# Memorable Rivers,Canals and Harbors



## skymaster

Mine would be River Hooghley,Suez Canal and Capetown Harbor! All had that to me OOOOH!!! Value every time.

Mike


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## skymaster

Read OOOH! as surprise!!!

Mike


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## K urgess

Off the top of my head - 

Stavanger, Sydney, San Francisco, New Orleans, Panama Canal, Capetown, Rabaul, Madang, Kavieng, Santo Tomas de Castilla, Syros, etc.....etc........etc.....

Purely for the scenery(Thumb)

I hope you didn't have a limit in mind, Mike. That would be impossible!


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## OLD STRAWBERRY

I think the most interesting River for Me would be the Gironde going into the Garonne up to Bordeaux. Not neccessary for the scenery but for the most Heroic attack made by The Royal Marine Boom Patrol on axis Ships in Bordeaux Harbour. "operation Frankton" During WW2. The attack being Made by five two-man canoes more popularly known as the Cockleshell Heroes Led By Major "blondie" Haslar.They were dropped off By submarine ten Miles or so South of the River Mouth And had to paddle during the night and tide allowing. If anyone has been to Bordeaux and seen the tide on that River,You'll know what I mean. I am in complete awe of the bravery of those Men. Old Strawbs.


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## mcgurggle

River Lagan - homeward bound of course !!(Thumb) 
McG


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## Ian

skymaster said:


> Mine would be River Hooghley,Suez Canal and Capetown Harbor! All had that to me OOOOH!!! Value every time.
> 
> Mike


Fraid there wont be many engineers answering this thread Mike mines is 5 mins of Panama canal when 2nd let me up and the Clyde outward first trip
Bobby


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## John Rogers

The water-way from Amsterdam to Vienna takes a lot of beating, Rhine,Main,and Danube. Going the other way to the Black sea would also be a nice trip,I will have to try it one day soon.
John.


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## makko

I really liked transiting the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal in early Fall or late Spring. beatiful colours to the trees, charming scenery with the horse ranches and picturesque white washed towns and fences. Not so picturesque at the NJ end! Also, I still shudder at the chill of NY in March, probably not the coldest place that I've been but memorable!


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## Ivor Lloyd

For me it is the Cape Cod Canal .
Made a transit in 1944 in the winter with deep deep snow almost the original winter fairyland
It was Christmas time and the houses were all displaying Christmas Trees with lights.
Then it was cack into the grey Atlantic and the War.


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## Ivor Lloyd

Oops sorry. For cack amend to back !!


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## Hamish Mackintosh

Ivor Lloyd said:


> Oops sorry. For cack amend to back !!


Cape cod canal gets my vote too, but the Tyne looked pretty good homward bound on December 22nd


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## non descript

The *River Seine*, for its amazing scenery, from the low lying fields with Friesian Cows grazing, to cliffs as you pass near towards Rouen.

The *Volga-Don Canal* for its beautiful architecture and placid location

The Port of *Nuku’alofa*, for its innocence


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## ed glover

Going up the creek to Saple Nigeria Paddy Henderson/Elder Dempster had some crazy ports of call
ed Glover


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## aleddy

*Memorable Rivers , Canals and Harbours*

Old Strawbs,
Thanks for your bit of re-education, some time ago I got two memorable war time events confused in another thread and no one seemed to pick me up on it. 
I had the Cockleshell Heros sailing on Krait to Singapore.
Get more confused every day.
Cheers
Ted


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## awateah2

Flying from Gothenborg to London in a S.A.S Caravelle Jet, actually tracing the R.Thames in 1968 when there were ships and Docks to see


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## price

The Caledonian Canal must be one of the most spectacular transits anywhere.
I passed through the Canal only once, on passage from Rotterdam to Belfast with a cargo of fertilizer. The transit was not touble free, [that is another story,] but the memories of the dramatic scenery remain with me to this day.
Bruce.


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## OLD STRAWBERRY

aleddy said:


> Old Strawbs,
> Thanks for your bit of re-education, some time ago I got two memorable war time events confused in another thread and no one seemed to pick me up on it.
> I had the Cockleshell Heros sailing on Krait to Singapore.
> Get more confused every day.
> Cheers
> Ted


Hi Ted,I believe there was a similar raid on singapore Harbour on Japanese Ships. They may have been Australians who made the attack. Old Strawbs.


