longest time between ports

Hi shipmates . Hi Captain Kong xxx I was on Esso the small ones Hythe brixham and another one is in my book forgot the name , doing the bunkers{ all the famous big ships in Southhampton docks to Fawley and power stations around the coast not very nice in winter time, scape flow, the islands of Scotland and ireland north and south the deck was mostly underwater at sea. Had a drink on the Esso north something a big one in milford haven lovely bar, I was a few sheets to the wind after .I have been on many ships big and small but it was a long while back my first age 14yrs I cant remember them all today.

In our days we were inventive, no computers, no I phones, no e-mail in fact none of what the younger generation cannot survive without. We enjoyed each others company, we talked, and sometimes argued without violence, we enjoyed a beer without getting drunk, but we had no drugs then to add to it. We were men of the world very often well before our time and the better for it. We endured bad conditions at times, poor food, tough masters yet we came through it all and would willingly do it again. Once ashore we found we were better equiped to deal with life, we looked the world in the eye and never flinched. Somehow I cannot see many of the current generations being able to cope with things we had to.

Sadly Internet is still not available for crew except with the best o companies. Ports of call are counted in hours and with a crew of 12, some of those on watches, the reality is that your lucky if you dine together and probably see little else of your colleagues. The regulation has gotten worse and worse. I think you had it better John Stange.

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Originally Posted by Rick R

Sadly Internet is still not available for crew except with the best o companies. Ports of call are counted in hours and with a crew of 12, some of those on watches, the reality is that your lucky if you dine together and probably see little else of your colleagues. The regulation has gotten worse and worse. I think you had it better John Stange.

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We surely did, even though the pay and leave entitlement was cr*p, our shore shenanigans made up for it

As I used to say to my kids when complaining about the time it took them to walk to school- 'Ive been longer on one wave'.

It may not have been just the time between ports but the conditions you had to endure. Left Suez on way to Oz. Broke down in Red Sea and spent a couple of days while engineers fixed problem. Then a water problem, Red Sea to Melbourne, two pints of fresh water per man per day. No air conditioning so most slept on deck at night going across the Indian Ocean. We arrived with all the crew in whites, not normal whites, but salt stain whites.

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Originally Posted by happy daze john in oz

It may not have been just the time between ports but the conditions you had to endure. Left Suez on way to Oz. Broke down in Red Sea and spent a couple of days while engineers fixed problem. Then a water problem, Red Sea to Melbourne, two pints of fresh water per man per day. No air conditioning so most slept on deck at night going across the Indian Ocean. We arrived with all the crew in whites, not normal whites, but salt stain whites.

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This still happens sadly, the last cargo ship I was on was in 2006 had potable water running orange, which resulted in stained/ruined clothes, water rationing due to inadequate tanks and poorly running evaporator, air con which was destroyed by the engineers whilst in the Arabian gulf resulting in me getting rashes and a lifelong skin condition (dormant most of the time thankfully) and sadly as the only British Officer amongst a poorly trained 3rd world crew there wasn't much else I could do. The trip was probably the worst one in my life with various incidents and issues which occured, in hindsight i probably shouldnt have accepted the contract and in fact I resigned part way through to head off to the cruise ships.

Good companies, with good conditions and first world crew are in the minority. Overall contracts are probably shorter, money is perhaps better, but quality of life isn't always that great.

That all being said, I'm now on a ship with a large crew, a well stocked wardroom and full steward and laundry service.

Around the World trip Feb. '51- Dec.'51 on British Might. No A/C, No comforts, no cigs., no beer or hard booze, no phone , no internet, little moolah, lotsa' weevils, roaches, etc., but great crew and shipmates.
Longest time between ports, Singapore - L.A. 4 weeks (No cigs). L.A. - Dunedin, N.Z. 6 weeks, Auckland - Panama (now I forget). But one of my best remembered times aboard any of my ships from '42- '45 and '49-'56.

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Originally Posted by Neville Roberts

I think its been done before but whar was your longest time at sea between ports mine was on a blue star boat too the west coast of the states it took us 28 days too get too panama, kept breaking down in mid atlantic , and doing about 5 knots some days , when we got into the carribean we saw land and it was like we had never saw it before WOW look lads land :eek::eek:

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42 days, Melbourne to Dakar, on Melbourne Star, for Bunkers. 1968.

As Neville says think most of us have done before... think I said previously 90 plus days from B.A to Japan in I think 1954. On a 3 cylinder doxford going on two and stopping every day or slowing right down to steerage only for scavenge fires. Anchored off Durban for a few days. No contact with the shore. Also off Singapore western anchorage for water boat , otherwise the same no contact with shore. Guess what arrival Moji people were falling over themselves to get the gangway out. JS.