Not so smart meter

[j.sabourn]

#20 you weren’t very far off that when in the offshore Louis , if you had joined Star Offshore you would have been issued with a sleeping bag from about 1970 onwards . However think you said one time you would never sail in such type of vessels. Said exactly the same myself one time, until push came to shove. Cheers JS

[cappy]

true i went to sea later than you and joined the nus later than you. I never saw a coal burning galley range and never had to carry a straw filled mattress with me whenever i joined a ship.
My three discharge books are the genuine article, unlike someone you know.

R786940

louis i shall not even answer your snide remark ......you are are stirrer....if you have something to say about another member do it like a man ..i recall you yacking on about skinning out in oz ....you didnt say you were with your brother or sister who lived there ffs r683532

[j.sabourn]

There are 60 places in both the old and the new discharge books , so 3 books is 180 places for ships discharges .
Voyages on offshore vessels were usually 4 weeks on and 4 weeks off in the uk so under normal circumstances per year would be 13.5 discharges to fill 3 books would be 180 divided by 13.5 which equals 13.5 years st sea , a smidgen of time at sea to fill 3 books. If foreign going deep sea 1 book would be ample for normal old time shipping , would probably still be half empty after a lifetime at sea. I have 3 discharge books and could of gone on to 4 , the first one I had for 25 years and was half empty but was mostly deepsea..The other two are completely full of mainly offshore vessels, and had to go back to the original half empty book to keep a record of my seatime . These are in addition to paper discharges I used to have off ships which today can’t remember as have lost them. Discharge books today can be very deceilving if you try to quote them without sighting . Cheers JS
PS So in fact for an actual time of just over 6 years actual sea Time one could fill 3 books . JS

[Louis the fly]

#22 Stirrer for mentioning the union you were part of and discharge books. Get your facts straight Auckland was where I jumped not Aus. I do not have to tell lies or embellish the truth the MN was my life.
Ignore me and I will definitely ignore you.

R786940

[J Gowers]

#23 I also have three discharge books (all the new type without the sobriety etc columns), first issued 1974 had 60 spaces for discharges, second issued 1996 had 102 spaces and the third issued 2013 had 90 spaces. First and second completly filled and the third only has 11 entries. Quite easy to have three books, or more, if you spent time on offshore rigs two weeks on two weeks off or four and four. The only reason I got my book stamped on rigs was to get a record of the seatime to renew my chiefs ticket every five years as MCA accepted time on rigs as seatime for this purpose.

I still have all the Engineers certificates of sea service, signed by the C/E, for when I was deep sea. Funny thing they all say V.G. under the sobriety column that I never really understood that did it mean I was Very Good at drinking :-).

[Doc Vernon]

Not getting too involved here but as i recall the old Books had place for 60 Entries, 10 pages of Six each! Like said in last post of first Book had!

Thats all i have to add here! LOL

[j.sabourn]

#25 Thank you JG I kept for exactly the same reason . I came ashore 20 years ago and for the deck one had to have proof of at least 2 years seatime in every 5 years for re-validation of certificates , otherwise one had to do I believe a 1 weeks course at some nautical establishment to update your nautical knowledge to the present day in question , if still the same I wouldn’t know.. The spaces in the later discharge books I would never have known thank you. I am surprised sometimes by the lack of knowledge of some of the use and law of discharge books of their days at sea. With the old book the master was required by law to give a report in such on the conduct and ability of its holder , this applied to every holder of a book. Except the master himself and any apprentice , the apprentice his seatime was entered. On the back of his Indenture , the first proof of whether you were an apprentice or a cadet. The discharges as required for Conduct and Ability if nothing out of the ordinary were VG. VG or G G or DR DR or ENR ENR or VNC VNC this could be a mixture of such letters for either Conduct or Ability.
A seaman had to be told what he was getting if not a VG. VG and could decline saying Iwant an ENR instead . Meaning Endorsement not Required . The number of seamen I have spoken to over the years who did not know this amazes me , and shows the system was often abused. Probably the reason it was taken out of the books later. Anyhow I spent 25 years deep sea and. 24 years offshore and if it hadn’t of been for the 24 years off shore I would still have been on the original book not yet half full. In Australia on the ships the swings were 6 weeks on and 6 weeks off , but were lucky to get 6 weeks off as usually called to some other ship to fill in. Causing the book to fill in even faster . Cheers JS

[Louis the fly]

We have come a long way from smart meters. No matter which company we get our supply from or how our energy usage is billed we are all in for a worrying time ahead. The cost of living crisis will have a devastating affect on those already struggling to keep their heads above water. Millions of people will not have the means to pay the ever increasing prices in everyday living costs, when the huge bills come in for gas and electricity many will sink.
UK 2022

[happy daze john in oz]

If info in the news today is correct then EU countries are in for a hard time, maybe a recession even.

There is a shortage of workers in so many industries, food supply is effected by this, no one to pick the fruit and veg.
Fuel prices going sky high as many countries attempt to run on renewable energy only.
They are trying to run before they can even crawl, renewables such as wind and solar are not able to meet demand now, just wait until winter sets in!!

Oil and Gas from Russia banned in EU, but for India and a few other countries a wonderful benefit, they can now but it, Russia continues to gain revenue at the expense of the people of EU, clever stuff that, not!!!

[Louis the fly]

We hear a lot about solar and wind power renewable energy but the sun does not always shine and the wind does not always blow.
A constant and totally predictable source of renewable energy is tidal power. Yet there seems to be little research or investment in this form of natural energy. If we could harness the power of tides as an island we would be free from the politics and price surges of the fossil fuel industries.