REGRETS? I've had a few.

[Tony Wilding]

HI, must admit i went to sea because of my love of Geography, was intrigued by foreign places, and my 2 brothers were allready at sea, my father was a seaman also, his father a fisherman, owned my first motorboat at 16, used to go around the ships anchored off southend pier, while waiting for a berth, made me envious, had to wait untill 21 to go, parents refused permission, that would be 1960, was as green as grass, first trip was H/T Newcastle Star, never forget the day i joined her, this huge monster towering above me, i got some stick that trip, but i was hooked, so then 7 years deep sea, a couple of breaks in between, towards the end it was hard to find a ship, so came ashore, 5 years later was back again, 13 years with Trinity House, 10 on one ship,had to start as a Fireman again, they only promote you on time served with them, ended up ER Storekeeper, then redundant in 1988, was asked if i wanted a job on THV Winston Churchill, my last ship, ended up 2 years in Menorca Spain as Donkeyman, as a private yacht. ten first recession came to uk, job ended. was hard to be comfortable with non seaman, a lot of back stabbers, could not talk about anything of interest, still feel the same way, we were a breed apart, and i am so grateful i joined them, i miss the travel, the sunshine, miss the engine room, the friendships and good times, miss the sunrises and sunsets, and comeing back after a good run ashore, we were so lucky, so many memories to look back on, yes i miss it, but todays ships no way.our time gone forever, soon i do my last adventure to philippines, too cold here now and too expensive,

[Les Woodard]

Not one single regret with what I have done in the past as I am very content with the person I have become. Learnt long ago when I first left home that once you move on then you have started the forward motion of controlling your future and all those left behind are not part of it. Maybe that is why a lot feel that they are out of step with others when in fact it is yourself that is in step. What I do love about my past is I learnt to stand on my own two feet and work out how to solve my problems on my own. Saw a lot while working ashore that used to crawl or back stab their way to promotion. They are now in the same group as myself "Retired" except I can still hold my head up high as most ex seaman can. Must have been something in the water hey.

[Capt Bill Davies]

HI, must admit i went to sea because of my love of Geography, was intrigued by foreign places, and my 2 brothers were allready at sea, my father was a seaman also, his father a fisherman, owned my first motorboat at 16, used to go around the ships anchored off southend pier, ,

That's interesting Tony which raises the question how many went to sea because of peer/family pressure.

Bill

[Duke Drennan]

Not one single regret

How true your words are Les. My peers still don't get it, and all I get is their blank stares. You could say that we're "all diamonds in the rough".

[John Arton]

When I left school at 16 I was going to train as a quantity surveyor with a major construction company. What had put me onto this work was our next door neighbour who was one. He had worked all over Africa and had lived in Rhodesia for a number of years building dams, roads etc. and it sounded like a great life.
My father was at sea, he was one of Blue Stars first ever cadets but there was no seafaring tradition on his side of the family. His mother's family had actually been shipowners in previous generations. With dad dieing when I was young there was not any real pressure to follow a seagoing career but I was kicking my heels at home waiting for my apprenticship to start as a surveyor, so I hoiked myself of to the shipping federation in Liverpool to see if there were any Companies taking on Cadets and hey presto two days later I was joining my first ship lugging a huge suitcase full of all kinds of seagoing gear care of Greenberg's, of which 50% I never had cause to use.
Regrets, non what so ever. I loved every minute of my sea going time and if ill health had not put a stop to it I still would be there. Despite being the only Brit. on board I had some really good mates amongst the Baltic States Officers and Filipino ratings.
As Captain, despite the huge amount of paperwork and the relentless big brother attitude with vetting inspections etc. once you actually left port what could be better than taking a stroll round the deck on good weather days or fighting the rough seas in stormy weather such as a hurricane in the North Sea with a failed c.p system drifting rapidly towards the Dutch Coast.
Again regrets, no none only that it ended too soon.
rgds
Captain John Arton (ret'd)

[Tony Wilding]

i think 3 reasons why i went to sea, firstly i seemed to have salt water in my veins with my love of boats, allways motor boats, biggest was a 30 foot motor lifeboat off a Prince line ship, cost me £175, first one was a 16 foot motor launch, built brand new of mahogony, elm and oak, cost £250. many owned since, second i was envious of my brothers at sea, third was wanting to travel, and escape, working for Trinity House was so different, most had never been deep sea, a few got worried if we were out of sight of land, not very often , unless we went to Galloper and Outer Gabbard Lightships in the north sea, then once a year to channel islands, they were amazed at the stories the few ex deep sea or royal naval men told, i used to call them part time sailors, !but it was a good job, 2 weeks on and 2off, all paid time, and i have a nice pension from them, never forget what a 2nd Eng said to me in TH, We were on a steamship, 2 triple expansion steam engines, scotch boilers, oil fired, was a doddle of a job, anyway she was getting scrapped, so the 2nd said he was dreading going to a motor ship with us, thought we could not cope, i soon told him his fortune, i had more time on motor ships than him , all kinds, was some strange characters in Trinity House, was not the same as deep sea, my first day on the steamship in the boiler room they put another fireman in there with me, after 30 minutes he left me to it, he could not read or write, that leads to another long story, for another time, but its nice to be among real seaman here, deck , engine room and catering, after all we made the ship work. needed each others skills.

[Les Woodard]

John you talk about strolling around the ship after all the paper work and stuff was done and I am sure that all can feel how you felt. My favourite spot was in balmy weather on look on the bow. I do not think there is a better spot to find yourself than there as it was like you where the only person in the world and the slow motion of the ship made it hard to keep a vigilant eye out. That is the one spot I have always imagined myself being when I want to calm myself down. Better than any religous order could manage in my case. Still not had to resort to pills either thanks to the Merch.

[Arthur John Harvey]

R235941 Went to sea in 1941 at the age of 15; made a career of it and eventually having worked through the deck obtained my Master’s certificate. In 1953 in order to have more
time at home I joined the then British Rail sailing locally.Whilst doing this I was offered a position with the Vancouver Ferries mate with master to follow very quickly also I had an offer for the New Zealand coast which appealed to me, however, my then wife would not leave her mother so I lost out. Shortly after we divorced but it was too late.
Eventually met and married again having enjoyed over forty years of marriage; at the age of 53 left the sea in 1978 after 37 years; started a new career and at 67 started my own business and still going strong at 86 plus having had by passes , heart problems
and other old age illnesses. Yes missed the comradeship of the sea especially war time; but financially I am better off than staying at sea.

[Tony Morcom]

Fair play to you Arthur and long may it continue.

[Neil Morton]

Apart from an uncle who was RN in WW11 all the menfolk in my family were army so when I put my hand up for a life at sea, ( really wanted to be a Spitfire pilot but was to dumb), I was singular in my family and my entire school. Not many Surrey lads, being a land locked county would perhaps think of it. Most of my school chums accused me of dodging the National Service but by the time I was 18 they were green with envy as I so obviously had a great life style while they grafted away in grimey shore jobs or pushed papers around on a desk. After they had completed their Nasho three of my ex school chums asked me to get them away to sea, which I did and not one of them did more than one trip.On this site Peter Leonard is the only other Surrey boy I have come across who served. Like many fellow members of this great site I agree that the salt, the sun and the sea plus the call of far away places insinuate themselves into our psyche for life.