|
Post by NigeL on Nov 26, 2007 14:12:33 GMT 1
In the days of her youth, that ship was called the Lindblad Explorer and she was half owned by, and managed by, the shipping company whom I then worked for. We sold out because she was losing money and their style was not ours. I just nip out to get some grocerys etc. for home ... come round the corner onto Quay Road and what do I see ........ and as I mind my own business quietly driving long ... then when at market collecting the "spuds" ..... I look down the road ... I think you may know this one Mirelle ? COS INTREPID
|
|
|
Post by mirelle on Nov 26, 2007 14:41:39 GMT 1
They are quite nicely built, those Singapore Panamaxes. Built at Hudong IIRC, LR class. Mind you, I had a silly episode with one of her sisters the Christmas before last. As you will have seen, no fo'c'sle. Coal for Tilbury from Murmansk. Loaded frozen (and Bs/L claused, good boys!) and hit rough stuff on the way south. On arriving at Sunk PS, anchor windlasses were u/s as were the fwd winches because of course the forward flat including the power room and the bosun's store was flooded. The Bosun, being a good old boy, God bless him, had gone round the foredeck making sure all vents were closed to those spaces by giving a good tug to the mushroom vents on completion of loading and after sailing. Two opened widdershins! The labels were all in ENGLISH! ;D PS, no idea why two vents opened clockwise... Bloody nice ship though - they've got "my" hatchcovers - McGregor roll up roll with rack and pinion activators as pioneered on John Swire and Sons' "Erradale" which was the last ship that I was responsible for building.
|
|
biscuit
Newbie... lots of fenders please
Posts: 16
|
Post by biscuit on Nov 27, 2007 13:26:50 GMT 1
Read 'Flyer' by Conny van Richoeten (or summat - 80's round the world job) tells some terrific tales re: early exploits sailing a dragon across the North Sea, Baltic etc. before going onto bigger things ...
(Sorry about the thread drift away from those fascinating panamax things ..)
|
|
|
Post by mirelle on Nov 27, 2007 13:57:55 GMT 1
Sorry about the thread drift - that last picture is a 162,500 tonner, which must be a record for thread drift considering the title is "pocket yachts"! ;D
Across the Thames Estuary was far enough for my old Dragon, K6 - she needed pumping every ten minutes!
|
|
biscuit
Newbie... lots of fenders please
Posts: 16
|
Post by biscuit on Nov 27, 2007 15:04:19 GMT 1
Ha ha - thats them - I was offered one back in the early 70's - went like stink & a pure dream to sail - but with garboard planks clenched together by nails & bits of corrugated iron patching the deck she was a bit of a leaky liability. £100 I think, sadly declined.
Now about those roll up hatch covers ....
;D
|
|
|
Post by NigeL on Nov 27, 2007 15:30:00 GMT 1
Ha ha - thats them - I was offered one back in the early 70's - went like stink & a pure dream to sail - but with garboard planks clenched together by nails & bits of corrugated iron patching the deck she was a bit of a leaky liability. £100 I think, sadly declined. Now about those roll up hatch covers .... ;D Side slammers we nicknamed 'em ...... One ship I had misfortune to sail on - Norman Pacific. 90,000 ton OBO (That in it self is a recipe for disaster ..) We were at anchor of Singapore waiting orders. Management Co. I was loaned to from Kaiser Shipping California was a Norwegina sponsored bunch of cr**ks - Singa Ship Management. So they announced that they would have Office staff visit the ship. So a whole bunch of Singaporean ladies and bods appeared on deck. I was given job of showing them round the deck after the Norwegian Master had done his bit. A certain manager insisted we opened the hatches - side slammers like Mirelles. So first get crew to knock of clamps, wedges back, hydraulic rail lifters up so that wheels are in line with tracks. Hit the handle and rumble rumble rumble - the hatches open. The girls are suitably impressed with this immense HOLE that has opened up. I give it the Nigel bit of waffle and then HE tells me to close up again. HEE HEE HEE HEE HA HA HA HA ... I couldn't help but laugh - not impressing him one bit. I tried to explain to him that he should take his entourage inside and chat to Ch.Eng'r or 3rd Mate etc. - that I would sort this later. He INSISTED that I show them the closing ... Well I did try to tell him ... So wheels up .. locks off ... hit the lever and silence. Total absolute ... Ship electrical systems had completely blacked out. For some strange reason we knew that opening would be OK on one genny. But we never did understand why closing required the standby Genny online as well. I had to hide .. I was cracking up with laughing so much ... The ship was a real heap of rubbish. Ex Kapitan Karras - she'd been laid up without any preparation for some years and then this bunch of idiots was given it to run. Me ? My Company Kaiser Shipping - part of Kaiser Steel USA had sold its ships to the Norwegian Co. Norman Bulk. We were supposed to sail OUR ships - but conned into getting ex lay-ups back into service. Needless to say - I left and went to another Co. I can still see the look on that guys face ! ;D
|
|
|
Post by mirelle on Nov 27, 2007 15:54:41 GMT 1
Rack and pinion, dear boy, rack and pinion...