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## aleddy

*Memorable Rivers , Canals and Harbours*

Hi Old Strawbs,
The Ozzies made two efforts in the similar attacks on Japanese ships in Singapore Harbour, the second attempt was a total disaster and three of those captured were beheaded, this caused political rumblings for some time.
Regards,
Ted


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## oceantramp

*Memorable Rivers, Canala and Harbors*

Mine would have to be the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Welland Canal. Entered the Seaway just after it opened 1959 lots of teething problems 24 hours to transit.


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## janbonde

Sailing in and out of Vancouver or Tacoma/Seattle or up the Queen Charlotte Straits,and up the Columbia to Portland,Maine


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## makko

Hi janbonde,

I agree, the 'thousand islands' and the smell of pine. Especially impressive when coming in from deep sea and seeing the peaks of the Olympic mountains and the first whiff of forest. I was especially impressed once watching a pod of Killer whales breaching off the port bow.

Regards,

Dave


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## lakercapt

Oceantramp.
You did the seaway in 24 hours in 1959 when it opened.
Not much has changed as the trip time now is still about 22 hours.
Great viewing nearly all the way from Montreal to Cape Vincent.
Can't understand Sapele though as the three worst ports I remember were Burutu, Warri & Sapele. Abonima (?) must be another
Las Palmas was a great one on a visit as the approach is very senic.


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## Keltic Star

janbonde said:


> Sailing in and out of Vancouver or Tacoma/Seattle or up the Queen Charlotte Straits,and up the Columbia to Portland,Maine


Hi Janbonde, would that be Portland, Oregon?


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## Keltic Star

For scenery:
St. Lawrence River, coming round the bend with Quebec City on the bow.
For interest:
Rivers Thames and Mersey in the days when they had ships on them
For Hell:
Manchester Ship Canal same era.


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## Frank P

I agree with Tonga, going up the River Seine to Rouen the scenery is really amazing.

Frank


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## Paul Liu

May I bring up the river on the other side of the globe? Yes, the Yangtze River.

It was 1946, the Japanese had just surrounded, the war was over, I was eleven years old. My Mom and I came down the Yangtze river from Chungching to Shanghai, to meet my Dad who was waiting for us. Yes we went through the historical Three Gorges, it was magnificent but difficult passage through the gorges. Some parts were very shallow, special navigators had needed to guide the boat through. I still remember the tense feeling that time, almost everyone was out on the deck watching, but all were extremely quiet until we completely past the shallow areas. Well, the Three Gorges are now history, the communist thugs have now totally distroyed them, along with thousands of years of history and all those breath taking natural beauty.


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## Bridie

*Seine, Benin River?, and Corinth Canal*



Tonga said:


> The *River Seine*, for its amazing scenery, from the low lying fields with Friesian Cows grazing, to cliffs as you pass near towards Rouen.


I loved going up the Seine as well. On the MV Gorey we used to drop the masts, boat davits and collapse the wheelhouse and go on up to Paris itself. Took on a pilot at Rouen who took the wheel himself. Remember having to tie up on the way, usually to the trees at the bottom of some huge mansion (or chateau)! Took refurbished tractors from Ipswich to Paris and loaded gypsum near Rouen for Blue Circle at Northfleet on the Thames.

Also remember going up to Sapele on the Benin River? on Palm boats. The "pilot" had a young lad with him who took the wheel. First trip up I was on anchor standby with the bosun, chippie and mate. As we approached a sharp bend in the river they all vanished from the fo'c'sle as we ploughed into the muddy bank. I s**t myself expecting snakes and other wildlife!! but this was the "normal" way of getting round that particular bend.

As for canals, then the Corinth Canal in Greece is a real marvel - SS Rollo. I believe the idea to build it was way back in times BC!


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## tony_s

The Congo - 2 days to get up and 1 day to get down. We anchored for the night half way up; there's a fair old current and we only made 14 knots flat out. And the Panama Canal!


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## owen69

*memorable rivers,canals and harbuors*

how about madras? looks good 3miles out,then you hit the SMELL lovely.must agree the st,laurence in autumn fantastic.and the hoogley bore,just made the bouys before it hit,owen69.


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## janbonde

Sorry Keltic Star it was Oregon its my age and the rum should have known better as I sailed from the the west coast ports for a few years


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## aleddy

Lot of wonderful places mentioned whish I didn't get to see during my short sojourn at sea but I do remember Kiel, Suez and Panama Canals Sydney Harbour and Belfast Lough.
Guess I must have always liked looking at the shore from a boat or ship
Cheers
Ted


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## duquesa

*memorable rivers*

Up the Plate to Ascuncion is quite a memorable little jaunt as is up the Orinoco.


