Old security suite reviews

[merchant42]

Going by my Discharge Book I was on the Loch Lomond between 28.05.79 til 03.12.79

The Lomond would have had a Blue Funnel with a large white S on it !

[ken]

That would explain it, I spent most of 79 on the east coast out of Limon. I got back to Golfito February 1980. Used to fuel up in Crisobal on the way down to Santa Marta, but never went through the canal. Then I finished with United Brands in November 1980 and never left the west coast until 92.

[elvisuk]

LynnRose, you need to start a new thread Ye Old Sea Dogs thread ;D

[Lynnrose]

You're right Elvis, this thread has certainly gone Off Topic lol

[elvisuk]

"Off Topic lol" It's gone to the dogs ;D LynnRose,

[ken]

I came nearly 7000 miles to join this group, only to be told I'm off course.

[ken]

All them nice seamens bars were shut down and falling down before I left.



Pueblo Civil hasn't changed much



The whole harbour is like one big marina now and the price of property has gone mad.

[merchant42]

If I remember rightly there was an American living on an Island just opposite Golfito, some of the lads used to go across and visit him (I think his name was Tom ?)




LR sorry it is a wee bit Off Topic but come on at least it's interesting
(well to me and Ken anyway !)

Anyway what is wrong with Old Sea Dogs ?

Mostly remember Seaman's Bars ! fell out of quite a lot of them over the years !

[ken]

Captain Tom Clairmont died of cancer round about 1994 I think it was. His wife Rosio sent me a card, which I cant find at the moment. He was flown to a VA hospital, but it was too late to operate. He was cremated and his ashes are buried on Cacao Beach next to his house. They seemed to drop like flies over on the beach, I'm the last of the Cacao pirates still alive. Capitan Quen de Golfito, El Barba Roja. For a while I lived in a house next to Tom, but it fell in the swamp during an earthquake.

Emma Drummond who owned Emma's Bar the night club; the two story place in the photo of the Quadra, died about 1995. She was in the States and I couldn't get hold of her. Then she phoned me to say she had been operated on for breast cancer in the States and was fine. The next thing I know I get another letter from Rosio, to say she had died as well.

[elvisuk]

It's quite fascinating to hear what you Old Dogs he been up to

[merchant42]

@ Elvis

This is the U version !!!!!!! (suitable for all ages....lol)

My memory is getting as old as I am ! we are talking over 30 years ago.

[Lynnrose]

Merchant, I'm not complaining, love reading the history of you guys x

[ken]

Tom died a year earlier than I thought

[merchant42]

I never actually met him, but apparently he was a legend in those parts

Here is a pic of the ship from around the time I was on her in Golfito



She is the one on the right !

It was one of those trips that you did not want to pay-off !!

[ken]

Thats an M1 behind her, I was on 2 of them. The Morant and the Musa, the Musa was a M1b. She was the same as the other 3 x M1s with derricks on the outside, but fitted out like the 4 x M2s on the inside. The M2 had cranes instead of derricks and I wouldn't work on a ship with cranes, they are for girl thingys. United Brands sold the 4 x M1s to the Saudis in 1981 and the 4 x M2s a couple of years later, when they pulled right out of Golfito.

Fyffes had a ship called Golfito and she went there on her maiden voyage in the 50s. That was the first and last time they ever saw her. Her and her sister the Camito were passenger cargo and worked exclusively between Southampton and Jamaica, running bananas and immigrants.

Tom was a legend, he went there in 1954 and never left until they flew him to the States to die. Nobody can buy shoreside property in Costa Rica now, but Tom owned his under the Grandfather law. However the US State Dept bought the plot that Tom is buried on and his grave has diplomatic immunity, so he is officially buried on US soil.

[merchant42]

Here is another Link to a site you may find interesting

www.merchant-navy.net/forum/index.php

I have found some old shipmates from a long time ago !

What I have found is that all the stories of my time at Sea if you try to tell them to a land-lubber they have one of the following reactions

a) They look at you as if you are lying !

b) or they look at you as if you are Insane.................lol

It is one of those jobs that you would have to have been there to see what it was like !

[ken]

You want to try going to Folkestone, my eldest daughter still lives there. They hate me with a passion in the fishermens bars. I've spent more time on one wave than that lot have spent at sea combined. The tourists that buy their lovely fresh fish dont realise that most of it comes from Holland. I've watched them eating prawns at the stalls, like they were going out of fashion and the boxes are thawing out in the sun round the back. I think there are only about 5 working boats left there and there are about 150 fishermen in the pubs any time of day or night. If theres 3 men crew on a boat its overmanned, so it dont take a lot of working out. Then they look out in the morning and if kids are flying kites on the beach, the weather is too bad to go out for a week.

I joined that forum years ago, but I've never really bothered with it. I must get in the habit of checking it out.

[merchant42]

My brother tried a Fishing boat, he lasted 3 days !

I was mainly Deep Sea so at least I did see the world, though after about 4 years of coming ashore, in a moment of insanity (in my defence)

I joined the Paddlesteamer Waverley and Balmoral for a Season, the only good thing was I got to go around the UK !

Even though those trips are in my Discharge book I am still trying to get over the trauma and that was in 1995 !!

[Lynnrose]

Is this a Quiz....can I have option B please

[elvisuk]

I think the old sea dogs are good and a little insane

[merchant42]

A saner bunch of people you could ever hope to meet !

[elvisuk]

merchant42 thats what all the crazy peapol say