El dorado of the seas mystery lingers on

[Rodney Mills]

I have a snake phobia. If we were watching a jungle type movie, sure as shite the hero gets trapped in a bed of snakes, my wife would say and give me a nudge "Shut your eyes." And tell me when it was "safe" for me to open my eyes.

The trouble with the sea snakes was that they were more curious then aggressive and they would come close for a look see, the problem was the diver's mask acted like a mirror and they would sort dance in front of the diver's mask. It never happened to us, but the thought of it was a major scare for me.

We saw heaps of sharks and I have some great photos I took of them underwater. Once a school of reef sharks were between us and the boat. My mate the captain saw what was going on and raced the boats props in neutral to scare them off, I took a photo and caught the sharks and the racing props and the bottom of the boat. I had them posted once on this site.

Cheers, Rodney

[Doc Vernon]

Should still be around then Rodney, somewhere in the Maze!
Were they put on the Gallery? Or just into a Post
Cheers

[j.sabourn]

Those girls from Aberdeen ( flensers and such ) used to commute from Aberdeen to North Shields at times during the mainly herring season whenever that was ? They descended on N.S. In their dozens and were kept employed full time. JS

[j.sabourn]

#30 Bill I sailed with a Captain MacCoughlin when I was an apprentice, he was mate and had been master previously with the owners of the Southern Harvester and Venturer, he wrote a book think he called it the Deep South , in longhand and got me to proof read it for him a terrible job as his writing in pen and ink was not of the best. He wrote it from an aspect of the working mate on the two vessels . Later rumour had it he went master on one of their transport ships running to South Georgia and threw one of the office staff off his bridge so got his marching orders and finished up in Runcimans where I was a second year apprentice cum his proofreader. The book sold in later years but I couldn’t afford to buy it. However Old MAC as we called him I sailed as mate with him in later years , he was still writing mainly fiction books by this time, but all had a seagoing background to his story lines.After living many years in South Shields he went back to. Scotland and the last I heard of him was when taking a ship into Leith and talking to the pilot , he said he was still alive and lived on the other side of the River , this was in the eighties , so doubt he is alive today unless he is about 120 .He is one of the old time characters the sea produced and I will never forget him , his life alone many books could be written about him, the people who later read his novels doubt they even knew anything about him apart from his name. Anyhow if you had read his first book courtesy of my proof reading it would of either put you off permanently or made you more keen to be a whaler. Cheers JS

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Rod.
Running through the Barrier Reef we would see those sea snakes, they were not that big, but the pilot said very deadly if they bit you, can't recall anyone dying from bites though. Did you come across any salt water crocs? Now they have a bite.
Des

[j.sabourn]

When it comes to snakes and their poisonous reputation. According to my old man the bootlace snake of India is one of the worse of that continent.He was stationed with Gurkha troops and was in the latrines one day when this Gurkha came in drew his Kukri pushes him against the wall , he thought his end had come as a ghurka will only draw his side arm to draw blood. However he proceeded to chop a bootlace in two with it. So named a bootlace as that is what it looks like. As regards the Gurkha soldier he had to thank him and apologise for preparing to defend himself. If a Ghurka draws his Kukri without drawing blood he will nick his own thumb pad to do so.JS

[Colin Wood]

Saw many sea snakes caught while loading phosphate at charismas island by the locals. They never landed them, always cut fishing line and tied to ship's rail, so they would dry out in the sun and die.
Have seen many saltwater crocodiles when living in Northern Territory. Use to camp by the East Aligator or Mary River's where crocs were plentiful. Never smile at a crocodile.

[happy daze john in oz]

There is a boat ramp not far from where we live, often take a Sunday morning walk along the front there.
Quite common for a fishing inspector to suddenly appear and ask to check the catch on any of the small craft that set out from there.

Recall one Sunday a couple of years ago when he pulled up a couple in a boat to check.
Thye looked oriental in make up and created quite a fuss when he told them there would be a fine for taking not only undersize fish, lobsters, and Scallops without a licence.
It ended up with the law being called while a dozen or so of us watched on.

Thye were taken away, their boat stored in the local boat shed under lock and key.
Never saw them down there again.

[cappy]

Hi Rod.
Running through the Barrier Reef we would see those sea snakes, they were not that big, but the pilot said very deadly if they bit you, can't recall anyone dying from bites though. Did you come across any salt water crocs? Now they have a bite.
Des

Many a young maiden got a terrible shock ....on seeing her ist trouser snake des .....there was a bloke from perf renowned for this .....he said if they giggled he was in.....if they sqeaked he signed on one of runcimans ....never less than nine months.....R683532

[j.sabourn]

That’s nearly as bad as John in Oz bowling his maiden over with one ball Cappy. Or listening in to the conversation of his Chinese fishermen when they said , ok ok we catch small clay, how much we play , how much you need to look udder way ? Cheers JS