Nights out.

Whilst away on a 3 week trip at sea, it is quite rare to get the opportunity for a 'run ashore'. We are never in port very long, maybe 4-5 hours, so when in a repair stop its great to have a night out.
On Saturday, 4 of us (Bosun, Cook, Mr 2/E and myself) went ashore for a few drinks. Our ship is berthed on the River Tees not far from Middlesbrough. We went to a local social club, something which don't seem to exist much anymore where I live.
We had a few drinks, chatted and laughed and had a go at the quiz and stand up bingo. Bosun had been going on for a few days previously about stand up bingo and how good it was. Myself, I'd never heard of it. I'd played normal bingo but never stand up bingo. Basically you buy a single bingo card, so it has 15 random numbers between 1-90. Everyone playing stands up and the bingo caller starts calling out numbers. If the number called is on your card then you sit down. The last person standing wins!
So we all agree to have a go, a £1 a ticket, and Bosun pays for us to play. The first number called was 77, and poor Bosun had to sit down. He was gutted to be sitting down so soon. Anyway I ended up winning- I won £43. I felt so happy but also very sorry for Bosun who had been so excited about playing but had had to sit down so soon.


Last night we went ashore for a meal. It's customary for the shipyard to take a couple of the ships crew out for a meal. I was very lucky to be asked to go too. So Captain, Mr 2/E, Bosun and myself went along with the Ship Superintendent and from the Shipyard, the 2 project managers and one of the Health & Safety guys (MrH&S). We were picked up in a minibus from the shipyard and taken up to a place called Yarm. We all met up in a pub at 7.30pm. We had one drink, then another and one more! I was drinking Gin & tonics (I later found out they were doubles!) and they were slipping down very well. Eventually after an hour we walked down the road to an Italian restaurant. The shipyard people are obviously regulars here as we were all greeted enthusiastically. Our table wasn't ready so, yes we had another drink. I'd decided I would have red wine so a bottle of Barolo appeared and a few of us tucked into that! After 2 large glasses of wine I felt drunk and really hungry. Mr H&S and I were chatting and agreed we needed to eat something soon. Luckily our table came available so we went to sit down. I had a lovely King Prawn starter followed by a pasta dish with Chicken and bacon. By now I was talking and laughing so much that I hardly ate any of my main course really. I was sat next to Mr H&S and unbeknown to me at the time, every time I turned to chat to someone down the table, he was filling up my glass! No wonder I couldn't understand how come I didn't seem to be drinking very much!
I also had a dessert, a trio of puds but to be honest I really don't remember what they were let alone if it was nice or not.
We all had a fabulous night, no expense spared. Great company and such a laugh.
I was still laughing/ giggling when we got back on board and I'm ashamed to admit it took Bosun and I at least 20 minutes to get from the back deck door, up a flight of stairs to our cabins! We were laughing so much, we were holding onto the rail along the alleyway and then when we got to the bottom of the stairs we did that awful thing of loud shushing with our fingers upto our mouths, 'shhhhh, shhhhhh' when really the shushing is probably louder than the laughter.
By some strange miracle, I felt absolutely fine this morning apart from a bit of a sore throat!( too much laughing). I had been up during the night and drunk 2 large glasses of water so maybe that helped me not have a hangover.
Anyway we all had a lovely evening, great food and company.