Stanavforlant deployment
Trip Start
May 10, 1976
1
2
14
Trip End
Nov 21, 1976
Rosyth, United Kingdom
Friday, May 14, 1976
While we were in Rosyth, many of the ships company ended up in Edinburgh as Rosyth is a bit of a dump. On the Sunday Dave and Myself and a few other mates decided to walk to Edinburgh over the Forth Bridge, its a long way and we did not get into the city til lunchtime. All the pubs were shut!.....We did not realise Scottish Law prohibited Sunday Drinking. But there is always another plan, Hotels were allowed to serve on Sundays so we found a few places to have a few wets.
We had a look at the Castle and walked the Golden Mile before finding some food and somewhere to spend the evening before catching the train back to Rosyth.
I cant remember the name of the hotel, but the bar had a huge range of Malt whiskey in all sorts of different shape bottles. I was contemplating trying to make a ship in a bottle during the months at sea, so I asked the barman if I could have a really nice square bottle. Of course he said yes, as long as I drank the contents, thankfully it was only half full, so I was on whiskey for the rest of the night.
I did make that ship in a bottle, and my Mum kept it until I moved to Australia, when she gave it me back. During the next six months I made quite a few, and started making them for other crew members.
Next port of call was Amsterdam in Holland, during this passage I passed my CEM1 and started to study English Language to improve my 'Namet' score from O-2, to O-O. (O- O'level Grade, and 2- CSE grade 2) I had a O'level at Maths, but only a grade 2 at English.
