Anyone Interested in Ships

[MarkC]

52 minutes ago, cunningduck said:

 

Is that some damage to your bulbous bow? Or just paintwork?

Just paint film damage; as JeremyC says, it'll be from the anchor chain. She's due to drydock in the middle of next year, so will look good again until after a couple of anchorages!

 

Mark

[MPR]

The view from Berry Head as dusk fell on the last day of 2020.

HMS Severn

Zaandam and Marella Explorer 2

Plus their sister ships Volendam And Marella  Explorer  respectively.

QM2 was flanked by Azura, Arcadia and Ventura

[The Stationmaster]

On 28/12/2020 at 20:51, MarkC said:

My present office - with yours truly on the bridge wing, I see, watching the Rescue Boat being exercised! Margate Roads today. A simple semi-pressurised, -48 Deg.C minimum cargo temperature  LPG carrier, for a change.

 

We're heading off to Sines, Portugal, tomorrow (29th), so will be at sea for New Year's Eve. We will, all being well, be ringing out the Old & ringing in the New in the traditional manner - 8 bells rung by the oldest person on board (ahem...), then 8 bells rung by the youngest member of the ship's company - my Engineer Cadet.

 

Mark

Have a good trip Mark and I hope your next relief works out a lot better than your worst 2020 episode.

[MarkC]

31 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

Have a good trip Mark and I hope your next relief works out a lot better than your worst 2020 episode.

Thanks, Mike. Fingers crossed for on time relief - 25th January...

 

And we did ring out the old & ring in the new in the proper way - it was appreciated by all on board

 

Mark

[St Enodoc]

3 hours ago, MarkC said:

And we did ring out the old & ring in the new in the proper way - it was appreciated by all on board

Do I take it that this tradition is not observed so commonly these days Mark?

[MarkC]

7 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Do I take it that this tradition is not observed so commonly these days Mark?

You may indeed - it's gone the same way as flag etiquette and, dare I say it, proper seamanship

 

Mark

[St Enodoc]

1 hour ago, MarkC said:

You may indeed - it's gone the same way as flag etiquette and, dare I say it, proper seamanship

 

Mark

Ah, flag etiquette. Many years ago I was sailing on a yacht owned by someone who, for reasons I forget, was entitled to wear a Blue Ensign. We caused great consternation off Gibraltar by dipping the ensign to a passing warship. They were running around like the proverbial flies to return the salute.

Edited January 4, 2021 by St Enodoc

[MarkC]

2 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Ah, flag etiquette. Many years ago I was sailing on a yacht owned by someone who, for reasons I forget, was entitled to wear a Blue Ensign. We caused great consternation off Gibraltar by dipping the ensign to a passing warship. They were running around like the proverbial flies to return the salute.

We did a similar thing, back in the early 1990s, going up to Marino Point, between Cobh and Cork, to load Ammonia for Belfast. (This was a regular shuttle, replacing its transport by rail, due to a certain organisation regularly disrupting rail services - I'll leave it at that...). My manoeuvring station was on the bridge, controlling the Main Engine. We passed an Irish Naval Base; as we did so - our Old Man decided, Liberian flag notwithstanding - to dip our ensign to the Irish Grey Funnel Line. The panic this initiated, watching the impersonations of headless chickens as folk tried to return our salute, was a joy to behold

 

Mark

[drmditch]

Sailing from Nice to Monaco, in a Red Ensign yacht, I was told that it was very important to strike our French courtesy flag before entering Monegasque waters. Unfortunately, we didn't have a red over white flag on board. (Would it upset Indonesia flying their flag upside down?).

 

Entering Monte Carlo harbour was a whole story in itself...…..

[St Enodoc]

2 minutes ago, drmditch said:

Sailing from Nice to Monaco, in a Red Ensign yacht, I was told that it was very important to strike our French courtesy flag before entering Monegasque waters. Unfortunately, we didn't have a red over white flag on board. (Would it upset Indonesia flying their flag upside down?).

 

Entering Monte Carlo harbour was a whole story in itself...…..

Ha ha, nothing to do with ships but once I went to a function in Jakarta that was graced by the presence of the Polish Ambassador. We all wondered whether this was to keep the cost down by buying the flags in bulk.

[MarkC]

I joined a Company ship at Braefoot Bay, back in 2011. This ship was Singapore flag, so a Courtesy Ensign was a must. I wasn't impressed to see the Saltire flying as I walked along the jetty, so a quick lesson on what was correct - the Red Ensign - was handed out to the Deck Officers and the correct flag hoisted...

 

Saudi Arabia - now there's a place where you have to get it right - their flag must be the highest one flying, and must remain up at all times whilst in Saudi waters, under pain of - well, our Masters don't want to find out.. 

