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Eric blev født i begyndelsen af 1900’erne i København. Vokser sig op i en familie med husholdere og høje forventninger, følte Eric aldrig rigtig hjemme. Livet var stille og alle gjorde hvad der var forventet af dem. Alle undtagen Eric.
Eric the Sailor er skandinavisk serie af vintage badebukser og beachwear til herrer, inspireret af en sand fortælling om sømanden Eric og hans liv til søs.
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© 2020 Eric The Sailor
A sailor and a monkey – it wasn’t abnormal then. And then Eric would have to. In Brazil, therefore, Eric acquired a monkey, which he brought along at sea. Yogo, he called it.
Yogo lived in an old orange box next to Eric’s bed – at one end it ate and at the other end it slept, unless it was allowed to come up to Eric at night.
One day one of the ship’s assistants had looked at Eric and shut Yogo out of his box. Eric was standing on the bridge when he was told that Yogo had climbed up the mast and would not come down.
Eric came down on the deck and called, and immediately after, Yogo came into his embrace. But it had not forgotten the ship’s assistant who had opened the cage and hunted it up on the deck. So Yogo looked at his cut to jump on him and bite him in the chest.
While the ship’s assistant was patching together, Eric Yogo carried back in the orange box. Eric couldn’t help but smile at the idea that the ship’s assistant had been deserved. Oh yes, never a boring day at sea.
When sailors went ashore during a voyage, they were often drawn towards the local bars and taverns. And so was Eric, when he visited Brazil. That night, he left the bar with a beautiful woman. But once he came down to the harbour the next morning, the ship had sailed without him. He was too late.
Watch the video to learn how Eric managed being illegally stuck in Brazil, until the ship returned six months later.
As traditions would have it, Eric was to be baptised upon crossing the Equator for the first time. Although, this was not quite a regular baptism. Traditions varied from ship to ship but were always a festive event – always on the account of those who were to be baptised.
On Eric’s ship, the young sailors had to undress and be lathered in shaving foam. The crew would then fill a large bath with saltwater and trash for the sailors to be baptised in. The sailors had to get up into the bath and duck entirely under the garbage-filled water. Once the ceremony was completed, the crew would then celebrate the baptised and they would receive a written certificate stating that they had gone through the ritual – a certificate of baptism.
A few years later, Eric was now sailing with a different ship. Once the ship crossed the Equator, the crew was asked to show their certificates. But Eric had lost it. This meant that he had to go through the ritual all over again to receive a new certificate.
With his great routine in the line-crossing ceremony, Eric later became the one to make sure that all new sailors aboard were baptised. And his own certificate? Well, today it hangs framed on the wall, forever serving as a memory of the proud sailor tradition.
Back in the days, Nyhavn was known as the port of sailors. From bar to bar, you would hear them singing, sharing stories and drinking beers.
Watch the video and hear Eric describe Nyhavn in the days where the harbour belonged to the sailors.
Every sailor should be able to swim. And those who could not, had to learn it at the Faroe Islands. Young Eric was one of them.
It was a cold Autumn day when the ship dropped anchor off the shore and the young sailors had to jump overboard. Most of them quickly caught on and learned to stay above water, and soon enough, they starting carefully swimming around. But not Eric, who had to be pulled up right away. After receiving instructions anew, he jumped back in. But the result was the same. Several attempts later, the older sailors had to give up. Perhaps being able to swim was not that important after all – they just had to avoid capsizing. Quite simple.
And to this day, Eric has never learned how to swim.
The days at sea could quickly become monotonous. That’s why Eric always took the chance to go ashore in search of new adventures.
One evening in Colombia, Eric found a local bar where traders and sailors met and raved, drank and told stories. And, as was often the case, this evening the game and the game of money were also gambled.
Despite the fact that Eric didn’t have much money on him, of course he wasn’t pale to gamble. And it wasn’t long before he had come to bet everything he wore in a heated game – including the clothes he was wearing. It amused his fellow players tremendously, and soon there were both big sums of money, a pair of brand new clogs. and a parrot in the pool.
