How many remember the dreaded “Course Recorder”, that bulkhead mounted bit of electronic gadgetry found in the chartroom, I first came across one aboard the T2 White River which was on charter to ESSO. The story doing the rounds was that it was there to monitor the course steered by the helmsman and that was its primary function; it upset someone on the White River to a point where he tapped the stylus, pushing the pen through the paper and thus making the recorder inoperable and as a consequence activated a big inquiry, the culprit was never found and the recorder was soon back doing what it was supposed to do. Years later I discovered what it was for when I was standing Bridge watches; it was for recording the course but only for whoever was on watch to monitor the course steered and not to see how good a course was being steered although it did give the course made good.

It was not unusual, for members of the crew, to get the wrong idea about the mates’ activity, I used to think that when he shouted down through the voice to wheelman asking, “How’s your head!” that he was just checking on me when in fact he was checking the magnetic compass against the Gyro which is mechanical and gives the true course ... he was checking so as to work out compass error which was recorded on a wheelhouse chalk-board.
Did anyone else ever get the wrong idea about what the mate was up to?

I remember joining my first ship, the Athel King as Deck Boy, she was berthed in Stanlow and the whole crowd was taken on a coach from the pool in Mann Island to join her, when it was time to sail I was stationed forar'd and after letting go the tugs and everyone sent to do their respective duties I was told to stay on the focs'le to assist the chippy in securing the anchors, after this was done the mate turned round to me and said " you can stand down now peggy", I was at a loss at what he meant, as I was well aquainted with the terms sit down and stand up, but stand down was something I could'nt make any sense of, this was my first introduction to the strange and wonderful language of shipboard life which I was to love and enjoy for the next 23 years. stan.

Ahhh, the first trip..................................does anyone remember the 'pranks' played on them by the old hands? Let's hear your tales and see which one was the most outrageous. Buckets of steam, hairy pie , long waits, c'mon let us read the gory details,
BrianD

Saving the crusts to feed the mules in the Panama Canal was one favorite amongst the old hands Brian, stan.

On my first trip I was watching the Chippie at some stage in the voyage toiling away with some timber, when I said to him,"what're you making Chips", he replied , "a Mugdo box" I said, "what's a Mugdo" after several minutes passed and the Chippie grinning, the penny dropped! I have since said this to my eldest grandson with the same response, poor lad, he must be as thick as his grandad!