Manning Scales.

[j.sabourn]

They could always issue you with a Walky talky Des and you could answer the bells and call the bridge and say I’m alright Jack how about you ? JS
Incidentally #7 I was also told to stop all weekend overtime if possible and was only for watchkeepers. Caused a bit of dissension and it wasn’t the shipowner paying it, it was bisco. In my eyes the crews were better off under the old system , and the strike caused a lot of unnecessary harm , it was used as an excuse to negate the British merchant fleets from the Red Ensign. JS

[Les Woodard]

You are right there we got screwed over after the strike. It was only to benefit the home trade mob. I recall many hours on the forecastle doing look out and being bloody cold. Once the old plates of meat got cold you where stuffed but had to stay. Bloody lovely in the summer months. Trying to recall now. Two rings for port, three rings for starboard and four for dead ahead and the sound of my running feet going aft it that happened. It was doing forecastle lookout that got me in touch with myself especially on those balmy summer nights with just the sound of the bow wave. Anyone that did those lookouts would know how peaceful and serene they are I would just love to do a few more now to realign the old self.

[Roger Millard]

You are right there we got screwed over after the strike. It was only to benefit the home trade mob. I recall many hours on the forecastle doing look out and being bloody cold. Once the old plates of meat got cold you where stuffed but had to stay. Bloody lovely in the summer months. Trying to recall now. Two rings for port, three rings for starboard and four for dead ahead and the sound of my running feet going aft it that happened. It was doing forecastle lookout that got me in touch with myself especially on those balmy summer nights with just the sound of the bow wave. Anyone that did those lookouts would know how peaceful and serene they are I would just love to do a few more now to realign the old self.

And if I may add looking down to watch the Dolphins surfing, trying to keep awake while failing to report the Aden navigation system needless to say i was rightly diciplined. R

[James Curry]

As a 4th eng, always loved after the 8/12 midnight watch the J/Eng sometimes the 3rd mate we would take a few beers up forward and spend a an hour just listening and chatting. Nothing beats the sound of a bow wave and the sea, certainly in the tropics and no Air Con fell asleep many a time.

[Johnny Kieran]

Loved ringing the old bell. I remember it as one for starboard, two for port, three for dead ahead, but I could be wrong?
Those nights crossing the pacific were magical. Nobody for thousands of miles except on the bridge, just the noise of the ocean.
I do recall often seeing monsters climbing up the bow when watching the dolphins playing with the bow, and the green sparks they caused flying through the water.
There would be the odd noise too, god knows what made them, but they made me search around. The worst noise was old Rose, shuffling up the focsle head behind me, with just a towel round his big fat belly, to ask me for the fiver he lent me on the Kiwi coast. He did offer a different way to repay the debt though. I told him to f off or the only feel he'd get was my knife and spike. Worse things happen at sea.
Talking about bells, I was on lookout one new years eve on a cargo passenger once, and loads of em were fighting to ring the new year in, it was dinging for hours.

[Ivan Cloherty]

Loved ringing the old bell. I remember it as one for starboard, two for port, three for dead ahead, but I could be wrong?
.

You are correct

[Ivan Cloherty]

As a 4th eng, always loved after the 8/12 midnight watch the J/Eng sometimes the 3rd mate we would take a few beers up forward and spend a an hour just listening and chatting. Nothing beats the sound of a bow wave and the sea, certainly in the tropics and no Air Con fell asleep many a time.

We had magical moments at sea, that few will ever experience again, and certainly not on cruises where you are surrounded by light. The vista on the 0000/0400 watch either on the bow or monkey island with a 360 degree vista with stars from horizon to horizon touching the sea, and all lights out apart from nav lights, even better when bridge midships and steam engines aft, you could dream you had the quietness of a sailing vessel.



Anyway I am off to Spain at 0300 Sat to get in some light fandango for a week

[Tony Taylor]

We had magical moments at sea, that few will ever experience again, and certainly not on cruises where you are surrounded by light. The vista on the 0000/0400 watch either on the bow or monkey island with a 360 degree vista with stars from horizon to horizon touching the sea, and all lights out apart from nav lights, even better when bridge midships and steam engines aft, you could dream you had the quietness of a sailing vessel.



Anyway I am off to Spain at 0300 Sat to get in some light fandango for a week

you enjoy it Ivan!

[Johnny Kieran]

Have a nice time Ivan. We're just back from a 2 week cruise, great listening to other passengers telling us about the wonderful places they've been to and experienced. It's amazing how much you can experience during an 8 hour visit to a cruise port with several thousand other people.
It's the only thing I like about cruising, everyone gets off in port, and we can lie in the sun without touching everyone else, bliss.

[Des Jenkins]

I think like me Les is having a bit of trouble with his bells, unless he has been on the four bells, we both will have to take a run across the Tassie to refresh our memories.
Des