Peter G’s Global Blog
Some of my favorite stories below (in no particular order), from 1960 to 2021.
One Stone at a Time
Rest in Peace, Peter
It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we are writing to you to let you know that our beloved husband, father, and friend, Peter Guttridge, passed away suddenly and peacefully on Saturday, Dec 18th, 2021.
The Promised Land
we were invited to join the Minister on a personal tour of The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem – on Christmas Eve. You couldn’t dream of a more noteworthy place to be on such an occasion, could you?
Cod Liver Oil
Once the fish were landed and gutted the livers were thrown into big wicker baskets which I had to drag to the stern of the ship, where there were three huge vats in which I would make cod liver oil. The better the oil, the bigger the financial reward, so I had to learn quickly.
The Penthouses
In the mid-eighties, I was in a partnership with a consortium of Middle East financial institutions and banks, running their real-estate portfolio as their partner in North America. We had a prestigious office on the 37th floor of The Union Bank Building in Downtown,...
A Sauna in Komi
That night we were taken to a traditional Russian banya to have a sauna with the President and his aides. Part of the experience was rolling in the snow before getting back into the sauna and jumping into ice baths.
Deep Sea Fishing
In 1964, I was working on a Yugoslavian Iron Ore carrier that was trading iron ore between Norway and Tunisia. I had only signed on for one trip from Narvik to Tunis, and on then to Irlam in Northeast England where I was due to disembark. So, on the way, I decided to...
Charleston, South Carolina
On one trip enroute to the Panama Canal, we pulled into Charleston, South Carolina to pick up some cargo. I didn’t have much to do when we were in port, so I decided to go and explore Charleston and its history.
A KGB Dinner
“Oh yeah, we’re having a KGB reunion tonight – just four of us.” I knew there were three ex-KGB in my staff but had no idea about the other one.
Prince Philip and Family
Prince Philip was quite a remarkable man in so many ways. I believe that a large percentage of the population, not just in Britain but worldwide, are only now realising how special he was.
The Flying Bicycle
Back in the mid-nineties, I was living in Moscow when I was invited by the Prime Minister of Mordovia to visit his region. The invitation came about when I had met the Prime Minister in Moscow, through connections of mine in the Russian Senate, and he’d asked if I...
A Visit to a Naval Base on a Tributary of The Moscow River
One day, he asked me if I would like a trip down a tributary of the Moscow River to visit a navy base.
A gambling Den
I was only twenty-one in 1963 when I had completed my first, successful, deep-sea fishing trip. Before I headed out on my second trip, we were in the Hull Docks which were pretty grim, dark, and wet. So, I decided to get my feet on solid ground to have a few drinks.
Pepperdine University Masters in Business Administration Degree
In 1977 I was living in Huntington Beach, California, and in the junk mail one day I saw a promotion for an MBA degree from Pepperdine University in Malibu just north of Los Angeles.
My Last Ship & How I Joined I.O.S.
In the winter of 1965/66 I found myself on a rust bucket of a ship that was a bulk carrier having just delivered a cargo of oil from Brisbane, Australia to a small port in Southern Japan called Hemeji. Having spent the previous four years on passenger liners I was not exactly happy with this current assignment, but how that occurred is another story.
Not everything goes to plan.
In the summer of 1965 I needed a break, both physically and emotionally – I had just completed my fifth round trip voyage from England to Australia on the liner “Fairstar”. She had been converted earlier from the Troop Ship “Oxfordshire”, and was now capably of carrying up to 2,000 passengers.