 

Mark

[steve W]

Flags can have considerable impact. In 1974 our skipper was arrested and jailed for 24hours in Dock Sud, Buenos Aires.The authorities claimed the Red Ensign was flying higher than the Argentine flag, showing disresepct. This was seemingly determined from looking up at it from the quayside. The previous trip I joined in Gib and got a three day holiday as the ship  had been arrested in Tripoli (Libya). Thanks to the revolutionaries who were now the government of the day who arrested it for flying the previous administrations flag (who had been in charge 48hours before ). It was a very nice expenses paid holiday in the 'Rock Hotel'.

Edited January 4, 2021 by steve W
spellun (again)

[Tankerman]

On 03/01/2021 at 17:38, MarkC said:

Thanks, Mike. Fingers crossed for on time relief - 25th January...

 

And we did ring out the old & ring in the new in the proper way - it was appreciated by all on board

 

Mark

 

A little story on ringing out the old and ringing in the new from 50 years ago, when I was an Electrical Officer and things were very different than they are now. We had arrived at an oil terminal in Perth Amboy, near New York on New Years Eve, to discharge a cargo of JP4 (a mixture of petrol and kerosene used as jet fuel at the time).

 

Due to it's usage it was passed through filters when being loaded and again when being discharged. About 9 pm we received a message from the terminal control cabin to cease pumping as the filters were becoming blocked. We were also told that back washing was required and pumping would resume about 6am. We suspected that the shore staff wanted to see the New Year in with a small celebration and that meant we would be able to do the same.

 

This was particularly welcome as I was from Penryn, the Chief Officer was from St Ives, the Second Officer from Stonehaven, the Chief Engineer from Buckie, the Second Engineer from Dundee, the Third Engineer from Inverurie and one of the Junior Engineers from one of the Western Isles.

 

As if by magic three bottles of Glenfiddich malt were produced and we all had a wee dram. or two in the Second Engineers cabin. About 11 pm the captain, who was from the South East of England and we already knew had clearly suffered a sense of humour bypass, appeared at the door of the cabin. He said he was going to bed and that on no account was the ships bell to be rung or horn to be sounded at midnight.

 

About 10 minutes to midnight the Third got to his feet and said "No matter what you hear man, dinna worry."

 

At midnight the engineers alarm, klaxons mounted on the bulkheads of each deck, sounded for 3 or 4 minutes. Just as they went silent the Captain appeared at the door of the cabin, with that the Third  tapped him on the shoulder from behind and the Captain turned around, before he could say anything, the Third said "See you Jimmy, that noise was no the whistle or the bell, that was the engineers alarm, Happy New Year, now f**k off back to yer bunk.

[New Haven Neil]

Many moons ago I was on a cargo ship anchored off Baltimore, and we had literally run out of food, so a lifeboat trip was organised to collect essentials (some food, lots of beer). The rendezvous was in Annapolis naval base, the training school for the US Navy.  As we approached, they were going out for exercises in their little cutters, we were of course flying the jolly roger in the lifeboat, so we dipped as we passed them.  Cue scuffles of action, and they all (about 5 IIRC) dipped back as we passed - good humour.

 

This old tub, the Warwickshire, the oldest vessel in Bibbys a the time, had a great 5 months on her.  When ships looked like ships.....

 

 

 

[johnofwessex]

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2021/jan/11/all-at-sea-half-a-million-seafarers-stranded-by-the-pandemic-in-pictures

 

Well worth a look

[MarkC]

7 hours ago, johnofwessex said:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2021/jan/11/all-at-sea-half-a-million-seafarers-stranded-by-the-pandemic-in-pictures

 

Well worth a look

Thanks for posting this.

 

The Gruin is a couple of months behind the times - sadly Joe Public still won't care, as long as their fuel is still available, food is in the shops and their cheap Chinese tat is still arriving by the container load. (95% of world trade is carried by ship at some point). After all, it doesn't affect them personally, does it? There are few Brits involved...

 

Angry? Damn right I am. These are people just trying to make a living & provide for their families, just like everyone else, but have been utterly, and often cynically, dumped on from a great height by uncaring <authority> and shyster owners/vessel managers.

 

 

Mark

[duncan]

I agree Mark.  A simple contrast to professional team game sport is interesting.  Exaggerating slightly, these teams can form a bubble (no one seems to consider their shopping or socialising or their families doing that) & can go abroad & back with no problems such as quarantining.  Unless of course they catch covid & hit the news.  Mariners who are quarantining for weeks seem to be very risky people    .

[MarkC]

1 hour ago, duncan said:

I agree Mark.  A simple contrast to professional team game sport is interesting.  Exaggerating slightly, these teams can form a bubble (no one seems to consider their shopping or socialising or their families doing that) & can go abroad & back with no problems such as quarantining.  Unless of course they catch covid & hit the news.  Mariners who are quarantining for weeks seem to be very risky people    .

Oh, very true. When I paid off my last ship, having been trading round Jamaica for 3 months, with no contact with anyone, we on board were probably some of the least risky folk in the whole of the Caribbean, yet we were treated as though we had the plague, between the ship and the airport...

