Ships Nostalgia banner

Outward Bound Sea School.

49K views 98 replies 37 participants last post by  davidrwarwick 
#1 · (Edited)
Outward Bound Sea School. ABERDOVEY. Wales

As I am sure many of you are aware The Outward Bound Trust has an Honour Roll going for all of us who survived those days at what was then The Outward Bound Sea School at Aberdovey in Wales. If we survived that, we then got to go to sea, in my case with Blue Funnel who were one of the Founders of the school.

If you did go to Aberdovy all those years ago and have not made contact with them, please do so, so that you can be placed on the Roll of Honour and receive your certificate. The Pays lousy, but then whats new.[/COLOR] [/B]

Contact Caroline Briggs. Roll of Honour Co-ordinator at The Outward Bound Trust. Hackthorpe Hall. Hackthorpe. Penrith, ***bria. CA10 2HX. Scotland.

OR BY E MAIL at caroline briggs@outwardbound-uk.org
There are presently around 4500 members with 350 of them overseas. Those of you still in UK would enjoy a trip back in time. Cold Showers in January at 0530 and that wonderful breakfast after the shower and run of a banger on a bit of fried bread. The latter being in question to this day.!!
 
See less See more
#4 ·
Oh those showers.

Greetings,
Oh those showers, I attended course 158 at Aberdovey in February and afterwards though I really wanted to go in the army I ended up the next 40 yrs or so away at sea in the MN . They were also kind enough when I registered to send me a copy of my course report and I note I threw the javelin 105ft 8inches !!! the weight 30ft.9inches 100 yds 12.2 secs . Ah the folly of the young to be so energetic.I see they are having open days this year there as well but as I now am retired in NZ attendance is not possible and anyway I think doing Cader in my wheelchair would be a little beyond even I. B\). Still best wishes to all those of Beatty watch of that course who are still around and lets hope it carries on for many more years helping the helpless babes as we were ?????
Billyg.
 
#5 ·
OBSS Aberdovey

Do not recall any course number, but I was there for the month of May 1947.
Our watch was quartered in the former garage or coach house at the top of the drive, and was known as Foretop, or was it Maintop, or Mizzen.
That run down the hill for the 100 yard sprint along the main road;topped off by the icy cold shower was a real eye-opener that also took your breath away. Loved the map hikes over the hills and the big one from Dolgelley back to base over Cader Idris. I do not recall excelling at any particular athletic event, in spite of Professor Zimmerman's exhortations and guidance. Who remembers Mr Williams the mate on our five day sail aboard the Garibaldi?
Rowing him and the engineer ashore (Abersoch?) each night for a bevvie, after anchoring or weighing each morning with that old hand windlass. Would not have missed it for the world.
I did go to sea, but only for about five years.
 
#6 ·
I was at Aberdovey in March 1952. Course 114. I have still got my logbook somewhere.The sailing ship in those days was the "Warspite", a lovely vessel. The "Garibaldi" was still there tied up to the quay, I think that they were awaiting a buyer. We had to hand pump her bilges every day.
Capt. Bax, I think that I sailed with you when you were A.B.. Were you on the "Bellerophon" in 1953 or the "Astynax" in 1954.? The John? Bax that I remember came , I think, from Sittingbourne and was a tall, dark chap. The reason it sticks in my mind is that there were very few southerners sailing in Blue Funnel in those days.
 
#7 ·
I too remember sailing with a John Bax, briefly on one of the 'A' boats in the mid 1950s, the discription fits, tall and dark. I thought he lived somewhere in the Tonbridge/Edenbridge area of Kent. I can remember John kindly giving me a lift on the back of his, I think BSA Golden Flash from the Royal Docks to Tunbridge Wells one evening [ I was temporarily staying in that area] . I intended biking back to London the following morning and we were supposed to rendevous somewhere on the A21 but my bike broke down and I had to leave it at a Garage en route and continue via public transport. I thought John was planning to join the Police Force.
Bruce.
 
#9 ·
Hullo Captain Bax,
A few weeks ago I happened to meet a lecturer from Cambridge University and having thought that I may have heard, many years ago, that the son of Doc. Zimmerman had gone to teach there, I asked him if he knew of a Peter Zimmerman who may have adopted an anglicized version of the name, (ie. Carpenter).
He had not, but promised to check on his return to Cambridge. I heard from him in just a few days when he sent me his address and telephone number!
I was right, and I think that both of us were surprised and pleased to be talking to each other no less than 63 years after our last meeting on the forecourt of Bryneithen in 1943.
Peter is still very interested in all things Outward Bound. If you have never met him, or know of his whereabouts, do let me know. Yours, Hugh Ferguson.
 
#10 ·
Did we ever solve the Caroline Briggs e-mail address problem? As an OBSS "grad" of '50 or '51 (Garibaldi Watch), I'd like to be "certified". I am also trying to track down an old chum yclept Brian Lauer, last know to be aboard the Port Phillip in '52 or '53'. Anybody? Think hard and think way, way back.
John Sansom
 
#15 ·
Hi Hugh,

Here is a photo of my course at Aberdovey, March 1952. Do you recognise any of the staff.

Trader
It's possible that Keith Ford & ? Nelson are there but I couldn't swear to it. The Bursar is there but I cannot recall his name. The absence of Freddie Fuller and Stan Hugill is unexpected as I'm sure they were both there at that time.
There always was a pretty big changeover of staff even during the war on the two courses I attended then. The pictures I posted were of the only two courses I attended as an instructor. I don't think photos were taken during the war.
I'm really surprised that no-one has come forward to say, "I was there, that's me.............!"
 
