Who's got a sailors' tattoo ??

[imported_Skipper]

Perhaps you think I'm just posting this to 'fish for' congrats and such - and hey, maybe you're right. Nevertheless it may be of some intrest to some fellow sailors out there.

I've just become a father (1st kid) of a beautiful healthy baby girl named Rozemarijn. We didn't choose the name of its semi-maritime meaning (the word marijn equals marine), but simply because both momma and poppa (that's me) liked the name.

For the record the name Rozemarijn (as the herb rosemary) comes from the latin words roz (dew) and mare (sea) and together it means 'dew from the sea'

As a proud father I've spent two hours under the needle on a tattoo containing a rose, an anchor, a ribbon and sun & blue skies. The rose is for the 'Roze-part', the anchor for the sea or the 'Marijn-part', the sun for the new sunshine in our lifes and blue skies (bit of clouds for the 'roz=dew'. But the tattoo also says something about me as a sailor, since the anchor also highly reflects on who I am - a passionate sailor.

Because of the style (old-school shading) and because of the anchor it is a true sailors' tattoo - at least in my humble opinion. If and when I'll accomplish one specific other goal in my life, solo-ing across the Atlantic I'll get a 'real' sailors' tattoo to mark this milestone. Perhaps a mermaid, a ship, an anchor or an image of Neptune.

Perhaps some of you have sailors' tattoo(s) either to express your love of the Water or to mark some milestone, such as I intend with the cross-Atlantic solo (round-) trip.

So who has any stories to tell on this?

[ 06-09-2004, 08:36 AM: Message edited by: Skipp3r ]

[Garrett Lowell]

No tatts for me. But I will offer a hearty congratulations, and welcome to the club! Now you get to wonder what you used to do with all of your "free time" before little Rosie came along!

[Willin']

All sailor's stories are required to begin

"Once upon a time, and this is no s#@t.."

That said, when I was in the Navy a shipmate and I were out steaming one night in Fort Lauderdale. We had both recently earned our dolphins (a big deal for submariners) and were celebrating pretty seriously. We were at the stage of the evening when we vowed our undying love for each other and decided to get tattooed to cement our friendship.

Naturally my choice was the dolphin symbol, while he was talking about something more floral with his girlfriend's name on it (always a bad idea, btw).

I figured I'd put it on the inside of my left arm, close to my heart but not too visible unless I wanted it to be seen. My mate was going for the typical forearm Popeye look.

The tattoo artist mentioned that there were very few parts of the body that would be more painfully tattooed than the inside face of the upper arm, and maybe I should reconsider.

Fortunately, watching my buddy squirm in the chair had a sobering effect and I split for another beer before he got through. By closing time the tattoo parlor was long forgotten.

Next morning at breakfast, looking and feeling less than 4.0, I took a lot of flack for disappearing and abandoning a shipmate in dire straits but I never went back for that tatt and I'm awful glad. Probably the only time in my life drinking too much prevented me from making a terrible mistake.

I saw my mate several years later. A new design obscured his ex-girlfriends' name, and he had several more tattoos to show, each with a drinking story to go with it. Pretty sad...

Congrats on you're new daughter. With such a lovely name she'll surely grow to be a charmer of exceeding grace and beauty.

Cheers,

[cs]

Ain't none of my tat's sailor tats, but I got enough of 'em. Got some that have real meaning and I got some I just thought were cool. I seconded the notion not to get a woman's name and never ever get a tatoo when your drunk.

Chad

[Dale R. Hamilton]

Not a sailor's, but I'm very proud of the US Army Airborne tatoo on my right wrist. Of all I've ever accomplished, what stands out most is that day in June in Missoula Montanna at the Smokejumper school and my first jump. (Army had leased the school in order to teach basic airborne for special ops.)

[Dale R. Hamilton]

Not a sailor's, but I'm very proud of the US Army Airborne tatoo on my right wrist. Of all I've ever accomplished, what stands out most is that day in June in Missoula Montanna at the Smokejumper school and my first jump. (Army had leased the school in order to teach basic airborne for special ops.)

[paladin]

No Tats.....after finishing basic training and being transferred to "an interesting assignment" the first thing...even before language, security clearance briefings etc...wuz.....under no circumstances get a tatto or other artificial distinguishing marks on your body....and they even kept records of scars.....so in certain lines of business tattos are verboten....

[bob goeckel]

i'm a sailor so they must be sailor tattoo's! got my favorite SWMBO there too. :D

[ 06-09-2004, 10:57 PM: Message edited by: bob goeckel ]

[George Roberts]

I guess you should spend all of your free time with your daughter.

[Mike Field]

.
I just hope that tattoo's where you can see it, Skipp3r....

http://www.woodenboatfittings.com.au/public/tattoo-s.jpg

.
But congratulations on Rozemarijn's arrival.
.

