From: "richard astley-weston" <>
To: <mnc.mailcwcom.net>
Sent: Saturday, February 17, 2001 3:59 AM
Subject: Blather ' bout old times!


> Dear Sirs,
> 
> Idly surfing the net one quiet night offshore Mexico, I entered my name in 
> the search field and came across your website. Had an hours fun reading up 
> about old friends and remembering the good old days at MNC. What a shame it 
> had to close - criminal waist of a good asset.
> 
> I can shed a little light on some names listed, including my own. I have 
> moved through the offshore world since being made redundant by Bowring 
> Steamships with whom I worked my apprenticeship. I went first to Lowline 
> Ltd, working on Anchor handling tugs in the North Sea. I soon tired of the 
> winter weather and came ashore for a while in the late eighties, working as 
> an ....erm.... Estate Agent.  Well, it was easy to get a job in property in 
> those days, but since I am an honest kinda guy, I didn't last long there. It 
> was just long enough to meet my future wife who was likewise taking time out 
> - from air stewardessing - in another of the companies offices. She 
> convinced me that the best way to a long and happy marriage was for me to 
> return to sea. I went back to college, re-validated my ticket, paid my way 
> through a dynamic positioning course and spent the next 9 years very happily 
> on diving support vessels with Rockwater, working mainly on construction 
> projects for the oil industry, but occasionally picking up the pieces after 
> helicopter crashes, and very occasionally digging for gold in old wrecks in 
> highly secret locations . (If anyone wants to know..... I can be bought). I 
> tired of being paid less than I was worth and have lately been working as 
> Deputy Offshore Installation Manager on an accommodation vessel in the Bay 
> of Campeche, Mexico - boring as hell, but the pay is reasonable. I now live 
> in Bournemouth with my wife and two daughters - yes, even I sobered up and 
> settled down!!
> 
> Others with whom I have had contact over the last twenty years....
> 
> Paddy Shrimpton (77-81) I shared a house with his twin brother, Phil, up 
> until the early nineties. He was and still is, as far as I know, working for 
> Windjammer Barefoot Cruises in the Carribean as Captain on one of their 
> sailing ships. I know he had a house in St Lucia for a while.
> 
> Phil Shrimpton (79-83) left the sea and joined the Metropolitan Police - I 
> had many adventures with him around south east London, until my wife-to-be 
> moved into the house we co-owned and we fell out - something to do with her 
> washing always being in the machine. He moved to a country beat in Beverly, 
> North Humberside, where sadly I lost touch with him.
> 
> Richard Carlton (77-81) was also with Bowrings - I met him again at an 
> unofficial re-union which we held one year at The Dickens, St Katherines 
> Dock (Great beer). He had set himself up in marine electronics, selling kit 
> and fitting it to small boat owners in the Channel Islands, I think.
> 
> Richard Walters (77-81) I worked with Richard for years at Rockwater - last 
> time I heard he was Chief Officer on a DSV, working for Northern Marine 
> Management. Still single and living off the proceeds of work to the full, 
> diving, drinking, traveling the world and driving a TVR (lucky b*****d)
> 
> Stuart Hobbs (77-81)I haven't seen since College days, but Richard Walters 
> had kept up with him and I heard the stories - he is quietly making his 
> millions after starting up a computer software company in London. Now lives 
> somewhere in Docklands. All I remember of Stuart was the hours he spent 
> playing Asteroids in the Union Bar - mis-spent youth obviously did him no 
> harm!
> 
> Sean Harvey 75-79 - also a Bowrings Boy. Now Operations Director for a small 
> but influential ship brokerage called Derrick Offshore based in Guildford, 
> Surrey. They specialise in the offshore and cable laying Market. Their 
> website is at www.deroff.com and includes a mugshot of the man himself.
> 
> Many thanks for an wetting up such an interesting website - and thanks to 
> Steve Foster for mentioning my name and thus leading me to it.
> 
> My regards
> 
> Richard (Dick) Weston 77-81
> 
> This may be overlong - please feel free to edit it for inclusion on the 
> site.