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## R58484956

Up the Amazon to Manaus, ship blows whistle and out come litle wooden dugouts, some with children in them others with the family and you throw over the side in a knotted plastic bag a few trinkets maybe a bar of chocolate ,box of matches a candle a teeshirt that is too small for you. Its an old Amazonian custom to give the locals a little gift or so we were told.
Wonderful pilots navigate night and day with no bouys or lights, sometimes you can nearly touch the forest and another time the shore line seems miles away.


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## duquesa

*memorable rivers*

Very true. Missed that one out on purpose as had mentioned it in another thread. Six weeks to Iquitos in the rainy season with numerous groundings and lost propellors. Great fun!!


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## Keltic Star

janbonde said:


> Sorry Keltic Star it was Oregon its my age and the rum should have known better as I sailed from the the west coast ports for a few years


No apology needed Janbonde, just thought you had taken the family Amphibian for an extended ride along Interstate 90. Must agree with you, the West Coast has some pretty fantastic scenery, always enjoy the trip through Active Pass on B.C. Ferries between the Mainland and Schwartz Bay. Trouble is they don't sell rum on board. My sister in law was absolutely outraged because I brown bagged it before getting out of the car. But then she works for the B.C. government and has little sense of Ha Ha.


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## tonyc3

*memorable rivers*

for me the trip up the parana river from BA to Rosario was a highlight. Great scenary all the way

Tonyc3


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## duquesa

*memorable Harbours*

There must be some ex. Booker men about with memories of slithering in and out over the bar at the entrance to the Demerara River. Once in, what a strangely fascinating hell hole.


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## cheddarnibbles

PICTON.........(before the Interisland ferries took over)


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## David K

... My Vote has to go for the "Alberni Canal". It lies at the Head of Barkley Sound, on the Western side of Vancouver Island, opening onto the Pacific. Barkley Sound, is of it's self incredibly scenic, then one enters the Canal and wends a tortuous path to the end, and the Town of Alberni. Which was once almost wiped from the Map, the result of a Tsunami that roared up the Canal! ....... The most incredible display of Pilotage, I was ever privileged to Witness, was with the "Lakemba" way back in around 1965(?), leaving Alberni, departure governed by the Tide, Mid- Winter, , late in the afternoon. Once committed, with anchoring or returning being impossible, the Weather closed in, and Darkness fell with the suddenness of light being extiguished!....... Forced to slow down with the onset of Darkness, Fog and SNOW ! The passage is narrow and full of Tidal eddies and currents. 'Radar being of very limited use, due to the Cliffs, almost within touching distance, proximity. The Radar, was, to put it charitably, ineffective at the best of times ! The Pilot used the Ship's Whistle to "bounce" Echoes off the Rock Walls, and timing turns with his wrist watch, as we felt our way, to the relatively, Open Water of Barkley Sound. ......To provide some control and steerage way, speed had to be carefully maintained, and helm orders judiciously given........ A Trial, lasting, I think, some 6 hours, at least, sphincter tensing anxiety ! ...... David K


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## J Boyde

Wellington
Jim B


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## Dickyboy

Like Tony_S
The River Congo. I got a real feeling of sailing into Darkest Africa. An awesome river.


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## BOB GARROCH

The Amazon river from Belem on the Atlantic through to Iquitos Peru. An experience I will never forget.


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## Dickyboy

BOB GARROCH said:


> The Amazon river from Belem on the Atlantic through to Iquitos Peru. An experience I will never forget.


Just Google Earthed it.....It's over 1,500 NM as the crow flies! Must have been an amazing trip.


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## price

The Seine from Rouen through the centre of Paris to Austirlitz is pretty good too, sadly, seagoing ships rarely go there these days, if at all. Bruce.


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## holland25

The Clyde from Ailsa Craig to Greenock was one of my favourites.


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## R396040

skymaster said:


> Mine would be River Hooghley,Suez Canal and Capetown Harbor! All had that to me OOOOH!!! Value every time.
> 
> Mike


Nice to add to this post,four years + on........
Mine would be the Sagenuay River off the beautiful St Lawrence in Canada, the Corinth canal which I visited but didnt sail through,spectacular looking down on passing ship from the road bridge over and NYC harbour takes some beating though I must admit KGV dock looked great on docking day too......
Stuart


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## sidsal

Chilean fjords gets my vote. Great scenery - glaciers too. In a very narrow part there is a cargo passenger ship high up on a rock - looks as if it is newly painted in dark red - it's the rust all over it.
Apparently, according to our pilot, it went agraound by accident when the the master and pilot were on the wing of the bridge. The master said to the pilot - "I'm going below" and the pilot answered - "Right".
The helsman took it as a helm order - nuff said !!


