Various voyages

[Dennis McGuckin]

Hi Eric.
Got all of my trips, and some run ashore's, on a disk.
Did it for my own enjoyment.
Someone may find them interesting after I have crossed the bar.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

HI Den/John W
I kept a log of my trips on my first two voyages then like an idiot when I emigrated to NZ I threw them away along with all but one of my payoff slips. Mad as a cut snake now.
Cheers des

[j.sabourn]

#9... Richard you mention Wyndham in your post. What was it like in those far off days. Was working in the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf tendering for a big South African Dredger there looking and finding diamonds. However was told would have to use Wyndham as the port for taking out crew and stores Fresh water etc . Thinking I would have a pilot for the first trip in as had never been before said ok. However the pilot /harbour master was away over in Broome for a number of days so had to do the first trip in without which thereafter never used. However pleased I went in Daylight as have to follow a river into, was able to see all the crocs on the banks and was like being on the African Queen. Carried on after this and apart from the final bend in the river which had a buoy on with a light was the only navigational mark for the pilotage. Was in and out night and day for the next week. Was informed by the Harbour master when he returned from Broome however there was no night navigation in the river, this was on coming back from the pub, so was pleased and went back to the only one for miles, as at this time the meat factory and everything was gone. The one buoy in the river was marking extremely shallow water and larger ships had a habit of going aground there. Is really a place that most people would say was like the visions of an old Australia. Cheers John S

[happy daze john in oz]

Hi Eric.
Got all of my trips, and some run ashore's, on a disk.
Did it for my own enjoyment.
Someone may find them interesting after I have crossed the bar.

and of course by then they will not be able to ask all those embarrassing questions. LOL

[Richard Quartermaine]

John S. Wyndham in 1948 was a jetty at the end of which was a T junction dirt road that had a couple of large buildings, one housing the main provisions store. It was midsummer and the dry heat sucked the perspiration away as soon as it oozed out. It was so hot I only got to the end of the jetty and turned around back to the Koolinda. The murky water was full of crocodiles that were hanging around because of the proximity of the abattoir. I have a photo or two and will take a look for them. The Overlanders was a film starring Chips Rafferty and highlights the epic droving adventure a few earlier than my visit. The West Coast was a very interesting couple of voyages and the people were delightful. The Koolinda was really their connection with the outside world and transport in and out. The mangroves at the edge of the tremendous tidal surges were full of interesting life, such as the lung fish that skipped around the mud.
Drovers Memorial | Monument Australia
Cultural Atlas of Australia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koolinda
Cheers, Richard
Richard

[Richard Quartermaine]

#8 & 9 Continued. Shaw Saville Line. QSTEV New Australia ex Monarch of Bermuda. Left Southampton 27.8.51
Southampton,Port Said, Aden, Colombo, Fremantle, Melbourne, Sydney,Fremantle, Aden, Port Said, Ceuta Spanish Morocco, Southampton. Discharged Southampton 3.11.51
Captain KDG Fisher, Master. Mr W Stone-Riley Chief Steward. Mr R James Staff Chief Steward. Mr P Redford 2nd Steward.

SS Gothic Shaw Saville Line (Royal Yacht commissioned by Adnmiralty). Left Cammell Lairds Birkenhead 13.12.1951.
Birkenhead, Southampton, Navy Trials Torquay/Portland Bill, Southampton, Las Palmas, Cape Town, Mombassa (Royal Tour abandoned on death of King George VI),Melbourne, Sydney, Port Chalmers NZ, Wellington, Pitcairn Island, Panama Canal, Cristobal, Willemstaad Curacao, Liverpool. Discharged 12.6.72
Captain AV Richardson, Master. Mr JC Smith, Chief Steward. Mr.C Foulstone 2nd Steward.

SS Gothic Shaw Saville Line. Left Liverpool 11.6.52 'Run' London Victoria Docks. Discharged 13.6.52.
Captain AV Richardson, Master. Mr JC Smith, Chief Steward. Mr.C Foulstone 2nd Steward.

SS Gothic Shaw Saville Line. Left London 25.6.52.
London, Curacao, Balboa, Panama Canal, Suva Fiji, Wellington, Panama Canal, Colon, Curacao, London. Discharged 18.10.1952.
Captain AV Richardson, Master. Mr JC Smith, Chief Steward. Mr.C Foulstone 2nd Steward.

SS Gothic Shaw Saville Line. Left London 27.10.52. Home Trade.
London, Newcastle upon Tyne, London. Discharged 8.11.52.
Captain AV Richardson, Master. Mr Ray, Chief Steward. Mr. Van ?, 2nd Steward.

SS Gothic Shaw Saville Line. Left London 14.11.52.
London, Las Palmas, Cape Town, Fremantle, Sydney, Hobart, Port Chalmers, Lyttelton, Wellington, Pitcairn Island, Panama Canal, Curacao, Liverpool.
Discharged 12.3.1953.
Captain AV Richardson, Master. Mr JC Smith, Chief Steward. Mr.C Foulstone 2nd Steward.

I was Skipper's Tiger and when Commodore AV "Dickie" Richardson retired at the end of the above voyage I thought it was about time I dropped the anchor, or in my case the 'drogue'. Two weeks later I sailed to New York on the 'Queen Elizabeth' en route to immigrate to Toronto, Ontario. But the wanderlust is hard to shake.
Richard.

[j.sabourn]

Hasn't changed much. The pub was the only inhabited building at the end of the jetty. Was advisable coming back at night to have a torch in case of standing on a croc. They say when they used to ship steers out of there the crocs used to jump out of the water as they were swung on board and were sometimes successful. Must have been before the animal rights people got going. As you know there is a big rise and fall there and at low water the deck was about level with the quay. Cheers JS

[Dennis McGuckin]

and of course by then they will not be able to ask all those embarrassing questions. LOL

John. I have to admit that it was heavily edited.