Eric left the bar that night with all his clothes, a big smile on his lips and a parrot on his shoulder. He named it Coco and brought it with him on his travels for many years as his faithful companion.
A voyage to Japan offered an unexpected adventure and a new acquaintance.
Somewhere well off the shores of Japan, Eric spotted a shipwrecked sailor in the ocean, floating on a piece of driftwood. Quickly, they pulled him aboard and gave him dry clothes and a warm meal. He was from Japan and his name was Minoru – that much they understood. But how or for how long he had been drifting around, they were not able to learn.
However, the language barrier did not stop Eric, who at the time was the first mate of the ship, from taking care of their guest. He was offered a bed to sleep in and ended up lending a hand at the deck for the remainder of the trip towards Japan.
Once the ship laid ashore in Japan, they learned that Minoru had worked as a deckhand at a small Japanese ship that had sunk in a recent storm. He had spent the last few years at sea and, just like Eric, he had no family ties at home. Where would he go now?
In many ways, Eric saw himself in the young Japanese sailor. Adventurous, hardworking and with a love for the ocean. Once Eric’s ship left Japan, it was thus not merely with fresh supplies, but also with a new member of the crew.
This became the start of a long friendship between the two, and Eric taught the young Minoru all that he had learned at sea. A proof that our greatest adventures may begin when we least expect it.
En sømand og en abe – det var ikke unormalt den gang. Så derfor skulle Eric skulle have en! I Brasilien købte Eric derfor en abe, som han tog med på havet. Yogo kom aben til at hedde.
Når sømænd gik på land under en overfart, blev de ofte draget af de lokale værtshuse. Det gjorde Eric også, da han besøgte Brasilien. Denne aften forlod han værtshuset med en smuk kvinde. Men da han kom ned til havnen morgenen efter, var skibet sejlet. Han var kommet for sent.
Se videoen, og hør hvordan Eric klarede at være ulovligt strandet i Brasilien, indtil skibet vendte tilbage et halvt år senere.
Som traditionerne ville det, skulle Eric døbes, da han krydsede ækvator for første gang. Men her var ikke tale om nogen helt almindelig dåb. Traditionerne varierede fra skib til skib, men var altid en festlig begivenhed – på bekostning af de, der skulle døbes.
På Erics skib skulle de unge sømand afklædes helt og indsæbes i barberskum. Derefter fyldte man et stort kar med saltvand og den seneste tids affald, som de derefter skulle døbes i. Og dette ikke blot ved overøsning – de måtte helt op i karet og dykke ned i det. Når dåben var overstået, fejrede man de døbte, og de modtog et skriftligt bevis på at have gennemgået ritualet – et dåbsbevis.
Et par år senere sejlede Eric nu med et andet skib, og da de også krydsede ækvator, skulle besætningen fremvise deres dåbsattester. Men Erics var væk. Han måtte derfor døbes igen for at få en ny.
Med sin store rutine i ækvatordåb blev Eric frem over den, der sørgede for, at de nytilkomne sømænd blev døbt. Og hans egen dåbsattest? Den hænger i dag i glas og ramme til evigt minde om den stolte sømandstradition.
Førhen var Nyhavn kendt som sømændenes havn. Fra bar til bar blev der sunget, fortalt historier og drukket øl.
Se videoen, og hør Eric beskrive Nyhavn, dengang havnen tilhørte sømændene.
Enhver sømand skulle naturligvis kunne svømme. Og de, der ikke kunne, skulle lære det ved Færøerne. Unge Eric var en af dem.
Det var en kold efterårsdag, da skibet kastede anker ud for kysten og de unge sømænd måtte hoppe overbord. Langt de fleste lærte hurtigt at holde sig oven vande og begyndte snart efter at svømme forsigtigt rundt. Men ikke Eric – han måtte hives op igen med det samme. Efter at have fået instruktioner fra de ældre sømænd, hoppede han atter i. Men resultatet var det samme. Adskillige forsøg senere endte de med at måtte give op. Måske var det ikke så vigtigt at kunne svømme alligevel – man måtte vel bare sørge for ikke at kæntre. Ganske simpelt.
