Roger wrote:
Buster - I was Senior Cadet on the Sekondi that trip in 1960. Don't remember a lot about it, but I do remember the Old Man was "Bastard Jack" Everall.
It's a funny thing, but the other day something reminded me of that Sekondi trip and in a way it was somewhat eventful.
To begin with, an engineroom hand went berserk somewhere down on the coast - too much Tombo perhaps - and attacked the Chief Engineer one evening. We were in port, and I don't remember where, but hearing the noise the Mate and a couple of others subdued the guy and shut him in a locker until we sailed the next day - they reasoned that was less bother than sending for the shore police. We all kept quiet about it until we'd left port and were at sea then he was let out and apparently behaved himself from then on. I don't remember any repercussions, but I doubt he got a good discharge, a DR most likely.
The other thing I rmember also involved the Chief Mate, a chap called, I think, Les Eales. If I remember correctly he later drowned off another ED boat, the Degema, when logs stowed on deck started to break loose, he went to supervise their re-lashing and got swept overboard.
Anyway, on the Sekondi on the homeward voyage we had an attractive lady passenger, a married woman whose husband was coming home later. As was normal on those trips, we cadets were helping out with the painting and so on, under instruction from the Mate. Early afternoon one day, we were for some reason unable to do what he had asked, so I went to see him to suggest an alternative. His cabin door was shut, but I could hear noises so knocked and entered. I didn't stay long because the noises were he and the lady passenger indulging in parlour games - they were trying to inflate each other as I remember. At least, they each had their mouths on the other's anatomy in very personal places! Later that evening he asked me to say nothing about the incident, so I didn't, and come to think of it, haven't until now. He knew that my current girlfriend worked in ED's Head Office, you see. But it was 49 years ago and the chap's long dead so I don't suppose he'll mind too much! It's not as though Head Office will give him any trouble now, is it?
