Midge Ure – Getting your Dolphins

The culmination of all that work is the presentation of the Dolphins. I don’t know if anyone has ever told you, the Dolphins are served to you in a little shot glass … in a glass of rum, so they carry rum on board, they carry the Dolphins on board, and then the Captain of the vessel will call you all in, you’ll stand and then you’ll …

Simon: An official ceremony?

An official ceremony. He’ll welcome you to the Fleet, in whatever way he does that, and then he presents you … whoever it is the Steward will come up with a big silver platter, and on there is the requisite number of rums, and in those glasses will be your Dolphins. What they also have in attendance is one of the Medics, because the idea is that you will slam the glass, you will sink the rum in one, and you have to try and catch the Dolphins in your teeth.

Most people, and I say most people, catch the Dolphins in their teeth, or sip it, catch it and end it. Some people literally throw it back, the Dolphins go down their throat and … you know they either swallow the Dolphins or well …

Simon: Nature takes place.

So, we always have a Medic on hand for that …

Simon: And with yours, did people caught in in their teeth ok?

Yeah, absolutely, but that first shot of rum, because it’s a real Navy strength rum, it’s quite a strong rum, and it’s not just a measure of rum, it’s the bottom of a glass of rum so there’s probably three or four measures in there.

I don’t know what age I was, a 20-year-old, that’s quite a shock. It’s a lot of rum, you’re trying to concentrate on getting it and it’s an official presentation. You feel, you’re under pressure to get it right.