You have to remember not all seamen could swim . Doris | ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to MARINERS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

You also have to remember that the victim was a ship's cook, in his sixties. In those days, no-one would have trusted a slim cook, so there is a reasonable presumption that he was overweight. Further, the river is pretty wide there and tidal. I don't recall being given a date for the death, but IMHP, the Thames at Southend is only warm enough for swimming when shallow water comes in over sun-heated mud flats. The Thames at Gravesend doesn't get that effect. Given the likelihood that he had taken of ale, I reckon that his survival chances, once he had fallen into cold water at night, were minimal - even if he had been younger and a fair swimmer. Graham On Wed, Mar 25, 2015 at 11:58 AM, john.harker via <mariners@rootsweb.com> wrote: > You have to remember not all seamen could swim . > Doris > > | > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > MARINERS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes > in the subject and the body of the message > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > MARINERS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >