When I drifted through Western Europe and North Africa, hitchhiking 18,000 kilometers for three years, I met dozens of global Pinoy sailors. These are their stories, excerpted from my book, Wings and Wanderlust (available on Amazon — https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09KS7QYWL).

Underneath their stories of adventure, I discerned their joys and pains. Pinoy sailors are prone to violence, as if loving and embracing danger itself, which I learned and adopted from them in my adventures. The stories below happened circa mid-1980s and may no longer be applicable today as circumstances may have changed.

Cape Town Caper: Over beer, they told me about Cape Town in South Africa, divided into white bars on the left and non-white bars on the right. Naturally, the Pinoy and Japanese sailors preferred the white bars. As soon as the Pinoy group entered the nightclub, the girls, sitting with a large Japanese group, excused themselves “to powder their noses” but never returned. They sneaked into the Pinoy group. The girls preferred Pinoy sailors, noted for being big spenders, ordering champagne without limit, and giving large tips.

The Japanese noticed this instantly and challenged the Pinoy sailors. In the ensuing violent brawl, the entire club was decimated. Pinoys and Japanese were no longer accepted in the white bars from then on.

The jump-ship option: In Rotterdam, lonely and overworked Pinoy sailors would disappear from their ships. Tired of staying in the engine room for weeks, they would look for lonely Pinay nurses, spoil them, and get them pregnant instantly. They would “jump ship,” wearing three pairs of pants and five shirts, and carrying only a small bag to hide their escape. It was easy to get visa papers if you had a newborn child by a nurse. They made very good fathers, working illegally, taking care of the baby as the mother worked at the hospital. At the time, circa 1980s, there were hospitals where 90 percent of the nurses were Pinays.

Smuggling a girl aboard a ship: A creative Pinoy sailor had a fantastic idea. He smuggled a nightclub hostess aboard their ship in Piraeus, the Greek harbor. Everyone had their turn. It was heaven for the sailors, Pinoys and non-Pinoys. It was not until Bremen that the German captain discovered there was a girl on board. He was simply bribed with the girl in his cabin. The sailors passed the hat to pay for his “free girl.” They let the girl loose in Copenhagen, where she was at home in the clubs.

Two Swedish girls in Copenhagen: Once, I was with two Swedish girls in Copenhagen, and we had no place to sleep. Accidentally, I met Pinoy sailors playing basketball. I asked if they could accommodate me for one or two nights. At first, they were cold and suspicious, but when they saw the two pretty blonde Swedes with me, they rolled out the red carpet.

Stories of Pinoy sailors: Violence was an everyday thing for Pinoy sailors. Non-Pinoy sailors were afraid of them because they stuck together. If a Pinoy got into trouble with a non-Pinoy, all the Pinoys were automatically involved. “Pare, may problema tayo” (Guys, we have a problem). They said African sailors were bluffers, wielding knives but not using them. When a Pinoy whipped out a knife, which was rare, everyone would hide because it was never a bluff.

Preferred by ship captains: Ship captains normally preferred Pinoy sailors even though they had an image of being troublemakers because they got things done. And they did not complain if the work was hard or if the captain was a “Hitler.” The Dutch police would often raid cheap hotels in Rotterdam looking for Pinoy sailors with fake passports, carrying a gun, or who had jumped ship.

Global Pinoy Sailors were notorious. Their troublemaker image was complemented by their hard-worker image. These were their good and bad sides.