# Where are you, Dr. Nick Shaw



## Cpt Dick Brooks (May 13, 2013)

Dr. Nick Shaw joined M/V Debut during August, 1978, in Plymouth, England, after completing his medical training and passing his exams. Before starting his internship, he wanted some adventure out in the World, so decided to take a year out.
After reading his advert in the Yachting World, seeking world travel adventure, I wrote to him, asking him if he would like to join Debut as the ship's doctor. He readily agreed during our first phone call and joined the ship shortly afterwards.
After preparing Debut for her departure, she left Plymouth on 3rd September, 1978, with seven men and three women as crew. After crossing the Atlantic Ocean, Debut spent a year and a half among the Caribbean Islands working as a dive-support ship and a salvage vessel. She transited the Panama Canal on 27th May, 1980.
Nick went back to the UK to complete his internship, then returned to Debut in Acapulco with Dr. Alex, ready to set out into the Pacific Ocean and the South Seas. They brought with them a suitcase full of medicines for the ship, and another of the new I.U.D.s to help keep the women on board from getting pregnant. The contraceptive pill is ineffective against any form of stomach sickness.
The two doctors on board Debut were asked by the district nurse on some of the smaller islands of French Polynesia to run clinics for the local island people. Only the larger islands had a resident doctor of their own. While visiting the Marquise Islands and Tuamotu Archipelago, Nick treated patients for general health conditions, while Alex specialised in his field of contraceptive care.
Nick studied ciguatera fish poison throughout these islands, when one of the crew brought a contaminated reef-fish on board the ship in Nuka Hiva to use as bait. We had been advised by the local fishermen not to eat fish caught on the coral reefs, because of fish poison, but to fish for pelagic fish in deeper water.
The ship's cat and pet coatimundi ran off with the contaminated fish as soon as it came on board Debut and ate it. They were struck down with vomiting, diarrhoea and acute stomach cramps. They became temporarily paralyzed below the waste and in considerable pain.
The study of the ship's animals in their suffering helped Nick in treating members of the crew when they were later inflicted with the same complaint in Rangiroa, in the Tuamotu Archipelago, after being told by the local fishermen that the reef-fish were safe to eat.
On returning to the UK, Dr. Nick Shaw wrote a thesis on tropical ciguatera fish poison in French Polynesia, in the South Pacific Ocean, and had it published in the British medical journal, The Lancet.
Where are you, Nick. How did things work out for you. Send me an E-mail so we can keep in touch. All the best, Cpt Dick Brooks. You can read more of his story in my new book, 'The Judas Kiss', soon to be published by Amazon on their Kindle system.


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## Frank P (Mar 13, 2005)

Welcome onboard Dick, it looks like you all had a good time...Enjoy the site.

Cheers Frank


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## Union Jack (Jul 22, 2009)

*What an interesting - albeit somewhat fishy! - tale.*

If your man is the one at http://www.bch.nhs.uk/node/1749 then his publicly available email address is [email protected]

If not, then you might like to enter the name on Google Images and see if anyone or anything there provides a worthwhile clue.

Jack


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## Cpt Dick Brooks (May 13, 2013)

*Thank you, Jack.*

Thank you, Jack, for your thread in reply to my quest to find my old ship's doctor, Nick Shaw. Alas, I've tried all your suggestions and others, but
so far without success. Over the twelve year voyage I had the ship there were some three hundred crew, coming and going, many returning to rejoin the ship at various stages in the adventure. Many were university students and other young people taking a year out.
Some stayed for a month or two, while others stayed for over four years. You can read of our adventure in crossing the South Seas to Australia, and the five years I spent on the Queensland coast, including bring shipwrecked on Emily Reef, 25 miles SE of Cooktown,
and spending three years castaway, more than two years alone, in my first book. "The Black Ship's Odyssey", by Cpt Dick Brooks. It was published by Amazon on their Kindle system, code b00fnkv88a. 
My next book is about to be published also by Amazon, and covers the four months I spent working with Debut in the Leeward Islands of the Caribbean Sea. Enjoy your read, all the best, Dick Brooks. Ps. My middle name is also Jack, named after my father.


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## bluebossa (Mar 15, 2013)

Dick, Nick works at Birmingham Childrens Hospital: http://www.bch.nhs.uk/node/1749


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## Cpt Dick Brooks (May 13, 2013)

*Union Jack*

Hi, Jack. I thought you might like to know that yesterday I received confirmation from my literary agent that my second book had just been published. "The Judas Kiss", by Cpt Dick Brooks is published by Amazon on their Kindle system, code B00KJ3664C. Enjoy the read, Dick Brooks.


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## Cpt Dick Brooks (May 13, 2013)

*For Anne Brekne*

Hi, Anna, good to receive your reply. I've sent three E-mails to Mick, and even a G-mail, but no reply yet. Saturday, I received confirmation from my literary agent that my second book was now published. "The Judas Kiss", by Cpt Dick Brooks, is published by Amazon on their Kindle system, code B00kJ3664C. Do enjoy the read. Best regards, Dick Brooks.


