Brittany Ferries. Would it be the Fleur de Lys coming in to Plymouth?
Hullo,
This is the Ship that we are coming back to Europe on from Brasil this time. Quite a change from any of the ships that I’ve sailed on previously. We get to Board the Ship in Santos, we then call in at Buzios for a day Salvador da Bahia for a day. We then leave Brasil for Venice, calling in at Funchal (Madiera), Malaga (Spain), Palermo (Sicily), Valetta (Malta) and Venice. 17 days.
Really nice, these modern ferries, Archie!
How many vehicles below decks? And do you get a free berth?
Retired Old ■■■■:
Really nice, these modern ferries, Archie!
How many vehicles below decks? And do you get a free berth?
Hullo,
I don’t know, I’ve never seen a ship like this one before. It’ bloody huge and a real Funny looking thing ain’t it ? I you take a peek at the MSC site look for Fantasia and you can see a whole lot of pictures of the Public Rooms. But I was looking for the lower Car Deck and I can’t find the bugger. I do see that it carries 3500 passengers, so I hope there’s enough booze and grub left for us. Still it’s only 17 days, Christ I’ve sat in Customs Strikes, or waiting for those lazy ■■■■■ at Felixtowe to drop a Box on me longer than that. I don’t know about a free berth, on my ticket it says a two berth, mind you we do have a balcony, so maybe somebody will turn up there, you never know.
Cheers, Archie.
my company have delivered all balcony,s and waterproof doors to the two first freedom class cruisers,and over a thousend Wc and bathroomelements to cruisers and ferryes,until the last depression,buissnes is gone no the frenchmen build the next cruiser
the last arhipelagoferry over here two weeks in service
Archie Paice:
Hullo,
This is the Ship that we are coming back to Europe on from Brasil this time. Quite a change from the ships that I saied on previously. We get to Board the Ship in Santos, we then call in at Buzios for a day Salvador da Bahia for a day. We then leave Brazil for Venice, calling in at Funchal (Madiera), Malaga (Spain), Palermo (Sicily), Valetta (Malta) and Venice. 17 days.
You’re twanging my old memory strings there Archie. 
Not the ship, posh though it is, but the mention of Santos and Sao Paolo. I had a regular girl in the port, and one day we decided to take the bus up to Sao Paolo and stay the night in a hotel. The trip up there was spectacular as I remember but the whole things was spoiled when the hotel wouldn’t let us stay because I had forgotten to take my passport. 
Anyone ever go on the East Coast Ferries form Hull too Dunkerque, or Trans Mediteranion from Cadiz too Gran Canaria, food was bogging on both
Spardo:
Archie Paice:
Hullo,
This is the Ship that we are coming back to Europe on from Brasil this time. Quite a change from the ships that I saied on previously. We get to Board the Ship in Santos, we then call in at Buzios for a day Salvador da Bahia for a day. We then leave Brazil for Venice, calling in at Funchal (Madiera), Malaga (Spain), Palermo (Sicily), Valetta (Malta) and Venice. 17 days.You’re twanging my old memory strings there Archie.
Not the ship, posh though it is, but the mention of Santos and Sao Paolo. I had a regular girl in the port, and one day we decided to take the bus up to Sao Paolo and stay the night in a hotel. The trip up there was spectacular as I remember but the whole things was spoiled when the hotel wouldn’t let us stay because I had forgotten to take my passport.
Hullo Spardo,
Yes you are correct the run up over the mountains from Santos to Sao Paulo, on a good clear day is really beautiful. In my day, and I’m not that much older than you must be, seamen never had a Passport, we had our Discharge Book (Mine R632359) although that always stayed on the Ship. Mind you we never had any trouble travelling. I did in South Africa, Australia and Canada. But I suppose we were all linked up with those places then anyway. But going ashore was not a problem anywhere. Only in the Commie Countries we were issued with passes and sometimes escorted. Although I must admit I never tried to book into any Hotels. Cheers, Archie.
Archie Paice:
Hullo Spardo,
Yes you are correct the run up over the mountains from Santos to Sao Paulo, on a good clear day is really beautiful. In my day, and I’m not that much older than you must be, seamen never had a Passport, we had our Discharge Book (Mine R632359) although that always stayed on the Ship. Mind you we never had any trouble travelling. I did in South Africa, Australia and Canada. But I suppose we were all linked up with those places then anyway. But going ashore was not a problem anywhere. Only in the Commie Countries we were issued with passes and sometimes escorted. Although I must admit I never tried to book into any Hotels. Cheers, Archie.
You could be right about the passport Archie. I expect the hotel asked for a passport as being a legal requirement. Now I come to think of it I doubt that I had one anyway in those days. I have a memory that when I was on the beach in Sydney after jumping the Vertagus, I was required to get a passport, my first, from the High Commission in Canberra, before I could be shipped back home. Another memorable trip, and girl, as a passenger on the Greek liner Ellenis with a fun loving bunch of young Aussies intent on doing the grand European tour. I had some clothes because the Aussi immigration, after accepting my point that the ship left unexpectedly early (she didn’t ) leaving me in distress (I attained a new rank overnight, DBS, Distressed British Seaman 
), had given Shell a severe ticking off and made them buy me a suitable wardrobe, but I had no money. My Aussie mates both male and female, had a whip round for me and a very good time was had by all. A year later all my gear was finally returned to me. Goodness knows from which part of the world that was retrieved from.
I too still have my Discharge Book. The last entry says VNC, I stuck to lorries after that. 
Spardo:
Archie Paice:
You could be right about the passport Archie. I expect the hotel asked for a passport as being a legal requirement. Now I come to think of it I doubt that I had one anyway in those days. I have a memory that when I was on the beach in Sydney after jumping the Vertagus, I was required to get a passport, my first, from the High Commission in Canberra, before I could be shipped back home. Another memorable trip, and girl,I too still have my Discharge Book. The last entry says VNC, I stuck to lorries after that.
Hullo Spardo,
You know what I really envy you. Because instead of me staying and working 10 hours a day everyday, that’s exactly what I should have done. Drifting free around the World. Although from about the time of me getting my Ships Cook Ticket until I left the Sea, I had to work hard because I had a Wife and Kids at Home to Feed and Clothe. Ashore I still had to carry on as I still had those reponsibilities for a good few more years. Travelling over two Continents in my Trucks. But I’m really doing my Wandering around the World now, a bit late I know (74 year old backpacker) mind you I have the cash to do it now, so I shall enjoy it while I can. Well mate I suppose I shall also wind up with a VNC too someday.
Cheers, Archie. 
You poor old bugger. I’ve just past 70 and was feeling really old, but you’ve made my day.
I did most of my wanderings before I was married, unlike my son who takes his wife and 2 around the world with him. 
Now, I’m wandering again, but mainly confined to France.
I don,t suppose you two old fellas are old Vindi boys by any chance ■■? these seem to pop up unexpectedly in the strangest places as for VNC,s well there are lots of them around too (no me though !!!)
backsplice:
I don,t suppose you two old fellas are old Vindi boys by any chance ■■? these seem to pop up unexpectedly in the strangest places as for VNC,s well there are lots of them around too (no me though !!!)
Hullo backsplice,
Guilty as charged Sir. Hut No.17. Captain Duigood in Command 1955. Last week onboard, in Hammock. Popeye in charge.
Berkley on Sunday. Prayer Meeting (what was all that about ?) Free Cup of Tea and lots of tabnabs afterwards.
We are the Vindy Boys are We. Oh! Well somebody has to own up eh ?
Cheers, Archie.
Not me Backsplice, I was destined for a more elevated role originally. I went to the King Edward VII Nautical College in the East End but was led astray ( ) and got booted out.
A weird place it was too, we lived in a grand house in West London and travelled across the capital by tube every day to school. The main building was at a large junction at one end of the East India Dock road and we used the nearby docks for training with our whalers. We moved around a bit for different lessons and one place I remember was the Poplar Technical College.
I was astonished at the rough and ready staff at the home. Mainly gruff old sea captains one of which shocked me by, after misunderstanding my surname, said ‘what are you, a bloody Jewboy?’ Can’t imagine him getting away with that today.
I later wrote to several companies and got a berth in the ‘St.John’ with the South American Saint Line as a DHU (Deck Hand Uncertificated), a rank apparently created to allow ABs from the Grey Funnel Line to transfer while recognising that the RN didn’t train their sailors properly. At this point I should duck, there are bound to be some old matelots here too.
Best ship I ever had, and I didn’t have many, but I didn’t realise it at the time. It was just like a Scan, all private cabins, just like officers’, with settees, easy chairs and writing desks. Happy days they were.
So here is a question to ponder; was it better to get a VNC than a DR? There could have been circumstances beyond your control that caused you to miss a ship but a DR was a DR. I was a good boy who only got VGs but, really, a VG meant anything between ‘totally useless but made up the numbers’, through ‘I feel sorry for him and with a VG he will leave the ship and he will become someone elses problem and I shall never have to see him again’, to ‘absolutely brilliant’.
