yes keith but the memory and pleasure of accomplishment is a joy for life......cappy
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yes keith but the memory and pleasure of accomplishment is a joy for life......cappy
In the years I spent as master trotting around the coast of northern Europe the most frightening experience I had sold be coming down the Scheldt in thick fog. Traffic very rarely was halted so the big container ships, tankers and bulk carriers would still be encountered even at some of the tight turns in the river and dropping off the river pilot and picking up the sea pilot at flushing the stress level was akin to attempting to cross a busy highway blind folded.
On the north Atlantic, even with radar, in the iceberg season, on the grand Banks in fog it was stressful as you never knew if the radar was picking up growlers along with the bergs.
As master, despite being stressed out you had to show an outward appearance of calm so as to keep the rest of the bridge team concentrated on their tasks.
Mind you the consumption of Benson and Hedges certainly increased during dense fog.
Rgds
J.A.
p.s
Colregs apply to vessels in sight of each other, in reduced visibility vessels should proceed at a safe speed and maintain a lookout by any available means, both sight and sound.
Nothing worse near the end of voyage steaming into the Channel and you hit FOG. You know your not pay-off for a few more days and half the crew with a bad case of the "CHANNELS"
Remember trying to get my head down with the fog horn blasting.
Not as bad as being on the bridge though.
Cappy #10 your mention of the hailing station on the Tyne reminded me of this tale (probably no truth in it).
A vessel was entering the Tyne on a foggy night and as it passed the hailing station the watchman shouts
“ what ship”,
“Anna” comes the reply
“ anaw ye naw but a want t naw asweel “
This last sentence has to be said aloud in your best Geordie accent.
Regards Michael
why ayye michael ah think its a canny good story .....loland thanks for itb ....cappy:rolleyes:
Its not just a story its a fact , and is in a post yonks ago.
That same Lioyds hailing station was a landmark just being close to the Fish Quay. Which hopefully will have some future in years to come now. The same as how Geordies got that title goes back to Bonny Prince Charles , as when those living in a border county like Northumberland were often asked are you for Charles or George, those living locally said George and so the name was born. Those living in South Shields however got their name of Sand Dancers by a different method and is a different story, can be found in the encyclopedia A La Capp. JS
It was November, working on a Pig farm and travelling by bike.
Going home but the fog had come down as it can in UK like it was the end of the world.
Slowly make my way to the main road and along came a bus, one of the old ones.
Grabbed hold of the hand rail at the back and got puled along at about 3mph.
But got home in one piece.
The conductor never said a word about me hanging on that way, must have been a good one.