Page 90 - Michael Frost-Voyages to Maturity-23531.indd

On a lighter note, some of us enjoyed lifeboat drills. These exercises, which all
passengers were obliged to attend (roll-calls are taken) are designed to familiarise
crew and passengers with the route to their assigned lifeboats, and, equally
importantly, to instruct passengers in the use and wearing of life-jackets. The
latter requirement, we found, often proved particularly difficult for the 18- to
25- year old female passengers, some of whom were all fingers and thumbs when
it came to tying or untying knots. We generally found sufficient time to assist;
sometimes some expressed complete amazement at our dexterity, on occasion
needing help even after the drill!

We arrived at Gibraltar on Monday, at that time under virtual siege by
the Spanish (Franco) Government, but still very much a proud part of the
Commonwealth. In fact, it was a bit too British; Union Jacks flew everywhere,
and the standard fare at the too-British pubs was warm beer and fish and chips.
The place seemed prosperous enough, though without the presence of the Navy,
it was difficult to see what people would do with themselves, for there was no
evident industry and little to draw in any tourists; in fact, it was rather the
opposite, as the border with Spain was apparently closed, so that even the mass
of north European tourists that came to the Costa Brava could not cross onto
the Rock for a visit. It occurred to me that the British Government may have
had a hand in encouraging cruise ships to call, because all that I could find to
occupy myself was to take the cable-car up to the top of the massive edifice and
absorb the very fine view, and there to try to prevent the Barbary apes (in reality
not apes but monkeys, presumably named when nobody knew the difference)
stealing from me.

The trip across the balmy Mediterranean to Yugoslavia, as it then was, was
an almost untrammelled delight. We cadets had to clean up the lifeboats after
Gibraltar ferrying, but that job was quickly finished and we were permitted to
enjoy some recreation, which is to say, get to know some of the young ladies who
occupied first class. Of the passengers, the ship accommodated 675 first- and 735
tourist-class passengers, but the proportion of deck and pool space allotted to the
former was very much in their favour. As we cadets also had an entertainment
allowance, which was actually quite generous, we were not inhibited in ensuring
that we were known to be good persons with whom to dally. And dally we did.

But one aspect of life on board was something of a surprise to me. Being on
deck most of the time and enjoying most of the benefits accorded passengers,
we were royally treated by the stewards and waiters. Even over just two days at
sea, it became rapidly apparent that almost every one of the pursers’ crew was
demonstrably gay, and it was brought home to me, as indeed it still is, how unique
was the attitude in both America and UK towards this lifestyle. I had, of course,
been to a British boarding school, where subtle (and very unsubtle) things
inferentially showed within society how widespread was the male preference

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