The Puffers

ExFishermanBob · 12-15-15, 04:21 AM

There was a good program on the 'puffers' last night (BBC) with David Hayman presenting, followed by an episode of The Vital Spark -
worth getting the "Vital" videos as a pressie for Christmas if you are stuck - either the original black and white, the re-shot colour or the newer version with Gregor Fisher. Reminded me how funny it was - also, Para Handy reminds me of a couple of old skippers I knew, right down to the flat hat.

One of the skippers was called... well, I won't say, but I remember that he tended to rock from side to side when he walked (hips were bad) and used to use the phrase "ot-ot-ot". His boat used to be the same - used to see it approaching, rolling and "put-put-put"-ing (an old diesel). Always made me smile. He wasn't the one with the flat hat - that one also had a glass eye which occasionally got knocked out by the creel-hauler (if the rope jumped off the clench). I was never on-board for that, but was told by another crewman that there would be a terrific scramble for the eye, before it when down one of the finger-holes in the deck-boards and into the bilge.

Being one-eyed, he had terrible distance judgement, which resulted in regular fouling of the prop with the rope. You've not really lived until you've been held by the legs with your head underwater, hacking away at a rope with a blunt knife, while a one-eyed man swears away in gaelic at how heavy the 'b**st*rd' Englishman is.

It's no wonder that I have a fear of washing-up.

12-15-15, 04:21 AM	#1
ExFishermanBob Difficulties Numbing Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: AN19 Posts: 470 Downloads: 43 Uploads: 0	The Puffers There was a good program on the 'puffers' last night (BBC) with David Hayman presenting, followed by an episode of The Vital Spark - worth getting the "Vital" videos as a pressie for Christmas if you are stuck - either the original black and white, the re-shot colour or the newer version with Gregor Fisher. Reminded me how funny it was - also, Para Handy reminds me of a couple of old skippers I knew, right down to the flat hat. One of the skippers was called... well, I won't say, but I remember that he tended to rock from side to side when he walked (hips were bad) and used to use the phrase "ot-ot-ot". His boat used to be the same - used to see it approaching, rolling and "put-put-put"-ing (an old diesel). Always made me smile. He wasn't the one with the flat hat - that one also had a glass eye which occasionally got knocked out by the creel-hauler (if the rope jumped off the clench). I was never on-board for that, but was told by another crewman that there would be a terrific scramble for the eye, before it when down one of the finger-holes in the deck-boards and into the bilge. Being one-eyed, he had terrible distance judgement, which resulted in regular fouling of the prop with the rope. You've not really lived until you've been held by the legs with your head underwater, hacking away at a rope with a blunt knife, while a one-eyed man swears away in gaelic at how heavy the 'b*strd' Englishman is. It's no wonder that I have a fear of washing-up.