Queen Mary and the lifeboats

[Bryan Portwig]

the sad story of the queen mary's lifeboats - to long to narrate here - has finally reached its peak - as the destruction has began to scrap some ( ? ) or most of them - was started - suffice to say that they are intending to keep 2 of them for historical purposes - and the rest as they say is history - interestingly - research by myself - revealed the simple truth that the lifeboats on her at and since her stay were not necessary from her original build - sad to see that nobody was interested to buy any of them due to their toxic paint in them apparently

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Bryan.
I read a story by Tristan Jones, on how he bought an old lifeboat and travelled everywhere on it, including one trip through France to the Med, it was something i always dreamt of doing. what a great chance for someone to buy one and just remove the paint and have an adventure. Thanks for the pictures. I can still dream
Des

[Keith Tindell]

Tristan Jones, there's an interesting character, I read several of his books, one where he was up in the Artic and started to get iced up, and hauled his boat up on to the ice, all on his own.He must be long gone now. I seem to recall he had lost limbs at one point, but was still off on adventures.

[thomas michael]

hi des #2
good morning, tristan jones was a scouser and started working on the sail barges when he was thirteen or fourteen, then into the royal navy, after that he spent his life sailing with many adventures of which we could only dream about, and apart from learning how to sail he could not read or write, which he taught himself to do so, and then went on to be a writer in the yachting magazines, which is where i first started to hear about him, after that he went on to write books, once again he is a beacon for the ingenuity of man himself being able to overcome most adversities they face in their lives.
tom

[Bryan Portwig]

tristan jones - now i have to look that up for myself - sounds like the real McCoy or old salt of the seas - Des - i watched a program on dstv re tiny homes and small places - and twice i have seen folk turning old life boats - the more modern enclosed ones and turn them into viable " homes " so to speak - similar to the ones in the attached images Arctic Lifeboat.jpglife boat.jpg

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Bryan
Get his books if possible it will take you back into dreamland. I forgot to mention his three legged dog, who sailed with him
Des

[James Curry]

I was on holiday in Long Beach in 1986 I think it was. On the Queen Mary and even then the condition of the lifeboats was bad. You could see daylight through the bottoms then. If memory serves they were aluminium and the sea air had left its mark.

[thomas michael]

hi des #6
good evening, i have noted in the past of your association with the sidney water front and i thought this item may have some intrest for you, i caught a short clip on youtube the other night of a guy called bruce oehlman whom worked for the sidney harbour authority and the maritime service board in the 1960s, it was about a port launch that he is working on to restore, and the name of the launch is GONNEMAH, as i said if your interested it is on youtube.
tom

[thomas michael]

hi marian #10
good evening, i enjoyed seeing that again,
thanks
tom

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Thomas
I was ion the NZ coast in the 60s so came into Sydney many times, which is what made us move over to Aus in 72. My time on the Harbour here was into 2000 when I was 70, I remember it with the same fondness as I did going to sea. thanks.
Des