| This page contains bits and pieces of all kinds, Pics, Poems, and me being a Seaman: Mermaids etc, some true, some ? make up your own mind. :-) what ever, Enjoy. |
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| This beautiful Lobster I have here, was caught up off the Shetland Islands,(North of the Scottish Mainland) I remember it was 3 days before Christmas,and the weather was that bad we had to drift for almost 5 days in the lee of the Islands to get shelter, It tasted just as good as it looks. |
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| Save Our Seamen |
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| Cod Fishing: This "Little" lot of Cod, I caught while loading a cargo on the Fulmar Oil field in the North Sea, It took a very hectic 45 minutes to get them all on board, The spot I was fishing was 350 meters deep, I had 2 6/0 hooks on the line and thats how they came in 2 at a time, the biggest Cod weighed in at a mear 14 and a bit lbs (thats it in the fore ground) All in all after I filleted the fish, I ended up with 147Lb of beautiful fillets, enough to feed the 23 crew for a week as the cook said, Not a bad session at all , and the taste was mouthwatering. We used to have regular catches of Cod like this , the Biggest I think I have caught weighed just under 20 lbs, but as normal there was NO camara on hand to prove it . |
| Fresh North Sea Cod |
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| But there was a camara on hand to record this Swordfish, (The sword was cut off, after I landed it) While at anchor off the coast of Turkey, in the Meddy I believe it weighed in at 28 (ish) Lbs and let me tell you it put up one heck of a fight. |
| It may seem to those not familiar with the life of a Seaman that all we do all day is sit around in the sun all day enjoying ourself, Don't you believe it, |
| You are on call 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week, in Rain,Hale,Sleet or Snow, Fair weather and Foul. 99% of shipping companys today have a strict Alcohol policy (No Beer onboard). Miss one watch and they come down on you like a ton of bricks, it makes no differance if you have just finished working a 12 hour shift and your knackered, If your called out, your OUT. A favourite saying of my wifes, when asked "What does your husband do for a living ?" (answer) Nothing ,he just goes to Sea ! But you Do get to see the world as it really is, The back streets of Honalulu, Rio de Janeiro and Pusan,Korea,are much the same even though they are thousands of miles apart, (They are GREAT) |
| But Seriously Now that the British Merchant Navy is almost none existant, It's about time something was done to rejuvenate it. Over the last 500 years this country has been supplied by the Merchant Navy, In war time the Merchant Navy imported Britain's food and raw meterials, It transported troops and supplies to armies on all fronts, Over 15,000 seamen lost their lives. In peace time, Britains Oil, Meat, Fruit etc was all brought here on ships, We exported every thing including People, on Ships, We are,as many people forget an Island Nation, but these days, Ironically the Ship Owners accountants have accomplished what Napoleon and the German Navy failed to do. Now many ship Owners employ Filipinos, Russian, and Polish seamen who are happy to work for half the wages of the once Great British Seaman. Now IF ever this country is in crisis we will have to rely on vessels owned and crewed entirely by foreigners : God Help us All |
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| Top Heavy Now ,in the few remaining ships still at sea, There's a funny situation,a strenge anomaly. You may think I'm saying this ,simply for light relief, But every man-jack in these ships,appears to be a Chief. Chief Cook, Chief Mate, Chief Steward, It's really rather Queer. Chief Fitter, Chief Machanic and ,of course Chief Engineer. There is even a Chief R/O, How can you be the Chief of one ? But, with all these Chiefs, pray tell me, where have all the Indians gone. Peter Farrand |
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| Mermaids : Do they exist ??? |
| That is the age old the Question, In the days of sail when ships depended on the wind,and speed was not invented, the Seamen spent months at sea, Did they see Mermaids frolicking in the waves, Or were they a figment of their imagination. In modern times with powerfull engines to propel ships at great speed through the water, it is no wonder that none have been sighted, the noise of the engines alone would scare them away. In fact the only place they do exist that we know of, Is right here on the web. If they ever did exist, were they all caught up in fishermans nets,? (pic #2) or did the seas become so polluted with modern day rubbish that they all perished,? (pic#3) |
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| Answers on a postcard to me ! |
| One of the best Mermaid pics on the net |
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