Guestbook Volume 2

Hi Ian ,

my name is Jim ..... I am a native of Jersey , Channel Isles, I was an active teenager , and a member of St Helier Yacht Club.. in the 1960's . I was one of about 6 lads that kept small boats , in St Helier Harbour. had a summer job at the then 'Rayson Marine' on the corner by the 'old' harbour. We would take our boats (dingy's ) out most days in the summer months , and motor round as far as Green Island, St Clements , in an Easterly direction and St Brelades in a Westerly direction from St Helier. Through my yacht club membership ,'crewed' several 'racing yachts ' and worked for various owners to prepare their motor cruisers , before they departed on a 'jolly' to the Brittany Coast. I was Indentured to P&O SN Co in 1969 , - Retired Chief Engineer - 2019. p.s this very slow , 5seconds between every key stroke ?

Thank you, Michael for your advice on searching for my family history.

Whilst tracking-down a specific voyage of the P&O Orient LIne vessel "Iberia" in the summer of 1964, I came across your eclectic site. Very enjoyable!

FYI I can provide an additional piece of data which complements the information that you list for the fleet voyages that year :

I have a postcard (an Arthur Dixon picture of the subject liner) received from an acquaintance who posted it to me at Colombo (then Ceylon) on 3rd August 1964. He had left Aden 5 days earlier, and left a forwarding address in Sydney, Australia (no arrival date given).

There seems to be a paucity of data for 1964 c.f. a full listing of the Iberia's journeys in 1966 (some other site that I found), and the routings in that year were perhaps similar although schedules don't coincide.

Drop anchor.

Dear My Byard,

I’mcurrently writing a Haynes Manual for Motor Gun Boat MGB 81, the British PowerBoat MGB currently preserved at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. I’m putting thefinishing touches to it at the moment and am looking to complete a smallsection on other surviving examples of MGBs.

Although your former home, MTB 451 is not longer around, I'm keen to demostrate how boats other than 81 became houseboats. Although I have modern pictures of numerous other surviving boats, I was quite struck by your second photo here (https://www.yalumba.co.uk/Framesets/Houseboat.htm) showing 451 soon after purchase and stripped of her armament.

With your persmission, I'd be keen to include this image in the book - if you have a copy in higher resolution than the one online. I’mafraid that this book isn’t going to make me rich so I can’t offer any sort ofpayment, but I’m might be able to send you a copy of it when it’s finished though.

Kind regards,

Stephen Fisher

Just wanted to pass on my thanks to you for creating the website, especially the pages about passenger ships from many years ago...and sharing it with the world.

It's helped me greatly putting the pieces together of a journey my parents took in 1960 from Australia to Europe.

Thank you your suggestion about the national archives in my search for the action report for MTB 447 I found it and have requested a copy .

paul

I was thrilled to find this site and to read the information regarding the “Ellinis”. I left Sydney on January 26,1973 and arrived in Southhampton on March 1,1973.

The photos bought back many visual memories and the descriptions were very accurate.

Thank you so much for this hard work.

Liz

Hello Ian,

Really good web site ! You spoke about the Boat "Black Panther", have you pictures ?

i'm the owner of a BPB Co Seaking from 1934, i search informations / pictures from pleasure craft build by the company at this time.

kind regards,

Vincent.

Wonderful pictures and splendid information. Thank you for bringing these ships alive for us.

Very interested to see your study of British Power Boat Co. My grandfather worked for them perhaps for the almost the whole of their existence. He seems to have gone there soon after they opened in 1927. He would have been 65 in 1942, but I do not know if, with the war on, he continued working. My father apprenticed there 1934–1941 as a draughtsman and his sister worked there as a tracer during the war.


I have a question for you. My gradfather's address in the Probate Calendar was Sprifield Avenue Holbury (Fawley), and the OS map* shows that although this was very rural at the time, Springfield Avenue and the short street connecting it to the A326 are lined by row houses. I am wondering if these were company houses for the BPB Co.? Have you any information on this?

* Email me a note and I can send you the map or its URL.