by andy flewker

Created on: July 12, 2008   Last Updated: April 26, 2009

No harm came to these animals as their keepers were there at the time and all arrived safely at their port of call.

We use to sail every six weeks from the UK destined for South Africa Cape Town being the first port of call. Very often as cargo animals were transported to their owner's maybe who had emigrated, or a farmer importing stock.

During the course of one voyage two horses were going out to a stud farm, they were looked after and fed by their handlers and we were able to go out and talk to them or try and feed them and more often than not we got told off for it, anyway one fine evening crossing the equator someone decided that it would be good to watch a movie out on the deck under the stars, a screen was erected and we were all able to sit out on the deck that night with a few beers and watch a cowboy film john Wayne in the the cowboys.

We were warned that it might not be a good idea but the powers to be knew best and as usual, things began to happen. The movie had only been running for maybe 10 minutes, the horses ears must have pricked up straight away as soon as they heard the sound of other horses, they could see them, on the big screen too, and started neighing and whining every time they heard or saw a horse and when the shooting started all hell broke loose, they started stamping their hoofs and still neighing, we were all neighing back and laughing, the handler and a few others were doing their best to calm the horses and then it all went black and quiet as the projector fell off its mounting and broke. We abandoned the movie idea and returned to the bar for the rest of the evening quietly.

Jeremy the Bull was enormous and he to found his way onto our ship for a journey to Cape Town. He ate everything and again we got told off for doing so, the farmer was his handler and travelled too, he use to eat and drink with us and had his own cabin, and he soon got use to our seaman's sense of humour , one night, like most at sea, time is spent in the bar chatting playing cards or darts and of course beer, the bar had shut at eleven and some off us were just finishing our beers , when a bale of hay comes through the door and lands on the deck in front of us ,there's a lot of noise out side in the alley way when suddenly this big bulls head just appeared around the door, lots of swear words were issued and the farmer appeared laughing his head off you should have seen your faces' he said. This is farmer's sense of humour he said and laughed again. We had a bit of a job getting him out to his box but all went well and we never fed him again.

The dogs they were kidnapped during the night, when this was reported to the skipper a search of all cabins revealed a still sleeping drunk dog lover who took them all(7)of them to his cabin for the night because he thought they looked cold in their kennels. The dogs were returned to their homes and the dog lover was sacked and flown home too.

Last and the biggest animal the elephant. Loaded in Southampton and bound for Australia to go in a circus this trip would not be forgotten either, it was quite a sight to be able to go out and gaze at this huge animal, the baker use to make currant buns for us to feed him, and he ate well. Halfway across the Indian ocean the heat is stifling all the crew have open port hole normally but jumbo has got his own back on us, he does not like buns the keeper told us now look what happens he has diarrhoea he is on the top deck and although the deck crew hose down the deck often daily over the ships side the stench wont go away, you could smell us for miles, and the crew had to paint all the side of the ship when we arrived.

Learn more about this author, andy flewker.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.