I don't really get invited to many Christmas parties as having spent a working life at sea it is always hit and miss as to whether you are at home or not. Having said that I am attending one next week. Mind you that is as the other half! Helen still meets up regularly with a group of girls that she worked with twenty odd years ago. A few years ago there would be never a thought that fellers would be invited, however time marches on. Now as the men are also retired, rather than leaves us at home to get up to mischief, the men folk are invited along too. As far as I know that is the only party I have been invited to this year.
The best party that I have ever been too was whilst I was at sea. Or more accurately, alongside in Singapore. My last few years were working with the Singapore Navy on a submarine rescue ship. The submarine rescue side of it was run by James Fisher Defence, a British Company and we were actually running the ship and we got on very well. Also in the mix were the Singapore Navy but they went home every night. J. F. Defence had a good budget for entertainment etc but as is usual we, as the people on the ship, had no funds. When I was there over Christmas senior Officers from the ship were invited to the JFD Christmas Bash. It was held every year at the Ritz Carlton over looking Marina Bay in Singapore. It is what they call a 'free flow' event. That means that the alcohol just kept on coming. In this case it was champagne! It was lovely as the family's of the guys we worked with every day were there and it was lovely to see them in mufti so to speak. The food was also 'free flow' so you could eat lobster all day if you wanted but the food was superb right through the range.
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I'm sure it wont be anything like this though. I wonder who is driving?
From Ritz Carlton website.
I was working on the 'Swift Rescue'. We were designated as the rescue vessel in case any of their subs got in to difficulties. We would get them to the target area and then do the search patterns to find what ever we were looking for. The ship was mobilised after my time to search for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane and the Air Asia aircraft. 'Swift Rescue' actually found the Air Asia wreckage. If you want to see more of what it was all about follow the link below.
You wont see me or the rest of the crew of the ship Swift Rescue as we were kept in the background and did not appear in the movies. We just got them to where they wanted to go, keep them there and do everything else other than the rescue.
My last sea going ship, (if the Severn Estuary doesn't count) 'Swift Rescue'.
My other most memorable Christmas party was one I missed in 1989. I was at the time a pilot on the River Humber and belonged to the local Round Table. It was their Christmas Bash that was in Hull and bound to be a little bit boozy. I didn't really want to go, mainly as Helen was due to deliver our second born at any time. She said that it would be okay to go and enjoy myself as it didn't feel imminent. I stayed at home. It was just as well as we had a new daughter at the time I would have been on the pudding course. I actually saw the guys heading homewards when I left the hospital to come home!
I can't believe how quickly the time is speeding towards the big day and we haven't got any decorations up yet. That is the job this weekend.
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