#13 ·
Thanks to HF for the heads-up on Caroline B.'s absence (as it were). Guess I'll pursue another course. And thanks to Trader for the memories. I was a Garibaldi Watch member and also sailed on the Warspite. No cold shower memories for me, though. As permanent watch members for the Garibaldi, we cleansed our bodies and froze our souls right off the beach. Blimey!
 
#25 ·
Hi, Hugh, and I am still poking around in an effort to do***ent some history on the dear old Lady G. Could your friend be Peter Wright, an OBSS alumnus now in California? Peter sent me a snap of the Garibaldi making her way seaward and I am in the process of persuading a commercial artist buddy to convert said visual into a painting for posting with a halfway decent print scheduled for head office, as it were. The artist involved has been out of country for some months and has just newly returned. Perhaps the project can now be expedited.
 
#18 ·
Hugh, I wish I did have some sort of history on the Garibaldi. All I have is the memory of a repeated reference to her as "an old Spanish onion ketch." Of course, I also have very fond memories of living aboard and of the daily
hustle(s) to get up the hill to the school proper. I will, however, poke around. Who knows what may pop up?
 
#19 ·
Yes, Hugh, it's me again. No history on the Garibaldi as yet except a note ciitng her as an old Breton fisherman, christened by Kurt Hahn at Aberdovey in 1943. Then I found a subsequent reference to her sale to a scrap merchant. Apparently, while on tow to Caernarfon she started taking on water which the pumps couldn't handle. She ended up in Pwlleli where the towing crew spent some time toasting the good fortune which had conducted them to a safe harbour.
Well, while the libations went in, the tide went out and the Garibaldi settled onto the harbour bottom. On the next high, she was pumped out enough to haul her across to the current site of the "new" marina where she "rotted away". That's the story, anyway...and because I'm currently eperiencing server poblems, I can't take it any further
 
#21 ·
Hi - I did not have the privilge (?) of attending Aberdovey but I heard plenty about it from my father Gordon McMillan who was an instructor there I believe around 1950-51. He was an Australian who came to the UK after doing his apprenticeship with BHP and I believe spent about six months there. Is the Garibaldi a ketch of approx 70 feet loa? ( I used to hear stories of trips up to the Scottish islands and morning swims around the ship instead of the usual cold shower and wasn't sure whether he was making all this up - unfortunately he died many years ago so can't ask him now)

I would be very keen to hear from anyone who may remember him and who could narrow down the time he was there and the truth of the stories!
 
#22 ·
Hi Queenslander,

I was at Aberdovey in March 1952 and don't remember his name, but lets face it, that was 56 years ago and my memory is getting dim.

In my time at Aberdovey the sail training ship was the ketch "Warspite" but the "Garibaldi" was laid up alongside the quay at Aberdovey. I don't remember much about her but I do know that we had to go aboard her every day to pump her out by hand as she was leaking so badly.
 
#23 ·
Aberdovey - 1952

Hi Trader

Thanks for the response - In fact the guy in the suit front right (in your '52 photo) looks a bit like him. (Maybe too much hair!) Going to send to my elder brother for a second opinion and also see if he can scan any other photos he may have of Aberdovey and also Blue Funnel ships. Dad got his masters in the UK in Oct 51 and was studying for his extra masters at St John Cass and I understand he worked for Blue Funnel in that time. Anyway they went back to Australia without him getting the EM and around then went to Nauru as Assistant harbour master and then about 55-56 went to sea with British Phosphate Commissioners (apparently during his time as Assistant HM became a bit of a dab hand at the close shore ship handling that made Nauru such an awkward place to load cargo) and thats where he stayed until his death in '75.

I know I have seen photos of Blue Funnel ships so will see what we can dig out.
 
#26 ·
No, Peter, it's not Peter Wright.He is in fact, Hilary Tunstall-Behrens, who went to Gordonstoun School and was on the first Outward Bound course as a fifteen year old in 1941. He is first and foremost a musician, but that didn't preclude him from going to sea in the Pamir on her first post-war voyage to Rio de Janeiro. He wrote a book about that voyage simply titled, PAMIR: Alan Villiers wrote the preface.
I just had an E.mail from him today-he is very much looking forward to more information on the Garibaldi.
 
#30 ·
OBSS Aberdovey

As I am sure many of you are aware The Outward Bound Trust has an Honour Roll going for all of us who survived those days at what was then The Outward Bound Sea School at Aberdovey in Wales. etc etc ...............
For anyone interested I've just tracked down my old photos of Happy Valley sail training ketch OBSS Aberdovey in 1950s, 4 uploaded at/ next to http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/117252/ppuser/20641
and 2 at http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/116404/ppuser/20641
My first experience on the sea before going to sea as a cadet in 1959.

I went to an open day at Aberdovey in 2004, saw some of the current attendees and facilities. Nowhere near as rough and ready as in the early years of course but nevertheless I'm sure its good experience for the youths of today. The old boatshed on the jetty was about to be pulled down at the time and has since been replaced.

Did the climb up Cadair Idris with an instructor and about 6 other ex-OBSS lads, fantastic weather unlike my course in 1957 when we had snow at Easter to complement the early morning dips in the Dovey!! Hope you enjoyed your course as much as I did!
 
#32 ·
Thanks to Naegwl and Capt. Jim for their assist on the Garibaldi. I think we'll have to settle for her dual occupations; that is, French fisherman and onion ketch. Whatever. For an all too brief time, she was home to me (and to Terry, George, and a bunch of other lovely lads). Having unearthed (courtesy of Peter Wright in CA) a very elderly snap of the old girl, I am trying to convert same into what might pass for a reasonable painting--a job that has turned out to be somwhat akin to building the pyramids. But it will get done--and I have left the appropriate instructions with my heirs and assigns.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top