Just imagine you were the Skipper of Fearless, Friday afternoon, trying to pick up a mooring at Portland, FOST is on board, everyone and his uncle is watching from shoreside, The Southdown buses are waiting on the coal jetty.
Three hours and two wet buoy jumpers later we succeeded.
He didn't bat an eyelid!!
I've waited a good number of days to reply to this.
I now appreciate the humour.
The bridge of an RN ship is crammed with people who have nothing to do apart from being there because they were told to be there.
Almost 100% of the RN "visitors" to an RFA would comment on the quietness and minimum of yelling of orders.
As a "Nav", I could take a 600' long ship up to a buoy in most weathers close enough for the buoy jumpers to put on the slip rope. Then it was up to "Him Who Must Be Obeyed". Some were great and others were total crap. The crap ones tended to be the ones who shouted a lot.
With a large single screw ship, ship handling in adverse conditions is a real art. Coming up to a Portland buoy "on time" was important. (Want to know more, then ask). Slip rope on, heave up and when safe put on the buoy jumpers. Shackle down, main pin in, second pin in and lead hammered home. Men off the buoy, pay out to 2 shackles. Mome and dry. First boat and off to the pub.
And that was what happened at the end of week 1 of FOST (1 of 3 or 4). Second week, same thing except that very few went off to the pub. Too knackered. Poor Nav and his team then spent most of the night working out the next days evolutions whilst the clankies got "xxxxx" in the bar.
The great thing about FOST was that no matter how good you were on arrival they (the "sea-riders") would ALWAYS mark you down as "below standard"....and then after a lot of hoo-ha mark you as "satisfactory". Apox on them all!
