddy who campaigned for the plaque at 38 Osborne Road in Southsea, says it is long overdue. Sir Alec was a modest man who achieved incredible things. After his voyage he went back to being a grocer, publishing the book My Lively Lady in 1968. He left his beloved yacht to the City of Portsmouth for young people to sail – and Priddy now runs her as a charity for that purpose.

38 Osborne Road is now a kebab shop but the blue plaque might spur the odd passer by to look up Rose whose achievements continue to inspire.

Lively Lady 1948
LOA 36ft

LWL 26ft 6in

Beam 9ft

Draught 5ft 6in