Stavanger for Tall Ships?

Subject: Stavanger for Tall Ships?
From: Wotcha
Date: 10 Apr 11 - 06:28 AM

The Tall Ships are coming to Stavanger, Norway in July -- just wondering if any Mudcatters coming this way? I can highly recommend the Irishman which has a good house band (Harbour Band) with great repertoire and inviting to guest singers.   I am toying with the idea of sailing from Shetland as a complete novice hand before I get too old for anything and washing up in the harbour after 3 days hard retching ...

Cheers,

Brian

Subject: RE: Stavanger for Tall Ships?
From: kendall
Date: 10 Apr 11 - 06:31 AM

Good for you, Mate! In the end, we always regret the things we didn't do.

Subject: RE: Stavanger for Tall Ships?
From: MartinRyan
Date: 10 Apr 11 - 11:09 AM

Gonna be in Norway for a week towards end of June, as it happens. Hope to visit Bergen, home port of Statsraad Lehmkuhl with whom I sailed from the Clyde to Shetland one memorable summer in the not-so-long ago!May even have a look at Stavanger...

Regards

Subject: RE: Stavanger for Tall Ships?
From: Leadfingers
Date: 10 Apr 11 - 06:56 PM

I am tempted to ask if you want a crewman !!

Subject: RE: Stavanger for Tall Ships?
From: Wotcha
Date: 20 Apr 11 - 07:28 AM

The Tall Ships Race has berths for everyone (at a price which for us older folk is a bit higher than the under 25s) from complete novices to seasoned salts ... Actually thinking about taking a berth on the Christian Radich, the other NOR training ship.;

Godt Paske.
Med venlig hilsen,

Brian

Subject: RE: Stavanger for Tall Ships?
From: stallion
Date: 20 Apr 11 - 03:37 PM

Martin has a relative in Stavanger and wanted us to go, I even think some money was mentioned, but we are all over the place as usual!

Subject: RE: Stavanger for Tall Ships?
From: GUEST,Wotcha
Date: 30 Jul 11 - 05:10 PM

Just left the Dar Mlodziezy (Class A -- really big -- Tall ship part of the Polish Maritime Academy at Gdynia) this morning and humped my gear back home. Still a little "landsick" as my ears think I am still on board. Learned some Polish (particularly the ropes and some interesting swear words) and also how hard it is to work the watches on a tall ship. Glad to have survived the experience by working all watches and pulling all the ropes with the 20 somethings who will move our containers around the world in the future. It's nice to get a compliment from a 21 year old watch leader, for those of us over 50, for our surprising "energy." Only downside, despite having over 50 shanty festivals in Poland, not a single shanty is used aboard this vessel ...

In port, music was a considerable emphasis this year. I can recommend High Level Music in Lerwick -- the owner backs up the local band which played some awesome music before we left. The Stavanger side of things presented some great music too: My favourite being The Harbour Band (from the Irishman Pub) which cranked out a powerful set of traditional shanties and songs of the sea. Norway's own Storm Weather Shanty Choir (who look like a cross between Heavy Metal meets Stan Hugill) performed an extraordinary set to kick things off. The local octogenerian members (at least they looked it) of Det Norske Sjomannskor performed your typical Euro Shanty Choir numbers (traditional with accordian backup) but well received. Lots more music came out of the woodwork than you would suspect ... a great event.


Of course, all was damped by the tragic events of the week in Oslo -- Before we launched on the current leg of the Tall Ships race, the folks at Lerwick held a well attended church service (in the wind and rain) and all belted out Eternal Father Strong to Save which resonated with all. In Stavanger, ships ensigns were ordered to half mast, and a minute of silence was observed -- the flowers kept coming though and draped the main stage, local cathedral and central pond.


This was a voyage of a lifetime. If anyone comes to Stavanger, you will find a great welcome at The Irishman Pub (Thurs and Sat sessions plus first Sunday of the month jam).


Ha det bra
Wotcha

Subject: RE: Stavanger for Tall Ships?
From: MartinRyan
Date: 30 Jul 11 - 05:18 PM

Good to hear that. Spent 10 days or so in Norway about three weeks ago - as mentioned on another thread. Had a long, frustrating trip to Bergen for a weekend out of Oslo. Found our hotel and grinned because moored opposite the hotel, about 100 m. away, was Staadsrad Lehmkuhl on which I had sailed round Scotland about 10 years ago. "Great!" sez I, " I'll call over and blag my way aboard as soon as I've had a shower!". By the time I got back - "There she was - GONE!" , as we Irish say!

Regards

Subject: RE: Stavanger for Tall Ships?
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Jul 11 - 05:24 PM

Martin:

The Staadsrad Lemkuhl is front and center in Stavanger's Harbour. Every night at 1800 they kick off the evening concert with shanties. In fact, they were audible across the stormy harbour at Lerwick as the entire crew sang "South Australia" as they were outward bound to Stavanger. Alexander Von Humbold (the ship Europeans see advertising Becks Bier) won this leg somehow (based on an obscure handicap system). The Russian Mir was actually first across the line (we were third). Anyhow a great event.
Cheers,
Brian

Subject: RE: Stavanger for Tall Ships?
From: MartinRyan
Date: 30 Jul 11 - 05:33 PM

She's a beauty, alright. The year I sailed, we were three days in before I realised the leader on one of the other watches (we were running three) sang shanties. We had a ball. A highlight for me was sailing out of Stromness, on Orkney, singing a long version of Lady Franklin's Lament , having just visited the house she had stayed in on the island....


Regards

Subject: RE: Stavanger for Tall Ships?
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 30 Jul 11 - 05:53 PM

Does not the redoubtable Johnny Silvo live in Stavanger?

Subject: RE: Stavanger for Tall Ships?
From: KelsallSergeant
Date: 29 Aug 11 - 03:07 PM

Regarding question from John McKenzie re: Johnny Silvo.

Yes, he does still live in Stavanger and is still performing on the European folk circuit. I just saw him perform in Scotland recently. He's around seventy now I think is still as good as ever. :-)

Wotcha - thanks for the nice comments about the Harbour Band

Regards

Richard (Harbour Band)