Once I came across a pleasant chap at the marina's braai area.  He told me that he had joined the Royal Navy at 15 and served all over the world.

"Oh" says I, "you should come up to the yacht club and meet Captain Bob, he was a boy sailor in the Andrew as well".

Now Captain Bob was the 32nd man to sail around the world singlehandedly and it was in the execution of this epic voyage that he had visited Port Owen and subsequently returned.

That evening the two met and compared notes of life in the RN over some of my special Pussers Rum. (This is the rum that was handed out to Royal Navy sailors at noon for centuries until two matelots at Portsmouth pressed the wrong buttons after the rum ration and sent a missile over the town, after which their Lordships of the Admiralty decided that perhaps booze should not be dished out in the nuclear age). The club had only a wine and malt license but I kept a bottle of Pussers handy.

The meeting of the two old salts went swimmingly as they compared notes and discovered that they had served at the same posts together but had never met.  They were indulging in the traditional toasts and all the navy verbage and terms while I watched as history unfolded before my eyes.

After some time of this reminiscence and commeraderie my new friend from the braai area asked Captain Bob what rank he had acheived when he left the Andrew.

Drawing himself up to his full 5'6" Captain Bob said

"Fifteen years in the Royal Navy I rose to the dizzy rank of Leading Seaman, how about you?"

"I left  as a Regulating Petty Officer"

Now the Regulating Branch were the RN's version of Military Police and for Captain Bob to leave as  a Leading Seaman after so many years of service it was obvious that he had many runins with this branch of the service and many detentions and demotions.

"Regulating Branch" roars Cptn. Bob "I don't drink with Regulating Branch" and with this he snatches the botlle of rum from the bar ad turns his back on the proceeding muttering imprecations about every Regulator that was ever born.  Leaving The Regulator and myself gazing at each other in awestruck wonder at his vehemence in the matter.

After some time of this I pointed out to Cptn. Bob that the bottle was mine and when he'd returned it the party continued and eventually he unbound and entertained The Regulator so well that he passed out in the loo and had to be collected by his not-pleased-at-all Mrs.

"Revenge at last" said Cpt. Bob as he saw The Regulator carried away.