Maritime Carol

He was gentle, strong and kind. Tall, dark and handsome, always singing. We'd only met each other a mere six weeks before I stayed the night on his boat. She was a classic launch berthed at the bottom of his parents garden. It was his happy-go-lucky charm that won me over. I was fed warm milk and cried myself to sleep. The engine was noisy and so were the sea planes overhead.. He never told me he loved me, but I knew he did, And even though I haven't seen him for nearly twenty years, I sometimes hear myself singing the songs he sung to me... 'Around the world, I searched for you, I traveled on, when hope was gone, to seek a rendezvous...'  - We won't be going boating or eating cake on his 93rd birthday today, But we know, and we remember - the love of a father and his four girls...

Saying goodbye to a year that has been hard is easy. If you've done well, its bring on more of the same...  Here's three questions to ask yourself before the new year kicks in: 1.Hazard Identification: a)What were my three biggest hazards or problems I dealt with in 2017? b) What were my three highlights of 2017? c) What did I learn from each of them? d) What steps can I put in place to make 2018 the best year yet? By following these simple steps 2017's hazards could become 2018's solutions...

Life throws us some challenging situations, none more so than becoming a stricken vessel ourselves. Here's some Emergency procedures in response to a personal Stricken Vessel event: 1.  Capsize - Floundering, unsure, everything has changed. Take control   Call for assistance   Retrieve what you can and move on  Avoid alcohol Set new goals. 2. Collision - Total disagreement, too hard. Tidy up the mess and retreat  Count your blessings  Ponder what to do next  Take time to play/pray - go sailing, travelling, have a swim. 3. Grounding - Unable to move. Keep watchful eye on surroundings Bide your time Shore yourself up - read a book, chill. (No condition is permanent.) 4. Sinking - Overwhelmed, its over. Leave the sinking ship* Collect floating debris Locate solid ground Have a feed Call for assistance Set new goals Start again. By following these procedures you are well on your way to surviving a str...

It's not the outside image or the seagulls that entice me into a fish and chip meal, it's the setting and queue of people.   Its also the buzz as diners weave their way between waiting customers and picnic tables. This must surely be worth the wait, and I too join the queue.  A notice in the window tells us that they need shop staff - for immediate start - and that their food is cooked in pure beef fat. The queue winds into the shop, and I glance down to see my first mutton birds - $20 for each little featherless brown body laying on top of each other.  Somehow I'd pictured them in barrels, transported on deck from outlying islands.  They don't tempt me nor do the Chatham Island Kina. The variety of fish for sale is wide & colourful.  There's Pink Salmon, Red & Blue Cod, Ling, Blue Moki and Blue Gill.   Add an extra $8 per order to chose a piece cooked for your dinner. The mussel fritters have already sold out and everyone is ...

Unknown to most historians, six local lads were responsible for stopping the Japanese invading NZ in the Second World War.    Forget the military forces, the Home Guard battalions, armed horsemen and territorial army, it was a fleet of small boats on Hellyers Creek that had the most impact.     "We patrolled our creek most weekends and were definitely responsible for stopping the Japanese invading New Zealand."  said two of the original Mosquito Fleet crew - Doug Day & Lloyd Mumme (both now deceased)  One of the Mosquito Fleet's boats was a seven foot canvas canoe known as MYSTERY.  She had been brought for fifteen shillings ($1.50) from Scratchy Taylor and came with a sail, rudder and centre board.  While anti aircraft batteries conducted constant aerial patrols around the coast, the Mosquito Fleet were on patrol on Hellyer's Creek.   Their regular patrol included Whidifod's Hill, past the lonesome dead pine and the wharf piles, ...

If you think about it, everything needs updating... even Joey & the Jet Boat. The dogs were way ahead of us as we followed the track through the willows. Purple & yellow lupins would soon flower and the Lower Shotover River's grey schist rocks were glistening in the sunlight. It was just beautiful. They had been here before - I was a visitor. "Joey will chase the jet boat soon." said my companion. "That sounds like a title of a book." I replied. Two months later, Joey & the Jet Boat was in print. And a few months later the original version was refreshed with an expanded story and sharper images.  And the difference was outstanding... It's the same as when we update everything - from our lives to our Operating Plans - they go from mediocre to outstanding. Everything needs updating... p.s. Joey never gives up & if you'd like your very own copy, please email me: carolfour@xtra.co.nz

German warships were already at sea when the Second World War was declared in 1939.   The A DMIRAL G RAF S PEE, was the first German ship equipped with radar.   Cruising at a top speed of 28.5 knots, this 186 m ship immediately attacked British & French shipping. Nine merchant ships were sank by A DMIRAL  G RAF  S PEE  during the first three months. Furious at loosing so many ships, the British and French mustered a fleet of battle cruises, aircraft carriers and cruises to capture the raider and her sister ship. Between Argentina and Uruguay, A DMIRAL G RAF S PEE was caught in what is now known as the Battle of the River Plate.    This was the first naval battle of the Second World War.   The ship was badly damaged with thirty six killed and sixty wounded.   She'd been hit over seventy times. A DMIRAL  G RAF  S PEE  limped into neutral Montevideo harbour. With the ship safely docked, the wounded in...