It is amazing how quickly my sunburn healed, the doctor treated it with some heavy duty ointment and the pain,and blisters, gradually disappeared. I did'nt go out into the sun uncovered because the heat was intense and we were headed for the Equator..
A swimming pool was erected in front of the forepart, it was a wood and canvas affair , it looked very primitive but it was never empty out of working hours.
During the day, the passengers and off duty officers and engineers had sole use of it.
The crew could use it at all other times, because it was adjacent the pool , number 4 hatch was the favoured place for bronzying. The watchmen who were not working would be found there everyday, a pillow ,a towel and a book were the essential requirements then, sun block was unheard of.
As sailors peggy ,I could squeeze a I hour break after the afternoon smoko ,the sun was'nt so fierce then and I used to go into the pool because it was always empty at that time.
The pool was filled with salt water and I was able to float a little , I had'nt told anyone that I could'nt swim and was determined to have a go at learning. I was still having those erotic dreams ,swimming through clear blue waters ,searching for my beautiful naked lady, she was always there waiting with open arms to receive me . The heat played hell with our testosterone levels.
I did'nt realise that my attempts at swimming were being observed ,after a couple of days I was joined in the pool by the 2nd steward, he asked if I really wanted to learn how to swim and I answered yes. Within an hour he had me swimming ,first ,he taught me to relax, then, how to float ,getting me to lay floating face downwards,he then taught the breast stroke . I was thrilled ,I was no Olympic medallist ,but I could swim. I spent every spare moment in the pool thereafter; we were going to have a crossing the line ceremony very soon and the pool held no fears for me now.
Liverpool seemed an age and another world away now , the ship was so peaceful ,the long ,slow waves of the Indian Ocean ,giving the Jason a gentle rolling motion, it was fascinating to look across the deck and watch the horizon fall and rise with the movement of the ship. This was painting weather and all the day workers were set to painting the deckheads and bulkheads, their mood seemed to be in concert with the weather, you could hear the quiet murmur as they talked ,interspersed with bursts of gentle laughter. There were no seagulls about now ,the only things flying were the fish. We three first timers were amazed at the sight of the silvery projectiles ,rocketing out of the waves and gliding for yards along the crest of the waves,they were dazzling in that brilliant sunlight.
The three of us were now a team, as with all Blue Funnel crews then, we had an hierarchy , there had to be a senior deckboy ,just as there were senior ,O.S's and leading hands. I think I was made senior hand because I was slightly older and had got one discharge in my book already ,it certainly was'nt because of my seamanship skills . Bootsie was a far better deckhand than me ,and Billo knew his rope work better than me too. They had far better training at Aberdovey than we had had at the Vindi .But I was put in nominal charge of them ,this meant that I had to see that they were doing their jobs properly in the messes and make sure that the recreation room ,bathroom and brassware were all up to standard, if they misbehaved ashore ,I would be held responsible . I would be logged ,and possibly fined ,for any of their misdemeanours. I thought it was a bit much ,but they were both good lads ,in fact Bootsie was the most popular lad with the crew . He was quiet and always had a smile on his face ,excepting for our bad start, he was never any trouble. After all our work was done ,and we had spent our evening in the rec room watching the lads play cards or some other game,we would grab a bit of supper and a cup of cocoa and then get our heads down. Laying in our bunks we would talk about everything and anything ,but ,sooner or later ,the talk always turned to "It" .We three were still ignorant and ,if the old hands were to be believed , that would all change as soon as we hit the coast .
Bootsie was like a Bonobo monkey , every spare moment in our cabin he would get himself excited and then give himself relief, three or four times a night. He would'nt break off a conversation whilst he was so engaged , we could'nt see him because of the screen, we knew by the tremor in his voice and the grunt when he had finished.
All that use had given him equipment that would have pleased any woman ,it looked like a baby's arm holding an apple . I don't know about Billo ,but I was envious as hell.
It was Saturday when we were due to cross the Line O.S's and younger A.B.s had been preparing the noxious brews that would be used as part of the ceremony ,we three did not like what we saw ,there were buckets of grease and oil and whatever else could be found to make us look disgusting.
