Good morning everyone, just trying to catch up and reading these fascinating stories from you all. Really interesting 👌

Hi JockScott and Doug, what exceptional and fantastic work and life experiences you have had!
Truly interesting and enviable, congratulations to both of you.
If you want to tell your anecdotes with great detail for me you are welcome. I really enjoy reading them.

Although I did not have a sea-faring career I spent my working life in Ship chartering and shipping project management. As such I had extensive exposure to travel to many parts, some quite exotic, in the world.
My choice of favourable ports/destinations:
Lulea, Sweden - as an apprentice taking the 3 year program for Shipbroker and owner
with a Hamburg Ship Owner we had the opportunity to take a trip on one of our vessels.
I took a round trip from Kiel-Canal to Lulea, Skelefteahamn and Gavle. I loved the Swedish ports and the natural beauty of the Swedish coast line just south of the polar circle.
London - I had many stays in London, the historic buildings and sites and enjoyed visiting the Baltic Exchange, its culture and had the chance to have Lunch there a few times.
Rio de Janeiro - got a bit of a sunburn on Ipanema Beach the morning arriving on an overnight flight from Europe after spending some unexpected delays and travel re-bookings in snow-bound Poland. Had an afternoon of watching a football game at the old Maracana Stadium.
Jeddah - In the late 70's spend a fair amount in Saudi Arabia, operating out of Damman
but travel by plane and car to Riyadh and Jeddah. The old architecture in those early days was straight out of a National Geographic magazine and up the coast to Yenbo gave someone the sense what it probably looked like for the last 1000 years.
Iquitos - Peru. Being only accessible by plane or boat, some of the sites are historically milestones as it went through a very prosperous period during the height of the rubber
boom. A building by Eiffel being the most renowned. On my first visit there we had to fly by float plane to meet the M/V Yacu Wayo (formerly a Horn Line Vsl) at the joint
border of Peru/Columbia and Brazil. Ended up staying in a small hotel on the banks of the Amazon in Benjamin Constant. On a later trip and a different project I had to attend the barge transport from Iquitos (transfer from oceangoing vessel to barges) going up river the Rio Napo into the Amazon forest to the foothills east of the Andes into Ecuador at abt 3knots/hr. Quite the experience without A/C or fresh water.
Aqaba, Jordan - At the height of the Iran/Iraq war in the 80's I had to baby sit a cargo of Ambulances from Canada to Iraq with implication of getting a berth with over 100 ships waiting in the roads for discharge with most cargoes diverted from War bound ports in the Persian Gulf and having the company from Germans being there looking after their companies interests. We even managed to find a friendly restaurant which would make Sauerbraten with Rotkohl for our group. Having to sit around days we took a taxi from there one day to visit Petra. Amazing site.

I could add more but than we are getting less unusual destinations in South America, North Africa, Middle East or Hongkong

For me the two places that I loved visiting where Gibraltar and Muscat - both so different but both very interesting places.

In fact I wish I could afford to live in Gibraltar but its so expensive now.

The two places I would have liked to have visited are one, Japan - I have this morbid fascination of going and standing where the bomb dropped - something I can not explain why, number two, I would love to visit the Falkland Island to see the wild life which I am told is spectacular.


P

Hi Doug fascinating feel free to carry on.

#Did I detect a BZ flag!

Great stories
Roy

"Interesting life"
Yep, on reflection it weren't so bad Pat. Got around a bit😉
Reckon I saw more of the world than many Navy matelots.
You know what they say-
"I joined the navy to see the world,
and what did I see, I saw the sea!"
A lot of high stress episodes but also some fun to relieve the tension😉

The list below is just from some of the highlights.
Leaving out other escapades -
like being incarcerated in Moscow on landing at Sheremetyevo airport on the morning that the Soviet airforce shot down Korean Air flight 007!
Getting out again was fun🙄due to the ensuing airlines boycott of all flights to Russia.
Finally made it out on the train from Moscow to Helsinki. Another story, a party on wheels😁

Or getting stuck in Kampala, Uganda shortly after Idi Amin was finally deposed.
Another airline boycott, having to run like hell to get a seat on the first plane to land at Entebbe for weeks. A BOAC (!) flight via Burundi and Cairo to Heathrow.
Flight into Uganda was much more amusing. I was in a window seat F starboard side for the flight from Nairobi to Entebbe. To my left, occupying BOTH seats D and E, was a LARGE lady with a crate of live chickens on her lap!!!!!😮 I amused myself by feeding the chickens my 'In flight meal' which resembled a banana shaped recycled fossilised British Rail sandwich.
You know - just when you think you've seen it all ...😉

Then there was the time I thought I was flying to St Johns but ended up in St John!
One letter made a big difference🤔 Canadians will know. Happens often I was informed by the patient lady in St John who rebooked me FOC.
💤💤💤💤💤💤😎
Oh! And nearly getting shot in Lagos Nigeria and Madrid of all places! Pesky Basques!
Then there was the time in Rio that ...
Retirement seems very tame☹️

