Memories

[Des Taff Jenkins]

I was reminiscing this morning, on the 20th of July 69 years ago I was a 20 year old sailing from Mena Al Ahmadi for Port Said on the Wave Baron, the sun blazing down gasping for air and glad for the slight breeze the ships movement was creating. Today I am tapping this out with a heater going full blast, the temperature much different to that day, last night it was minus 8 degrees, the coldest night for two years, I know where I would sooner be.
Cheers Des

[Doc Vernon]

Indeed Des here too mate very cold minus 5 so not too far behind Cooma!
This Morning again Bitter with Icy winds and Prediction of it gusting to some 70 to 90 KMH to make it worse.

Like you funny enough me as well at 18 in Hot Conditions at Sea through the Tropics and you well know how that was from your post Whew!!

Funny how ones thoughts seem to stray back to the old times, when we were so young and full of the Joys of life! Oh they were such happy and carefree days, with the World at our Feet!
Cheers

[happy daze john in oz]

Across the Indian Ocean on water rations two pints per day, bloody hot.
But so far here in Victoria the weather forecasts have not come to fruition.
Supposed to be wet and windy with hail and snow today, what have we got/
Clear blue skies, warm sunshine, with a temp of about 13.
But by 1700 hours the log burner will be going full blast in our house.

[j.sabourn]

Only one thing for it John since You threw your long pants away , will have to put on the old tracky pants again. Hope you repaired that hole in the back of them . Cheers JS.

[John Arton]

1967 first trip to sea, Tranmere to Das Island to load and then to some awful place in the gulf of Oman to bunker, stinking hot, too hot to stand still on deck for any length of time, on sailing from the bay where we had bunkered at anchor the chief engineer turned the air conditioning off, saying open your porthole, there's a breeze now,. Yeah along with fumes of crude oil cargo.
Years later, as mate arriving in port hedland ,40 degrees plus, blazing sun, lost all power, idiot captain screaming over the VHF to the port asking for tug help us to get us to the anchorage as he had no engine and no navigation lights!!!!
Rgds
J.A.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi John A
Memories of a hot deck, we were waiting to go into port Sudan, the heat was tremendous, we had the hoses running over the decks so that we could walk on them to tie up, and there's the Sudanese coming aboard in bare feet, running up the gangways with packs of dripping stinking skins on their backs and dumping them over the coamings, don't know what it was like stowing them down the holds.
Des

[James Domleo]

1954,First trip at sea as apprentice.Arrived alongside at Basra. 12 hour cargo watches.120ddegrees F ,then sleeping on the boat deck.Aircon useless. Happy days!
Jim Domleo
R610327

[Keith Tindell]

i left the sea in 64, and apart from the last ship, never had air con, only the 5 gallon drum wind scoop stuck out the port hole.Runing down the S.Americn coast, and sleeping on deck, but at least far enough out to sea to avoid the mozzies. Don't know if you recall the old flit guns, we used to pump the cabin up with, whatever it was loaded with, shut the cabin door for an hour, and then turn in, and still would get the old bzzzz as you were about to nod off, happy days, kt

[Tony Taylor]

1967 first trip to sea, Tranmere to Das Island to load and then to some awful place in the gulf of Oman to bunker, stinking hot, too hot to stand still on deck for any length of time, on sailing from the bay where we had bunkered at anchor the chief engineer turned the air conditioning off, saying open your porthole, there's a breeze now,. Yeah along with fumes of crude oil cargo.
Years later, as mate arriving in port hedland ,40 degrees plus, blazing sun, lost all power, idiot captain screaming over the VHF to the port asking for tug help us to get us to the anchorage as he had no engine and no navigation lights!!!!
Rgds
J.A.

in Jan / early Feb 67 Took two full cargoes (30,000tons each) from Bandar Mashur to the the new port / loading point at Mina Al Fahal in Oman, we were the first vessel (so we were told) in there as bunker fuel was required for subsequent tankers going in to load crude.

[Doc Vernon]

i left the sea in 64, and apart from the last ship, never had air con, only the 5 gallon drum wind scoop stuck out the port hole., and still would get the old bzzzz as you were about to nod off, happy days, kt

Well remember those old Wind Scoops Keith, through the Tropics and along the East Coast of Africa, hot hot. The scoops helped a bit though without them it would have been so much worse! Happy Days!!