Tea duelling? I thought you’d never ask!

Ready, get set...go!

Ready, get set…go!

On Sunday I was finally introduced to the world of tea duelling.  My expectations were high, because, as I stepped on board the HMS Trincomalee, one of the first sights to catch my eye was a table full of pistols.  I was a little apprehensive as I hadn’t brought a swashbuckling hero to defend me.

The atmosphere below decks was ripe for a little duelling, but first I wanted to meet up with Lynne and Richard Hardy.  I knew they were exhibiting and giving lectures in the captains quarters.  Normally they like to play their table top game “Cogs, Cakes and Swordsticks” in a tea shop.  Well, that’s just the kind of people Steampunks are- never too far from cake, or at the very least a biscuit or three.

The captain was obviously a person of taste

The captain was obviously a person of taste

Up on deck, the cannon looked primed for action

Up on deck, the cannon looked primed for action

The harbour, not surprisingly, was empty of craft

The harbour, not surprisingly, was empty of craft
Even the quay seemed bereft of people

Even the quay seemed bereft of people

Below deck a curious accumulation of items for the "battle ready"?

Below deck, a curious accumulation of items for the “battle ready”?

Or had I got the wrong idea?

Or had I got the wrong idea? Still, that pistol looks tricky.

There seemed to be a little problem of a rifle misfiring, so I was greatly relieved when it was set aside, and tea duelling commenced.  The rules were carefully observed.  How glad I was to discover that tea duelling was simply a variation on the biscuit dunking that my very own swashbuckling hero was at home, busy practising!  In fact, he’s an old hand at it.

All in all, “Tiffin on the Trinc” was another example of the wacky, but harmless, exploits that I’m beginning to associate with Steampunk.  I hope nobody minds me poking a little gentle fun.  I’m withholding names to protect the innocent.

Lynne wrote a very nice piece on the event in her blog Cogs, Cakes and Swordsticks.  The snowy picture alone of the Trincomalee, at home in Hartlepool Maritime Experience, is worth a look.  Her explanation is one hundred percent clearer than mine.

58 comments

  2. I love steampunk, the look of it that is, and you captured some lovely photos. I think most people who are into steampunk have a healthy sense of humour…..it always looks lots of fun 🙂

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    1. My daughter is the chief culprit, but generally her style is much more glamorous. She has the figure for corsetry. I don’t like all of it, but I love the ingenuity. 🙂

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  3. sono rimasta affascinata dalle mani piene di grossi anelli del tipo della prima foto…ma capperi, che cosa interessante e divertentissima ci hai presentato…hai la magia negli scatti
    sì, sì
    I was fascinated by the hands full of large rings of the type of the first photo … but capers, what interesting and fun we have presented … you have the magic in shots
    Yes, Yes

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    1. Thank you for kindly translating for me, Ventisqueras. 🙂 I’m struggling to learn Polish and Portuguese, and Italian simply confuses me. How does your blog name translate?
      Yes, we have fun sometimes. Thank you for enjoying it with me. 🙂

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      1. tu vuoi fare troppe cose tutte insieme, non ti pare? ha ha ha
        il mio nickname deriva da una mia visita in Patagonia, all’Isla de Santa Ines, dove andando in giro èer ghiaccia e montagne ( che sono la mia passione, ho assistito al fenomeno del ventisquera, è il vento che accumula e disfa le creste di neve quasi come fossero dune del deserto fenomeno che non si è mai ( cioè solo un paio di volte sul Monte Bianco) alle nostre latitudini, mi è piaciuto così tanto che ritornando in Italia e volendo aprire un blog ho voluto portasse quel bellissimo ricordo

        ti ho scritto nelle due lingue perché se tu vuoi imparare devi saper raccoglierne le sfumature, l’italiano è una lingua bellissima ma complessa, come tu sai
        grazie per la pazienza di ascoltarmi
        bacio

        you want to do too many things all together, don’t you think? ha ha ha
        my nickname is derived from my visit to Patagonia, to Isla de Santa Ines, where going around glaciers and mountains (which are my passion, I have witnessed the phenomenon of ventisquera, is the wind that accumulates and undo the ridges of snow almost like desert dunes phenomenon that never occurred (i.e. only a couple of times on the Mont Blanc) at our latitudes, I liked it so much that returning to Italy and wanting to start a blog I wanted to bring that beautiful memory

        I wrote to you in two languages because if you want to learn you have to be able to pick up the nuances, the Italian is a beautiful language but, as you know
        Thanks for the patience to hear me
        Kiss

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      2. Many years ago we visited Italy often. I love the lakes, Venice, the Amalfi coast and islands. I learnt a little Italian but have forgotten it all. Thank you for your patience with me. I knew the name had to do with the wind but could not make the translation.
        I love this world of blogging and the connections we make. 🙂

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    1. I think dress code is optional, Ad. (I went as myself, as usual 🙂 )
      Nobody offered me a pistol so I can’t have looked the part. The lads seemed to like them. I should have taken more shots. There were some BIG guns (nudge! nudge!)

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  5. Tea duelling sounds like fun and something we do occasionally, the popular dunking biscuit here is the Tim Tam, you bite a little of each end and then drink the hot coffee or chocolate through the biscuit. The Tim Tam does have a tendency to melt in your fingers though 🙂

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      1. Well, hon, I will forgive you as I would do the same thing.. but it puzzles me that your pics aren’t blurry 😉 😀

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  8. Just trotting by to say Hi. Tea dueling, never heard of it before but yes, I do believe people world wide do that dunking biscuits into tea and coffee stuff.. at least I do here ;P Never associated steampunk with cakes but I guess the peeps have gotta to eat something to keep it up. Now I’m wondering how to steampunk my dog! 😛 Great blog, humorous writing ; )

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    1. Lots of scope for Steampunking dogs. Some rather fetching goggles or a hat? Maybe he’s more of a cravat dog?
      I’ve made a few friends in Singapore and remembered reading about this smog before, but couldn’t remember where. Suddenly I’m feeling lucky! Many thanks for following. 🙂

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  10. Those old tall ships are always fun to photograph, but I have never heard about tea-dueling. Sounds like serious business. You have captured a series of very nice pictures of HMS Trincomalee.

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  14. What an interesting game to have Jo. Love the photo’s hon and thanks so much for sharing all the beauty there. It’s always so much fun to see. 😀 *big hugs*

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  16. What a great looking sailing vessel and perfect place to host a tea duel. How very British with a great sense of humor and style. I wonder if we American have coffee duels? I know we have beer drinking competitions. No style to that. 🙂

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    1. I believe you could, Smidge, but they weren’t my favourite kind of biscuits. (and I don’t drink tea, either. Coffee- I’d have been straight in there!) 🙂

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  19. Tea duelling??? How British *smile Beautiful ship … I love old schooners like this. Stunning .. and craftsman ship that has gone into them. Who won????? *smile

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