What was....

[gray_marian]

Your most exhilaration experience at sea?

[Lou Barron]

Sailing up the River Mersey on the SS Monawai in 1945

[Doc Vernon]

Without doubt my first Trip on the Dunnottar Castle and the crossing with the Durban Castle at Sea.
This Pic was actually taken while I was aboard,i tell no lies!
dunnoter_AA[1].jpg

Then the waking up nearing the UK and rushing up on deck early hours to get a first ever view of those magnificent White Cliffs.although it was very foggy and could see too much!

Lastly the Docking at KG5 and the wonder of all those Ships in port,it was like a dream!
Cheers

http://www.merchant-navy.net/forum/u...ost153813.html

[j.sabourn]

Landsend for orders inward bound, followed by proceed to the Tyne for drydocking. When Cappy was on the Avonmoor he was probably too busy with his finger stuck in the hole which he had put there with his chipping hammer, had to stay there until the ship hit the blocks in Hawthorne Leslies in South Shields. He did however get 1/9d a day subsistance for a pint and a packet of crisps, during the drydock. JS PS He used to walk all the way to the Mechanics every lunchtime, that is real dedication. JS

[cappy]

....i stood at a ships wheelwith my grandaat 10 or 11years of age but my greatest feeling was ....homeward bound after a hard time in oz when the 2nd mate went into the chartroomabout 2in the morning and there was just me at the wheel and i was going home it was the ist time i had felt the world was mine and i had control of my life again for a while ...as for what john ses about seafaring familys i had ......2 grandas 2 uncles 3 great uncles and 3 other raelations all at sea......in my class at school out of 15 or 16 boys at least 8 went to sea although some for only one trip........the tyne was stuffed with ships and all nationalities wandered rond shields town......now i feeel sad when i look at the river........2 ferries an odd passenger and a couple of bulkers at what i new as the iron ore quay but now is more coal comimg into it reh=gards cappy

[Des Taff Jenkins]

HI Marian.
Without a doubt sailing up the Caribbean on my first trip. Lovely green blue seas where the idols of my youth used to sail under the Scull and Crossbones, I can remember that feeling to this day.
Cheers Des

Birthday card233.jpg

[happy daze john in oz]

M

Marian, such a question boggles the mind. There were many that got me excited but maybe one of the most pleasing was seeing Table Mountain for the first time as well as the Sydney harbour Bridge, the Opera house was still under construction , the most unusual being on board in Durban whilst there was a fire on board and not knowing about it.

[Ivan Cloherty]

Don't think it can be classed as exhilarating, but certainly memorable, being tied to the foc'le head rails of a trawler in inclement weather when I said I felt sick at the age of 13. In all honesty I think probably the most exhilarating (and daunting) for most of us would be arriving alongside our first deep sea ship, marvelling at it's size, even in those days, reaching the top of the gangway and entering a whole new world which seemed complex beyond imagination, but which we came to love, and at times hate, but never forget, which gave us experiences and adventures that shore wallahs could not comprehend or imagine.

Best stop before I start crying!!

[j.sabourn]

Ivan looking back on the past some of us would appear to be lunatics especially to todays merchant venturers. After the seamans strike I went away voluntary with 3 different foreign flag companys for a supposedly year at a time, and I had a wife and a young family. I am sure others had also to do this as was the expected thing even on British ships on 2 year articles. Fortuanetly living in a seafaring area most familys realized this was a necessary thing to do. Can you imagine anyone doing it today? The wives for a start would not accept it, it was only after I retired that I had a guilty conscience on how little time I had spent ashore with the family whilst they were growing up. This was one of the reasons I went in to the North Sea, apart from there being very few jobs elsewhere apart from the 12 months contracts. Even in the North Sea some of the companys gave very little leave, a good one to compare notes with would be the Ch. Eng. on here yesterday with Colne Shipping which I beleive not being the worst in the North sea were certainly not the best but about average. The leave scale they had in the 80"s would give a good idea of how well off we were not. Would we do it again ... most probably would .. but with a bit more hindsight not take some of the crap that came with it. Cheers John S

[John Arton]

1. Walking out of the Examination Centre for Masters and Mates in Gosforth, three times, each time clutching a piece of paper with "pass" on it.
2. Ist time in a free fall lifeboat launch
3. Doing 25kts on a fully laden VLCC in the Agulhas current and going past a Union Castle Liner like it was standing still
4. Stuck in Ice in Canada and watching migrating moose and bears crossing the ice over to Newfoundland
5. Due to censorship cannot relate those exhilarating moments that occurred with the fairer sex.
6. At sea but on leave, watching the birth of both my children
rgds
JA
p.s. numbering is not in order of importance