Those daft questions passengers asked us

[Ian Dickinson]

Was on a Cruise ship forum where the topic was drying clothes on your balcony. One reply, and it was a serious was that it wasn't allowed as the clothes could blow off and wrap round the propeller causing damage.

[Charles EF Stuart]

John.
Maybe he had been living on the side of the Suez Canal and saw all the ships with the bow with the searchlight on, thought it was a regular thing.
Des

Or he could have seen ships in the St Lawrence Seaway or been in an ice area. They were fairly common on most of the ships I sailed on.

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On the Pendennis in the Biscay in foul weather a passenger asked why we didn't have stabilisers out. The J2O replied we did have the forward set out. The passenger replied "Typical, looking after 1st class, what about us at the back"!

[Michael Jobson]

Some may recall there was a scheme put forward in the 60s to install a large arrow on the foremast which would be used like an indicator to show which way the ship was going to turn. Anything more likely to cause confusion to the other ship would be hard to imagine. Maybe that was why common sense prevailed and nothing more was heard about it. And it wasn't in April either.

[happy daze john in oz]

Is there a sign to say we are on the equator asked one blood.

Yes he was told, King Neptune will come on board and show us.

[j.sabourn]

#24 or you could of said to him in more officious language when you take 90 degree take away the true altitude of the sun at its highest ,if the result is the same as the suns declination then you are sitting on it. Now is the moment of truth to see if my memory is correct or not. Just going to take my hearing aids out. Cheers JS
There is of course the other way, half fill your washbasin and pull the plug, if it goes down the plug hole swirling ant clockwise then your still in the northern hemisphere, if the opposite to such then in the Southern hemisphere, if goes straight down no circular motion, then stand by for the bump you are about to run down King Neptune who sits astride this imaginary line. JS

[Francis Ralph]

It's not only pax who seem to have weird notions on what goes on at sea. Brought out the new build "Al Berry" first AMPTC Gas tanker from St Nazaire, Registered in Jeddah. First voyage was to the gulf to load at Rastanura. On arrival , as it was brand new , we were regaled by some cousin or other to the King along with his retinue of about 30 gofers. The Capt lined up the mates(all British ) and lil ole me R/O on the bridge for inspection. His Highness or whatever, meandered about the well fitted out wheelhouse, , pointed at things ( radar, vhf , chart table etc ...this was the '80s) asking questions in arabic to a trnslator who then relayed the answers back from whichever officer he had deigned to speak to. For no apparent reason he chose me to ask ,
"What time do you stop at night?"
I was nonplussed. What the hell did he mean? The Mate, stood next to me, cottoned on quicker than any one else, and butted in , " No your highness, we have a special radar here which shows us the way at night so we can keep going for 24 hours !"
He bucked up his interest immediately and wafted away to look at the radar screen accompanied by the toadies. I , meanwhile, felt like the roman soldier in "Life of Brian" when asked about Biggus Dickus , fighting to stifle my inside laughter.

I suppose living in a tent in the desert he wouldn't know too much about seagoing., poor bugger.
We later learned that he spoke perfect English but made a show of having a translator everywhere he went .

Must say the Al Berry was a beautiful ship, fitted out at no regard to cost ( as is the Saudi way , it appears) Wonder what happened to her?

R692715

[j.sabourn]

As to him speaking English, maybe he didn’t want to show his preference for Oxford or Cambridge, on the other hand may have attended Newcastle university there being a big Arab community in South Shields. So knew with his accent no one would understand him in any case ?. JS

[Des Taff Jenkins]

It makes you wonder whether the passengers would accept it if when visiting the bridge if the QM stuck his arm out when altering course to port or starboard.
Des

[j.sabourn]

Could maybe get a mechanical arm like British rail had , could stop a train with one of them.
!!!???. JS

[happy daze john in oz]

But just what do you do with an ice carving once it melts???

Is post meridian the same as post menstrual?

Why do I have to wear long trousers in the dining room at night?