Having the channels was all about getting home and paying off, the pay-off was the important consideration, how much would you have, there was a new tailor made suit or perhaps a fancy pair of slip-on shoes to be bought but more importantly how much would you have to sustain you for the duration of your leave?

Channel fever was exciting, you would be home again with the ones you loved; shipmates were great and there was some you wouldn’t mind sailing with again, they were the ones you would remain in contact with especially if it was a hometown crowd but on the whole once ashore seamen spent their pay-offs as if they had no pockets. There was lots of mates and acquaintances waiting to welcome you home and you weren’t the one to disappoint them, when in your company the ale would flow like water until it was flowing over the bottom lip of those around you, life was a joy and nothing was too expensive, feed the cat the Goldfish, live high on the Hog but then suddenly, boom! The money was gone and it was time to ship out again only this time you were going to take it easy on the subs, the ciggies and the girls.
All the world’s a stage and in his life man plays many parts; roll on pay-off day when once more I can play the part of the philanthropist.