 

Mark

 

 

[62613]

8 hours ago, MarkC said:

Thanks for posting this.

 

The Gruin is a couple of months behind the times - sadly Joe Public still won't care, as long as their fuel is still available, food is in the shops and their cheap Chinese tat is still arriving by the container load. (95% of world trade is carried by ship at some point). After all, it doesn't affect them personally, does it? There are few Brits involved...

 

Angry? Damn right I am. These are people just trying to make a living & provide for their families, just like everyone else, but have been utterly, and often cynically, dumped on from a great height by uncaring <authority> and shyster owners/vessel managers.

 

 

Mark

Sadly! Agree with everything you say in the last paragraph as well

[The Stationmaster]

18 hours ago, johnofwessex said:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2021/jan/11/all-at-sea-half-a-million-seafarers-stranded-by-the-pandemic-in-pictures

 

Well worth a look

Terrible state of affairs.  A past regular contributor to this thread hasn't been here for some months because he has been spending an awful lot of time in his day job trying to get things done to ensure various folk in authority to allow crew reielfs to take place in whatever country they sit polishing their chairs in their own little ivoy tower.   Apparently it has been an uphill and far from easy struggle trying to deal with official stupidity and a lot of closed minds.

[peach james]

55 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

Terrible state of affairs.  A past regular contributor to this thread hasn't been here for some months because he has been spending an awful lot of time in his day job trying to get things done to ensure various folk in authority to allow crew reielfs to take place in whatever country they sit polishing their chairs in their own little ivoy tower.   Apparently it has been an uphill and far from easy struggle trying to deal with official stupidity and a lot of closed minds.

Is that JJB who is doing so?  I've noticed their absence, thought they were mostly out of the maritime game, but if doing this, is good work to be trying to get done.  It's a bunch of @##@$@#4, when we have wumbly politicians who get https://www.thebeaverton.com/2021/01/explorers-discover-uncharted-tropical-island-populated-entirely-by-canadian-politicians/?fbclid=IwAR3s-_BwnmOwhr2CkLqHg03Qp4KJXmGNDEc9c-kWrDRVNA8j9ZzAnEu-fSI written about their poor choices (insert other more sailor like language that the filter won't allow), happening, and sailors can't get home.  

[billywhizz]

Seems to be the month for leaving the seas. 
My father has finally just retired from the Merchant Navy after 1st going to sea 52 years ago. He started out with Athel Line and worked his way up to Master Mariner class 1with Jebsens shipping. 
The Last 31 years has been spent in pilotage 1st with Port of London as senior pilot / port controller before emigrating to Australia to take a senior pilot position at Gladstone in Queensland. As a child, many of my 1st memories are of being at sea in the 70’s visiting some amazing places around the world. 

my younger brother has just left the Royal Navy after 22 years service after starting out as junior rating and finishing as lieutenant commander. 
Really proud of them both!! 
 

[MarkC]

On 20/01/2021 at 22:32, billywhizz said:

Seems to be the month for leaving the seas. 
My father has finally just retired from the Merchant Navy after 1st going to sea 52 years ago. He started out with Athel Line and worked his way up to Master Mariner class 1with Jebsens shipping. 
The Last 31 years has been spent in pilotage 1st with Port of London as senior pilot / port controller before emigrating to Australia to take a senior pilot position at Gladstone in Queensland. As a child, many of my 1st memories are of being at sea in the 70’s visiting some amazing places around the world. 

my younger brother has just left the Royal Navy after 22 years service after starting out as junior rating and finishing as lieutenant commander. 
Really proud of them both!! 
 

I wish both of them a long and happy retirement - although I suspect that your brother may wish to continue working?

 

Mark

[MarkC]

About time

https://www.ics-shipping.org/press-release/shipping-industry-demands-vaccine-priority-for-seafarers-amid-renewed-crew-change-struggles/

 

Now, I'm presently heading for the Dutch coast, hoping to be relieved, on time, on Sunday. However, because the Dutch PM has stopped flights & ferries to/from the UK from tomorrow, it seems that I'm going to have to kick my heels in a hotel somewhere, probably in Belgium, before getting a flight to London (nothing to Newcastle, apparently, or even MAN or LBA) on Tuesday, as it stands at present, having had to get a COVID test first. (And from what I hear, price gouging on the Continent for these tests is obscene - I thought the UK was bad, but...). Then it'll be Tube to Kings Cross and the tender care of LNER up to Durham. Fingers crossed.

 

Mark

[billywhizz]

On 22/01/2021 at 11:01, MarkC said:

I wish both of them a long and happy retirement - although I suspect that your brother may wish to continue working?

 

Mark

Hi Mark. 
thank you for your kind words. Yes, brother is currently job hunting. he was hoping to find something away from the maritime industry that he could transfer his skills into but COVID has pretty much killed off the jobs market. Fingers crossed you make it home soon!