Posted by Mike Jones on December 27, 2014 at 15:36:51 user Mike_Jones.
In Reply to: Peter Duck and Spanish ladies posted by Adam Quinan on December 27, 2014 at 08:30:37:
And one version of the song has them heading straight up the Channel, which tends to confirm that the wind is in the south west, in itself a detail that AR omits.
If the song relates to a troop ship returning from the Peninsular War, then she might head north across the entrance to the Channel to keep clear of the French coast, and see the landmarks which Peter Duck associates with beating against a north-easterly.