Sorry to hear of your troubles at the hands of the EBEABS*. Used to work for a man who thought they were wonderful. We didn't.
I dimly remember hearing of that ship. All of a piece with the BLUE LIGHT.
* Evil Blue Eyed Arab Ba****d S
|
|
|
Post by NigeL on Nov 27, 2007 16:06:49 GMT 1
Rack and pinion, dear boy, rack and pinion... Sorry to hear of your troubles at the hands of the EBEABS*. Used to work for a man who thought they were wonderful. We didn't. I dimly remember hearing of that ship. All of a piece with the BLUE LIGHT. * Evil Blue Eyed Arab Ba****d S All time on Coal - fine. Then Normans sent voyage orders to Balik Papan SBM for 2 grade cruse oil. I refused to load her, I made it plain to the Old man who was a pure Dry Bulk guy and never sailed a tanker - that she was not capable. Well I was pushed to do it ... Total horror story. We ended up having a spill, when one valve failed. The cofferdams filled up. The 2 grades became one cocktail. I left the vessel when we reached Corpus Christie. I vowed I would never ever touch a ship like that again. My next vessel was the Chemical Sol - Greek Owners, Greek Crew with no licences. I was part of a 5 man team that went between her and the sister vessel Coastal Trader, getting them released from arrest. I know ... frying pan - fire and all that !
|
|
|
Post by roach1948 on Nov 27, 2007 16:23:22 GMT 1
Bringing this post back oncourse.....
Here is an extract from another owner of a Dallimore 4 tonner:
"With an unswung compass and broken echo sounder, navigation was based mainly on keeping the Felixstowe – Zeebrugge ferries about two miles to starboard as they passed until the loom of the lights of Harwich appeared. ‘LISBET’ made the passage from Nieuport to Shotley Spit in 20 hours"
I hope to attempt something similar next Summer.
|
|
|
Post by mirelle on Nov 27, 2007 16:26:45 GMT 1
Yes, I have long been a proponent of navigation by passing ferry.
It does help if you have the timetable, though.
|
|
|
Post by NigeL on Nov 27, 2007 19:18:26 GMT 1
Bringing this post back oncourse..... Here is an extract from another owner of a Dallimore 4 tonner: "With an unswung compass and broken echo sounder, navigation was based mainly on keeping the Felixstowe – Zeebrugge ferries about two miles to starboard as they passed until the loom of the lights of Harwich appeared. ‘LISBET’ made the passage from Nieuport to Shotley Spit in 20 hours" I hope to attempt something similar next Summer. Apologies ... I always had a theory and still hold to it ... Solent to France. If you head south - you must hit France.... starting from Nab or Needles. France to Solent. If you head north - you must hit Isle of Wight.... starting from Cherbourg / Seine Bay. Bit like over here really ... Out of Ventspils head due west - you hit Gotland. Due west from Gotland - you hit Sweden. And vice versa. So as long as Compass is not affected by VHF radios and speakers mounted in daft places - you should get home eventually ! ;D ;D ;D ;D
|
|
|
Post by mirelle on Nov 28, 2007 11:40:05 GMT 1
So as long as Compass is not affected by VHF radios and speakers mounted in daft places - you should get home eventually !Or cans of paint stowed vertically beneath it. Or vertical iron bars inserted as part of a new improved gear change mechanism Don't ask me how I know BOTH of those... ;D
|
|
|
Post by NigeL on Nov 28, 2007 14:05:43 GMT 1
So as long as Compass is not affected by VHF radios and speakers mounted in daft places - you should get home eventually !Or cans of paint stowed vertically beneath it. Or vertical iron bars inserted as part of a new improved gear change mechanism Don't ask me how I know BOTH of those... ;D Oh Dear !!
