Let's see your tattoos

[G~Man]

Just got a new on the other day.....on my left arm at Outer Limit Tattoo shop in Long Beach California, the oldest in the United States.

I designed the Japanese Enzo Circle with a Shellback Turtle inside. The orange color is for fire and the blue for the ocean--my two passions.

In Sea Lore, when one crosses the Equator on a boat, you transition from being a "Pollywog" to becoming a "Shellback" and are entitled to have a Shellback Tattoo. I did my ceremony on board Sea Launch back in 2014 at N/S 0 W 054. I will go back and have the Lat/Long added next time I am in town.

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Before anyone complains---yes I do have a helicopter on the other arm that I got almost 33 years ago:

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Let's see what y'all got......

[TheGreenAnger]

You don't want to end up looking like Herman Melville's Queequeg G~Man!

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[John Hill]

Tattoos are not my thing although they are very common in this country (NZ) and tattooed ladies (facial tats and alluring cleavages) are presenting our TV news.

However when undergoing radiation treatment some years ago I was marked with tattoos to aid in aiming the photon(?) gun for the 30 or so treatments, just small black dots really. We were told at the time that the ladies getting radiation treatment would be given vouchers to the local tattoo shop if they wanted to later disguise the dots with cosmetic tattoos and little butterflies were suggested. Of course I asked if this offer was open to men and I was assured it was and asked if I wanted something other than butterflies? "Blowflies is what I have in mind" sort of brought the conversation to a close.

[Pinky the pilot]

A number of years ago when the local Gliding Club was a full time operation we had a Japanese Pilot working for us. Lets call him Hiro. One day about lunchtime he had to briefly go into town to visit the Post Office.

He arrived back at the Airfield in a rather humourous mood and came into the Office chuckling to himself. I asked him just what was so funny.

It seems that he met a bloke who had some Japanese characters tattoed on his upper left arm and Hiro asked him if he knew what it meant. The proud owner of the tattoo said that it was the Japanese characters for 'Strength and Power.'
"Oh is that so?' replied Hiro. The Tattoo owner asked if Hiro was Japanese but Hiro told him that he was Chinese.

And so, when Hiro related the incident to us, the inevitable question was asked; "Ok, what did it really mean?'

Hiro said, "Literally translated, 'This Man is an Idiot!' "

It took quite some time for us to stop laughing.

[TheGreenAnger]

In Sea Lore, when one crosses the Equator on a boat, you transition from being a "Pollywog" to becoming a "Shellback" and are entitled to have a Shellback Tattoo. I did my ceremony on board Sea Launch back in 2014 at N/S 0 W 054. I will go back and have the Lat/Long added next time I am in town.

Let's see what y'all got......

I trust that the ceremony included King Neptune and his three-pronged trident? In truth, I am still a Slimey Wog, but for all that, let it also be said that I am not a Slimey Limey Wog. Furthest north I ever made it on a yacht in the southern hemisphere was just north of the Tropic of Capricorn or 23° 26′ 22″ south of Neptune's line. My travels in the northern hemisphere are even less impressive. Nothing worth having tattooed on my hide, but if I ever do cross that line, my tattoo would probably be Triton's wreathed horn, to be etched on one of my arse cheeks, depending on which hemisphere I had approached the equator from (left for south, right for north)!

For some reason all this brought Wordsworth to mind...

The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:
Little we see in nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;
The Winds that will be howling at all hours
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;
For this, for every thing, we are out of tune;
It moves us not—Great God! I'd rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn
Have sight of Proteus coming from the sea,
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.

[ribrash]

[PHXPhlyer]

PP

[TheGreenAnger]

That cute little butterfly that looks to so cute on the firm tanned derrière of a young lady might look a little less appealing some 50 years later! As for blokes, well I don't tend to look at their derrières, I don't roll that way, so I can't opine!

Thank God for Turlingtons...

[G~Man]

I trust that the ceremony included King Neptune and his three-pronged trident?

You know it did....

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[TheGreenAnger]

Gordy, you are a helicopter pilot, so rest assured that whatever you do, forever, you will be totally dude!

And remember, the "Dude" abides man...

[G~Man]

And remember, the "Dude" abides man...

Funny true story, the last pic is of me and the Captain of Sea Launch. He had not seen the Big Lebowski, so the "helicopter crew", consisting of myself, another pilot and our mechanic, invited ourselves to his cabin for movie night. We watched the movie, drinking white Russians in his cabin while stationary at the equator. The boat was full of Russians and Ukrainians as between them they built the first and second stage rockets for the launch.

The after partay was epic... Especially for the gnomes, who also got an Equator crossing certificate. Copious amounts of alcohol was consumed while teaching everyone the "shaka" nd how to abide....

The girl in the last image is Svetlana from Ukraine.... She is part of their space rocket program.

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[Hydromet]

One bloke I worked with was a Triumph motorbike fanatic, in particular the Trident that he owned. He had a tattoo of a three-legged horse. I think the irony escaped him.
One of the young women who worked there seemed quite straight-laced; friendly enough, but never swore or cracked off-colour jokes. One day we were at a meeting, she was wearing low cut jeans, and as she leaned back and her T-shirt rode up, the head of a bird tattoo appeared above her belt. I was never game to ask her if it was flying or sitting on the nest.

[EA01]

[Hydromet]

EA01, that's one of my favourites.

[Pontius Navigator]

I think this is a worse thread than the Harry and Meghan adoration thread

[Rossian]

I once had a young woman working for me who pitched up one Sat morning in civvies wearing VERY low slung hipsters jeans. There were two round furry ears visible above the waist band. I didn't say anything but my look must have been evident, so she explained that this was her "roaring tiger" tattoo!! My imagination went into overdrive and several questions came to mind which I immediately had to suppress otherwise I could have been in deep doo-doo.

The Ancient Mariner

[TheGreenAnger]

One of my female colleagues (a very intelligent actuary, mathematician and a psychologist, and good friend,) sent me the basis of the new tattoo on her arm....

I don't dare show the one on her back..., nor the one on my arse!

[tango15]

The captain of a Type 42 told me once how he was 'forced' into the Neptune ritual. He claimed that as a submariner, he had passed under the Equator and that as a passenger he had passed over it. The rest of the crew were having none of it, and the ritual took place, on the basis that he had never actually passed across the Equator

I recently learned from a colleague just how expensive tattoos are and I was horrified. Of course, it's everyone's individual choice, but I would prefer to spend my money differently,

[G~Man]

One of my female colleagues (a very intelligent actuary, mathematician and a psychologist, and good friend,) sent me the basis of the new tattoo on her arm....

I don't dare show the one on her back..., nor the one on my arse!

Oh you have taunted me now.....rule is you have to show them.

This is a good friend of mines back and chest:

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And here he is, and no that is NOT a costume. He is a Church of England Priest, currently the Chaplain to the Bishop of Sheffield.

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[TheGreenAnger]

He keeps his tattoo under his surplice as it were.