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June 22,2000.Portland (England)

 

We the crew of the CS sovereign were leaving our home port of Portland,Dorset for a three month passage that would take us across the Atlantic in the Northern shipping lanes to Portsmouth(New Hampshire).A twelve day passage.The next journey taking us down through the caribic and on to Fortaleza(Brazil),Recifi,Salvador and finally Rio.A further thirteen day sail.The purpose to lay a Trans-Atlantic communication cable from Fortaleza,Recifi and end off the coast of Rio.Total trip time two months.

June 27,2000.Mid Atlantic.

The journey had been relatively calm till now(the point of no return).I was standing out on deck peering at the bow waves,cup of tea in hand.Thinking too myself the sheer loneliness of this crossing,when unbelievably about thirty yards off a giant sea turtle popped out of the wake of the ship.How lonely was that I thought to myself.Things seem to Happen when you least expect.Something that would Happen more than once on this journey.

July 4,2000.East coast of America.

The morning was so beautiful as we sailed in to Portsmouth,Typically and wonderfully American.Flags patriotically waving with every breeze from the vast Atlantic.As we slowly made our way up river  all the crew lining the decks eagerly wanting to set ashore for many reasons,Well twelve days alone in the ocean is enough for finding a reason for something.I couldn't Wait!

The purpose for going into Portsmouth was to sail up river to the simplex fibre optic cable factory,load the ships cable tanks with 3500km of cable,load and crew up for the job in Brazil. A time scale of 24hours a day for three weeks.That meant three weeks out on the bright lights of Portsmouth(a sailors dream)

One evening whilst running between bars during what I can only describe as a horrific rain storm,fellow sea dogs in tail! I ran round a corner and smack banged into two young American girls.

Sorry!!!in my broadest Scots dialect.I think the accent got their attention because I was promptly invited to the next bar with them with looks of disbelief from the other crew.Shelley and her friend were wonderful and could sink a few beers which made me more than happy.

I was to spend the next three weeks cruising around Portsmouth with Shelley,visiting her parents in Dover.They lived in an enormous house in the forest,swimming pool to match.Her father was a nuclear scientist at the Newark power plant south of Portsmouth.It was fantastic to meet such Interesting people.Unforgettable.

Shelley became part of the ship for a while even transferring crew to town and home in her Big pick up.Some evenings the back of the pick up full of drunken sailors cruising down the freeway to port.

Shelley was working part time waitress in a restaurant://www.thestockpotrestaurant.com/hours.htmlwhilst deciding what to do with her life,something we shared in common.

She was also a member in the American poets society.We would often drive down the coast and sit on the beach while she read me her poems,truly wonderful stuff.We discussed when the trip finished I would return from Rio and we would go and visit Scotland,A promise I made to her.On the last evening before we sailed Shelley gave to me a poem she had written down on a bill from the restaurant,I asked her what inspired this and she told me.The previous year her boyfriend since childhood died of leukaemia aged 21.Something she didn't get over till that night I ran into her in that rain storm.The poem says a thousand words.It was for me,and me alone. The poem reads.

                              

 Unfortunately Shelley and I lost contact on passage to Brazil, for someone on board destroyed my incoming email letters from Shelley and destroyed my outgoing mail to her.This happened to many crew members on board,a kind of sabotage if you like.An Investigation was carried out but nothing could prove who the bastard was.I will continue to search her and always remember her.

August 8th 2000.

The sail down to Brazil was Amazing,laying up on deck gazing to the stars with wonder.Looking back on the trip and the many people I came across,more so Shelley.The seas were calm and full of life,watching birds at arms length as they would cruise along side the bow catching fish as the ship broke the bow waves.Soon we would cross over the Equator and the traditional sailors ritual would fall upon the first crossing members,Brutality to say the least!.I would be in line.

Many days from land and we would sail past Brazilian fisherman perched on nothing but a raft with a pole as a mast,dressed only in shorts carrying there fishing lines,unimaginable.I thought they were Cuban immigrants drifting south.

August 12th 2000.

We eventually arrived in Fortaleza with bewilderment at the endless beach and sprawling hotels with the shanty towns hidden conveniently behind the gloss of this city.That evening me and some mates cruised down to the first beach bar before sundown to catch up with some reasons we might have had for being at sea so long.As the sun settled down for the night from out of the coconut trees would fall these little street kids,nothing but shorts to there name.Now I see what they say about this country and its values towards these kids.Shameful..

