If you think you had it hard at sea, read this

[John Arton]

A bit of a long ramble but bear with me.
Most of us older generation and the one before us reckon it was a hard life at sea, but it was nothing compared to this story.
After we came back from living in Gibraltar (father was a Master on a salvage tug) in the early 50's and dad had returned to deep sea with his old company (Blue Star line), my parents eventually brought a house in a tiny village (A church, garage and about 30 other houses and 4/5 farms) on the main trunk road into the Lake District, near Windermere.
The house was new and came with a huge garden and next to it was an abandoned, water driven, bobbin mill that used to turn out wooden bobbins that the cotton was wound onto in the cotton mills of Lancashire. It had long since production but all the machinery (driven by a water wheel) was still in place. Fab. place for me and my brother to play in and get absolutley filthy.
There was a row of 3 cottages attached to the mill for its managers and in the largest one lived three middle aged spinsters whose father had been a Liverpool owner/captain of a sailing ship. OTwo of the sisters died of old age and my mother took in to live with us the remaining sister who lived with us until she too died. She was a very grand old lady who was always immaculatly dressed in the finest linen and lace and who lwas still living in the Victorian era, having been born in 1872. There was one other sister still living in the house in Liverpool that they had all grown up in, none of them ever marrying. I once visited that house, a big Victorian semi in Bootle ( I think) and it was like entering a time warp where nothing had changed since the 1890's.

Anyway after she died, amongst some of the items she left to my mother, she left me her journal which covers her voyage on her fathers sailing ship in 1896/97 from Swansea to San Fransisco and back, taking from what I can gather a good 6 to 9 months.
Most of the entries are a fascinating glimpse of life on a sailing ship of that era.
Life on board for the sailors being particularly harsh, even to the extent that one entry reads "Stormy weather, lost the little n***er boy over the side today, unable to practise my piano"!!!!!!!.
She talks of wearing canvas knickers (ouch) made for her by her father but of course she means knickerbocker trousers, not underwear.
She talks of catching and eating sharks, albatross etc when the food ran low, plus catching rain water whenever possible. A bath (sea water) was a luxury.
It took them around a fortnight to round Cape Horn being driven back by storms on a number of occasions.
Also of getting caught in the doldrums in the Pacific and for days just drifting or making 1 or 2 knots (and we thought slow steaming was a 70's thing) and of some of the crew going mad in the heat.
They eventually reached San Fransisco where they spent some months as her father was ill.
Unfortunatley she does not list the outward and homeward cargoes, its more a diary of her daily life.
How this for a classic
"Weather still rough but making good spped towards the Cape. Crew up all night changing the sailing rig, seas over the decks. By afternoon weather better so was able to practise my piano". Can you imagine a poor exhausted crew finally trying to get some rest whilst all the time all you can hear is the tinkling of the ivories from the Captains quarters!!!!!.
At present I am re-reading this journal of hers and trying to decipher the exact length of the voyage etc. and research the ships name etc.
Maybe I will post some more of her gems if and when I can get round to it.

[Louis the Amigo]

Hi shipmates, I had a { log book} from a sailing ship on loan {hopefully} promise to me by an old shipmate from Bristol it was his great great grand uncle its a tale of cotton, slaves,and drugs told by someone who had a good eye for detail and fine penmanship in the days of sail I have only read some of it he keeps it in his safe With a bit of luck he may lend it to me? or photo a few pages for me to put on here, As John said its was a very hard life with many perils in the days of early sailing ships

[Ron B Manderson]

very interesting stories lads.
Ron the batcave

[John Albert Evans]

Having read the above items with interest I am glad that I wasn't at sea in those days.

In the Daily Express page 32 today 2.12.11 it shows a picture of a cruise ship 'Tradewinds'. This is one ship I would not like to be working on nowadays. It is owned by the Scientology sect. It's quite frightening as to whats going on there if the allegation are true.

I don't know how to put the link on here but I'm sure someone will help in that respect.

John Albert Evans

[Captain Kong]

There was one cruise ship on TV a couple of years ago, I think it was the one that Glan was Master of, He missed it because it happened after he had left. It was a cruise for Nudists, You think that is good???
It was full of big fat ugly Americans wobbling about naked. Not a pretty sight.
If I was crew on that one I think I would have preferred to be on an old Cape Horn Windjammer, fighting my way around Cape Stiff in winter.
Cunard do Homosexual Cruises. tho` not widely advertised. Our waitress on the QE2 on her final world cruise told us the Crew had been sworn to secrecy by the Company not to tell other passengers there had been a "Gay" only cruise before we had joined.
Again I would rather battle my way around Cape Stiff than sail on that.
Cheers
Brian.

[Gulliver]

Having read the above items with interest I am glad that I wasn't at sea in those days.

In the Daily Express page 32 today 2.12.11 it shows a picture of a cruise ship 'Tradewinds'. This is one ship I would not like to be working on nowadays. It is owned by the Scientology sect. It's quite frightening as to whats going on there if the allegation are true.

I don't know how to put the link on here but I'm sure someone will help in that respect.

John Albert Evans

Sorry-I missed this earlier John Albert.Your Link is HERE

Gulliver