Rooster In A Life Ring

Following the eventful fishing trip the other year where I was damn sure I was going to end up overboard I started to research traditional fishing/sailors tattoos.  Really I was looking for something to inspire me towards a 'lucky' tattoo but when I read about the Rooster and Pig something struck a chord with me.

Is it said that sailors used to have a rooster tattooed on one foot and a pig on the other.  These were seen as a good luck omen, particularly with regards being drowned.  The thought behind this was that Pigs and Chooks were transported in wooden crates, and when a ship got wrecked their wooden crates would float and they would often be the only survivors.  Having sat on the idea for a year and still liking it I knew it was time to make the tattoo become reality.

Compared to Tash I've done quite well for ink over the past year or so.  Since she had her birds tattoo'd I've added my Clown, the Skull Jellyfish and now I had plans for more.  I had spoken to Mark (who did my Skull Jellyfish) about the idea, and how I wanted a 'Mark Ford take on a traditional idea' and we were a goer.  Tash likes to think we 'take it in turns' though, and so I booked both her and I an appointment for the Sunday following the Gathering (26 August).

Unfortunately matters beyond our control meant Jeff had to cancel Tash's appointment which left me to tell her about her 'surprise', that it had been cancelled, but that I still had a tattoo appointment with Mark to attend.  To be fair she was pretty good about it, but I know she is looking forward to when it gets rescheduled.

An email in the week prior, and a picture on Facebook, confirmed we were going for the rooster in a life ring on my left foot. 

Usual routine - train down, walk up to Camden, and once everything was in place Mark got to work.

Two hours later we were done.  I can confirm having your foot tattooed is bloody uncomfortable.  Possibly only topped by the swelling/healing afterwards.  Six days in I'm still hobbling about and today leant I can't squeeze into my Sidi bike boots.

Pig with a snorkel to come next though, I cannot wait!