What an interesting life you have lead Doug

Hi Pat,
Was never in any man's Navy but worked with many ...
For me an absolute NO BRAINER😉

1. Arsenal do Marinha Rio de Janeiro😀☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️
Apart from the many obvious reasons ...😉😋
Great people, culture, food ...
From 1987 to 2008 I was there 4 or 5 times a year working on COMMS refits/new build installations. Hotel on the Copacabana!
Beginning in '87 with the chance to work on the last remaining operational WW2 Colossus class carrier. NAeL Minas Gerais, Ex HMS Vengeance. Complete COMMS refit and upgrades.
She came to an ignominious end at an Indian breakers. Navy even tried to sell her on Ebay!!
Then the Vosper built Niteroi class Frigates, new Inhauma class Corvettes, Tupi class Submarines.

A close 2. Armada de Chile, Valparaiso, Chile.
Best seafood I've ever eaten, including Antarctic Crabs, small but Oh so delicious😋😋😋
Happy memories of lunch (if you've never tasted swordfish steaks fresh off the boat ...) overlooking Valparaiso fishing harbour watching the antics of the Pelicans snoozing on the tin roofs of the harbour sheds.
Wonderfully friendly people and the most professional Navy outside Europe I've ever had the pleasure to work with.
Chance to work on four of the last operational ex RN County class Destroyers; ex HMS Fife, Glamorgan, Antrim and Norfolk, COMMS refits. Two of which were converted by the Chileans to Heli Carriers. Fleet VHF/UHF/HF refits. Shore Station HF Network with secure data.
COMMS refits on Leander type Frigates (new built for the Armada de Chile), later sold on to Ecuador.
COMMS design for new OPVs (80m) and refits for County class replacements.

3. Guayaquil, Ecuador, Armada del Ecuador.
Maybe not the safest place in the world and HOT HOT HOT!
But combined with visits to the MoD/Navy Ministry in the much cooler Quito (2850m up in the Andes) again an overall enjoyable experience.
Fleet radio refits and Integrated Internal/External COMMS for Type 209 submarines.
During surveys of the subs I rapidly realised that they were not designed with 6 foot 2 inch sailors in mind💥🤕

Others I could mention coz they stick in my memory for various reasons:-
Mers El Kébir/Oran, Algeria.
Historical reason; site of the Royal Navy's bombardment of the French Fleet in WW2.
Work reason; COMMS installations for new Frigates, Corvettes (built in China), and Patrol Boats. COMMS System design for a new LPD.

Simons Town, S. Africa.
Former RN Base; history history history!
Enjoyed Cape Town (yes I was on the 'Table Top'😁) and a trip to Stellenbosch, great scenery and wines and the biggest steaks I'd ever seen. First taste of Ostrich steak😋
Did not enjoy the Apartheid atmosphere though☹️ Went from there to Rio😀😊
Witnessed a flash flood in Pretoria which turned the streets into raging brown rivers in seconds.
(Had same experience in Quito and Rio!!)
Was there to demonstrate an HF net with secure data and automatic link setup to the Navy Sigs Division. Also discussed Internal / External COMMS systems for their new Blohm & Voss MEKO Frigates. Discussions/system design continued at B&V Design Office and Yard in Hamburg.

After 40 years working in the Naval COMMS field I could go on all night😁
Doha, Qatar: Complete Internal/External COMMS systems for a 'New Fleet'; Seven ships: Frigates, Corvettes, Patrol Boats and associated Shore Stations/upgrades. Final System design and contract negotiations were conducted with the builders, Fincantieri in Genoa. This was my Swan Song just before I retired. If ya gotta go - GO WITH A BANG!

Include shipyards and I think of Norway & Sweden (great Smorgasbord😋 during the working lunches), Italy; Intermarine in Sarzana and La Spezia. Three minesweepers for the Royal Thai Navy. Some stories to tell from that experience!🙊 Lovely people the Thais.
S. Korea. Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME).
Vast shipyard on an island at the southern tip of Korea. Amazing setting, see pic.
COMMS system for 3 Corvettes for the Algerian Navy.
They didn't win the build contract. But I did for the COMMS fit😁
Due to discussions with the Navy in Algiers (for whom we had previously provided COMMS fits for their Patrol Boats and submarines) and the build contract winner China Shipbuilding & Trading Company Head Office in Beijing (another new experience, and yes I do have the Great Wall certificate😉).

Enough for now! I'll take a peek at the new QoTD and then hit the hay.
G'night All. Doug😴💤💤
BTW Pat: How would you answer that question?
Can't decide - girl in every port?😁

Hello Shippers

For those that have served in a maritime organisation which is your favourite country/port/base that you have visited or been stationed at and your reasons


Cheers



P