Ships

Its been a bit coincidental.
Yesterday for some reason I decided to try doing an online search for my old ship that I sailed on when I was 16 - 17. I got lucky and found a website that gave her history.
Origionally the old girl was built in Ho.ba.rt in 1891 as a 2 masted ketch. Then converted to a 3 masted schooner. Sometime in the early 20th century she was sold to a South Au.str.alian Shipping company. About 1950 she was steel plated. Eventually in the early 1960's she found her way to Lau.nces.ton where, in 1973 I signed on as a 16 yr old deckboy and found myself in the toughest, and most dangerous, job I've ever had.

She was used on the ba.ss str.ait island cargo trade, ferrying general cargo and livestock between Tas.mania and the islands through one of the roughest stretches of water anywhere in the world. The cargo handling techniques were still 1800 hundreds with a crew of near cut throats and pirates - in other words - bloody tough men.

And - yes we did still use the sails.........

I survived 18 months of this - and I still can't get the salt outa my system.....

Here is a pic of a beautiful old lady of the sea.....

The coincidental part is today I was waiting in line at an agency when I heard another man called by his name - I turned and there was one of my old shipmates - after 35 years!!!! We spent the next half hour catching up, we parted with an arrangement to meet and have a few drinks to the memory of departed crew....