Written onboard M/T Ek-River July 2010



Nordanhav - I was AB from 29th of May 1988 to 9th of July 1988


Nordanhav when she was named Hallaren
Nordanhav when she was Hallaren ©Picture Håkan Gärdvall
I got this picture from http://www.faktaomfartyg.se


Nordanhav was built in Falkenberg 1978 and she was on 4958 DW ton. She was 88.03m long and 12.97m wide. Engine: Nohab Polar F216 V-D825 diesel.
While I was onboard we transported ore concentrate in bulk.

1978 - Built at Falkenberg's Vav
1994 - Sold to AB Tyrrena, Skärhamn. Renamed to STELLA NORDIC.
1997 - Sold to Dutch Caribbean Ship mgmt, Svendborg, Danmark Renamed to NORDIC
2001 - Sold to Bröderna Berndtssons Rederi AB, Skärhamn. Renamed to HALLAREN
2006 - Sold to Pantravel & Shipping Srl, Italy and renamed to VASILIOS N.
2008 - Sold to Paschi Di Siena/L&F St Imprese, Panama.


Sunday 29th of May 1988 was the official date for joining Nordanhav in Rønne on Bornholm, Denmark. This can't be the right date, because I signed off Lindfjord in Falkenberg on the 27th of
Bornholm

(Old Norse: Burgundaholmr, "the island of the Burgundians") is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea located to the east of the rest of Denmark, the south of Sweden, and the north of Poland. The main industries on the island include fishing, arts and crafts like glass making and pottery using locally worked clay, and dairy farming.

Tourism is important during the summer. The topography of the island consists of dramatic rock formations in the north, sloping down towards “pine and deciduous forests” (greatly damaged by storms in the 1950s) and farmland in the middle and sandy beaches in the south.

Swedish forces conquered the island in 1645, but returned the island to Denmark in the following peace settlement. After the war in 1658, Denmark ceded the island to Sweden under the Treaty of Roskilde along with the rest of the Scandian provinces and Trøndelag and it was occupied by Swedish forces.

A revolt broke out the same year, culminating in Villum Clausen's shooting of the Swedish commander Johan Printzensköld on 8 December 1658. Following the revolt, a deputation of islanders presented the island as a gift to King Frederick III on the condition that the island would never be ceded again. This status was confirmed in the treaty of Copenhagen in 1660.
May 1988. And we had have a few days of party in Båstad and I wasn't fit to go anywhere on the 29th of May. I don't know the date for signing on, I remember that the changed the date because the AB I was relieving had signed on a few days before I came onboard. So they put 29th of May as the date I signed on. But 31st of May is more likely that I signed on.

I took the ferry from Ystad in Skåne and I arrived to the ship in the afternoon and I said hello to the rest of the crew. RønneUnluckily enough we were going to stay overnight in Rønne. And as I uses to say: Who wants’ to spend a gorgeous summer night onboard?

Of course we went ashore and the first place was a grill/ bar 3 minutes walk down the jetty. The only thing I remembered from this grill was that there was an incredible beautiful girl working there. And of course, a few beers at the grill and I was much more handsome when we left than when I came.

The city centre was not far away from the grill, hell, noting is far away in the island Bornholm. We
When I came home my valet had arrived home to me by mail. They had found my valet in one of the sofas at the disco.

50 kr was missing. As they wrote:
We took 50 kr from your valet to use as postage.
ended up in a Disco and we returned to the ship in the wee hours. I returned onboard without my valet. I had lost it and I had to go through the trouble to call and cancel my credit cards.
When we had discharged the ore concentrate we left for Rönnskär, Sweden to load again. During my time onboard we only loaded in Sweden at Boliden, Rönnskärsverket and one time in Gävle. The closest town from Rönnskär is Skellefteå. And believe me, there is not very much happening in the town. One disco and perhaps a bar or two. Well, good or not good, but staying on a ship when alongside is not very funny either. There is a small, village, Skelleftehamn, but there is exactly nothing, a video rental shop and a miniature golf course.
Rönnskär
And they didn't load us during the night so we were free to do what we wanted to do. NordanhavSo instead of sitting onboard we took a taxi to town for some fun when we loaded in Rönnskär. Summer and it was party everyday and all night and hard work during the days.
- Hmm, all night??

