Who would've seen more of life at sea?

[Jim Brady]

Who do you think would've seen more of life at sea whilst travelling the oceans?Would it've been the Deck Officers,Engineers,Deck Crowd,Engine Room Ratings or the Stewards.I'm going to stick my neck out here and I would have to say the Catering Crowd.Bedroom Stewards,Waiters,Public Room Stewards,Barmen and yes I can't leave myself out Bellboys.Before airline travell all of the people had direct contact with film stars,Royalty,politicians and many other celebrities and seen the other side of these people!!!To sail on a passenger ship in the catering was the greatest education to life that you could have it was just an unbelievable experience the whole thing about it.Oh and who had the dosh!!!
Regards.
Jim.B.

[Rodney Mills]

Jim,

Carving on the buffet on passenger ships, and observing the mannerisms of the passengers, learning to read a French menu, noting the cut and the quality of clothing the first class bloods wore, studying wines, listening to how they spoke made me determined to better myself. Without the exposure to a world beyond my widest dreams I would probably be shoveling s@%* in Southend-on-Sea. Instead I'm on the OTHER SIDE of the buffet table. I had the good fortune to be born when passenger liners ruled the waves and the brains to know it.

Very interesting post,thanks, Rodney

[j.sabourn]

It must have been very interesting on passenger vessels re meeting all different types and time must have appeared to pass very quickly. My own miniscule experience with passengers I was not too enamoured. On a clapped out cargo passenger vessel, on the first trip we had the president of alcoa and his family and the second trip the vice president and his family. Both times they delayed the ship for 12 hours while they went and played golf in Bermuda. On subsequent trips ordinary fare paying passengers who I thought as soon as got on board especially the elderly ladies used to lose many inhibitions. The men I remember having to go ashore in Port of Spain Trinidad and drag one passenger out of a brothel as ship was sailing. If crew had acted as such would have more than likely been logged and lost a days pay. However I think I am probably too inverted for such a life dealing with passengers, as found them more problem than the horses we used to carry on deck at times. Used to see these magnificient looking vessels at times and wondered what was going on, especially at night when they were all lit up like a Xmas tree. The sea has given us all wonderful and different experiences which a shore worker never had the opportunity to indulge in. However I did enjoy the better standard of food such as Lobster Thermodore, Oysters and such which were a bonus. Best Regards John Sabourn

[john sutton]

The last trip i did was on the manchester spinner and the mate fired me for returning from lunch drunk and 3 hours late,while working by.
2 weeks later I sailed to canada as passenger on the manchester merchant and sat at the mates table for the whole trip.He wouldnt speak to me
john sutton

[Neville Roberts]

I sailed on 11 cargo boats and 10 liners and found that the cargo boats were a bit boring especialy on long voyages ,and loading can be very tedios sometimes weeks in a port that you hate or at least dislike , were as the liners ,as a waiter there is a lot to do as in working, so the time goes by faster . in the last cruises I did in the middle sixties they started the quick turnarounds , so we did not get much time in port and was very hard work , ,I saw the begining of the end so off too the USA ,and marriage mortgages and 3 kids . can I go back too sea please .HELP.

[Red Lead Ted]

I was in Cargo, Passenger, Tanker,s, Ro Ro Ferries, Bulk Carriers, Royal Mail, The lot i met more Queens than you would in a shop that stocks packs of playing card,s. Terry.

[Jim Brady]

Neville,you must have seen some funny things whilst being a winger on the Empress boats and I imagine you could tell some story's whilst winging in the US Of A.When I was a kid on the Empress boats I was enthralled by the older guys talking about their times on the Queen Of Bermuda and Ocean Monarch.They had flats in Bermuda taken ashore by Mafioso guys in Cuba,some of the stories to a kid were unbelievable.As you said Neville on the cruises you went onto £59 per month plus overtime.I always promissed myself I would have some of this but the nearest that i got to it I think it was on the Cotopaxi,we docked in Hamilton and the Ocean Monarch was just up the berth so we went aboard and enjoyed a few pints in the pig.
Regards.
Jim.B.

[j.sabourn]

Jim my last memories of Bermuda, Another bloke and myself hired a couple of auto cycles with the intention of going around the island which didnt take too long. So decided to do the pubs also. Next morning the old British Bobbie from the gate put me on the shake and asked me to come and retrieve my motor cycle. With a thick head I followed him outside the gate and there was the bike hanging from the top of a lampost. Shaking his head he said you werent giving a very good impression to the locals last night. I couldnt remember a thing. Must have been something I ate. Cheers John Sabourn.

[happy daze john in oz]

From my perspective working in catering gave me a lot, as a result of my time at sea I was never a day out of work ashore. The hospitality industry is a good one, even if a bit hard at times. Working as a winger taught me how to handle even the toughest of customers, particularly when you have a table full of 'Bleddy Yarpies; to serve. But also ashore I think catering saw more of the ports and people therein. Do not recall seeing many deck or engine room crew when ashore, maybe there were a bit more refined??

[Jim Brady]

John,a guy I sailed with told me about those mopeds.He said a couple of them sent a bellboy ashore to get them some beer he went on a moped had an accident and was killed.
Regards.
Jim.B.