ian keyl
8th June 2007, 00:14
I had the good fortune to sail on my second deep sea voyage with Donald Cowie on the Valla when i was cadet, ex london on the January 66 having paid off the previous voyage on the 24.12.65 with greeten Seaton Murry both were gentlemen .
On the voyage with Donald I remember him saying once when i was on bridge duty coming into Port Said ," Do you smoke? to which i replied no ,thenhe said if you want to make a good cadet then b##### well make sure you have some fags when you next come to the bridge." he could go through three packets of fags before we had picked up the pilot.
Another time towards the end of my time on the valla i was doing the weather log for the second mate Andy Davidson (aberdeen) and iwas tapping the barometer in the chart room and a tap on my shoulder said," if you were meant to tap it they would provide a hammer" .
A great man full of life and character and always supported his crew.
I rember he sent me once up the road to Mincing Lane in London to Killick Martins office to see the east bound freight manager to claim the dog and pig handling money that had not been paid the previous voyage, Donald told me "just you tell them you are not leaving the F###### office till you are paid it for all the cadets and the sailors " I was handed an envelope and the cadets felt like millionaires that voyage with all that cash,we had three dogs one to BGK and two to HK the pigs were from Hull to Yoko and they farrowed enroute during a typhoon so were due extra for those piglets that made it to Yoko.
Great memories sadley some of these charactors are not here to add thier tales.
On the voyage with Donald I remember him saying once when i was on bridge duty coming into Port Said ," Do you smoke? to which i replied no ,thenhe said if you want to make a good cadet then b##### well make sure you have some fags when you next come to the bridge." he could go through three packets of fags before we had picked up the pilot.
Another time towards the end of my time on the valla i was doing the weather log for the second mate Andy Davidson (aberdeen) and iwas tapping the barometer in the chart room and a tap on my shoulder said," if you were meant to tap it they would provide a hammer" .
A great man full of life and character and always supported his crew.
I rember he sent me once up the road to Mincing Lane in London to Killick Martins office to see the east bound freight manager to claim the dog and pig handling money that had not been paid the previous voyage, Donald told me "just you tell them you are not leaving the F###### office till you are paid it for all the cadets and the sailors " I was handed an envelope and the cadets felt like millionaires that voyage with all that cash,we had three dogs one to BGK and two to HK the pigs were from Hull to Yoko and they farrowed enroute during a typhoon so were due extra for those piglets that made it to Yoko.
Great memories sadley some of these charactors are not here to add thier tales.