I don't know about that, Skellefteå and if I remembers it right they closed at 2 o'clock Friday and Saturday and 1 o'clock during the week. From the picture above we can see that (clock on the bulkhead) its 10 minutes past 2 o'clock in the morning when we return to the ship and thus it must have been a week day. And if you look on the left hand side of the picture. There is a port hole and you can see that it's sunshine. Yes, in the summer there is Nordanhavsunshine 24 hours per day.

Well, they closed everything at 1 or 2o'clock in the morning and that's the time you're handsome and in a very good mood. Then they throw you out, what a place to live in. We had to return to the ship, well, when we started to work early morning we were glad that they closed early. Imagine coming straight from the disco to work.

If we spent the weekends in Rönnskär there was not loading at all and we could enjoy a weekend off. I remember one Saturday afternoon and we were playing on the horses. They had been at the kiosk in Skelleftehamn to bet on the horses.

We watched the race in the afternoon. The mood improved by every race, we had managed to pick the right horse in every race. So when we picked the right horse in the last race we thought that we were millionaires. Well, turned out that 3 million other people had bet on the same horses so we won exactly ZIP.

I had been working on Storön as an AB back in 1987 and she used to load in Rönnskär as well. One Nordanhavnight when I was in bed sleeping it knocked on my door. Two quick knock and the door swung open. It was the guys from Storön coming back from Skellefteå. And they were not sober.

I don't know how they knew that I was onboard. Never mind they had a Cook apprentice with them and she was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. So I bounced out of bed and we were soon drinking beer.

We hired a hydro lift or what they call it in Rönnskär and we painted and sandblasted the outside of the Nordanhavship. Trying to make her look nice. I remember me painting ALADDIN, about 1,5 meter size of the letters, on the red bottom paint on the side of the ship. Hard work during the day and then in the evening we were off to enjoying the night in the city.

We spent midsummer in Rönskär and I don't know what was going on at the miniature golf course. But 2 guys left to buy something for the party we were going to have during the night. They could hardly walk when they came back.
- Where the have you been?
- We have been playing miniature golf! Very funny!!

Well, anyway, while they were at the golf course we were busy making a table on the cargo hatches Nordanhavfor our midsummer dinner. And honestly, I don't remember us putting down to much efforts on the table. Drinking beer talking about the good ol' days was definitely more fun.

So the table was nothing you wanted to write home about. The table turned out a wee bit too high. Hmm, actually, way too high so we had to stand up while eating. But please, look at the picture and observe that we went through the trouble to bring out the chairs.
- Hmm, or maybe we took out the chairs before we started to build the table.
Thinking about it, the table looks more like a darn bar and bar stools would have been more Nordanhavappropriate. Never mind, we had a good time.

We spent the evening eating on deck and while we were sitting (standing) around the table we saw a sailboat passing just next to us. We put out the pilot ladder and invited them onboard.

It was a very nice summer evening and it was fun. Of course, after a few beers we wanted some music and stuff so we took a taxi to Skellefteå when we were finished with the dinner.

I remember my last time in Rönnskär with Nordanhav. We had a BBQ on poop deck Nordanhavand when we were finished our Motorman and I took a taxi to go look for something fun.

I really don't understand how I could maintain my life style back then. Always party and by then I had decided to go to India for a few months. That's the reason for me to ask them to send me home.

Otherwise Nordanhav was the ship where I had most fun, ok, Aurum was pretty fun to. Well, anyway, I should have done like any normal person, save. But no! We were going around NordanhavNorrland looking for fun in a taxi. Of course, we didn't found any fun. A camping Nordanhavwhere they sold beers, very exciting.

When we discharged in Nordenham and we all went ashore. We stayed close to the first pub so it was just a few minutes’ walk to get a beer.

I and one of our ABs' woke up one morning in my cabin. I was waking up on my sofa and the other AB in my bed. We went down to the dayroom and asked if there were any beers onboard.
- No, they said.
- I take the pushbike to town and arrange some.
I bought 2 cases of beer and I went in to a pub to say hello. I managed to get a little drunk Nordanhavbefore returning onboard with the bike. Coming down on the wet and slippery wood jetty with 2 cases of beer on the handlebar the pushbike skidded and I felt of the bike. Luckily enough I managed to save the beer.
- Aladdin!! Go to bed so you're awake at the BBQ tonight, Chief Officer screamed.