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## john24601

Going to Chicago through the Welland canal and the Great Lakes......breathtaking in parts


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## forthbridge

River Forth on the way to Grangemouth passing under the bridges


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## Billieboy

Because it's partly a river The St Lawrence Seaway, from the entrance to the Gulf of St Lawrence to Duluth and back in October. Otherwise; The Inland sea of Japan, which is a pilotage but not a river or canal.


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## R396040

See one of the much earlier entries from Paul Liue mentioned the Yangtze River he visited as a boy. A couple of years ago just before the closing of the Three Gorges and long after my sea going career I took a cruise on a Chinese ship along the Yangtze. It truly was very picturesque and interesting to me to see the construction of the huge new locks soon tp be opened. Great trip great ship & crew and I would love to do it again Stuart


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## stores

*Memorable Rivers and Canals*

For me it was going up the river to Buenaventura in Colombia, jungle as far as u could see, Andes Mountains in distance, but unable to see the bases, as a cloud like cotton wool above the treetops, Panama Canal was amazing also, going through the Welland Canal on the great lakes, at night up the staircase locks during a Electric Storm, never saw so much sheet lightning. STORES.


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## doug rowland

1.Entering Sydney Harbour at dawn,
2.R.Thames when homeward bound!
Panama Canal Transit in the dry season has got tobe one of the most spectacular transits.

Doug


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## Don Matheson

Favourite Canal, the Crinan Canal closely followed by the Gota Canal in Sweden. Have been on a couple of Canals on the Eastern Seaboard of the US, Chesapeak to Delaware(?) and another I cant remember.

Rivers of interest Orinoco up to Peurto Cortez, Congo up to Matadi, Clyde up to Glasgow for obvious reasons.

For pure scenery the full length of the Inner Leads on the West Coast of Norway. In winter every corner shows another small town or village that look like christmas card scenes. absoulutely beautiful.

Don


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## trotterdotpom

Everyone raves about Sydney Harbour - it's not bad, but for my money not a patch on Hobart.

Nobody's mentioned the Loire either - beautiful run up to Nantes.

The Manchester Ship Canal is .... er .... quite nice.

John T.


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## Pat Kennedy

Parts of the Manchester ship canal are really beautiful, full of wildfowl of all kinds. 
My favourite river passage was the Elbe up to Hamburg, followed closely by the Clyde, and for obvious reasons the Mersey.


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## Ron Stringer

Pat Kennedy said:


> Parts of the Manchester ship canal are really beautiful, full of wildfowl of all kinds.


My recently widowed brother-in-law was looking for something to do that did not cause painful comparisons with happily-shared trips in the past. So for his birthday I sent him tickets for a 'cruise' along the MSC from Salford to Liverpool, with an added 'excursion' across to New Brighton.

He said although he had lived and worked in Manchester for all 70 years of his life, he had hardly been aware of the existence of the canal and hadn't imagined how lovely it was in parts. The locks and other buildings along the route he found fascinating and so impressive since they and the canal were all built in the days of pick and shovel, not with modern aids. 

He intends going back again next summer because he says that there was so much to see that he couldn't take it all in.


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## bob2bob

The Frodsham straight section of the Manchester Ship Canal for Years had Flamingos on the river side nobody knew where they came from. They were something we looked for round Magazine bend.


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## David K

... Sydney Harbor, as someone mentioned , Great when entering with the sun rising, and the Harbor coming alive, as one Steams down the Middle". But, for memorable Harbor's, personally, for me the absolute most memorable, was entering Vancouver Harbor, nighttime, light snow falling and the Christmas Lights twinkling on the North Shore and Downtown Vancouver, as the "Lakemba" passed slowly, beneath the Lion's Gate Bridge. .... David K


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## Peter Martin

Where to start! Delaware & Chesapeake Canal - interesting; Panama Canal- stunning; Congo, up past Banana & Boma, to Matadi passing Chaudron d'Enfer - memorable; The creeks to Warri & Sapele (Youngtown Crossing at anchor for the night - an experience; The approach to Iloilo in the Phillipines; Tricomalee early in the morning and, of course, the Thames to Surrey Commercial Docks - Liquid History.


