You may or may not remember me—we last met nearly 50 years ago. A couple of chance events have led me to write to you now.
Earlier this summer, my wife Shirley and I began sorting through decades of accumulated belongings as we prepare, hopefully, to move into a retirement apartment. While clearing out, I stumbled upon some old copies of Safmarine Wheelhouse magazines. Just as I was about to discard them, I noticed one was actually a Clansman. Nostalgia got the better of me, so I started flipping through, and of course, I came across your name—C. Isaac, 2nd Officer on the Southampton Castle. I recalled that I had sailed with you on either the Tantallon or the Clan Robertson.
The other reason I’m reaching out involves a conversation with an old friend who reminisced about the lake steamers of East Africa. I decided to research for him since he isn’t computer-savvy. Naturally, I came across a Captain Chris Isaac and was thrilled by the coincidence.
Unfortunately, I didn’t bookmark the site, but I did note down your email address—then lost it. Just recently, I found the scrap of paper and thought I’d better get in touch before the opportunity slipped away.
I can’t quite recall if we sailed together on the Tantallon Castle or the Clan Robertson, but I have a vague memory of Geoff Bryce being involved. I know he was 1st Mate on the Tantallon because I found an old black-and-white photo of him on the boat deck. I also wondered if the 2nd Mate at that time was Arthur Slack, with you as 3rd Mate.
After the Tantallon, I spent some time on the Clan Robertson, then the Rustenburg Castle. Later, I served with Safmarine on the SA Vergelegen, SA Drakenstein, and SA Tzaneen, finishing as 2nd Engineer.
In early 1971, eager to explore Southern Africa, I worked for engineering contractors across the Transvaal, Rhodesia, and Swaziland. I even had a dramatic car accident near Mbabane that nearly cost me a kidney.
Shirley and I returned to the UK in late 1972 to marry. I worked briefly for an American cryogenics firm before joining the MOD (Navy) until 1977. Although interesting, I didn’t see a long-term career there. I then spent a few months with Kuwait Shipping before accepting a surveyor role with a large insurance company, where I worked mainly in East Anglia and the Humber area, mostly with power and public utilities. I retired from Zurich Insurance in 2005 at age 60, then returned on contract until 2008.
Over the years, I met many ex-seafarers through my work, but surprisingly few I recognized from my sailing days—except one ex-B&C engineer in Essex and a couple of acquaintances on the Grand Princess cruise ship in 2010.
I started drafting this email back in autumn 2015 but never sent it because I was hoping to find a photo or document confirming our time together. Recently, I discovered an old transparency of us waiting on the catering crew in the saloon—probably Christmas Day, 1967.
I hope this message finds you well, Chris. It’s hard to believe how the years have flown by.