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## nick shaw (Jul 3, 2012)

*Hello*

Dear Dick,
I have been replying to your messages and even tried phoning the telephone number you sent me without success. Anne was correct in identifying my location. Have read some of the posts on here with interest - you have a good memory but some inaccuracies eg I did not post an advert in Yachting World - I think that was another member of our crew ( Mike) who sailed from Plymouth back in September 1978.
Best wishes

Nick


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## Cpt Dick Brooks (May 13, 2013)

*For Nick Shaw.*

Hi, Nick, good to finally get in contact with you. Unfortunately, phone numbers are often removed from these threads. My home number is Ipswich, 01473-421742. If it gets removed, you can find the number on the Ships Research forum under m/v Debut. One of my old crew with a handle of 'Johnny Rotten' posted it over a year ago. It can also be found in my monthly adverts in 'Sea Breezes' or 'Ships Monthly'. You could also contact Hooky, if you have the number.
How are you doing, anyway, Nick. In my research in trying to find you, I see that you are doing well. I'm retired now, and had to work right up to my 65 birthday to qualify for a pension, as I spent 15 years overseas. I spent my last 10 years working for The Salvation Army as night security in a hostel for homeless men. They all thought I was Australian because of my accent, having spent five years with our Antipodean friends, and I loved winding them up with anti-Pommy-bastard jokes. They kept asking the management why an Ozzy was working at the hostel, when there where so many people out of work.
Since I retired, I've had three books published, by Amazon on their Kindle system. The last book is the 'Samoan Princess', the second in 'The Black Ship Trilogy'. These are the three books I wrote while I was castaway on Emily Reef, 25 miles SE of Cooktown, on the Far North Queensland coast. For easy access the code is B00MRAZFWE. The next book is the 'Samoan Sunset', and after a couple more weeks break, I'll start preparing it for publication. The last book will be 'The Black Ship's Odyssey. Book One'. This is about our voyage from England, across the Atlantic and working in the Caribbean for a year and a half. Then the transit of Panama and up to Acapulco, where you and Alex rejoin the ship. It covers our voyage through French Polynesia, then on through the Cook Islands to Pago Pago, in American Samoa.
You might like to read 'The Judas Kiss', covering the four months I worked for The Greenboat Gang in the Leeward Islands. The code for this book is B00KJ3664C. The number of crew on board Debut is accurate, and all locations and incidents are chronologically correct, but I've used crew names out of sink to give them a part in the manuscript. Put it down to literary licence, but you were also part of the crew, and I hope you like the part you played. There is also a page at the end praising your work in French Polynesia on your research into ciguatera fish poison, taken from your arrival in The Lancet medical journal. Looking forward to hearing from you, Nick. All the best, Cpt Dick Brook.


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## Dickyboy (May 18, 2009)

Can you just remind me what the titles of the books you're trying to flog are Ca'pn.


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## Cpt Dick Brooks (May 13, 2013)

*For dickyboy.*

Hi, dickyboy, good to hear from you. That used to my nickname when I was a boy. Nick, the person who finally contacted me after we'd both been trying to get into contact for quite some time, was part of my original crew when I left the UK in my ship, Debut, in September, 1978. As he is in my second book, 'The Judas Kiss' and is mentioned in my third, ' Samoan Princess ', I thought he may like the read. For easy access to books published on Kindle, it is best to use the identifying code, rather than troll through pages of titles and authors. You may like the read, also. Why not give it a go. All the best, Cpt Dick Brooks.


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## Dickyboy (May 18, 2009)

Many thanks for that, even after the numerous other times you mentioned your books in your other threads, as well as this one, the titles just didn't seem to sink in.


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## Cpt Dick Brooks (May 13, 2013)

*For Dickyboy.*

Hi, Dickyboy, glad to receive your reply to my thread. Most apologies for not replying sooner, but I've started preparing my fourth book for publication. Samoan Princess is the third book in The Black Ship Trilogy, the three books that I wrote while castaway for three years on Emily Reef, after being shipwrecked in the Coral Sea. These books are not meant for any financial gain, as the cost of a literary agent, an editor, the cost of publication and advertising throughout the world is far greater than any income I'm liable to make. There were some three hundred crew who served on board my ship, 
Debut, on her twelve year voyage around the tropical world from 1978 to 1990. These books, and the short stories I post on this and Ship Research forums, are to help me get in contact with any of those crew who wish to do so, and to help my crew to get in touch with each other. Even during the three years I was castaway, apart from the tourist boats that visited from Cooktown, many yachts and fishing-boats would call by. To offer them a safe anchorage, I rigged up a strong mooring inside the lagoon on the port side of Debut, connected to one of my one ton anchors. They could break their fishing trip for a day or two for rest and recuperation, or to carry out any necessary repairs. We had many fine times together. Even an Australian navy landing craft spent a pleasant weekend anchored nearby, using my ship for swimming from my landing pontoon, and an evening barbecue and booze-up. There are a lot of people out there in the world with pleasant experiences on board Debut. I hope this thread helps with understanding the reason for my publications, all taken from my ship's logbooks and photograph albums. All the best, Cpt Dick Brooks.


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