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## R396040

So many great ports ,rivers,canals that many of us visited. I think many were enhanced by the magnificent bridges several mentioned in previous posts,some old and some new. New York harbour has three such bridges,the Verrazano Narrows Bridge opened 1964,Brooklyn Bridge opened 1883,George Washington Bridge across the Hudson River opened 1931. Nearer home and yes I did sail through/under it Tower Bridge in London opend in 1894. Forth Railway Bridge,Sydney Harbour Bridge,Vancouvers Lions Gate Bridge and the Golden Gate and Oakland Bridges in San Francisco Bay. All added to the thrill of my seagoing years and Im sure many of us got out the old Brownie or possibly posher cameras to record passing under them. Happy memories. Stuart


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## Ron Dean

john24601 said:


> Going to Chicago through the Welland canal and the Great Lakes......breathtaking in parts


Yes, that's my favourite too. The St. Lawrence Seaway with sightings of over a score of Beluga's. The sail thro' Thousand Islands was idyllic, then leaving the Welland at lock 2 to rejoin at lock 7 gives 6 hours to visit Niagara. Really sorry to leave to leave the ship at Burns Harbor for Chicago.


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## grant1

World Cup Final day,1966.Shell tanker Platidia,18 year old J.O.S.On the wheel,going up the James river to Richmond Virginia,The pilot points to the banks on either side of the ship, and basically told me to avoid hitting them,and then he left me to it,with maybe one or two minor adjustments.One river I will never forget.


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## Dickyboy

The Bonny River between Bonny and Okrika. I did it many times. The best part of being on the Lagos - Okrika run.
Also the approach to NY, under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, and up to Pier 92 on the Queen Mary in 1964 and the Franconia in 1967.


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## tom roberts

On the Ardetta or the Doterrel going from Tnousin( dont think Ive spelt it right) up to Ghent a canal full of history and leading to one of the most beautiful cities ever.and then the greatest of all back to the Mighty MERSEY.


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## Billieboy

tom roberts said:


> On the Ardetta or the Doterrel going from Tnousin( dont think Ive spelt it right) up to Ghent a canal full of history and leading to one of the most beautiful cities ever.and then the greatest of all back to the Mighty MERSEY.


It's the, "Canal van Terneuzen naar Gent", the customs/border crossing is at Sas van Gent. The Steel works is in Zelzate on the Starbord (west) side of the canal.

A very good try Tom, worth at least 7/10!


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## Pat Kennedy

Dickyboy said:


> The Bonny River between Bonny and Okrika. I did it many times. The best part of being on the Lagos - Okrika run.
> Also the approach to NY, under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, and up to Pier 92 on the Queen Mary in 1964 and the Franconia in 1967.


Dickyboy, you probably remember that they were still building the Verrazano Narrows bridge at that time. You could see these construction guys strolling along girders way up in the sky without a care in the world as the ship passed beneath.
the pilot informed us that they were all from a tribe of redskins, Cherokee I think, who specialised in high steel erection work.
regards, 
Pat


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## Dickyboy

Pat Kennedy said:


> Dickyboy, you probably remember that they were still building the Verrazano Narrows bridge at that time. You could see these construction guys strolling along girders way up in the sky without a care in the world as the ship passed beneath.
> the pilot informed us that they were all from a tribe of redskins, Cherokee I think, who specialised in high steel erection work.
> regards,
> Pat


Yeah Pat, I remember it well, the Captain on the Q M used to warn everyone on deck to get under cover, including those on the bridge wings, because the construction workers used to drop things, mostly aimed at the funnels I think. By 67, when I went back again, it was completed. Passing under the bridge in Lisbon was impressive as well.


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## holland25

Passing through the Straits of Messina under the overhead power lines was interesting.


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## Billieboy

Pat Kennedy said:


> Dickyboy, you probably remember that they were still building the Verrazano Narrows bridge at that time. You could see these construction guys strolling along girders way up in the sky without a care in the world as the ship passed beneath.
> the pilot informed us that they were all from a tribe of redskins, Cherokee I think, who specialised in high steel erection work.
> regards,
> Pat


I think that the tribe was Mackinac or Mackinaw; Pat, they built the Mackinac Bridge up in the Great lakes, they were building it,(or finishing it off), in 1962 when I was up there on my first trip.


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## Pat Kennedy

Billieboy said:


> I think that the tribe was Mackinac or Mackinaw; Pat, they built the Mackinac Bridge up in the Great lakes, they were building it,(or finishing it off), in 1962 when I was up there on my first trip.


