Captured moments

[joseph connor]

Having spent over an hour looking at photos members had posted of their time at sea I was taken with how lean and physically fit everyone looked, not an ounce of excess fat ,also how happy and close we all were , huddled together in cramped cabins arms around each other, moments captured at work or play,
Truly "A band of Brothers " . Joe .

[j.sabourn]

Probably a lot sailed with Harrisons of Liverpool Joe. Two of Fat and one of lean. Or hungry Hogarths, where some reckon you had to fight for food. Unlike John Wayne in the Movie the Green Beret where they were all a lean mean fighting machine. Putting arms around each other one must have got used to body sweat, as some ships water rationing was in the vogue. Today one doesn't see such problems only rarely. Water consumption once it got above 8 tons a day, became worrisome, as say on a 30 day passage that was 240 tons, today you would probably sail with 40 tons and make up a surplus on the evaporator or distiller no problem like yesteryear where the shipowner wanted that 200 tons for cargo, and didn't worry about the sweat.Cheers JS

[Doc Vernon]

Yes indeed Joseph
Those were the Years that we all were fit and Healthy,lean machines and full of it too LOL Fit carefree and happy as you say with all our mates,nothing like Today ,to me those were days of genuine Friendships,not just pretend!
The Years to remember forever!
Cheers

Not just saying this offhand but I like I guess many others here have always been a Genuine sort,would never in a Million Years turn my back on a good mate! Never!!!

[John Pruden]

just to wind the clock back for one more trip. none of our type of ships left though? jp

[j.sabourn]

Theres still plenty of oldies floating around John. None or very few British however. Seamen are still being used or misused whichever way you want to look at it. A small British survey vessel was bought by Malaysian owners and I stood by her for 3 months in Singapore she wasnt badly paid all things considered as the Indonesian crew were highly paid by their standards in Indonesia. Their aim however was to get work for her on the Australian coast and kept on asking me if she would be accepted down here. I kept on saying no, and just for starters she wasn't air conditioned in the accommodation, only in the survey rooms for the computers. I imagined they already knew that a foreign crew would not be allowed on the coast either and would have to employ Australian crew through the Seamans unions. However as much as people want to believe that money and higher wages is the root of all evil in shipping, in a lot of cases this is secondary to other higher costs. Am sure they would have accepted the higher wages with a much less crew than she already had. That was not the hold back, the air conditioning was a bigger hold back than crews wages. Seamans wages have always been low on the list of deductables for tax reasons in most countries, The biggest deductable is the depreciation of the ship, then comes insurance, then comes management fees, Food and crews wages is a toss up between them. And a lot more before you get that low on the pecking list. Cheers JS

[Captain Kong]

When I paid off the `NICHOLAS K,` Kyriakides of Athens. we walked down the gangway, six abreast whistling. we were so thin. Mother did not recognise me.
Six ounces of Fresh Offal per man per day, perhaps.
six ounces of brackish water per man, per day , perhaps.
The only fresh meat were the cockroaches.
We ordered fresh meat in India and got six goats on the hoof, "This is very fresh meat Sahib."
Even the Captain, the Mate and the Chief Engineer skinned out in Port Lincoln. it was that bad.
Good experience, and they whinge about Food Banks today , they don't know they are born today.
I say.
Brian.

[happy daze john in oz]

I still have the suit I wore the day my wife was married, I can still get one arm in but the trousers having been in the dark fort so long have seen a terrible effect on the waist band, it has shrunk.

But we were all fit and lean, working in catering with UCl you had no chance of putting any fat on, too much bloody work.

But we learned how to become professional drinkers and in some instances womanizers of the best kind.

The money may not have been the best, some food second rate but we stuck it out and stuck together just like the ribs on some of us.

But would we do it again? Bloody oath we would.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Joseph.
I just went to see the Dr for my monthly prostate injection, he reckons I'm as fit as a fiddle, he says that i will live to a hundred and fifty so I still have 65 years to go, he even took a photo to prove it.
Cheers Des

Des 1949.jpg

[joseph connor]

Hi Des,
Watch out for that bloody tiger ???.
I was tested neg a few weeks ago , had been peeing more than usual ,turned out just enlarged prostate ,quite common I believe , had an eye test too recently, the girl said my eyes were perfect ,no sign of any disease ,thankfully.
Here's to many more years of posts from all of us . Joe .

[Doc Vernon]

Hello Joseph
As to the weeing a lot I too have that at Night, but funnily enough I have been tested and the prostrate is fine,no sign of enlargement !
Doc says its when you are asleep the Kidney does not function all that well (in older People) and especially if one has Type 2 Diabetes ,which I have. So water does not get used as it should thus the excess wee.
But I have to drink a lot of water before going to Bed,as it helps these Cramps I used to get really painful they were (I still get then at times and Oh Boy! ) Also take Magenesium Tabs before bed as apparently thye do help with cramp~
This getting old is for the Birds I lie not! LOL
Other than that I am fit as can be expected at my age,the Eyes are not too bad but have to go now once a Year for testing before they will renew my Drivers Licence! Oh dear! Life is full of surprises!
Cheers

But without the good life we lived at most times,being at Sea ,and many other occupations (me that is) I feel most of us are really lucky to have good health at this time of our lives!
Keep going Lads one and ALL.