Coincidences

Home / Forums / Non-local / Coincidences

  • Author
    Posts
  • Anonymous
    30th May 2016 at 12:06 pm #19282

    Any surprising coincidences?

    One of mine was, when in the Merchant Navy, was en route for the Panama Canal, to pass E to W, so we were bunkering in Colom.
    The Agent came aboard and we were having a drink in the bar aboard.
    The 2nd Enginner was supervising the bunkering, so when the agent invited me, the 2nd and his wife to his home for a drink, the 2nd asked me to take her along.
    So off we went, had a very pleasant run ashore to the yacht club then on to the Agents place, in a taxi (to the sound of gunfire, Panama was in a state of political unrest at the time).
    He and us got chatting over G&Tsss, (perspiring gently on his beautiful veranda), eventually, he asked where are you from in the UK?
    Me the Lakes, her Newcastle, and you I asked him?
    Oh Birmingham, well a town near Birmingham (I forget the town).
    I had an Aunt and Uncle lived near there I said, village called Feckenham.
    No! says he, what were they called, Smith says I.
    He said. They lived in Woodbine Cottage, they had a daughter, Elaine, her and I were playmates, we were neighbours, ajoining gardens.
    Must say I was pretty gobsmacked.
    OK, anyone else?

    30th May 2016 at 5:22 pm #19350

    Five years ago, on holiday in Mombasa, got chatting to a chap and his wife, I commented on his accent and asked where he was from. Doncaster, so was my Dad I say. Whereabouts, Highfields, so was my Dad, I say. Highfields was a miners slum estate, but as a child living there I thought it was just normal, tough, but normal. He and my Dad used to play and fight. My grandad used to repair their shoes to make a little extra cash. I phoned my Dad to tell him, saying the bloke said they were a bad family. My Dad replied, Son, on that estate, we were all bad families. This chap was also at my Grandads funeral.

    30th May 2016 at 5:35 pm #19351

    Thank you Stinky for sharing that, it was lovely , what an amazing coincidence . :rose:

    Anonymous
    30th May 2016 at 11:17 pm #19460

    Thats a very touching story, shades of where I grew up in Whitehaven ,a mining, fishing town. Where you make GooD friends.
    Thanks for that S.

    Anonymous
    30th May 2016 at 11:53 pm #19469

    Thought of another earlier, (over a beer).
    When building a boat, had to go to Poole to get a price off a mast builder for mast and rigging.
    Explained what boat it was for, a “Roberts Norfolk 44”.
    Oh he said, I had another guy in recently same boat. But he has BIG probs with the rudder/STEERING,(his was a Mk1). Boats name “Yell Sound”. (He was from Shetland, hence the name).
    I finished my boat and went off, South, after a while arrived in Tenerife, tied up, walking along the quay, spied another Roberts Norfolk, looked at the name, guess what?
    The skipper was on deck, so I said to him, did you get the rudder sorted? He looked me up and down, and down and up, ’til I burst out laughing and explained, then we had quite a lot of beers.
    We became pretty good friends, but came time for me to leave to cross the rest of the Atlantic to the Carrib.
    No real idea of where to wind up there.
    I arrived in the BVI, got a job skippering charter yachts with a company based on Tortola, at Maya Cove.
    I was returning to base at the end of a charter, following a boat in who was obviously new to the narrow entrance, couldn’t believe it, it was “Yell Sound”, Lot more beers that evening with Peter, and a lot more later!
    Soon after, I had to return to Europe with my boat, sadly heard much later, :rose: Peter had died in the BVI.

    31st May 2016 at 8:20 am #19478

    Before we moved to France, we used to travel over and stay regularly in a gite near Guemene Penfao. One time we arrived and parked the car in their yard and I noticed that there was a car with a small family garage name on the number plate from where we originate from in the UK and I used to hang about and ride motorcycles with the son of that garage owner. As we were lugging our stuff into the gite I happened to mention that to the car owners who were sitting outside. The woman said that she thought she recognised MOH – It turned out they both used to go to college together and afterwards got the early train to work in London together. She was also the cousin of a friend of mine from school. So we had a reunion dinner that night!

