Lewis retired a few years early at the age of 59. He had done his bit by then and had no intention of leaving home, his family and dogs for more than 24 hours. He would jokingly admit after each 48 hours off duty and on return, he had put in another letter for V.R., in case the previous one had got lost in the post. He bowed out in July 1991 as the first crews joined St Columba to do their week on board and the 5 crew block rosters came to an end.

He taught me, along with others, of how to handle a ship, of what to do and what not to do. He did it well, to date I have not hit anything, although there is always a first time. He taught me that as well, never to be over confident. He would emphasise the importance of honesty, of sympathy and of fairness, through and through, in the execution of duty in command of a ship. So considerate was he in the power a Master could exercise, he would explain that when a seafarer stood before you to be disciplined to the magnitude of dismissal, it was not just the seafarer, idiot although he may have been, standing before you, it was also the seafarer’s wife or partner, and probably children, who were going to suffer and that must always be a mitigating circumstance. That was the measure of Lewis Pritchard, a man of solid principal, a proud Welshman to basic core values. I have been fortunate to be able to set my standards by his standards. To learn to work alongside “proper people”, his phraseology, and not been drawn in by those who are not. A better shipmaster because of him.