A power nap and I was fit for fight later in the evening Nordanhavwhen we had the BBQ. After the BBQ we wanted to go ashore for some fun. We were a wee bit tipsy so sitting onboard was no option. And why would we sit onboard when the first pub was Nordanhav4 minutes' away?

I remember one time when we should leave Nordenham. It was in the afternoon and Captain asked me to go get the last 2 crew members on the pub. They didn't want to go back onboard.
- Tell the Captain to f@ck off! Chief Officer screamed.

I took the pushbike back onboard and I Nordanhavtold Captain to f@ck off. No, I didn't. But our agent had to go pick them up in his car. Pilot was onboard already and we could leave when they came onboard. Yes, this is more than 20 years ago and no problem.
Try to do like this today and you find yourself with a foot in your arse.

We made one loading in Gävle, Sweden before I signed off. The only thing I remember from Gävle was that I was ashore looking for records. Second hand LPs with Kjell Höglund so I went through all the second hand shops. The only record I remember is Niels Jensen. But I'm sure there were others as well. Old Swedish music and that was not available on CD back then, so I had to buy second hand vinyl.
Nordanhav
Nordanhav

Nordanhav
Nordanhav
Last time in Rönnskär we got a new 2nd Officer onboard. I had worked with him when he was Captain onboard Katarina back in 1987. Last time we left Rönnskär with Nordanhav Captain should bring onboard his wife so we had to make a detour and pick her up. It was somewhere in Ångermanland, Härnösand or something. We arrived and we had slowed down to minimum speed. She came out to the ship in a small boat driven by her brother, I think.

I was standing by on deck with another AB. We had put the pilot ladder on starboard side and they came with the boat. When the boat arrived Captain's wife grabbed the pilot ladder getting ready to enter the ship. The normal thing to do when you are alongside a jetty is to turn off the engine.
Nordanhav
Nordanhav
Nordanhav
You should not do that when you are next to a ship making speed. Well, when Captain's wife grabbed the pilot ladder her brother or whatever he was turned off the engine and she was all of a sudden holding the whole weight of the boat in her hands.

She had her hands holding thigh on the pilot ladder and her feet trying to hold the boat. I and the NordanhavAB were screaming of laughter, hmm, not a good thing to do. But we could not help it.

It looked very funny, especially when one guy threw himself around Captain's wife's leg, She hanged between the pilot ladder and the guy holding her legs.
Yes, we were screaming and crying of laughter. I'm pretty sure that we pissed ourselves as well while screaming at the guy in the boat to start the engine.

Finally he managed to start the engine and Captains wife could climb onboard and we continued our voyage. I don't remember where I signed off. I think it was at Helsingborg roads. I had been thinking of taking a trip to India before my school started so I told Captain that I wanted to go home. I had decided to go to India for a few months before I should start my 2nd year at Nautical college. I signed off Nordanhav, Nordanhav had been one of the best ships I had been on, and we had a very good time. I really mean a very good time. It was fun every day. Hard work at sea and heavy partying when alongside.

9th of July 1988 I signed off in Helsingborg with the Pilot boat. I'm not 100% sure, but pretty sure. I remember that we had been in Helsingborg in the evening. We were drinking beer having a good time and when they closed we decide to go to my place in Båstad to continue the party.

How do I remember this? The only reason for this is that we were too many people to go in the car so we put a guy in the trunk. Of course, when we arrived to my place we had forgotten all about him. And how do I know that we forgot him in the trunk? Because I was told that he had woke up in the trunk, managed to get out just to discover that he didn't had a f@cking clue where he was.

I stayed in a house with 3 floors and the day after I found a guy in one of the bed rooms on the 3rd floor. I drove him back home to Helsingborg and before returning home to Båstad I stopped at the hospital to get my vaccination for my Indian trip.
- OK, I will leave tomorrow.
- Whoa whoa, you have to come back for another one in 2 weeks.
- Motherf@cker!
Yeah, you see how I have planned everything. Ok, I had to stay home for a few weeks waiting. HelsingborgGood, summer time and Båstad was very fun during the summer. The tennis weeks and the town was full of party people so there were plenty night life every night. But when August came Fortetthe town was dead again. No sign off any night life, well, maybe in the weekends.

Motherf@cker, Båstad turned in to a ghost town. How fun is that? Exactly ZERO fun so it was nice to leave. But, in July 1988 it was stomping.

