There is a school of thought that reckons the UK weather is the main reason we Brits once owned more than half the world.
The likes of Hawkins, Raleigh, Drake and their ilk waking up one morning and saying "Bloody hell, more rain. Sod this! Get me a ship, I'm off to somewhere sunny. And, just to give me something to do, I might do a bit of conquering while I'm at it. Might get a few quid out of it, maybe even a gong or a K from Her Maj. Either way, anything beats sitting around in this crap weather.... "
Well, it's a theory!