Sugying

[j.sabourn]

The first hour of being farmer of the watch was on stand by for any jobs that turned up , the likes of turning the vents off or on the wind as required. The next 2 hours were on lookout, and the last hour again on stand by and calling the next watch etc. so the sequence of the watches with 3 on a watch and in hand steering was 1 man 2 hours on wheel , 1 hour on stand by , last hour on lookout. 2 man 1 hour on lookout, next hour on stand by, then 2 hours on the wheel. The farmer had the easy time no wheel . But the next watch they would all move up one so every 3 rd. Watch one got their turn as farmer. The lookouts were only at night and in bad visibility otherwise during the day they worked on deck duties when not on wheel. JS
When demanning started it was brought up that this would cause a problem with the ships maintainance and other jobs like tying up etc. the answer from the shipowner was that shore labour would be supplied for outstanding work. I did hear that some shipowners tried to keep faith with these pledges but I was never fortuanate enough to see this, maybe I should have stayed on and retired at 70 as I was asked to do ? JS

[Fouro]

I think you were very fortunate to retire John, to get home and live with your very good wife after her waiting all these years you were at sea.

Fouro.

[j.sabourn]

Well have had 22 years ashore now Fouro but think we are both coming close to the end of the good times. Both of us have now health problems but at least we have each other at the moment. However I still feel more comfortable with people who have an idea of shipping and the good and the bad of such, I still haven’t really got to understand the thinking of those who have lived ashore all their lives. The best I can say of shipping today is that I got a living for all of my adult life , but it was not all plain sailing and jobs were not easy to get in the UK. I was lucky on arriving in Oz at the right time and got the best 11 years here , but not the same today I am told. As we get old we get cranky and if we ever have a little tiff my wife always brings up I was always away, my only reply can be , but when I was home I was home 24 hours a day and not a few hours daily as out at work and arrived home in the evening for a few hours and then sleeping and off to work the following morning. I was talking to the bloke in the next Villa to me at the Happy 2 hours on Thursday and he was a technician offshore after coming out of the RAAF but only lasted a few years as said it was 2 weeks on and 1 week off and wasn’t fair to his wife
when I told him I used to go away for 12 months at a time he was shocked, but we all did it in that era. Cheers and look after yourself . JS

[Des Taff Jenkins]

John.
My wife and I were having dinner up the Club on Friday; along with our son and daughter. Our daughter told us she was telling a friend how her mum looked after them as two little kids; her 12months old her brother three, and she had to cut the lawn and everything. She then said she told the woman I was away for up to six months at a time, but my wife said you are wrong he was at the most away for four months and that was bloody long enough, but we needed the money, shore side wages were poor in NZ at the time. For me it was a stroll in the park, but for my wife it was purgatory. Your wife must be a saint.
Cheers Des

[j.sabourn]

#14 I’m paying for it now Des. Memory does funny things to some forgetfulness is sometimes replaced with other fanciful memories . Not true was the cry , but who can argue with a woman with memory loss ? JS

[Wynne Jones]

Don’t forget the Feretone!

[j.sabourn]

What’s ferrets got to do with it ? JS Spelt wrong in any case is ferretone
JS ferrets are illegal in most parts of Australia , not in Denmark part of Western Australia but have to get special permission. Cheers JS .

[j.sabourn]

Back to Soogying I was only on one vessel where outside housings were not soogyed and that was the recently mentioned Sunprincess. All the housings and outside accomodation were silvereened that is aluminium paint and to soogy just dulled it. Instead of water one used the roller and gave it another coat of silvereen , this was done every six weeks before the next load of passengers embarked. Sounds expensive and must have had dozens and dozens of coats during its lifetime , but as it was owned by Alcoa not the Australian version but the Alumina company of America was probably only peanuts. JS

[George Adams]

Sugy(?) was, and perhaps is still, a cleaning concoction used in washing paintwork and anything else within the area. I served my apprenticeship with Shell Tankers between 1955 and 1959 and I recall, perhaps exaggerated, sugying nearly every day. I have absolutely no idea what was in the mixture which I recall was white and somewhat gelatinous. Most importantly, it worked.
I do not recall any problems with skin contact.

[Clive Wilson]

Soogying was one of the main jobs at sea along with painting. There were different stuff used, As John has mentioned Teepol, a later addition also sugar soap, soda ash. One had two buckets, one with the cleaning stuff in; the other a clean bucket of water to wash of the paintwork.
As he was with BTC tankers that along with painting and tank cleaning would have been the major jobs. I did ten trips with BTC.
Des

my initiation was a
t Gravesend Sea Training School given a duty by the chief steward to clean the store room floor he put beside the mop and bucket 5 lt can of Jeyes Fluid put this in the water I want the the floor clean by time I come back .
not having ever used jeys I must have used a decent amount as burnt all my for-arms . Taught me to use it with caution Clive Wilson