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When I was but a laddie


When I was but a laddie

First berth..On the Bonnie Lass LH 64 at the creels Summer 1966. 15 years old, full of youthful enthusiasm and only thinking about pop music,15 year old lassies,fitba' and acne. Clock the long oilskin ("dowper" or "doaper" as they were known)




    quiet waters
    Oct 10 2008 08:20 PM
    canna beat the doaper and the thigh boots, wance your cleared up, off ower the heid wae the doaper and roll the boots doon, none oh this on and off with oilskins troosers or sittin aboot in them all day, i wore a doaper and big white boots for years when i started, and mendin a tare wae a bit of oilskin and a hot bread knife, a good patch wid last ages.

    young ronnie
    Oct 10 2008 08:56 PM
    Aye,the dowper was O.K. but the big boots got kindae heavy by the end of the day in the Summer.I wouldnae like to cart yon things aboot now for a twenty hour day,or pey for them either...ye would need tae re-mortgage the hoose tae be able tae afford a full rig-oot o' sea gear now !!

    young ronnie
    Oct 11 2008 09:54 AM
    Talking about dowpers..the Old Man told me about a lad (Andrew "spanner" Thompson who was aboard with him on the Girl Nancy years ago) buying a brand new one at the week-end. First haul on Monday morning when the cod-end came over the rail Spanner put his arms round about it(he was a big,well built man)to steady it.He didn't notice a sharp piece of tin sticking out and as the "poke" swung a wee bit with the roll of the boat,the front of his dowper got ripped from one side to the other at chest level.By all accounts,the air for miles around was a bonny shade of Ibrox blue !! Never tried the hot knife trick to mend them though.we usually used a sewing needle and a strand of twine,never lasted very long though.

    quiet waters
    Oct 11 2008 03:17 PM
    a nice flat bladed butter knife stuck into the hot coals till white hot, item to be welded set oot on the table with the patch face doon on top of the top or troosers covering the tear, then slide the knife along in between, putting a bit weight on it at the back ogf your hand as you go, we used a sharpening stone so you dinna burn yersel, a pass for each side of the square patch, welded together braw and done right lasted as long as you like, the uncle used to pit another patch on top if it was on the knees to reinforce the seal for bending and getting doon on the knees for clearing prawns oot the scuppers. i always had the best of gear as the boat paid for everything, for all the crew in my fathers day, as long as you didn't abuse the privelage, oilskins, boots, knives, the odd carseckie or bunnet, i've still got my skippers bunnet and steel toecapped boots i bought in 1986, found the receipt for the boots a while back when i burnt a box of boat stuff i had up in the loft, cost £32 then!!
    your picture takes me back to the days afor the shelters on the ringers, dead of winter sitting on the rail and the uncle standing to flap his erms roon his body slap slap slap to try and keep warm and get some feeling back in his fingers and the wheelhouse window goin doon with a bang and the old man shouting "ye winna be cowld if ye feckin tailed faster!!!"
    Black thigh boots , I remember them alright always had them 3 sizes too big, went over the wall once , was able to kick them off. and grab the bag and the gunnel at the same time as the stern went down on the swell.Those were the days no power block, just lie on the bag , as it came over the gunnel lifted by the combined swell and manpower. I really miss those days  NOT.