What are you drinking Xmas day?

[Lifelong]

What was your employment over there Lifey? I'm intrigued!

I was an engineer in the Merchant Navy, had a job with Fyffes bananas who, at the time, were sub contracted to the American Fruit Company. 6 month trips with two months off. Either sail out of Southampton or they’d fly you to the States to join a ship. Spent the 6 months visiting Caribbean and Central American ports, loading up and then supplying a variety of American ports.
Stayed with them for 2 years then changed company to the Blue Star Port Line who supplied Australia and New Zealand with general cargo sailing out of London and Liverpool.
A great time in my life with some cracking memories.

 

[PSumbler]

I had a nice glass of red with my lunch and the evening was with two cups of PG Tips. Rock n roll me!

 

[dickythorpe]

What was your employment over there Lifey? I'm intrigued!

I was an engineer in the Merchant Navy, had a job with Fyffes bananas who, at the time, were sub contracted to the American Fruit Company. 6 month trips with two months off. Either sail out of Southampton or they’d fly you to the States to join a ship. Spent the 6 months visiting Caribbean and Central American ports, loading up and then supplying a variety of American ports.
Stayed with them for 2 years then changed company to the Blue Star Port Line who supplied Australia and New Zealand with general cargo sailing out of London and Liverpool.
A great time in my life with some cracking memories.

Wow! That's an interesting career to say the very least!
Still despite all the far flung parts of the world there is no finer slow gin than what Gower berries produce.
Just off to for a glass of bucks fizz whilst watching James Martin cook a rib of beef.

 

[airedale]

What was your employment over there Lifey? I'm intrigued!

I was an engineer in the Merchant Navy, had a job with Fyffes bananas who, at the time, were sub contracted to the American Fruit Company. 6 month trips with two months off. Either sail out of Southampton or they’d fly you to the States to join a ship. Spent the 6 months visiting Caribbean and Central American ports, loading up and then supplying a variety of American ports.
Stayed with them for 2 years then changed company to the Blue Star Port Line who supplied Australia and New Zealand with general cargo sailing out of London and Liverpool.
A great time in my life with some cracking memories.

Did you ever encounter any large black tarantlia spiders in the nanas Lifey?

 

[Fireboy]

What was your employment over there Lifey? I'm intrigued!

I was an engineer in the Merchant Navy, had a job with Fyffes bananas who, at the time, were sub contracted to the American Fruit Company. 6 month trips with two months off. Either sail out of Southampton or they’d fly you to the States to join a ship. Spent the 6 months visiting Caribbean and Central American ports, loading up and then supplying a variety of American ports.
Stayed with them for 2 years then changed company to the Blue Star Port Line who supplied Australia and New Zealand with general cargo sailing out of London and Liverpool.
A great time in my life with some cracking memories.

Wow I bet it was awesome.

If I had my time again i would have joined the navy, just to see the world.

 

[dickythorpe]

Great thread.

Anyone a member of naked wines?

 

[airedale]

• t

Great thread.

Anyone a member of naked wines?

Yes, me.

 

[Lifelong]

I was an engineer in the Merchant Navy, had a job with Fyffes bananas who, at the time, were sub contracted to the American Fruit Company. 6 month trips with two months off. Either sail out of Southampton or they’d fly you to the States to join a ship. Spent the 6 months visiting Caribbean and Central American ports, loading up and then supplying a variety of American ports.
Stayed with them for 2 years then changed company to the Blue Star Port Line who supplied Australia and New Zealand with general cargo sailing out of London and Liverpool.
A great time in my life with some cracking memories.

Did you ever encounter any large black tarantlia spiders in the nanas Lifey?

Not personally but there were lots of stories going around, the holds of the ship, where the bananas where kept,were refrigerated to about 56 degrees Fahrenheit and this temperature had to be checked twice a shift. To gain access to the hold you had to go out on the deck, open a small hatch, and then climb down a ladder.
On one occasion, apparently, an engineer went down the hold and on climbing back up the ladder a snake was coiled up near the exit.

 

[airedale]

Did you ever encounter any large black tarantlia spiders in the nanas Lifey?

Not personally but there were lots of stories going around, the holds of the ship, where the bananas where kept,were refrigerated to about 56 degrees Fahrenheit and this temperature had to be checked twice a shift. To gain access to the hold you had to go out on the deck, open a small hatch, and then climb down a ladder.
On one occasion, apparently, an engineer went down the hold and on climbing back up the ladder a snake was coiled up near the exit.

Kin ell. That’s the trouble with hot places, there’s always something that’s gonna bite you. If they don’t get you on land they get you in the water.

