Best & Worst

[Louis the fly]

The Brazil Star carried 12 passengers and there were plenty of sun loungers for them to relax on deck.
One night an A.B. picked one up and heaved it over the side, still mad because he had been logged that day. This then became the pattern, one logging equals one sun lounger, soon the passengers were laying on towels.
There must have been many happy South American natives sitting outside their huts in comfort when the loungers washed up on the beach.

[john walker]

It seems to me that the best & worst of ships are a combination of either good/bad things like the crew/ officers, food, accommodation or the type of voyage or even the runs ashore, any or all of those things can make or break a ship. There are many threads on this site relating to the above and various companies and ships who were infamous for some of these things, who most seamen would avoid like the plague. I have sailed on ships that other people hated but when I sailed on them I enjoyed the trip on a different voyage to them with different crew etc. I only ever sailed on two ships one British Flag and one Kuwaiti flag that I hated for some or all of the above, I skinned out of one at the first opportunity and managed to get paid off the other after just 3 months. I think that I was lucky during my time at sea as beside the two mentioned ships the majority of my time at sea (Over 20 years) was thoroughly enjoyable and given the chance I would do it all over again.

[Jim Brady]

A happy ship was a ship with plenty of overtime,lets face it the basic pay was diabolical.If you were married by the time you left your allotment had your ciggies and a few other deductions you had nothing left in the ship,away for months and come home with nothing.I always found that a ship without overtime had many delegations upto the captain complaining over the food,plenty of overtime the same food would've been acceptable.
Regards.
Jim.B.

[John Gill]

Watts Watts were good ships. I was on the Weybridge, good modern single berth accommodation and excellent feeders. The cook aboard her was very good, he was West Indian and had a problem in Durban where he couldn't come ashore with the rest of us because of the apartheid situation at the time, although while the rest of us spent our time and Rands in the First & Last, he had a whale of a time in one of the Durban townships.
Gilly

[Bob Hollis]

Was on Ulster, Colorado, English, Uruguay and Canadian Stars. Mates on all except Colorado were total a**eholes but I enjoyed all of them. US boats we lived mainly on Scotch outward and Sockeye Salmon on toast homeward.

[Louis the fly]

Have to agree with John Walker, the crowd made the ship. I was always warned off such companies as Blue Funnel, Chapmans and Palm Line but had great trips on them all. Still cannot think of anything good to say about Blue Star.

[john walker]

Have to agree with John Walker, the crowd made the ship. I was always warned off such companies as Blue Funnel, Chapmans and Palm Line but had great trips on them all. Still cannot think of anything good to say about Blue Star.

I never sailed with any of those companies, but would have joined a Blue Flue boat just for the runs ashore in South East and East Asia. I liked the look of some of the Palm boats in the seventies but would never have joined one as I dislike most of West Africa. Chapmans I would have avoided as the Chattie reputation would have put me off. Still a lot of good men sailed with those companies and were happy to return voyage after voyage. Blue star I know men who joined them just to get down to South America or the Aussie/Kiwi run. So I guess everybody had their likes and dislikes but it was always good to look forward to a new ship, shipmates and ports of call.

[John Gill]

I was a steward on a Blue Star boat, (the Napier Star) on the beef run to S America. As far as I can remember she was a good ship. (although as previously noted It's the crew that makes a happy ship) food was ok (always plenty of Argentinian steaks)! We also made a few extra bob cleaning the holds after discharging general cargo and prior to the loading of beef. All cash in hand. Very useful for your entrance fee up and down the Vienty Cinquo De Mayo. I did two trips on her.
Gilly

[Keith Tindell]

I would agree that it took many things to form a happy ship, overtime being important, thats why Mc andrews always had loads of overtime, white hulls, so loads of painting and soogy, but the crew and the runs ashore were also important. I never really sailed on a bad ship, but recall we always moaned about something or another, of course looking back we had naff all to moan about, KT

[Louis the fly]

We obviously went to sea for different reasons. For me it was to escape the drab humdrum of a life ashore, to see as much of the world as possible and enjoy myself as much as possible. Money was not important, just a run ashore or to last for a week or so when at home.
If I was offered the choice of working overtime or a night ashore I would be down the gangway in a flash.