Story Category: Life at sea

I have been aware of the Apostleship of the Sea from my earliest childhood.   My father had served in the Royal Marines during much of the 1930’s and 1940’s.

He was a member of the Royal Marine Band Service and spent quite a lot of time at sea before, during and after WWII, serving on the cruisers HMS Devonshire, Enterprise and Sirius.  Although he had left the Marines several years before I was born he talked on many occasions of the Apostleship of the Sea and the warm welcome that he had received at its centres in ports and harbours around the world.

I do have memories, as a young child, of the annual “Sea Sunday” being a very special day within the family and my Dad always saw that a generous donation was put into the special collection at Mass.

I came to the UK in 1955 to obtain my certificates of competency as a marine engineer and made London (Poplar, East End) my ‘home’  port because I had a cousin living in West London.

As I came from a committed Roman Catholic family in Bombay, I used to seek out the Stella Maris establishments where ever my ships docked.  I always had a warm welcome.

In October 1959 I found myself signing off on the Tyne in the evening.  Rather than travelling down to London, I stopped over at Westoe Towers, South Shields – the Stella Maris hostel for seafarers for ships on the Tyne.  There I met the light of my life, Irene Stewart from Hebburn on Tyne. We were married in May 1960 the day after I passed my Chief’s Motor Endorsement examination in Newcastle.

On the night before our wedding Dad turned up unexpectedly in Hebburn expecting to surprise me.  Unfortunately, he had no hotel booking! Having never left India in his life, the pub landlord near the railway station directed him to the presbytery of St. Aloysius RC Church where Irene and I were to be married.  The parish priest, Fr. James Walsh phoned  Fr. Fitzpatrick the resident chaplain in Stella Maris (Westoe Tower) where I was staying and he together with the doughty Miss Gallagher, the matron, obligingly accommodated my Dad.  I recall Fr. Fitzpatrick consoling Dad that evening over a bottle of whisky, because his surprise had been foiled – Dad loved his whisky! 

Whereas until then Stella Maris has been a safe place in all the ports had I visited, she became very special to me in South Shields. When I eventually became a Surveyor with the Board of Trade, and eventually wound up in their headquarters in London, I used to promote Stella Maris (Apostleship of the Sea) in my parish in Hemel Hempstead until a few years ago when I found a lady dedicated to take on that activity.   But I stay close to Stella Maris

I enclose a couple of photographs of the young hostesses who volunteered to befriend us under the close supervision of the doughty Miss Gallagher (I never discovered her Christian name) and some of the seafarers who enjoyed their company.

I was born in Barcelona in Spain, a truly maritime city with one of the busiest ports in Europe and I have always been fascinated by ships since I can remember. In my youth, I read all type of books that refer to ships: novels, adventure stories, seafaring manuals, technical publications, etc. And since I was a child, all my drawings were of ships.

As soon as I discovered the Maritime Museum of Barcelona and the nautical academy, I had all the ingredients to turn what I saw as my vocation into a profession. And I’ve been so lucky to have had the opportunity to enjoy all aspects of the maritime profession both at sea and ashore.

In my twenties, I started my professional career on board different types of merchant vessels as a cadet moving to officer and graduating as captain at 26. I also served as lieutenant in the Naval Reserve.

The longest single crossing I remember is 18 days from the Gulf of Mexico to Northern Europe in severe bad weather. At that time I use to spend four months on two months off, sailing internationally.  For a few days, the ship was unable to advance and all crew was in standby. However risky and difficult, I remember that crossing also gave me the opportunity to admire the beauty of the brave seas.

I enjoyed every moment of my life at sea as well as the opportunity that the seafaring profession gave me to travel the world from a different perspective than simple tourism. While at sea, free time was normally very limited, but in port, I always enjoyed visiting the different cities and engaging with local culture, events, and experiences.  But the lack of communications on board and the difficulty to communicate with family and friends from remote parts of the world were some of the hardest conditions I faced.

I have memories of my visits to Stella Maris facilities in different ports of the world. When as a young officer, I had an urgent need to contact my family in Spain while I was at sea. When I arrived in port, a chaplain took me to the local Stella Maris centre, where I could have access to a telephone landline. This was of course well before mobile phones and today’s web-based applications had been developed.

I spent some 10 years seafaring before starting a maritime career ashore. I then become a ship safety inspector and latter a vessel traffic system operator before being promoted to the position of harbour master. I was appointed in 2000 to represent Spain to the International Maritime Organization becoming later to -what I call- a “maritime diplomat”, serving both at a national level and within the United Nations system, working in different capacities with the specialized maritime agencies.

I became a trustee of Stella Maris because I felt I could contribute to caring for the welfare of seafarers, fishermen, and their families, while at the same time promoting its good name, mission, and values. The opportunity appeared to combine my maritime background with my international experience.

Stella Maris chaplains are the arm around the shoulder of a seafarer grieving a colleague, the friendly face who turns up on board to welcome them to our ports, the ones facilitating endless phone-calls when they feel homesick helping them to overcome stress or mental problems. Stella Maris chaplains provide a home away from home when seafarers are abandoned or sick in hospital. And of course, our chaplains offer pastoral care and assistance when required by those on board after so many months at sea. I am so proud of their work and dedication, and will continue supporting them in any way I can.

Every time I recall my 35 years at sea in the Royal Navy, it has to include the welcoming hand of Stella Maris.

My first such memory came in Genoa in 1969. I was only 22 at the time and still I can remember the warm welcome.

Within minutes of arriving. I was given a real in-depth knowledge of the area as well as information on faith services. It was like a home-from-home.

I’ve visited many Stella Maris welcoming posts over the years – too many to mention – and I can honestly say this: talking to the team was always inspiring and interesting. They just seemed to grasp the need for seafarers to connect with their faith.

It’s friendly beyond imaginable and soon you are no longer a stranger. If there was a Stella Maris post on arriving at any port, I knew I was off to a good start.

Now it’s pay-back for what Stella Maris did for me during my time at sea.

When it comes to Sea Sunday, I feel privileged to speak in my own parish and other churches about how we can provide much-needed practical and spiritual assistance to seafarers.

If it’s the Rotary Club in Alloa, I stress the importance of supporting our charity.

The response is always positive; people really want to know more and they do want to help in whatever way they can.

When I think back to Genoa all those years ago, it motivates me to try and go the extra mile for Stella Maris.