A memorable day, at Camden Pool.

[Doc Vernon]

Those SNOWBOW DVD's sure are great, i too have a few and yes you are correct,just get a few out settle on the Couch, and drift back in time ! Oh the Nostalgia!
Cheers

[John F Collier]

#1 John, Judging by the other posts we still hanker for those days now long gone. Every now and then when the mood takes me I dig out my SNOWBOW DVD's and 'am back to a time and places now forgotten. For you John "The Great Port of London" would be a must. I think there are more than 20+ DVD's and a lot of shipping companies are covered so one may find ships you sailed on and place's visited. Memory lane, all that's left.
Bill

Hi Bill, "{not sure if this post is for HD John or me, but here goes: Going to sea in the days that we knew was for most of us an unforgettable chapter
in our lives and we have the keepsakes, memories and this great MN site to constantly remind us of who we once were. I have got a collection of Snowbow DVDs I have the London, Liverpool and Bluewater series alsa mixture of UK docks and ships, bought over the years,loads of memories there
things like the London Mammoth floating crane, I remember seeing that coming to Orari to load a railway engine as deck cargo when we were doing HT on my first trip, I have a phot of me sitting on it, strangely, I had the Snowbow newsletter yesterday, they have just issued their 50th DVD, I met
Des Cox and his wife in the 90s, he was setting up stall at the Ship Show at Westminster, it was a huge marketplace of everything maritime, a great place
sadly long gone now. Thanks for the reminder of the DVDs, i don't go out much in the winter and with the rubbish we get on the tele nowadays, what's better than a catch up with the past , cheers.


Added Just for those who may be interested DVDs - Snowbow Productions - Maritime History DVDs

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi John C.
That was a really nostalgic post, I remember going down the pool in Cardiff and signing on at 16, like you, it wasn't with a group of mates but you alone heart beating fast, ready to join your first ship, no doubt wondering what was coming in your life. but once you had that first week under your belt you knew you would make it, the rst is history and enjoyment.
Des

[Keith Adams]

Hello Bill, Perhaps the Snowbow DVD’s have improved and perhaps i should pick up a few of the later ones.
I have the very early ones and there was a fair amount of repetition in each which disappointed me, but i was and am pleased they were made just the same. My Boys really aren’t interested in watching any of them, but based on recent school studies of WW2 events I do believe my Grand Children will really take a real interest — sort of like ancient history — almost disbelief we lived months on end 4 or more in a 8x12 ft cabin with one or two small portholes and shared a open saltwater shower. Not to mention the human affluent that discharged directly out the side of the hull with just a weighted batten board to deflect it downward when in dock or at anchor.
I like the sounds as well (not the farts !) — tugs answering the Pilot’s hand whistle for forward and ship’s whistle for aft. No radios and the only way you could talk home was by Sparks’ radio and then only in a very serious emergency. You know that the Sailing Ship seafarers had to have thought what we had was paradise ! Keith

[happy daze john in oz]

Snowbow, should be called nostalgia, as that is what it is now.

But as to Southampton as Vernon says, the town is nothing as we knew it though the docks have not changed too much.
But the main street had at one time who knows how may pubs, now not a one.
You have to go to the side streets to find one, yes the JB is still there along with a couple of others.
The only bit of the center of town that has not changed is the Bar Gate, though the pub of that name is gone.

The seaman's church is still there but the main high street is now a paedestrian only affair.

But like so many other big cities and town big changes are taking place, change one of the certanties in life.

[John F Collier]

Hi John C.
That was a really nostalgic post, I remember going down the pool in Cardiff and signing on at 16, like you, it wasn't with a group of mates but you alone heart beating fast, ready to join your first ship, no doubt wondering what was coming in your life. but once you had that first week under your belt you knew you would make it, the rst is history and enjoyment.
Des

Hi Des, for me a walk down memory lane is an escape from the gloom and doom merchants. Remember how chuffed I was when I got home
for my first leave, I can' remember my initial pay but I had a pocketful of the old white fivers, been through the panama canal, visited NZ and
Nova Scotia, still only sixteen but felt ten feet tall and very proud, maybe the pay would seem low to shore siders but look at what we got for it,
good food, duty free ciggies and beer and getting paid paid to travel the world. Apart from mums cooking and fish and chips, the only cooked
meals I knew were school dinners "nuff said" and the range of delicacies offered by the "Vindi" which Was an acquired taste, I did like the sea pie
thogh, God knows what was in that , I only sailed on cargo ships, after the austerity of post war years I really thought the food we had
was great, had things I'd never heard of ashore, yes it was a great life, no wonder we can't let go of it , cheers.

[Dennis McGuckin]

Thought I had died and gone to heaven when I joined my first ship.
I had never eaten a steak until then.
Never had a ship that was a bad feeder.
Well maybe the tab nabs could have done with a bit more rum. lol.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi John.
I just looked at my discharge book and I realized that I still had 4months to go until my 16th birthday when i went to the Vindi, and still had 16 days until my 16th birthday when I joined my first ship.
Des

[happy daze john in oz]

Before going to the Vindi I had always thought the food at home was good, but once there I discovered food such as mum often threw out, never knew how it got to Sharpness.

But on my first voyage I discovered Curry, brewed coffee, never drank tea again after that, fish other than Cod or Rock Salmon and chips.
Maltabella as well as porridge and breakfasts so big one would feed you for a week.
Roasts every day, Shephards pie made with real meat, we had it at the Vindi made with real shephards I think, and steak to make the eyes water.

Remember coming home the first time and telling the family about the great food while sitting down to braised steak.

[Keith Tindell]

I never complained about the food at sea, Mum always fed us well, but not too long after the end of the war, the choice was not there in the shops. The only problem i had at sea was i never could stand tea with sugar, and apart from in port for a few days where we had fresh milk, it was down to conny onny,which as every one knows is sweet, so i started to drink my tea black, and still do today, if someone offers me tea with milk in it, just cannot drink it.Today of course there is much better choices for milk , long life etc.