Today, there is a growing fascination for what is now recognised as the zenith of Britain’s 400-year-old merchant marine, the vessels and great shipping companies of the past, and especially of the seafarers and their then way of life.
The absence of a crew in innovative vessels reduces costs, improves performance and increases reliability. The design perfectly withstands long-term wear and tear, allowing the ships to remain stealthy and resilient to threats.
Like rabbits held in the glare of headlights, we freebooters tried to shield our eyes from the glare of the approaching vessel’s searchlight fully trained on us.
In what way could a winged sardine compare to ocean travel by superliner? Several generations of great ships on which one could live a lifestyle previously reserved for the super-rich and Hollywood’s greatest movie stars.
It is not a task for men weak of arm and spirit. The ocean’s pull on the line could jerk one’s arms from the armpits as the line is fed out over the ship’s taffrail into the sea below.
Ballad of the Old Sailor . Oh, the salt and the sting of the wide open sea,Where the waves are wild, and the heart is free.With a creak of the mast, and a slap of the sail,I’d ride with the storm, or drift with the gale..I was young […]
One afternoon, whilst heeding a call of nature by using one of the dock toilets his eye caught sight of a copy of the Daily Telegraph. Bored, he flicked through the newspaper’s pages as he waited to discharge his cargo.
After reaching the dwelling’s top floor our group discovered a neatly formed queue where the hooker’s clients each waited their turn to ‘dip their hooks.’ Apart from us aliens standing patiently, a queue of Arabs were waiting their turn to make lurve.
MICHAEL WALSH FORMER MARINER: The vast oceans and seas that touch all of our lives abound with mystery. The fathomless and mysterious oceans consist of ever-changing horizons hardly touched by human hands. Mysterious because we know more about the distant moon than we do of the enigmatic waters […]
Michael Walsh Stories and Books 
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