July 1988 was the month that I was Fortetintroduced to Fortet. One of the guys that had been in Båstad back in May Fortetwhen I signed off Lindfjord stood outside my door one day.
- Surprise!
We got on his motorcycle and we drove to Landskrona. And yes, we know how fun Landskrona is, not very. So I took a taxi to my friend in Helsingborg and he told me about Fortet.
- My friend just opened the place at Väla.
- Let's check it out!
So I woke up at Fortet the day after and it was not the last time I would wake up at Fortet.

My brother had a big Cadillac cabriolet back then so we filled the car with people and we Båstadtook off to Båstad. It normally takes 30 minutes' to drive between Båstad and Fortet. OK, maybe 45 or 50 minutes if you drive carefully. But who is careful when he is 20?

But of course, going with this bunch was a different story. It took us 3 hours and they played Elvis and crap on the entertainment centre all the time. And that's even though I had possibilities to provide them with good music.
Yeah, they are not driving, they are cruising.

I remember once when I was driving for them in Helsingborg. I drove at the legal limit, 50km/h and they were screaming that I was driving too fast.
- 30 maximum, we must have time to scream at people we're passing.
BåstadEmbarrassing, and think if we're passing someone I know. When we got out of Helsingborg I had enough


We were going in an old Impala Cabriolet and the guys were sitting on top of the backseat drinking moonshine while screaming. Back then Helsingborg was the only place where they had a red light and then you were right on the highway.

And even though it's like driving a waterbed they start to move when you floor it. So when the light turned green I floored the pedal and this old Impala ignited on all 8 Båstadand we took off like a canon ball. Motherf@nker, the moonshine, glasses, passengers were just flying around in the car and luckily enough no one felt out of the car.
- You want 30km/h, you can drive yourself.

I think I was home for 2 weeks and it was Båstadparty every day. It was fun and it was like I never got away to Amsterdam to buy my ticket to India. Always some fun going on and who wants’ to leave then?

Not me, even though I had packed my bag as we can see on the Båstadabove picture. But one day I just had enough. I was sitting at a Båstadrestaurant in Båstad drinking a few beers with a friend when I decided to leave.

I asked for the bill and I went home to get my Samsonite attaché bag. Yes, this was pre weekend bag era. I got to Copenhagen, I don't remember where I bought my plane ticket. Maybe in Copenhagen or Helsingborg.

This must have been at the end of July and I was finally on my way to Amsterdam to try to get a ticket to India after 2 weeks or so in Båstad. Hang on!


       
                  
OK, it has come to my knowledge that we have senior citizens visiting my web page. How hard can it be? So it's not very easy for them to see the blue coloured links to the next page. So
Jiffy (also jiff)

noun [in SING.] informal a moment: we'll be back in a jiffy.

ORIGIN late 18th cent.: of unknown origin.

So as you understand, in a jiff pretty much depends on your internet.
I put a “Next” button here and I hope that there isn't any problem to understand how to use that one.
So just CLICK the “Next” button on your left hand side and you will be on the next page in a jiff!

Marunong ka mag-tagalog? Walang problema! Magpunta sa kabilang pahina pindutin ang “NEXT” button sa itaas

Faites vous parlez le français? Pas de problème! Pour arriver à la page suivante faites s'il vous plaît un déclic le bouton “Next” ci-dessus!

Haga usted dice el español? No hay problema! Ver la siguiente página sólo hacer clic el botón “Next” encima!

Farla parla l'italiano? Non problemi! Per vedere la prossima pagina lo scatto per favore giusto Il bottone “Next” sopra

Sprechen sie Deutsch! Kein problem! Wenn Sie die folgende Seite sehen wollen gerade klicken der Knopf “Next” oben!

คุณพูดภาษาไทยได้ไหม ไม่มีปัญหา ถ้าคุณต้องการไปหน้าถัดไป ให้กดปุ่ม “Next” ข้างบนนี้

Вы говорите по-русски? NJET PROBLEMA! Просто нажмите синюю кнопку "Next" с левой стороны и Вы моментально переместитесь на следующую страницу!

E ni Svenskar och inte förstår Engelska så ska ni skämmas. J och Björn, med det menar jag inte att alla mina stavfel ska ältas varje gång vi träffas.



                                       

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