It was a fairly loose kind of a reference really
David
I think in my case a VNC was certainly better because, if I had decided to continue my career at sea I would have had to go before a board and would have called on the evidence of the authorities in Sydney to back my claim. It was an established fact that the sailing time on the blackboard at the head of the gangplank had been changed during the day and nobody could prove whether I had left the ship before or after that change.
I did miss the sea for quite some time but really had no wish to resume the boring labouring tasks that is the deckhands’ life at sea, chipping, painting, holystoning and sugeying. I did consider trying Marconi to become a sparks. Seemed to be a win win situation, nice uniform , officer status 
, plenty of free time, and only one slight downside. Always almost the last to leave the ship in the case of a disaster but a good chance to become a hero.
Hullo David,
As you say it was a fairly haphazard way of assessing a mans character. I have had to fill in or stamp the Discharge Books of many men, many times, on behalf of the Master. There were two spaces in the Book, one for Ability and the other for Character or Conduct. The choices were either VG (very good), G (good) or DR (decline to report). Most people always got the VG. There was also VNC (voyage not completed). This as you said could be entered for a few different reasons, either the man would have had to be put Ashore into Police Custody, or put Ashore into the care of a Hospital, it could also be a man that was incapable of returning to the Ship because he was too drunk, or a bird had sat on his shirt tail and he could’nt get out of bed. There was also a possibility that the man had had just enough of the ship, so he just Jumped Ship or Skinned Out as we used to say. There was also another scenario where a man would take a job on the ship just to get to a certain part of the World. I remember back in 1956, when the Olympics were in Melbourne, I was just a Table Waiter at the time, that five or six of the Catering Department Skinned Out, having had a free ride out, free ■■■■ and free booze ( Bond Bills being unpaid) to see the Olympic Games. Although I as you did, only ever got VG’s in my Discharge Book, mind you that does’nt mean we were good does it ?, just that we never got caught eh ?
Cheers, Archie.
Hullo all you Seamen on Board,
I just thought I’d ask a question on here, As you know or may remember, when you passed another ship from the same Company it was always the case that you sailed within close proximity and dipped the Ensign in a salute. Which company did the Cunard Transatlantic Liners also salute in this manor as well as ships of their own fleet ?
Cheers, Archie.
Some of the ships of old that spring to mind are,
Aquitania, lusitania, mauretania,queen Mary, carmania, ,opria, pannonia, kaiserin auguste Victoria, franconia, lancastria, caronia, ,tyrrhenia, saxonia, berengaria, carinthia, andania, ,samaria, to name a few, long before my time! ! 
Any recollection of these ships anyone 
Dead-on Spardo. I also wished that I had gone to sea as a Marconi - own department practicing a black art that even the Old Man could not mess with and because they shut the station once in pilotage waters they were always the first ashore and the last back. On the Mackay the Sparks lived in a beautiful 3 room shed made of varnished teak that was on the boatdeck just forrard of the funnel, one room the office, the other his cabin and a bathroom. Because I was 3rd at that time and kept the 8 to 12 and the Sparks came off watch also at 12 nights on the ■■■■ were almost obligatory. Abaft the funnel there were varnished teak skylights, open in warm weather, which looked all the way down to the plates between the twin compound reciprocating steam engines. There was a Welsh engineer that nobody liked so we would sometimes salute him with empty Tennants cans (you remember, the ones with the pin-ups on) and the Chief was convinced that he was drinking on watch! Happy days indeed. The other strong memory of Marconis that I have is the one on the ship where I did my apprenticeship bringing the typed page to the wheelhouse on which was the news of Kennedy’s assassination. A shocking night indeed.
You are right Archie, it was haphazard indeed. I never recall seeing a G stamp because once the jobs got harder to find that would have guaranteed that the man never got another job. I must say that when I got to the point of having to decide who got what stamp it was always on my mind that a DR meant that he lost his calling as well and caused me to stamp people VG even if they did not deserve. Of course that had another side when the office sent you someone who had VG stamps but should not have been aboard a Liverpool gash-scow. But thank God we never got caught anyway!
I never worked on Companies that were big enough or had sufficient opinion of themselves to dip the ensign to other company ships but we always dipped to the Grey Funnel line. They would always wait to see if you were actually going to dip to them so we had a game on the tankships of having the AB who had been sent aft to do the deed, hide behind a ventilator till the Grey Funnel was actually abeam and then pop up and dip. This would guarantee a rating sprinting aft to return the compliment before it was too late.
David