Billieboy, 
After reading your post, I looked it up on Google, and found a couple of references to the Mohawk tribe being 'proud walkers of the high iron'
Apparently Mohawks in common with most native Americans do not suffer from vertigo to the extent that non 'Indians' do, and furthermore, it says, the Mohawk people walk by placing one foot in front of the other, like those weird fashion models.
All this makes the Mohawk a natural steel erector
Well, that pilot said Cherokee, and you say Mackinaw, so I guess its take your pick.
regards, 
Pat(Thumb)


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## TIM HUDSON

Chesapeak-Delaware Canal in the fall and Hudson River to Albany at same time of year. Panama Canal for scenery and amazing engineering. Cook Inlet/Kodiak Island and the fijord and spit at Homer, Alaska. Honnigsvaag near North Cape wintertime. Following retirement Stadium of Light, Sunderland


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## joebuckham

from kopervik to nordkap on the inner route just after midsummer early sixties the most beautiful scenery i have ever clapped eyes on. it was on that passage that the old man, charlie brown, espied a small farm halfway up a mountain, many miles from the any other habitation. there was a set of steps, hewn out of the cliff, leading down to a jetty with a what appeared to be a well found fishing boat alongside. he enquired of the pilot "how do they exist in such a lonely place", the reply was the old classic "in the summer they farm, they fish and they f*ck, but in the winter there is no farming or fishing


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## tom roberts

Thanks Billieboy for the correction Terneuzen ,if anyone visits the port check out the wartime memorial on the locks ,it commemerates two young lads who dismantled the bombs the Germans had been intending to blow them up and therefore flood the country I heard that they were shot for their brave deeds. This story was told to me by the father of a lass I met there.Gent Ghent? I dont know but thanks for 7 out of 10 its the best marks Ive ever had.


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## TIM HUDSON

What about Stromboli on a real dark night when the island glows red !


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## Ron Dean

tom roberts said:


> On the Ardetta or the Doterrel going from Tnousin( dont think Ive spelt it right) up to Ghent a canal full of history and leading to one of the most beautiful cities ever.and then the greatest of all back to the Mighty MERSEY.


In 1958 my wife & I booked passages on the *Dotterel to sail from Manchester down the ship canal to Liverpool then on to Antwerp & Ghent. 2 days before we were due to sail we received a telegram (delivered by a boy on a bike of course) which informed us that due to cargo commitments, we would now be sailing to Amsterdam & Rotterdam from Liverpool. We were sorry to miss the canal voyage to Ghent, but we did manage the Manchester Ship Canal on the way back. We did make a trip on the MSC early this year and were both astounded & dissapointed with the changes that had taken place over a period of the 50 or so years.

Post #69 by holland 25 
We sailed thro' the Straits of Messina in 2001 and we were told by a fellow passenger (American), of a long standing tradition with the fishermen, that any "bottle message" recovered in their nets would be returned to the sender, if the bottle contained a few cigarettes & Lira to cover the cost of postage for the message to be returned.
He had tried this 25 years previously with 6 other passengers & he was the only one not to receive his message back. He was determined to try again. 3 of us launched our bottles around midnight on 30th. April 2001. Our message with a 5th. May postmark was was waiting for us when we returned home. Another American lady also got hers back. Our friend who instigated the exercise failed yet again! .
Apologies for drifting from the main theme, but so far in this thread I've managed to relate to the Manchester, Welland, Kiel & Caledonian Canals and the Seine, Rhine, Thames, Mersey, Clyde rivers - just to "name drop" a few.
Keep the thread going - it brings back so many memories.(Wave)*


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## Billieboy

Pat, it was a very long time ago, we're probably both correct!

Tom; Gent, Gand and Ghent are all correct spellings, it's because of Belgium's Tri-lingal system.


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## Dickyboy

holland25 said:


> Passing through the Straits of Messina under the overhead power lines was interesting.


I remember going under there on one ship, and the power lines showed up as a Blip on the radar, It caused a bit of consternation at the time. As you say an interesting stretch of water though.


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## tonymorcom

Three most memorable for me are the Thames sailing to and from the old Tate and Lyle dock in Victoria Docks, London (1973) and the 2nd is the Suez with its inevitable invasion of gilly gilly men. 

The most frightening though was the Shatt All Arab sailing south from Basrah on the first day of the Iraq war as the shells started flying overhead ~ we couldn't even get a pilot for that one!!


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## len mazza

*hawaii*

H
My most memorable place was a molassass wharfe,only a wharf on 
one of the smaller islands We sailed at 0600ish,and all hands stopped work to gaze at the most astouding Pacific Island scenery.It may have been the time of day that made it so spectaculer.That was
on the Athel Sultan,Sept'1959.

Len MazzaR621945


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## len mazza

*Congo,*

Hi,
Another good one was on a Shell Hboat,after discharging at some
ugly place we went rightto the end,so we were told,of the navigable
part of the river.There we used a turning basin to turn seaward again, due to waterfalls up river it was impossable to turn in the river.
It puzzled me how the locals going down stream at a rate of knots
in there paddled canoes ever got back up river.

