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31st October 2011, 01:31 PM
#11
neville
I sailed on the England 3 trips in 62 never did like the montreal run ,but made the best of it . molson beer was awfull
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31st October 2011, 02:52 PM
#12
Nev, bite your tounge.
Beats the hell out of your ham-shank pee-pee
Cunuck Den.
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31st October 2011, 05:40 PM
#13
I loved Montreal, spent a lot of time there in the 50's and 60's with Manchester Liners. The Port bar was our local.
My avatar shows the Manchester Vanguard stuck in the ice three hours from Montreal homeward bound from the Lakes in Dec. 58. Should have been home for Christmas but didn't make it until Feb. 59.
Alec.
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31st October 2011, 06:49 PM
#14
Hi Alec, We were frozen in on the Empress of France in Montreal that winter , the Freeze up came a month early in November/December 1958,
Here is a bit of what I wrote in Seafaring Yarns. ..................
............I liked Montreal, just cross the road was the Liverpool House, known as the House of Scouse, next door was the Seamans Mission where on a Sunday night they had the Bulova Watch Radio Show, We had a few bevies and then sing on the mike and they listeners would phone in with their comments and vote, the winner got a new Bulova Gold Watch. Some like AB Joe Finnegan were very good and he would win every time, but others which I would be one would sing like tortured turkeys, quite funny sometimes.
Around the corner just off St Lawrence Boulevard was the Cafe Volquelin, or known as the Vokeland Club, It was full of women and dancing all through the night, some of the regular CPR lads got married to some of the girls there. Other good bars around there, all within a few minutes walk from the gangway was the Rodeo Bar, a Country and Western band was always on, Joe Beefs opposite the Cunard berth, and Ma the Greeks.
While we were there the temperature fell to over thirty below zero and the annual freeze up came a month early, the St Lawrence froze solid, Ice breakers tried hard to get at us and eventually did so and got us out into the River, which was solid ice for nearly 800 miles. About a dozen ships were trapped in Montreal for the duration, until the end of March.
We got off Quebec and could not go anywhere near the berth, we stayed in the middle of the River so the passengers were transported over the ice to us. While we were there a blizzard started and in an hour nearly four feet of snow was dumped on us, it was incredible to see, We were out on deck all the time. In those days we had no cold or heavy weather gear, I had a towel as a scarf and a blanket over my head with one of those old kapok life jackets that came down to your goolies over the top then lashed down. with hands and feet freezing we had to try to shift the snow and ice off the decks with shovels, a terrible job, the ice breakers continued to crack ice and tow us down River. It took us three days to get to the Gulf of St Lawrence. then we cracked our own ice then as it was a lot thinner until we passed Cape Race. That was a terrible winter. We arrived in Liverpool and three days later we loaded our passengers again at the Landing Stage and set off in December for St Johns, New Brunswick,.
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31st October 2011, 09:38 PM
#15
Dennis #12, there's only one Country in the World that brews proper beer, that's the UK.Try Adnams Broadside 6% ABV, King Goblin 6.6%ABV, Brakespear's Triple 7.2%ABV. Owd Roger 7% ABV. You're on the wrong side of the Atlantic for the real stuff. After all we are entitled to some compensation for living in the UK. I haven't even mentionrd the beer in Geordieland and North of the Border.
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1st November 2011, 12:26 AM
#16
Beer
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1st November 2011, 12:44 AM
#17
I always remember in Montreal when we ordered a beer from the waiter he always brought two. There was also a salt cellar on every table which we used to get a head on the beer. Maybe Brian and Neville remember this. I didn't find the beer too bad, I've drank worse, mind you it always gave me a bad head next day.
Alec.
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1st November 2011, 09:28 AM
#18
[QUOTE=Colin Hawken;71202]Dennis #12, there's only one Country in the World that brews proper beer
Must take you to task on this one Colin ;
Belgium brews the best and most diverse types of beers , over 3000 at last count.
Every possible taste , type and strength up to 12.6%.
A mecca for beer lovers.
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1st November 2011, 01:12 PM
#19
neville
I always drank anything that came too hand ,have been drinking Yank beer for the last 46 years and its cheap ,cant aford much better as I do a six pack every day.but now and then I ll splurge and get some good stuff. just had a few bodingtons bloody great , or a six pack of bass , I will try anything ,and have on my travels around the world
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3rd November 2011, 02:48 PM
#20
#15 No argument there Colin.
Trader, the salt was to take the head [froth/gas] off the beer. Some also used tomato jucie.
Yes in the 6oies beer palors only served beer. Two at a time. Also no women unless with a male partener. In BC anyway.
Norm. I am in the U.S. for six months. Have to admit the booze is cheap compared to Canada [food too]Drinking Bud. Goes down well in this hot climate.
Den.
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