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Thread: Drinking

  1. #11
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    Default Re: Drinking

    Lewis , when you were just a little boy, still in Diapers, I had seen many deaths and experiences at sea,
    A comedian, Joe Finnegan just happened to call me Alehouse, for an incident when I had only One pint of beer on the old Franconia. in 1955, I was not drunk at all, on one pint, It was just Joe`s humour, I still keep in touch with Joe and he still calls me Alehouse after 63 years. So what is your problem, apart from your big gob.?????
    I do not drink now apart from a glass of wine with dinner on a Saturday and a Sunday.I got wise to myself many many years ago, just making Landlords and Brewers rich so I save my money and save my health.
    Last edited by Captain Kong; 21st November 2018 at 11:45 AM.

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    Default Re: Drinking

    In my 41 years at sea from deck cadet to master on tankers( crude oil, product and chemical), general cargo, bulk carriers, passenger liners, I can genuinely say I only ever sailed with 3 alcoholics and they were easy to spot. One only drankcoca cola but it was always out of the can and mheavily laced with vodka, another was always eating orange's that he would inject with gin. Yes we had some heavy drinkers but even the alcoholics would turn too on time and be capable of doing the job and yes I know that does not gel with being a alcoholic but they could and did do the job. In those 41 years working for just two companies I can only recall of hearing of one person being dismissed for alcoholism and I cannot recall any accident, either minor or serious, being caused by alcohol.perhaps I was just plain lucky, yes we all enjoyed a drink and on every vessel I sailed on alcohol was available but we self regulated our consumption even if the owners had strict guidelines, if we saw anyone drinking to excess we would refuse him alcohol as with small crew's you could not afford to have even one person not on top of the game. Special occasions such as Christmas, birthdays etc. we're always covered by some of us covering for the others celebrating whilst we only drank the toast and stuck to soft drinks. It was all part of the comradeship that existed on board along with mutual respect for your fellow crew members and pride in the job. The myth that all seamen were heavy drinkers or alcoholiçs is just that, a myth. Even in the heydays of British Merchant Navy I would hazard a guess that the percentage of alcoholics rates were far less than any shoreside industry employing comparable numbers.
    Rgds
    J.A.

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    Default Re: Drinking

    I was on two McAndrews , the Palacio had stainless tanks for wine from Spain and Portugal, plus of course the usual cargo of wine, and barrels of Port, 2-3 trips on those was enough for your liver to start playing up, but still never recall anyone not able to do their job. Also on the Baltic Trader, one of UBC on the Medi run we used to supply the Yankee 6th fleet in Genoa, so hatch full of Becks and Heineken beer, always a few cases got lost in loading, and found their way in the seamens mess, but all in all i think in the 60s there was a heavy drinking culture, probably because a lot of guys at sea then , were war time served, so understandable, kt
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    Default Re: Drinking

    I think the evils of drink are just a matter of fact in the mind and how you were brought up with it. My father drank so did I. He never let it get in the line of not doing his job, I may have done in my early youth. My mother did not drink. My wife does not drink and never has in fact she took an oath of sobriety when in the girls lfe brigade and has maintained that obligation for nearly 70 years. It was a bone of contention with us years ago that I drank, and still do, however she has given up trying to change me, and doesn’t mind so much today on driving me home from some celebration or other. After all I drove there and one is sipposed to share the burden. Thank God for the girls life brigade. I always thought American ships were always dry Keith. JS
    Last edited by j.sabourn; 21st November 2018 at 01:07 PM.

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    Default Re: Drinking

    I was on the camito and at 5oclock when we went to the mess for dinner we would stop at the bosuns cabin for a tot of elders and fyffes crew rum which was about a third of a pint each man.the mess got quite convivial.

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    Default Re: Drinking

    Quote Originally Posted by Keith Tindell View Post
    Further to my 7, i was also on a couple of ships where a weekly (free) rum ration was issued, this was a good small cup full, quite a good slug. I for the life of me can't remember which ships, it was 60 years ago. I have posted this before, but cannot remember if others can recall this issue on a ship, kt
    Keith if you were ever with shell then that is the company that gave the crew a weekly tot of rum. It was supposed to be a courteous gesture from Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, or so rumour had it. If my memory serves me well it was also issued when crossing the equator and to catering crew after cleaning the freezers. On one ship we did several runs from and to Balikpapan in Borneo to Pulau Bukom and seemed to be crossing the equator at least once sometimes twice a week. Hic!!

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    Default Re: Drinking

    It was not a tanker John, i never ever served on tankers, was on a dry cargo ship, it may have even been Ellerman Papayani, wish i had a memory , kt
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    Default Re: Drinking

    The tanker that I was on the Hamilton it was said that it was owned by some bankers from Bermuda and was on charter to Shell we had a weekly rum issue,we had tobe seen to take 2 salt tablets I think it was before we were given the rum.
    Regards.
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    Default Re: Drinking

    I was at sea from 1953-58. I never saw rampant booze while at sea. I acted a bit stupid on my first couple of trips, while ashore, but had such terrible hangovers, I soon grew up and packed that in.


    I saw none on the Port Line and Burries and Markes other than the La Cumbres's ships cook, gently ladling rum out of the Xmas brandy sauce, dumped in by the first mate and replaced with rum extract. The real thing being shared between the cook and baker and a taste for me as galley boy.

    On the Castle boats, as cooks, we were allowed to buy two beers a day. I resold them to the Sous Chef as I'm not much of a beer drinker and never have been. Two beers and I can't stay out of the toilet.

    There were eight of us in a cabin and we'd yarn for an hour or two each night, but there was never drinking. And I never sailed on a ship where there was a rum issue, free or otherwise. I can't say what went on in the pig and whistle on the Castle boats, I don't think I ever stepped foot in there, neither did any of my cabin mates on the three big ships I sailed on.

    My consumption these days are a two shots of bourbon before dinner. Twice a week on fish nights I switch to two glasses of white wine.

  15. #20
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    Default Re: Drinking

    Brian you are 13 years older than me!!! But with the life experiences you share on here I would put a 1 in front of that 13. Read your thread you are contradicting yourself even now, I don't drink now!!!! a part from a glass of wine on a Saturday and Sunday!!! Well fair play to you because we have all read your stories about when you got your sh-t together and sorted yourself out.

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