Len,R621945.


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## istabraq

grant1 said:


> World Cup Final day,1966.Shell tanker Platidia,18 year old J.O.S.On the wheel,going up the James river to Richmond Virginia,The pilot points to the banks on either side of the ship, and basically told me to avoid hitting them,and then he left me to it,with maybe one or two minor adjustments.One river I will never forget.


I had the very same experience, on the very same ship in the very same river in 1969. Except I was an SOS.


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## Pat Kennedy

I really used to be fascinated when sailing up the Nieuwe Waterweg from The Hook of Holland to Maassluis. Not because of its beauty, but for the vast number of ships, harbours, drydocks, shipyards, and industry concentrated in that waterway. It is ten years since I was last there but I'll bet its even more humungous than before.
Regards, 
Pat(Thumb)


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## kudu

towards christmas 1965 we sailed to Albany,New York state,to load wheat Albany lies on the Hudson river.A sight I will always remember was the huge number of liberty ships laid up near Sing Sing prison.We spent christmas and new year in Albany,it was freezing cold and snowing.Another favourite stretch of waterway was Lake of a thousand islands,between the St Lawrence seaway and Lake Ontario in Canada.My wife and I were on holiday there a couple of years ago,but saw no shipping whatsoever not even a Laker.


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## Billieboy

Pat Kennedy said:


> I really used to be fascinated when sailing up the Nieuwe Waterweg from The Hook of Holland to Maassluis. Not because of its beauty, but for the vast number of ships, harbours, drydocks, shipyards, and industry concentrated in that waterway. It is ten years since I was last there but I'll bet its even more humungous than before.
> Regards,
> Pat(Thumb)


Pat; you' d be even more surprised at the state of the Kattendrecht, the girls have long gone and all the4 buildings are re-furbished and full of YUPPIE and DINKYS!


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## Pat Kennedy

Billieboy said:


> Pat; you' d be even more surprised at the state of the Kattendrecht, the girls have long gone and all the4 buildings are re-furbished and full of YUPPIE and DINKYS!


Billieboy, No girls in Chinatown?... Unthinkable!
What about Schiedam then, have they cleaned that up as well?
By the way, whats a DINKY?
Regards, 
Pat(Thumb)


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## trotterdotpom

"Double Income No Kids .... Yet?"

I liked going down the New Waterway at night - you could see inside the flats when they had their lights on. Just occasionally you got lucky.

Kattendrecht/Chinatown was gentrified years ago - when I asked where it had all gone I was directed to the Hague! Long way to go for a .... poffertje, I thought.

John T.


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## Pat Kennedy

trotterdotpom said:


> "Double Income No Kids .... Yet?"
> 
> I liked going down the New Waterway at night - you could see inside the flats when they had their lights on. Just occasionally you got lucky.
> 
> Kattendrecht/Chinatown was gentrified years ago - when I asked where it had all gone I was directed to the Hague! Long way to go for a .... poffertje, I thought.
> 
> John T.


They have acronyms for everything these days, mine is;
JUSTSOAP.........Just us two surviving on a pension.

The other good Dutch passage was the Noordsee canal from Ymuiden to Amsterdam. Not so much industry, but very pleasant countryside with lots of tulips and windmills. I suppose thats all gone now?
Regards, 
Pat(Thumb)


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## Billieboy

Schiedam and the Schiedamschedijk is cleaned up a bit, but there are still some good, safe, clean, houses there Pat, prices are off the scale though these days.


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## RayJordandpo

Dickyboy said:


> I remember going under there on one ship, and the power lines showed up as a Blip on the radar, It caused a bit of consternation at the time. As you say an interesting stretch of water though.


Had a similar experience in the faroe Islands. On a tug going to Iceland we put a bridge window through in bad weather and went into Thorshaven for repairs. Our captain was an ex trawler skipper who knew the area well so when we sailed he took us through a fiord that runs through the middle of the island. I was on watch in the early hours of the morning and was puzzled by an echo on the radar. It took me quite a while to suss out that it was an overhead power cable. Some beautiful scenery along that fiord, looks spectacular in winter just as dawn is breaking.