 

[Dr. Winston]

A great time in my life with some cracking memories.

A friend of mine's father has just retired from Maersk. Used to be a skipper on some of their container ships. Good money but home about two months out of twelve. They used to fly out and meet him on the regular. Some interesting videos on Facebook taken in some of the Pacific waves tho.

 

[Lifelong]

A great time in my life with some cracking memories.

A friend of mine's father has just retired from Maersk. Used to be a skipper on some of their container ships. Good money but home about two months out of twelve. They used to fly out and meet him on the regular. Some interesting videos on Facebook taken in some of the Pacific waves tho.

My first trip at sea was on an interesting ship, it was the SS Chuscal which experienced a tragic incident a few years earlier.

National Memorial Arboretum
11 April 2018 ·
On Tuesday 12 April 1966, SS Chuscal was 520 miles south-east of Newfoundland, on course to return to the UK from Jamaica, when struck by ferocious waves. The 411-foot long freighter was laden with precious cargo; threatened by the perilous conditions, crew members were ordered to brave the weather and make their way forward along the deck to secure some horse boxes which had broken loose. As they attempted to lash down the cargo the five crew members were engulfed by a 70-foot wave and swept overboard into the raging sea.
Life belts were swiftly thrown over the side of the ship to aid the men. Captain John Beatson was faced with the impossible decision of whether to turn the ship around with a high probability of capsizing the ship or leaving the five men at the mercy of the waves. With a heavy heart he resolved he could not turn the ship and risk the lives of all those remaining on board.
All five men perished, and their bodies were never recovered. With no known grave except the sea, the friends and families of those lost have been denied the opportunity to visit the final resting place of their loved ones to say goodbye and to remember them.
Tomorrow (12 April 2018), friends and family of the seamen will gather at the Arboretum, in Staffordshire for a service to dedicate a memorial in the Merchant Navy Wood to the five crew members;
• William Leslie Harvey
• Alan Robert McLintock Moodie (pictured)
• Andrew Self (pictured)
• Michael Sydney Smith (pictured)
• Richard Martin Willcock (pictured)
Image may contain: 1 person, smiling
No photo description available.
Image may contain: 1 person, smiling

 

[MajorR]

Did you ever encounter any large black tarantlia spiders in the nanas Lifey?

Not personally but there were lots of stories going around, the holds of the ship, where the bananas where kept,were refrigerated to about 56 degrees Fahrenheit and this temperature had to be checked twice a shift. To gain access to the hold you had to go out on the deck, open a small hatch, and then climb down a ladder.
On one occasion, apparently, an engineer went down the hold and on climbing back up the ladder a snake was coiled up near the exit.

My cousin started working on the banana boats back in the 80’s carrying fruit from the Caribbean and South Africa to the middle east. He reckons by the time the ships got to Saudi and the cargos holds were emptied there’d usually be a fair few dead spiders and snakes in the bottom of the hold.
I think the ships he worked on were a bit rough and ready, but he really enjoyed himself and saw some far flung destinations. He did the 6 months on and 2 or 3 months off rota and earned good coin as well as gaining fantastic experience. He left after a while to go to work for a blue chip company and never looked back.

 

[Epaul]

I was an engineer in the Merchant Navy, had a job with Fyffes bananas who, at the time, were sub contracted to the American Fruit Company. 6 month trips with two months off. Either sail out of Southampton or they’d fly you to the States to join a ship. Spent the 6 months visiting Caribbean and Central American ports, loading up and then supplying a variety of American ports.
Stayed with them for 2 years then changed company to the Blue Star Port Line who supplied Australia and New Zealand with general cargo sailing out of London and Liverpool.
A great time in my life with some cracking memories.

Wow I bet it was awesome.

If I had my time again i would have joined the navy, just to see the world.

I did 9 awesome years in the RN, serving on 3 different warships, it was great, no way would I have got to travelled the world if I hadn't

 

[Fireboy]

Wow I bet it was awesome.

If I had my time again i would have joined the navy, just to see the world.

I did 9 awesome years in the RN, serving on 3 different warships, it was great, no way would I have got to travelled the world if I hadn't

I've planted the seed into my 14 year olds head about joining the navy not only to get to see the world but to get a trade, it isnt going down well with the missus

 

[Epaul]

I did 9 awesome years in the RN, serving on 3 different warships, it was great, no way would I have got to travelled the world if I hadn't

I've planted the seed into my 14 year olds head about joining the navy not only to get to see the world but to get a trade, it isnt going down well with the missus

Good for you , it's a great life, teaches you a lot, makes you grow up very fast