[martin schulz]

of course...

An anchor on my right upper arm (there is always hope)!

When I had it done the guy tatooing me said: "tis is the wrong place for an anchor, y'know mate, I mean you don't hang your anchor on the mast, do you?" I said: " well you are probably right, but then I wouldn't want an anchor on my forearm because my clients might take offense." He said:"an anchor is not unsavory, is it?"

... but I guess I am a chicken. :(

[Aramas]

Originally posted by Mike Field:
.
I just hope that tattoo's where you can see it, Skipp3r....

http://www.woodenboatfittings.com.au/public/tattoo-s.jpg

.
But congratulations on Rozemarijn's arrival.
.ROFL! tongue.gif

[imported_Mac]

Skipp3r,

Gefeliciteerd met de geboorte van Rozemarijn.

I dated a Rozemarijn once in Holland....Beautiful girl. :D

As for the rest:

Sailing : Yes
Kids : No (but I'm pregnant of "Hope")
Tat(s) : Yes

[imported_Skipper]

Thank you all for all the congrats.

As to where the tattoo is on my body, ROFLMAO Yes I did see 'feed my cat' picture before and luckily the tattoo is where I can see it .... upper left arm.

I too second the notion that you should never get a drinking tattoo or something with a name. As for Rozemarijn, her name is indeed on the tattoo but she will always be my daughter no matter what happens. Not like lovers who may "fade away".

People may decide on tattoos for a variety of reasons and I can only speak for myself. The Rozemarijn tattoo is my fourth one, but each tatt has a 'deeper' meaning, milestones and chapters that I've closed in my life.

I can certainly understand why some of you are very proud of your tats (Navy, Army, etc). Probably getting the tatt is your way of expressing how important this specific event or milestone was. So hooray for you, and cheers for your perseverance and commitment and whatever other qualities you must have had seeing as what you accomplished.

Anchor = Hope. I wondered who would come up with this. There's the hope that the next generation will not make the same mistakes we've made; hope for a better, peaceful free world ... And from a sailor's point of view, my tatt could easily be explained in another way too - Geloof, hoop en liefde - or in English, faith, hope and love. The sun and the blue skies stands for faith. In Dutch we use the same word ("hemel") for both heaven and the skies, the anchor is of course for hope, and the rose for love.

Faith, hope and love, when the elements are against you, out at sea (or any other body of water) with the winds and the waves trying to get you, these three things are probably the only thing a sailor can hang on to, other than of course camaraderie with your fellow shipmates ... Faith, hope and love.

On a very personal note, I'm recovering from a car-crash and went through quite some ordeals since. Now becoming a father also gives me the strength and motivation to get my own life 'back on track' and to pass on the lessons to my daughter. Bit hard to explain in just a few words, but I guess most of you will understand what I mean. At least now there's plenty of "Hope" for me.

Fare (sail) well, greets from Skipper

[ 06-11-2004, 07:26 AM: Message edited by: Skipp3r ]

[martin schulz]

Originally posted by Skipp3r:
Geloof, hoop en liefde - or in English, faith, hope and love. The sun and the blue skies stands for faith. In Dutch we use the same word ("hemel") for both heaven and the skies, the anchor is of course for hope, and the rose for love.Well actually Faith, Love & Hope is represented by Cross, Heart & Anchor.

That is the reason I named my design-company that way.

http://www.glaubeliebehoffnung.de/images/startlogo.gif

Oops - sorry skipp3r.
I forgot my congrats.

"Herzlichen Glückwunsch"
and... on Tuesday germany will win :D

[imported_Skipper]

Martin, I love your design. Is that for a webdesign company or such ? Sorry my German isn't as good as it used to be. And yes, the classic symbols are indeed cross, heart and anchor but hope you don't mind I've taken the liberty of "stretching" the symbolism a bit. The main reason for the tatt is of course my baby daughter, but I've tried to include as much symbolism as possible where it reflects on who I am, a very passionate sailor who wished he'd been born (at least) a hundred years ago .. the last era of the true great explorers and (wind) sailors (Nansen, Peary, Scott, ...)


http://www.croco.nl/images/2004-may124630.jpg

Fare (sail) well, greets from Skipper

[ 06-11-2004, 08:05 AM: Message edited by: Skipp3r ]

[imported_Mac]

Originally posted by martin schulz:
and... on Tuesday germany will win :D
Martin:
Don't know if you know (knew) but I am also Dutch, so I would like to say: see you tuesday evening somewhere :eek: because your statement is not gonna hold
;)

[martin schulz]

what...

neither Ruud van Nisselroy nor Ebbe Sand will make an impact in this EM ;)

But neither will any of those football-slow-coaches in the German team :(