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## Hamish Mackintosh

Strange the trip up the Humber/Ouse to Goole has not been mentioned,loved heading inbound when neap tides were in the offing, several days alongside if the "Office boys" had slipped up


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## Mike S

Lyttleton in the South Island of NZ. Picton, Hobart, Port Chalmers and like many others the St Lawrence Seaway and the run through the Thousand Islands.
Also the Royal Albert on pay off day! (Thumb)


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## Davie M

The Shatt-el-Arab August 1959.
Abadan where we got in trouble with the Old Man.We had been drinking in the bar on the fueling berth.It was supposed to be vodka but I still reckon it was aviation fuel from the refinery.He caught us coming back aboard a wee bit worse for ware and hauled us up as we were in his eyes not properly dressed.Where were our shirts had we sold them for drink. We had bought some Tshirts in the States which he took for vests. We were told in no uncertain terms he thought we were bringing him and the company into disrespect and in future he wanted to see us before we went ashore.
After taking on fuel we went upstream to Khorramshahr and then onto Basra.
At Basra we made fast to a buoy in midstream. We used two brand new mooring ropes and two wires from the ship to the buoy.They were paired a rope and a wire through the fairleads on each bow.
The following day all hell broke lose someone looked over the bow to find the locals had lashed the ropes to the paired wire and chopped them off just outside the fairleads where they could not be seen from the deck and removed same.
As with other places the gangs in the holds wanted to find out what was stowed there.We had a large consignment of condoms which they found and spent some time blowing them up,tying a knot in them and letting them go.The heat in the bottom of the holds was extreme so the condoms would float up out over the deck and burst in the sunshine.
The Old Man was heard to say to the Mate his ship looked like an Arabian Kn***ing shop and to get it cleaned up pdq.
When we got ashore the Airport with its swimming pool was a relief from the heat even with beer at 7/6d a bottle.We came back sober.


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## Pat Kennedy

Carlingford Lough in Ireland, a beautiful sea loch. We used to go up there on one of Fishers with coal, and the skipper had a girlfriend in Warrenpoint, so he would do everything to ensure we spent at least one night there, even to the extent of grounding the ship on a mudbank a couple of hundred yards off the berth. We used to take the little skiff hung on the after end and row ashore for a night in the pub, followed by supper from the chip shop nextdoor, then back to the ship to await high water.
He had another girlfriend in Dublin and one in Belfast, but thats a whole other story.
Pat(K)


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## ccurtis1

All of you contributors must be either deck or catering departments. All of these passages mentioned look exactly the same when viewed from the control stand of a Doxford or Sulzer main engine. Only had brief glimpses of some of the spectacular scenery, but do remember traversing the Corinth Canal on the "Vento de Scirocco" a mini container ship and was awestruck.


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## trotterdotpom

CC - I always used to say they should put a periscope in the engine room so you lads could get a look see, but nobody would listen to me. I tried!

John T.


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## Pat Kennedy

ccurtis1 said:


> All of you contributors must be either deck or catering departments. All of these passages mentioned look exactly the same when viewed from the control stand of a Doxford or Sulzer main engine. Only had brief glimpses of some of the spectacular scenery, but do remember traversing the Corinth Canal on the "Vento de Scirocco" a mini container ship and was awestruck.


However, Chief Engineers, in my experience, particularly on Blueys, rarely entered the pit during river or canal passages, and used to hang around on deck watching the world go by. (Thumb)


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## rickles23

Hi,
The best river in the world....
.....the Severn up by Ironbridge
Regards


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## Billieboy

rickles23 said:


> Hi,
> The best river in the world....
> .....the Severn up by Ironbridge
> Regards


Did you ever anchor in Barry roads Rickls?


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## ccurtis1

Pat Kennedy said:


> However, Chief Engineers, in my experience, particularly on Blueys, rarely entered the pit during river or canal passages, and used to hang around on deck watching the world go by. (Thumb)


Sadly Pat, it had all changed when I became Chief Engineer. I, alongside the Old Man, was the only Brit on board, and the Company in their infinite wisdom, insisted that I was in the control room during all close passages. For instance, I was in the Engine room from picking up the pilot at Chesapeake, berthing in Baltimore, traversing the Delaware/Chesapeake canal, until dropping the pilot at the Delaware buoy. It was just a short hop until I was down below once more for the entry into New York. Bunkers, stores, lub oil and chemicals plus spares received then off again, to repeat in reverse what had just been accomplished. By the time we were FAOP leaving Chesapeake, I was completely cream crackered. Oh how I longed for the beginning of my time at sea when the whole ships complement were Brits. The ship incidentally was a container "feeder" and had but brief stays alongside.


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## eldersuk

trotterdotpom said:


> CC - I always used to say they should put a periscope in the engine room so you lads could get a look see, but nobody would listen to me. I tried!
> 
> John T.



If you did that we'd take over the navigation as well.

Derek


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## rickles23

Hi Billyboy,
I never anchored in Barry roads, I was born at Ironbridge.
Regards


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