Hornblower
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Terry and JeanineI didn't think this wee ditty was quite appropriate in obituaries when all people wish to do is pass on their condolences - but Mick (MBT) reminded me of our trip to ghent on the RFA Engadine.
There are a few stories on that trip, but I was telling my wife last night about the sad loss of another friend and colleague and the dit that surrounds their meeting.
We (the band) were doing an open-air concert somewhere in the town and I was scanning the crowd (as you do) for something 'nice' to look at and my eyes alighted on this particularly pretty young thing  who appeared to be paying me some attention too! 
Well, we continued playing, but every time I had the opportunity of looking over, she was looking back at me!!
I ventured a smile, (I was very shy and young you know) and she responded with a smile in return.  God knows how many more wrong notes than normal I was playing, but as the concert went on, I was getting more and more nervous about what I was going to say to this pretty Belgian lass. 
So, the end of the gig came around and we all started to pack up and lug the stands etc into the bags. I kept an eye on the girl and she started to come towards me - OMIGOD! What do I say, can she speak English??? 
I started to walk towards her, heart pounding, but just before we reached each other, Terry stepped in front of me and they started talking and smiling etc...  
It dawned on me, Terry had been sat directly in front of me and she hadn't even noticed I was there - it was him all along.
Do you know what? I've never told anyone that before. I was too embarrassed.  
They made a lovely couple and my heart goes out to Jeanine.
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townsergeant
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Well done Stuey, excellent dit!
Although death comes to us all (eventually) it's nice to smile and think about past times.
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Pompey Rich
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One of life's lovely and genuine stories. Nice one,
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2nd Clarinet
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Good dit, Stu.
I was on that trip and gig. Awful place, Ghent.
How you could ever believe she was paying attention to you, is just incredible.
You were ugly then, and you are ugly now!
But, well done for telling us, they do say cleansing is good for the soul. 
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Hornblower
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Thanks guys.
In fact, we went to Ghent twice in 2 years and both times we were on the RFA Engadine.
It were reet good on that tub, we had our own bar and all we had to do was go below decks and fetch our own barrels to attach to the pumps.
I don't have a clue how much each pint cost, but it was very very cheap indeed.
We had one of the most riotous kangaroo courts ever in that bar on the way back from one of the trips - George Tate was charged with some petty crime and was found guilty. His fine was to drink a pint of bittter in one - he was doing fairly well when he stopped half way down to cry out that he didn't drink. Well he did by the end of that trip!!! 
Which reminds me, it was on that trip that he fell asleep on his bunk and we, (Martin Sharp and me) decided to 'gaffer tape' (pussers black) him into it.
We genuinley thought he'd wake up and stop us, but no. We really tied him down and even taped his feet together, he was wearing steaming bats. But, for those of you that don't know, he had (had being the operative word ) a very hairy chest and he'd gone to bye-byes shirtless we stuck him right down on that pit I can tell you!!
We sat back and waited
and waited
and watched and waited.
There was no way he was going to be able to move any muslces other than his eyelids, so we kept a very close eye out on them. Eventually, they started to flicker and he started to make some sort of groaning noise. His eyes flew open after a few seconds and he couldn't move his head either - we'd taped that down too!!!! Oh, the fun we had...
Even more fun when he came to unstick his chest... 
Sorry George x
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Wee Mac
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You would not be able to do anything like that now days Stuey. The Human Rights and PC Brigade have put a stop to such fun. I once made the mistake of falling asleep in the mess square on the Ark Royal in 1986 (pi$$ed) and woke up looking like a human Etch a sketch. The b'stards used marker pen and took me ages to get rid of it. For about a week, I had a dotted line on my neck and the words "cut here" . In the end, the CDR took pity on me and let me know it was there, or he just did not want me stood on the gangway, sounding Alerts etc, covered,in graffiti
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Mr Bass Trombone
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Nothing wrong with Ghent it was a great run the two years we went. But we never learned from the first year that you do not go ashore with Tim Dickenson and I think the other was Stan DG, cos it was the towns flower show time and they took to eating the bar's prize Orchids amongst other flowers, were you a flower eater ickle til, or just a flowers bitter drinker. We did have some good times in the bar, I don't think we could believe or luck when they said we could have it, even PAGS(rip) thought it was a good idea.
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kielerwoche
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Hi Mick. I do remember one night eating a lovely orchid in one bar. The trouble was, this one was of a type that only flowers once in 5 years or so. The landlady was not amused. I stuck to police chiefs tropical fish after that :)
The RFA Engadene and Olwen ( I am not sure that was how it was spelt ) are the 2 ships that I remember most fondly.
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Hornblower
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The RFA Engadine was bought from the private sector and had been designed as a car ferry. It was most unseaworthy and we were told by the crew that during a major exercise in the North Sea a month earlier the entire fleet had been ordered to turn round and return to safer waters.
Unfortunately the only ship that couldn't comply with the order was the Engadine, for fear of being hit by a large goffer amidships during the turn.
She steamed on...
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