Do you miss the sea?

[vic mcclymont]

Leaving the sea I joined IBM, out of department of ten engineers, four were ex seagoing. We just regale ourselves with tales and our shore excursions. The shore wallahs would shake their heads and couldn't understand our obsession with the sea. She is like mistress

[j.sabourn]

She"s only faithful when you are there Vic has plenty more there when your not. However don't think it calls for blood tests and trips ashore to the quack. Cheers JS

[Ivan Cloherty]

I think that you may assume Matt that we all miss the sea, about the transition from a sea life to a shore job, now that's a different kettle of fish, for some it was a complete transition with all the pitfalls of a working environment that was completely alien to a former life, entering a world of back stabbing and other such niceties. I myself was lucky and retained a closeness to ships, seamen and travelling as a Supt, which many think/thought was a life of luxury compared to being at sea, but the complete opposite was true, as you got brickbats from both sides of the coin, the shore based staff who really had no idea what life was like at sea and could only see pounds, shillings and pence and grief from the seafarers who thought you should always be on their side irrespective of whether they were right or wron, trying to balance the two could at time s be very hard work, but I still loved it, and spent time away from home longer than some of those at sea. But in one form or another I was engaged with ships, seamen and shipboard equipment from the age of 13 until I was 73 when I decided enough was enough, and here I am still involved in the brotherhood.

[Louis the Amigo]

Hi shipmates, I dont miss going to sea, It was my life and boyhood dream, would I go back you cant' its gone !!! would I go to sea again with any member of our forum, when today !!! any proper ship, any where, just sign me on please, My old mate Laurie was the same and many others it was best time of my life.

[John Pruden]

just watched a program on tv a 200.000 tanker 7 yes 7 crew including the master? the steering gear locked going into prince William sound Alaska only for the large tug they would have been in the sh.te they never said how many out of the 7 were in the engine room? jp

[MattGough]

30 pints for a £1 !!! Ye Gods !! Bring back the old money...
hahaha

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Hi Vic,
An interesting reply. When you say 'cruising', in what sense of the word?


Regards,

[Red Lead Ted]

Matt, Pity you never had a go yourself, The sea wasn't a job to any of us after you had done a few trips it was a way of life, We all differ on this forum some of the lads stayed aboard passenger ships others tankers some only sailed with one company known as a companies man, But what we all had in common is we all sailed the same 7 seas regardless of rank or rating, So when you ask do you miss the sea, Yes we all do as Ivan said there was a camaraderie amongst seaman actually at sea and not in port you all relied on each other to carry out your duties and you had to be on the ball regardless of whatever department because any failings on your part, The buck stopped with you. You could be logged or should I say fined by the skipper for up to 5 days pay, Here are a few things you could be logged or fined for which might surprise you.........Sun Burn was seen as self inflicted if you couldn't turn too for work, Being drunk on your watch, Fighting or causing forlorn aboard ship was a big no no. Not being capable or having the knowledge to carry out duties your rating expressed as laid down by the then ships regulator Board Of Trade standard. We had our own way of dealing with awkward buggers we would send them to Coventry, I am sure you are familiar with the term but if you arn,t it meant none of your shipmates would speak to you unless it was absolutely necessary when changing your watch ETC....... And take it from me the sea could be a lonely place at times but with your ship mates ignoring you for sometimes weeks on end it was very lonely indeed. But they were great times and I think most of us on this site who where at sea 40/50/ years ago we had the best of the Merchant Navy it was very different to todays M.N. No health and safety in those days it was hard sweat and toil, You weren't never amongst the country's top earners we where one day millionaires the day we paid off because you couldn't spend all your earnings while at sea, But hey mate once you hit a good port with a good run ashore you soon got your sub and made hay while the sun shone Happy days indeed. Regards Matt Terry.

[j.sabourn]

Remember on one Indian crew ship I was on as mate. Getting alongside in I think it was Vancouver, coming off the forecastle theres the other 2 Indian mates and their wives standing at the top deck waiting for the gangway to go out, all dressed for going ashore. When I asked them where they thought they were going they said sightseeing with their wives. Blew up and told them to get their sunburned asses into their working gear, didn't go down too well. Whether through complete ignorance or a try on don't know, but suspect complete ignorance in whatever training they ever had. Once again this is getting back to nationalities and is just my personal views of such. Believe the Cheng had the same trouble with, they all thought their job finished and started again on sailing, they must have received a short sharp shock to the system. JS

[vic mcclymont]

30 pints for a £1 !!! Ye Gods !! Bring back the old money...
hahaha

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Hi Vic,
An interesting reply. When you say 'cruising', in what sense of the word?


Regards,

Matt cruising as a passenger, can't beat it.

[j.sabourn]

Keg Beer Tennants was 10p or 2 bob a pint in J.I.Jacobs in 1973. As we knocked the 2 apprentices cabin bulkhead down to achieve one room, and decorated etc. Tennants themselves putting in the Beer Taps and optics, and of course the fancy bar itself, we still made a profit off the beer for various things like buying crib boards and having various parties mainly up at the ore quay in Glasgow right opposite Bettys Bar, next to the Chain Ferry. There were at that time 7 or 8 telegraph girls who used to sometimes attend these parties and we sometimes even hired a couple of musicians. Marion swears blind she was not one of these girls. However they were always escorted off and on the vessel. Others who were known to various members of the crew also used to be invited. However the following morning even though probably suffering a bad head had to do the rounds of the cabins before the dockers started working, and invariably there were 3 or 4 wenches who had infilterated the previous night, I was never in a state to have put up much struggle with any of them so relied on their good faith to leave the ship in plenty of time. Only once got caught out and we had to carry her to Liverpool where the police took her ashore. Good job the ship didn't go straight out foreign. Although suspect some of those girls had more F.G. seatime than a lot of todays seamen. JS