|
|
|
Post by mirelle on Nov 28, 2007 16:18:59 GMT 1
I think that qualifies as my "confession"!
|
|
|
Post by martinschulz on Nov 28, 2007 17:01:21 GMT 1
So as long as Compass is not affected by VHF radios and speakers mounted in daft places - you should get home eventually !Or cans of paint stowed vertically beneath it. Or vertical iron bars inserted as part of a new improved gear change mechanism Well... I have also very much wondered about the erratic directions my compass was showing me once, but at the same time I was very pleased with the latest purchase I had made, which was a little petroleum-stove that I had properly lashed on the post opposite the place I had the compass mounted... (I hope I did all the grammatical times right)
|
|
|
Post by NigeL on Nov 28, 2007 17:51:26 GMT 1
So as long as Compass is not affected by VHF radios and speakers mounted in daft places - you should get home eventually !Or cans of paint stowed vertically beneath it. Or vertical iron bars inserted as part of a new improved gear change mechanism Well... I have also very much wondered about the erratic directions my compass was showing me once, but at the same time I was very pleased with the latest purchase I had made, which was a little petroleum-stove that I had properly lashed on the post opposite the place I had the compass mounted... (I hope I did all the grammatical times right) Ok lets add to the "pile" ... My speaker over the compass. Tudor Sailing Club, Langstone Hbr annual weekend to Lymington then Priory Bay BBQ. So we all troop of from our moorings as we come afloat. The visibility closes in and it's pretty foggy. We egde our way out of Langstone and as we are one of the first afloat, we wait near the fairway buoy. As we all agreed to listen out on Ch. 80, I plonk my ext. VHF speaker under the sprayhood to keep a listen out for others. So there we are gaily pottering back and forth co. 000 then 180, about turn ... 000 then 180. Then BONK BONK BONK - well a LOUD HARD BONK actually. We're aground ........... not possible. I look at compass, I look into the mist which is slowly clearing, f/way buoy cannot be over there, co. says xxx. Then I hear a call on VHF for me ... and see the speaker ! I move it and WHEEEEEEEEEE card spins 90 degrees. For those that do not know - Langstone Hbr entrance has sand spits going out into the Solent either side that are notorious. They are difinitely NOT to be taken on a falling or wind over tide situation. Boats have broken ribs on them. Anyway Trusty Perkins got us off with no damage except hurt pride !
|
|
|
Post by petecooper on Nov 28, 2007 20:44:44 GMT 1
We used to navigate by caravan sites. Often prominent headlands will have a caravan site on them and they are visible from a long way off - it worked for us!
|
|
|
Post by mirelle on Nov 28, 2007 21:40:14 GMT 1
One of my more notable blunders was to sight the Shipwash LV correctly, coming back from Holland, and then, due to fatigue, to lay off the correction for tide back to front, so that when I expected to see Harwich I saw Sizewell power station.
In fact, in the thames estuary, navigation by nuclear power station is quite practical; Sizewell and Bradwell are by far the most conspicuous objects for miles around!
|
|
|
Post by kilter on Nov 29, 2007 14:30:32 GMT 1
This method doesn't work in fog...trust me! ;D
|
|
|
Post by mirelle on Nov 29, 2007 14:51:56 GMT 1
Oh, I dunno, there's quite a loud hum when you get within a mile or so...
|
|