Eric kan stadig ikke svømme den dag i dag.
Dagene til søs kunne hurtigt blive ensformige. Derfor benyttede Eric altid chancen for at komme til lands på jagt efter nye eventyr.
En aften i Colombia fandt Eric en lokal bar, hvor handelsfolk og sømænd mødtes og raflede, drak og fortalte historier. Og som det ofte var tilfældet, blev der også denne aften gamblet og spillet om penge.
På trods af at Eric ikke havde større summer på sig, var han naturligvis ikke bleg for at gamble. Og der gik ikke længe, før han i et ophedet spil var kommet til at satse alt, han havde på sig – inklusiv det tøj, han sad i. Det morede hans medspillere gevaldigt, og snart var der både store pengesummer, et par spritnye træsko og en papegøje i puljen.
Eric forlod baren den aften med alt sit tøj, et stort smil på læben og en papegøje på skulderen. Han navngav den Coco og bragte den med sig på sine rejser i mange år som sin trofaste følgesvend.
En sørejse til Japan bød på et uventet eventyr og et nyt bekendtskab.
Et godt stykke fra Japans kyst opdagede Eric en skibbruden sømand i vandet, der flød rundt på et stykke drivtømmer. De fik hurtigt hevet ham om bord, gav ham tørt tøj på og varmt at spise. Han var fra Japan og hed Minoru – det forstod de nok. Men hvordan eller hvor længe han havde drevet rundt, det fik de ikke svar på. Sprogbarrieren forhindrede dog ikke Eric, der på dette tidspunkt var skibets førstestyrmand, i at tage hånd om deres gæst. Han fik et sted at sove og endte også med at give en hånd med på dækket under turen videre mod Japan.
Da skibet to dage senere lagde til i Japan, viste det sig, at Minoru havde været skibsassistent på et mindre japansk skib, der var gået under i en storm. Han havde tilbragt de sidste par år til søs og havde, ligesom Eric, ingen familiebånd derhjemme. Hvor skulle han nu søge hen?
A sailor without tattoos was not a real sailor.
Throughout his time at sea, Eric graced his body with several tattoos. And as tradition would have it, his iconic faith, hope and love tattoo had to be accompanied by a woman’s name. Although, at the time there was not one woman special to Eric. Therefore, he chose a random name: Jytte.
Many years later, however, the tattoo came to hold a greater meaning, as Eric met another woman named Jytte. They happened to end up getting married – and still are as of today.
When sailors went ashore during a voyage, they were often drawn towards the local bars and taverns. And so was Eric, when he visited Brazil. That night, he left the bar with a beautiful woman. But once he came down to the harbour the next morning, the ship had sailed without him. He was too late.
Watch the video to learn how Eric managed being illegally stuck in Brazil, until the ship returned six months later.
Hvad var en sømand uden tatoveringer? Næppe en rigtig sømand.
Eric prydede gennem tiden sin krop med op til flere tatoveringer. Og traditionen tro skulle hans ikoniske tro, håb og kærlighed-tatovering følges af et kvindenavn. Men for Eric fandtes der dengang ikke én særlig kvinde, og han valgte derfor et tilfældigt navn: Jytte.
Mange år senere fik tatoveringen dog en dybere betydning, da Eric mødte endnu en kvinde ved navn Jytte. De endte nemlig med at blive gift, og er det stadig den dag i dag.
Når sømænd gik på land under en overfart, blev de ofte draget af de lokale værtshuse. Det gjorde Eric også, da han besøgte Brasilien. Denne aften forlod han værtshuset med en smuk kvinde. Men da han kom ned til havnen morgenen efter, var skibet sejlet. Han var kommet for sent.
Se videoen, og hør hvordan Eric klarede at være ulovligt strandet i Brasilien, indtil skibet vendte tilbage et halvt år senere.