On the day ,and at the time ,King Neptune appeared with his courtiers,the pool would not be used for the ceremony, it would take place on the steel afterdeck by No 6 hatch.
There were 2 catering lads, a middie and us three who were up for initiation. The captain ,officers and passengers stood at the promenade deck rail to view the "entertainment". We were told to hide and the Kings guards would be sent to capture us , it was traditional to act as an unwilling participant ,until the moment that you appeared before the King.
Jimmy McClay ,a young E.D.H was sent after me ,he played the part well, dragging me as I struggled to escape, as we entered the "arena" he gave me a cuffing on the back of the head ,still playing the part, I retaliated ,and, before you knew it ,we were rolling about the deck ,going at it like prize fighters. It was getting out of hand! King Neptune sussed what was going on and commanded his men to bring this vicious upstart to have his due . I realised that I had been stupid in fighting and took my gunking like a man . I liked Jimmy, and I'm glad that he liked me ,little things like that can sour a situation. There had been no bullying on the Jason so far.
The initiation over, it was clean up time and back to normal, in those days, Saturday morning was a normal working day, afternoon was time for doing your washing and ironing, we peggies earned our extra coppers by doing the A.B's shirts and denims ,we never did underwear, that was beyond the call of duty. The toilet doubled up as a laundry ,and the Jason had baths as well as showers. We would throw the heavy washing in the bath and get in there with it , we looked like those people treading the grapes, it worked wonders on the wash.
The ship carried a laundryman , a little Chinese guy called Hu Ken Lu , he was tiny and his laundry was just outside No 6 hatch, as peggy we had to take our dirty sheets and towels to him and thus got to know him a little . He was from mainland China ,where he had a family, but, because he was on the Australian run, he had'nt seen them for nearly two years. The bulkhead of his laundry had on it pictures of his wife and 2 children, Marilyn Monroe in a pin up pose and a grim faced Chairman Mao.
He seemed more sexually frustrated than anyone of us ,he was always talking about jigajig. One day ,when I went to collect some fresh laundry , he was doing the passengers private laundry and amongst the pile was an enormous pair of pink bloomers that belonged to a very matronly first class passenger , Lu got very excited ,pulling them out ,he stroked them and was chuntering away in his sing song !Whoarrrrr Yunnggg Dahhhh "he crooned as he stuck them on his head. He started doing what looked like a war dance,the knickers looking for all the world like a red Indians war bonnet, whooping ,he jumped outside and started dancing around by the hatch "Oy Oy OyOy" he whooped ,not noticing the owner of the drawers standing at the prom deck rail .Someone called out and Lu looked up, his face a picture ,he shot back in the laundry and almost cried . I left him as he awaited whatever punishment might be his due. She could'nt have reported him because nothing was ever said.
The passage across to Australia was long and relaxing ,we worked hard but the surroundings were so enjoyable, the sunsets were like no other I had ever seen.The day workers would bring their chairs out of the rec and sit at the after end of our deck, supping a can of lager as they watched the sun dipping down beyond the horizon ,and as it did so the sky would go from blue to gold upon the horizon, golden shafts under lighting what few cloud there were ,the sea mirroring the sky ,became a wash of gold and heliotrope and gradually the curtain of night was drawn across the heavens. Black and velvet, splattered with trillions of flashing diamonds, below , the sea now a rumpled black silk, soon the moon would rise and cast a shimmering path across the waters.
As night settled in the real beauty of the deep was revealed .You look over the side and there in the depths below are green clouds of light ,they seem to boil and bubble and ,of a sudden ,green rockets seem to burst and explode beneath you. Porpoise !! they flash and frolic through the phosphorous at great speeds ,putting on the most fantastic pyrotechnic display imaginable. The whole scene is so magical that you feel the urge to join them. The raptures of the deep!
Soon we would be sighting land ,each of us wondering what magic there would be in this far off land ,Australia.
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Originally Posted by Ged
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