the geordie tramp

[cappy]

the tramp ship nudged against the quay
within the hour she,d go to sea
heading north to the river tyne
2 3 weeks to reach the line
arethe buggers drunk ...the oldman said
and looked at the mate who dropped his head
not one sober the mate replied
some so drunk you think theyve died
send for the bosun the old man said
and if he,s drunk i,ll have his head
he,s still ashore in the honky tonk
and now on his 3rd bottle of plonk
i must get this ship to sea and the drunken scuts
they wont stop me
2 hours later they all aboard
and the long haul home begins

going home from oz on a geordie tramp as seen by cappy

[j.sabourn]

Chapmans, Runcimans or Ropenors Cappy. Were you the last back. Cheers John S

[cappy]

Chapmans, Runcimans or Ropenors Cappy. Were you the last back. Cheers John S

#####no john i missed the old banger ....regards cappy

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iwas tucked up nicely with a lovely aussie bird .......never regretted missing the old banger......ah youth and love....regardscappy

[j.sabourn]

Remember now the Emu. However you did finish up on a greyhound of the seas when eventually asked politely to leave. Wasn't that where you met old Hoggie or was that another time and was my old mate Roberts, you did know he was a Sand Dancer didn't you, and Hoggie was from W.B. and his old man had the milk rounds from Horse drawn Milk floats in Cullercoats. Cheers John S

[cappy]

well john they were the old timers .....and hard cases ......many were original sailing ship men.......kindnes was put in a dark place and seldom showed ......old roberts had me truly scared of him.......if i saw him i ducked and ran ......when the lads sent me scuttling up the jetty in adelaide with 2 buckets for beer before the alkali closed ...with dollars guilders and stirling coins ....plus the threat if i drunk or spilled any they would batter me .......old roberts was on the wing of the bridge as i came trotting back complete with the buckets filled with beer .....where the eff are you going to ......who told you to bring beer aboard my ship .......thro it away now ....so knees trembling i threw the two buckets into the water were upon the crowd were shouting when you come aboard we wil batter you ...and old roberts shouting ...who sent you ...who sent you.....me by then wishing i was somewhere else.....replyingi dont know who sent me ....him shouting youve been on here 7 months and you dont know who sent .....are you a bloody fool ........looking back petrified of theold bugger ....but a true seaman .........and now i love to tell the tale .....regards cappy .....ps he didnt charge me for the buckets

[j.sabourn]

He must have been sixtyish then. Used to stand on his deck above the Gangway in Japan and make the lads smash their big bottles of Saki against the ships side when reboarding at 7 in the morning. Got me coming back and was in the gyro room stripping down the Gyro and changing mercury etc, before restarting before sailing that evening, 2 mate he shouts at me I saw you coming back this morning, what sort of example is that to set to the crew, I had a bad head so said eff the crew and its none of your business I'm over 21. He never bothered me again in fact used to get glasses of whiskey passed to me coming off watch at 0430 in the morning, sometimes later as the mate had a tendency to not arrive until later to relieve me, that was Dixie Dean who was later master with someone on this site. I sailed with Roberts after that and never had any problems with, in fact quite liked the old beggar. Just a lonely old man who lived inside himself. As long as he trusted you, you were ok. I sailed with a lot like him all with the last war not far behind them, some were good but you still got the occasional Dick Head, but sailed with more good ones than bad. Cheers John S

[Richard Quartermaine]

When I joined the Lowlander in Oz in January 47 my Geordie shipmates had already been on board about 6 months. We were supposed to be going to London via Panama, US and Canada. We turned around in Halifax and went back to Oz. I was paid off quick smart in Melbourne because I was only 15 when I signed on. I don't know whether they went back to England but it was some long voyage for them, probably twice around the Globe.

[Charlie Hannah]

John he was a good of the guy's all ways drank with the crew,remember one day we had a job and finish we all got on the juice with him sitting on the deck in my cabin he was sitting between me and old Jonesy next thing we know he is telling Jonesy he will give him a hiding,I said if you lay a finger on him i will f------well break your f--ing jaw.That brought him up short he apologized to Jonesy,we carried on having a good time nothing changed every time there was a few of the lads having a bevvie he would be there.That was on the Hazlemoore.

[j.sabourn]

#8... Charlie I was on the Hazelmoor at various times 3 2 and acting mate. Knew Dixie very well and when circumstances permitted went ashore with him, he was a big lad with plenty of weight, liked his beer. He used to do Roberts paperwork before pay off as I did as 2nd. mate with other masters. You were probably on the Hazelmoor after 1964 as Runcimans or Moor Line as were called went up to Glasgow and used Anchor Line as their head office, I wouldn't go as they were not given out any permanent employment at the time. Went with R.S,Dalgliesh another Tyneside outfit. Moor line went back to original name of owner and became I think Runciman Shipping, I was with them 11 years before going with Daggies. Mike Dean was his proper name and don't know who christened him Dixie, may of even been me. Think I posted how he lost most of his right thumb, which some of it regrew according to him. He may even not be with us anymore as would say he was at least 10 years older than me. There were some mornings he wouldn't get out of his bed until about 0500 and daybreak starting then he used to try and keep me talking and keeping the chronometer times while he shot his stars, maybe this is why the old man Roberts used to give me a glass of whiskey coming off watch. I didn't mind too much apart from the fact I had to be on the bridge again for sun sights about 0830. There was one thing about the old men like Roberts he never pranced around the Bridge pretending to take noon sights as some of the bullsh#t artists used to do, he used to leave you to it, the second mate was the navigator and his only input would be keep her a minimum of 3 miles off any shoals or land. There was a different attitude to life in general than what later appeared. My first permanent job as Mate the second mate who was in his sixties complained to the old man that I was given him late reliefs, I didn't get onto the bridge a couple of times before 0403. He didn't last on the ship the same as his sparring partner a 64 year old 3rd. mate a couple of useless articles. They weren't seamen they were posers. Give me the Roberts and the Mike Deans of the world any day of the week. Cheers John S.

[Charlie Hannah]

John as you say he was one of the good ones.I was on her in late 60s can't say the date i was on her as my discharge book is adrift after the Star boat i backed out of.We used to call him by his first name Mike.
He never ever logged any of the deck crowed but then i have to say it was a real good bunch of lads and a very happy crowed all round.Good trip wish i had the chance all over again i would sign on the dot. Cheers.