We were all sitting round this table on the beach when I felt someone tugging at my shirt,I glanced down and saw this poor wee kid(about 5yrs old)Wide eyed and making a jester that he was Hungary.I soon reached for my wallet and pulled out 20ria(a couple of dollars).I watched him run up off the beach,cross the busy road and enter McDonalds.I think around 30minutes later I felt another pull at my shirt and unbelievably he was standing with a happy meal and my change and a big smile I shall never forget.Honesty.Surely a lesson to fellow man!!!                                         

 

     To best describe this event depends a lot on the ship and crew in which it is performed and of course the tolerance of the captain.My event was fantastic.My time came on the 9th of august 2000,on passage to brazil.Morning and came a knock on my cabin door,before I had time to even get from bed the officers came rushing in and tied my hands behind my back,ushered me to the crew bar were I was met by the other poor souls.Each of us were like little scared field mice huddled in a group awaiting our fate.Alcohol was poured down our throats for breakfast(no objections).Meanwhile the crew were on the aft deck making preparations for the ceremony.It was timed for the crossing to take place at precisely 12 noon.Half drunk and scared we were taken aft,to my disbelieve I was met by the entire crew hungry for a laugh,perched high on his throne was Neptune(captain).It was hot,damp and very still as we were told to kneel before Neptune while he read out our crime.My crime was for frolicking with the shipping agent back home in Portland,even if I was innocent I would be proven guilty anyway,the crew were Hungry!.The barber set to work whilst the crew held me to a chair,shaving a ridiculous hair style on to my scalp.We were then thrown into the holding tank(homemade swimming pool)awaiting the other poor souls,some who loved there hair dearly.The surgeon was waiting next,we were lain on the slab while he and his assistant would mimic the operation,putting a funnel into our mouth and pouring the galley remains that had been left outside for a couple of days(rotten)into our mouths.Back to the holding pool again.We were then put in stocks whilst the officers and crew pelted us with everything you could Imagine.Taken from there we would be tied to a chair and hoisted with the ships crane into a festering barrel of 4week old galley remains that could knock out an army with its smell.The time was just amazing and to have taken part in something so traditional was once in a lifetime.Later we all partied the day and night whilst the ship sailed on under the stars.                     

  

FREEDOM AND INDEPENDENCE,SIGN THE GUESTBOOK AND LETS SING AND DANCE TO FREE A NATION AGAIN.   

Ok!,lets take things a little bit easy here.It would appear that I have not much to write about my own country.I think the videos speak a thousand words but hey,Im proud!

         

Knoydart estate,north west coast of scotland.A place of remote wilderness.A place of boyhood dreams.This would be the begining of my journey from hunting,offshore rigging to seafarer and behond what ever comes my way.A couple of photos here showing me and my school friend neil mcdonald sailing over to knoydart with the hunting guests.picture showing me coming of the hill with a stag,something that resembled pulling a bag of patatoes weighing 95kg for over 10 miles.picture of me stopping for a breath after a grueling 15mile HIKE up glen meadle.From an early age I became so Interested in wildlife,outdoors and Adventure,that leaving school early was never a doubt because I new what I wanted from life.My old friend from school,neil Mcdonald had an uncle who had a small croft situated on the shores of loch nevis,a place famously known as Tarbet.He had lived and crofted this place all his life with his sister jessy.A very remote place given the fact it would be a gruelling hike over mountain tracks,bogs and streams or a 1hour boat trip from mallaig fishing port.As young boys during school holidays niel and I would spend weeks living in tarbet,gathering sheep,collecting fire wood and casting nets into the ocean.We would occasionaly hunt some deer for food.Neil and I would sometimes take his uncle's boat and visit Knoydart for the day,a risky crossing at times across loch nevis.There we would meet with such amazing people who would be staying for hunting and fishing as knoydart was then a big sporting estate attracting very rich and  at times famous people.It had one pub www.old forge.com(britains remotest)and most Importantly no police in the small community.It was Heaven and I fell in love with the place as many have.One evening sitting on the rocks looking over the loch to Knoydart as the sun settled down neil and I made a promise to eachother that on leaving school we would work together as Ghillies on Knoydart,a dream that became reality.

 

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