    31st May 2016 at 9:52 am #19492

    Very interested to hear about your boat. I had a steel Norfolk 43 myself and kept it at Ridge Wharf (upriver from Poole) during the build back in the late 80’s. Sold it on before completion due to money probs. It was blue book registered as “Earthsearch”. Did you ever spot it in your travels?

    Anonymous
    31st May 2016 at 9:59 am #19495

    Small World Fitter, you have reminded me of another.
    I used to hitch everywhere when younger, UKAEA apprentices couldn’t afford anything else.
    I was going to Nuneaton from Whitehaven, to visit my brother.
    Got dropped off at a Services on the M6, around Preston.
    Had my card of course with Coventry on it displayed, a guy stopped so in I got.
    Where abouts in Coventry?
    Well not exactly Coventry, Nuneaton.
    Where in Nuneaton?
    Whitestone,
    Where on Whitestone?
    Golf Drive.
    Was my brothers next dooor neighbour, who I had never met.

    Anonymous
    31st May 2016 at 10:09 am #19498

    Shapeshifter, no I never saw that one, besides Peters, the only other was a GRP one in Corsica.
    Pity you had to sell Her, in fact I bought mine as an uncompleted project, She was a bare epoxied hull, I bought her near Rochester, Kent and trailed her up to Scotland where I finished Her.

    31st May 2016 at 7:28 pm #19648

    And the coincidences keep coming. I used to live very near Rochester until about 1985.

    Anonymous
    1st June 2016 at 2:28 am #19790

    Can’t remember the name of the yard she was lying, but a very well known boatyard. The hull was built on the Isle of Sheppey, by a pro builder, “Fai Tira” possibly was in the yard in 85, I bought her in 93/94 finished her and left for points S. in 96.
    Have you done a search for your ex boat on the net, I look at whats happening to F T now and then :cry: sob sob ;-) she looked after me well for quite a few years :rose:

    1st June 2016 at 11:34 am #19817

    About that time the big marina was called MBM, Medway Bridge Marina. I had my first boat, a Caprice 19, on a trot mooring upriver near Cuxton where I lived. I have had a look for Earthsearch on the ‘net but found nothing. I’m not very skilled at internet searching. While I lived in Poole I built a Thames slipper launch. That one can be found on the internet but not a lot of info, just a photo.

    Anonymous
    1st June 2016 at 11:51 am #19821

    What fascinating stories! I love stories like that (by the way our last home in the UK before moving to France was on the Isle of Sheppey) :rose:

    Anonymous
    1st June 2016 at 5:11 pm #19864

    Didn’t see much of Sheppey, but what I did see was interesting F!
    S, First boat I sailed on was a friends Silhouette, another had a Caprice, nice boat.
    The Slipper launch is interesting, what engine did you put in it? I remember a beautiful one being built in “Mashfords Yard” at Cremyll, near Plymouth when I spent a winter there. I think they started as tenders to J Class yachts, is that right? J Velsheda was a magnificent sight lying at anchor in Tortola when I was there.
    First boat I owned was a dipping lug clinker 16ft centre boarder, next a Fairy Albacore, then a Westerly 25, spent 2yrs in the Med in that with wife and 3yr old.
    Then finished an IP24 hull, then bought a Rival 32 in Dittisham, went to the Med for a year in that.
    Then bought the Norfolk hull.
    Frightening how time WIZZES in :scratch:

    A neuron just fired!!! I think the yard near Shepppey, was “Iron Wharf”

    2nd June 2016 at 8:00 pm #20072

    Had four goes at posting an image. Give up, life’s too short.
    At the time of the build I couldn’t afford the usual marinised car engine or electric motor so I used a 10hp Honda short shaft outboard mounted in a soundproofed box just behind the rear seats. It easily got onto the plane in Poole Harbour. The flat bottomed design and low freeboard doesn’t lend itself to slippers being used as tenders for seagoing yachts. They were created as a plaything for the young Edwardian wasters in their straw hats and used for picnics on the upper Thames.

    Anonymous
    2nd June 2016 at 11:26 pm #20119

    Don’t remember who told me about the J tender thing.
    I think the early ones had single cylinder Stuart Turner petrol engines fitted.

  • The forum ‘Non-local’ is closed to new topics and replies.