The Ship Enthusiast thread

[marknotgeorge]

Took part in the Tall Ships race last year...
Ships, planes, trains - what's not to like!

My sister did the Tall Ships Race on TS Royalist twice when she was a Sea Cadet. IIRC, something fell off the first year, so she got to go on again the next year.

 

[Salar]

Here's a watercolour I did a few years ago of the Helwick Lightship in Swansea marina.

 

[ozboz]

My first trip on a a Ship was the troop ship Tristram when in the forces , we came back on a Ferry , was terribly seasick both times , many years later In 2004 I spent a month working on the QE 2 , it was sailing to and from the Norwiegan Fiords and lots of European ports , had a great time ! Seasick , no , got some pills from the passenger shop , no trouble at all , best working time of my life , Got to say though, the pics of those sailing ships are something else !

 

[PeteXXX]

I will see what I can dig up on a forum which I sometimes look at .... Ships Nostalgia.

That'd be great, thanks. I might even have a look there myself

 

[PeteXXX]

Not doubting you, but it must have been a different type of "masters" certificate; perhaps for British coastal waters? To get a full blown Masters certificate was a long process, and you weren't eligible to even sit the exams without substantial periods of time spent at sea. For example, I was going for my second mates ticket (two steps below Masters) and that was a full time, 4 year course. During that 4 years you had to accumulate about 20 months sea time to be eligible to sit the exams.

Once that was out of the way, you had to do a few more years at sea before sitting your First Mate's certificate, then another few years before it was time for Masters.

Alas, he is not here to ask. I know he ended up, after quite a few years, captaining ships based in Africa and living in Malawi and other far flung foreign places, so he must have started 'local' and worked his way up the ladder.

 

[claudbutler]

In 1981 I went on the schools ship SS Uganda round the Baltic Sea, in 1982 it was converted to a hospital ship for the Falklands War - in her pomp:

View attachment 115349

I was on the Uganda coming back from the Falklands,on the way there it was the Norland[sick as a dog all the way ]

 

[Gravity Aided]

My Father, during WWII, was claustrophobic, and would always commit a minor offense before his infantry unit took ship, so he would be placed on Kitchen Patrol instead of being battened down with the others in the hold. After a couple of invasions(perhaps New Britain?) the custom finally evolved that he was always put on Kitchen Patrol, and sometimes also assisted in other deck chores as they occurred.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Where did you get that photo of my dingy?

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

Where did you get that photo of my dingy?

I have my methods

 

[ufkacbln]

Firstly my apologies to the OP for thread diversion

The Northern lights are spectacular(ish)

I saw them in Iceland, about 01:00 in the morning when the hotel staff woke us up and it was stunning, the photos never show the 3 dimensional movement or the simple eerie silence that you experience..then the tour guide said she was disappointed ... WTF

We were breathless and blown away so I have to see a "good" display

Then last year the prediction was awful so went for a pint in Reykjavik and the light s appeared over the harbour and I only had a cheap pocket camera so out of focus and not brilliant

So this year....

If the sky is are clear

If there is solar activity

If the ship is stable in reasonable water

If the light interference is low enough

I am hoping for the best


However something I learnt from many years cycle touring... all the best experiences are the ones you do not expect are the best

 

[ufkacbln]

When I left school I had a choice of trawlers, navy or the army. I chose the army and had a great 12 years.

Just think how much more fun you could have had if you had joined the real service

 

[Fab Foodie]

Before all this goes any further, any skateboard or rollerskate enthusiasts thinking of a thread, just say no.

Bear with me on this one ....

Circa 1976 Gordon and Smith Fibre-Flex slalom board I had when about 14 or so ..... currently being used by my son whose been using it since he was 14. Not retro, the real deal!
Now I mention this because Larry Gordon died last week, the man who revolutionised Surfing by building the first surfboards from a shaped foam core with a plywood stringer and then covered in a thin layer of fibre-glass. Much lighter than Balsa boards that had gone before. For a few of us a hero.

Thanks for reading.

 

[Jenkins]

Do let us know how it goes - I've always fancied one of those trips.

My mum & stepdad did one of the a few years ago and absolutely loved it.

Going back to cargo carriers, at Felixstowe Port quite a few years ago we used to have the Lykes Line vessels which used Lash barges or the See Bee system and the viewing point used to fill up to watch the main vessel effectively sink itself so the barges could be loaded before refloating itself for the deep sea crossing. (OK, I thought it was fascinating having seen it in action)

 

[Piemaster]

??????

Had a trip on one of those when doing a touristy vist to Laaardan.
Think they've had one go up in flames//sink since then?

 

[Piemaster]

Missed the start of this thread due to travelling to a ship I'll be going on tomorrow at some point.
I've been doing it a long time. Missed a lot of stuff due to it, had a lot a experiences as well due to the life involved. Fair few visits into Felixstowe on container carriers along the way though the only time I've seen much of it was an overnight stay in a hotel waiting for a vessel to dock.

Am I a ship enthusiast? Not really - different perspective when actually working on one.