What are your thoughts?

[Captain Kong]

I was mate on one ship, No Names, it was our last trip, she was being laid up for sale or scrap.
We discharged and then to a lay by berth to await the next mornings tide out for Southampton at 6am.
The Cook on going through his stores then found six cases of wine. The captain, said We cant leave that on board when we lay up, so all hand got stuck in. .
6am next morning, Pilot boards, all hands dead to the world, Captain completely out, so was every one.
Pilot cancels sailing until 6am the next morning,

That night we all went to the local pub, got a lockin, at 3 am we all fall out of the pub, The Captain falls flat on his face and is clinging to the kerb stone on the pavement thinks he is hanging off a building and is screaming he is going to fall to his death, I prise his fingers off the kerb, and stand him up. he staggers across the road and falls over the kerb on the other side and sprains his ankle and cannot walk, I have two arms over my shoulder and drag him back to the dock and into his cabin. his ankle is swollen like a balloon, I lash it up with an elastic bandage and whilst looking in his locker for the bandage find a bottle of whisky, he is screaming in pain, so we have to finish the whisky.
6 am the Pilot boards, all hands are dead and we are just going to bed.
Pilot cancels sailing until 6am the next morning,

That night all hands back in the ale house.again. But an early night this time.
6am Pilot boards, all hands are awake so this time tho` a little groggy and stagger to stations, We leave the lay by berth and do a 180 degree turn to line up for the lock gates and the ship flies across the dock and collides side by side with a Russian Cargo ship. Crunch. all the rails are torn out of the Russian and us. The Russians come out on deck , all wearing dressing gowns, ABs on the foclse shouting , "Where's the Vodka, go and get the Vodka. "
The Russians were not amused. we had to break free and then then a tug pulled is clear and took us back to the lay by berth again
All day doing the paper work for the accident,
Pilot cancels sailing until 6am the next morning.

That night all hands turn in early, we are all knackered.
Next morning, day four, We managed to sail on time and without mishap.
Had a pleasant week in Southampton sorting out a few things, etc, and the Captain and I hired a car and drove home up to Lancashire again without mishap.
The end of a Happy ship. She was sold to an East African Company later.
Two years ago the Captain died, I and a few of the original crew went to his funeral in Oldham, and again reminisced over that voyage at his funeral party,
Brian

[Captain Kong]

Last week on TV on a Police Documentary, it showed the Water Police on the Solent from Southampton to the Isle of Wight.
It was stopping boats and yachts, sailing around, Drunk with no lights on, " Its OK Officer, we can see where we are going" , they were booking them and also breathalysing them and then towing them back into Cowes.
The Police said they should all be licenced before taking out a boat or yacht.
They are all stupid.
We were coming along Mother Bank toward the Thorn Channel and then to Fawley on the first day of Cowes week a Sunday end of July 1976 on the ESSO Northumbria, 256,000 dwt. from the Gulf. 65 Foot Draught, We had `Clear Channel`,
The Harbour Masters Launch was proceeding ahead of us, Loud haler, shouting for them to give way to us, Blue Strobe Light flashing.
SPR Broadcasting that we had Clear Channel, keep clear,
They took no notice.
I was swinging on the whistle lanyard, We were surrounded by Hundreds of boats and yachts, they were crashing into our sides, masts falling over, some capsizing, people in the water, a 45 foot diameter propeller spinning around.
It was total chaos, never seen anything like it anywhere. and still they came and crashed into us. They were totally Stupid.
I have no idea how many we sank or severely damaged.
But I think they would keep clear next time a VLCC come is.
Cheers
Brian

[j.sabourn]

Re #7... About 2003, a mate of mine and self bought a half cabin runaround with a 80 HP outboard on. Were told had to have a licence to run it. My figure of 600 dollars for the course was for this year so goodness knows how much it is now. My mate went up for it and paid his 600 dollars. I went to see the authority doing these courses and giving out the certification, I said to the bloke who are you getting to examine me, as I am in possession of a current Master FG, a current marine radio operators cert., a lifeboat cert, a coxns Fast Rescue Craft Cert, A first aid cert, a shipmasters medical cert, and a few more certs you name it. He scratched his head and said give me 2 dollars for the paperwork. Is a better looking piece of paper than the current British Master 1. My mate still has to ask which side is port and starboard. A costly 600 dollars at the time. Last year my nieces husband and a few of their friends bought a Cray Boat up in Broome, and after having it converted for pleasure with a spa bath and all the luxurys were going to bring it down to Rockingham in the Perth area, they didn't ask me to bring it down for them as was pleased as had my excuses all ready if they did. However would of advised them to get a professional to bring it down, however they wanted to do it themselves, they of course put it aground off Geraldton somewhere, had all sorts of problems getting it to a berth at the buoys in Rockingham, it took them the best part of a year to get it down as didn't bother trying in the winter months, all this for a 3 to 4 day run. Now they spend most weekends on the boat at its mooring sitting in the spa and drinking various wines. If the sea is not calm they do of course suffer from Mal de Mare. Cheers JS

