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clusive featur
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Following HMS
Somerset
part four
By CPO (WS) (AWW) ‘Mac’ McCulloch ©
How do we entertain ourselves? and the teams pull side by side. Bucketball is around £200 a time. After a fl ightdeck sports
And there was me thinking that the second one a variation on netball and basketball with a little there is sometimes a bar-b-que which is hosted
was the most diffi cult! This one is all about how (non) contact thrown in. Deckhockey is identical by a mess which allows the chefs to have a bit
we entertain ourselves. Youʼve got to remember except for the fact that pucks are made out of of a night off although they do tend to help out
that we carry provisions for months at sea and rags tied in a circle and then wrapped in “Harry the amateurs with the preparations. The best
with the ability to replenish at sea as well we Black Maskers”. Chin pads are a necessity money spinner is a night at the races. Mostly
can be out for weeks on end. First and foremost and each mess has to bring half a dozen pucks horse racing but variations include camel,
is Sunday morning church, which is held at because of the number that go over the side. bat, penguin or elephant. The easiest way
10:00hrs. This happens across the fl eet and is There are other games that are education to describe it is like giant snakes and ladders
only missed or postponed for really important based for example: Damage Control and Fire played in lanes. Six different coloured “horses”
things. Ordinarily we do not sail with a “Bish” Fighting “Itʼs A Knockout”. There arenʼt many and two dice, one coloured on each side for a
onboard so it is members of the ships company rules and the games are on an ad-hoc basis but horse and one dice with numbers. People join
that do it all. Last month I went through the built around skills the shipʼs company needs to syndicates and buy a horse for each race. Only
ships routines so youʼll remember that a Sunday practice. one winner though and with a restricted number
routine has only a one-hour turn to. So how do of races the price of horses rises throughout
we fi ll the rest of the day? Sports afternoons Another favourite is a village fete with coconut the night. Side bets are taken as well and from
are fairly regular occurrences on Saturdays or shiesʼ, strongest man and the like. All of these a shipʼs company of fewer than 200 the shipʼs
Sundays. It is however diffi cult to play most are improvised by each mess and the money charity can make up to two thousand pounds.
ordinary sports so we have corrupted the rules raised goes to the shipʼs charity. Another good
on a few regular ones. Tug of war is basically money spinner is a fl ightdeck fi lm night. Money My favourite form of entertainment however
the same, however we have to use two blocks is raised through the sale of hot dogs so raises is the “Bite”. Everyone has heard of sending
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