FIRST CRUISE

The house is very quiet now that the grandchildren are gone. I think that I have been missing them. However, there are many things to do. I bought a plastic model kit (never done one of these before) of the SS President Cleveland. I was on this ship with my family back in the early ‘50’s. I think I spent more time with the crew than with the rest of my family. The cruise , which was six weeks long, took us to Los Angeles, Hawaii, Yokohama, Japan; Manila, Philippians; Hong Kong, Kobe, and again Yokohama, Japan; and finally to Hawaii and San Francisco. Although I had wanted to be a sailor for a few years before this, the trip solidified my yearnings to be a seafarer and visit distant lands and people. The story of this cruise will be found in my book, Between the Devil and the Deep… which will be out soon. A few years later, I decided to try to get a position on the Cleveland, as a Steward (Bell Hop). I checked with the union to see how should go about this. They said I first had to take a two week course at the Maritime Academy in Vallejo, CA. In this course, they taught how to use three types of lifeboats (oars, Push-pull and engine), how to use and help passengers dawn a life jacket, first aid and many other things. I got in trouble during a loading of the lifeboats exercise. The order over the loud speaker came: “Man the lifeboats.” Everyone was at their station trying to get “passengers” into lifeboats. I was yelling “Women the life boats!” The trainer told me “the order was to man the lifeboats.” I replied, “You fill your life boats your way, and I’ll fill mine my way!” I do not think I will ever build an other plastic model kit. They are really bad...or maybe I am not so good.