[j.sabourn]

#9... Cappy know you sailed with Roberts and Hogg, did you ever sail with Capt. Lamb. The following is an extract from an article that friend of mine in NZ wrote last year for Sea Breezes, don't know if it was ever published, is a long article so is just a couple of exerts from. " A very fine master of the old school with whom I had the pleasure of sailing with was a Capt Lamb. He served his apprenticeship in sail and I remember him mentioning such vessels as the Kilmallie, the Monkbarns, and William Mitchell all of which were owned by John Stewart and Company of London. The William Mitchell was the last commercial foreign going sailing ship of any size. She was fully rigged throughout her sailing life. " and another, " The History of John Stewart and Company is covered in Capt A.G.Courses fairly well known book The Wheels Kick and the Winds Song". I also sailed with Capt. Lamb but my rememberences of him was he refused to have Lamb printed on the menu cards, and had to be called Mutton. I missed seeing Clive when over in NZ last year so hoping to see next time across, had to drink his litre bottle of Rum last time as he got the dates mixed up. Managed to see old Lou down in the South Island and gave him his bottle of Gin which I would of had a bit of a problem having to drink after the rum. The likes of old Capt Hogg never had difficulty with having pork on the menu cards. All those old boys Hogg, Lamb, Roberts, all gone to pastures greener now. Used to be a saying in Runcimans the master with the latest ship was considered the senior and could always tell by the size of his trilbys brim. Cheers John S

[cappy]

no john but i guess many out of shields would have sailed with him......there life was so different not much in the way of pleasure ...but much in the way of satisfaction in the way they managed without all the options of todays mariners......indeed in my own family my maternal grandfather born in the shetlands of american descent sailed in sailing ships in his youth .....his four brothers all seaman and for one reason or another shipped out of the tyne but always returned to there home in shetland which was named the lubba.......two were lost at sea and other episodes during both wars were encountered........my other grandfather although not by birth went to sea at 14 years of age on a tiny sailing vessel out of the tyne and returned 3 or 4 times as the hand pumping could not keep up with the ingress of water the vesselwas named the wigeon ......her bones were on jarrow slake pronounced slack on the tyne as you will know.... even in my time as a boy.......i can recall my granda trimming and showing me how to trim the oil lamps.....i also thought he was very brave washing the yard down with a large broom in his hands in barefeet and can even see him now in my mind trousers rolled up and a sailors hat on his head ......that generation went in the 60s and 70s.....when i told them iwas going to the vindi to be a steward one of them said arggh a pisspot jerker........but at least you will get the best of the food......one of them always when asking me to do something would say ......do that directly.......i was never sure wether that meant straight away or later.....but always did it straight away .....they were fine men and when the drinkswere going i can hear there laughter now.........they were a different breed john ...like old roberts hoggy and no doubt lamby ......or should i call him mutton ...regards cappy

[happy daze john in oz]

Interesting John, here in Melbourne to get a boat licence is quite easy. All you need to know is how to read a compas and how to put on a life jacket and that is about it. There are no national laws regarding boat licence's. Most stupid thing, each boat must carry 8 flares which must be renewed every two years. Problem is there is no where to get rid of the old ones. You are allowed to take them to your local police station for destruction but thye say they do not have time or room for them. many are set of at soccer matches by so called supporters.

[Captain Kong]

We used to fire them downwards ino the sea.
Brian

[Dennis McGuckin]

photo.JPG
As mentioned in another post.
In Pacific Canada, all pleasure boats must have at least one owner of above card on board.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Den.
Jeez mate I didn't know you was that old, thank God someone on here is older than me.
Cheers Des

[j.sabourn]

#16... Just used to dump old ones at sea John, or as Brian says if wanted to play with them fire them off towards the sea. Werent they parachute flares or are they different for small boats. As said each state has its own legislation re certification, and is only when you get into the equivilant of the old master mate and second mate FG that they are Federal. The modern certification although I have the Master 1 as had to get for in case of employment at a later date, as had to be renewed every 5 years by present day legislation, wish I hadn't bothered as they defaced the proper cert. As they are supposed to have the same world standard for such, I shiver to think of the likes of the Panamanian, Liberian, and a few more I have which were issued on the strength of the British one. The British certificate used to be considered worldwide as the ultimate, that's why so many foreign flags wanted it, also was always accepted by insurance companys and probably kept the premiums down. Another huge loss to our past mercantile heritage, never to be recovered. Cheers JS