Experiences at sea

[Tony Morcom]

We all have many happy and some sad memories of our time at sea. However if you had to come up with your three most vivid memories of that period in your life what would they be and why?

[Doc Vernon]

1) Winchester Castle,Bay of Biscay (rough as guts that trip through there) nearly collided with another Ship weather was very bad and vision as well,very close call to say the least,and gave me the Fright of my life! Never forget that!

2) Entering the English Channel for the first time on the Dunnottar Castle,i was awake early that Morning,so as i could rush up on Deck to see the Famous White Cliffs!
It was a something to behold for a first timer,most beautifull sight i had seen n many many Years!
Yes another something that i will always remember

3) Watching the Mountain of Cape Town vanishing slowly as we made our way out the Harbour,and although i was pretty busy,and my very first trip,i remember asking the 2nd Steward if i could just for one last time catch a glimpse of the old place fading fast!
I had tears in the Eyes i can tell you,but soon forgot all that and back to the grind!
Yes thats only three ,there are of course many more!

Cheers


PS I remember when i had that Avatar Tony,you need it mate! haha!
Thank goodness for the rest!!

[j.sabourn]

Apart from personal and profound feelings of private grief and regrets. The US submarine which surfaced alongside of us during the blockade around Cuba, the early hours of the morning before arrival Santiago De Cuba. Almost jumped out of my skin.
The Greaser who died and was laid out for 3 days in the Steering Compartment. As a 16 year old had to do a watch over the body for 3 days, on a rota system worked out on average 8 hours a day, very creepy in all the steam from the quadrant.
Caught up in the riots in Mogadishu during the withdrawal of French troops. Picked up by a couple of Legionaires in a jeep and finished the night in their barricks in their bar, well sloshed, on returning to ship later. Thats 3 I can remember vividly, among many others. Cheers John Sabourn.

[Tony Wilding]

first was seeing and hearing the main engine start and run on my first ship, never seen anything so powerful, second was the power of the elements, was in a Hurricane off Cuba, but i thought the North Atlantic in winter was worse, did not realise waves could be so big, third was the experiences we had on runs ashore, from leading a sheltered life to complete freedom in a world i never knew existed. so many more i could say.

[Louis the Amigo]

Hi Shipmates, My Three First trip to sea age 14yrs seeing the now old seven bridge underneath from the deck of a paddle steamer, before it was open to the public Deep sea, On watch doing my steering ticket first trip as deck boy british Commerce Running up the red ensign to salute two nuclear subs{ British }in mid atlantic never forget that one, they surfaced at the same time what a sight!!!! Paying off at Naples and going home on a plane, My first time, but very sad because the ship was a very happy one. but was old !!! loads more but these I will never forget.

[John Pruden]

although my sea time was cut short some memories that do stick out the PANAMA CANAL/ MOUNT FUJI snow on the peek and blossom around the base and i think the best was the first time i watched a whale breaching at daybreak lots of others this is one thread the more you think the more you could add and of course seeing the liver buildings coming out of the mist on the Mersey you knew you were home for a while.JP

[Neville Roberts]

First trip on the Forester , passing Gibraltar into the medi as a pantry boy .seeing migrating whales and seagulls standing in the sea ,or so we thought until we got closer and they were standing on the backs of migrating turtles, in the northern pacific .Table mountain in SA .

[John Albert Evans]

Going norh in the South Atlantic from BA to Curacao just past the Amazon and seeing dozens and dozens of whales travelling north and they were breaching, oh to have had a video camera then.
Crossing the Pacific west to east and seeing six waterspouts at the same time, they looked like they were followng each other.
In the Indian ocean I was sitting on the poop deck in the evening time the sea was dead calm and looked totally inky black then a sharks fin broke the surface and swum around the aft of the ship then just dissapeared into the ocean, fantastic.

John Albert Evans.

[John Arton]

Dunkerque when i was 15 doing a taster with Blue Star, first foreign visit, first drinks, first theft (froggies bicycle)
Bottom end of Madagascar, came across hundreds of whales feeding in a frenzy, from a distance it looked like something out of "Journey to the Bottom of the Sea" where the giant octopus attacks, the whales were the huge humpbacks and there fins looked like octopus tentacles from a distance, the sea was boiling with the whales and there was also hundreds of dolphins around, counted over 500 in 40 mins.
Coming down from Prince Rupert bound for Nanaimo, the best scenery i,ve seen at sea, flat calm, cold weather and whales blowing along with the scenery, what more could you ask for
Going up the Norwegian fjiords to Trollhatten almost matches it.
rgds
Capt. John Arton (ret'd)

[John Pruden]

we have nearly all mentioned whales what majestic magical animals they are why did we have to butcher them and still are of all the animals on earth for their size you know they meen you no harm and never would? sometimes we look but don't see!!!!!JP