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BLOG 17
What I had failed to mention when we left Charleston was that my role on the ship changed. No longer on the punishing three watch system, I became a 'dodgy' day worker having been asked to take responsibility for the bar (yes we have a bar on board!!), some galley duties, stores and administration. I guess the Captain Captain recognised that my organisational skills would be of more benefit to the smooth running of the ship....... or more likely that I could not be trusted to pull ropes anymore!! Setting the outer jib upside down probably swayed his decision.
Only joking but the pernament crew have a full time job training up to 48 trainees at a time, and relieving them of some of the more mundane matters certainly improves the effectiveness of the programme. I was more than happy to take the new position and indeed I was still able to dip in and out of the sail handling as and when time allowed.... as long as it wasn't the outer jib!!! It also gave me opportuntiy to get to know all the trainees a lot better, as opposed to just those on your watch. Basically it was the perfect scenario and unknown to me at the time, the first step towards me becoming permanent crew for the years ahead.
The run to Halifax was only three days and as such it was a bit frantic in terms of making the experience worthwile for the trainees. Cramming skills around the watch system was challenging and putting new found skills into meaningful practice was very dependant on the weather. There was much to do and found myself running round fetching and carrying, answering all manner of queries. One French girl, who's English was very limited, but superior to my knowledge of French of course, asked me for some pins. Not easy to come by, but after spending thirty minutes emptying drawers,and searching every nook and cranny in the ship I managed to secure six pins and handed them to her expecting a degree of gratitude. She looked bemused as opposed to grateful, "Non...pins" and rather disparangingly and graphically mimed writing a word in the air. "Pins"!!! The Two Ronnies 'Four Candles' sketch came to mind.
Halifax in Nova Scotia is a special place. I have been here before and the friendliness of the people is always keenly felt. The city was destroyed in 1917 when a cargo and munitions ships collided in the harbour, the massive explosion setting the wooden houses alight and tragically over two thousand inhabitants perished. Without food and shelter the people relied on assistance from ordinary folk across Canada, Newfoundland and USA. The people of Halifax never forgot these acts of kindness and the links have been fostered ever since.
It has a beautiful waterfont, its maritime history very evident and the Tall Ships looked comfortable berthed at the quayside as they had done so hundreds of years beforehand. The crowds were considerable, eager to view the ships and historical re-enactments, browse the stalls and sideshows, and marvel at the magnificent firework displays.
As usual we found ourselves in an Irish Bar, The Triangle, where we mixed with the locals gilding the lily with our slighty exaggerated sea tales....well we get a bit sick of being asked whats the biggest wave you have ever seen. Everybody loves a sailor and there was no doubt that we had a certain celebrity status as the Tall Ship crew, and in consequence the local ladies were very keen to interact and find out how tall our masts were!!!!
As luck would have I ended up with two girls....both in their sixties.. and both avid fans of Coronation Street. As the drinks flowed there was no holds barred and without coming up for air we went through the last forty years, episode by episode. I would have gone back to their place but I had visions of having to drink Ovaltine and watch the 'Best Moments of the Street' in Betamax!!!. I have not watched television for four months and this interaction was almost sufficient reason to chuck the damm thing out when I get home. Only joking darling !!!
Now with a three week leg across the Atlantic and sixty two mouths to feed we needed to take on a large amount of supplies and having emptied the back of one lorry, it was duly dispatched to stores, fridges and freezers and anywhere else stuff could be crammed into. It is not unusual for the cook to send you down to the engine room for ten pounds of carrots!!
The 'dry stores is down below in the hull and is accessed by a hatch in the main gangway. It is always a good idea to make crew members aware that you are down there as the hatch is regularly shut in the interest of safety and the crew member will only give a cursory look to see if anybody is below.
Right at the back of the stores I heard the hatch shut and thought well no matter somebody will be along shortly and carried on with my task. However thirty minutes later I was still trapped and could not find a way out.This was clearly not a problem in terms of sustinence but I knew a crew call was iminent and had visons of search parties going out to look for me and us missing the start of the race.
I started banging the hatch with a old pipe but still no reponse. Now it was at this stage that claustophobia set in coupled with vivid images of 'Titanic' and the 'Poseidon Adventure, somewhat irrational relative to the circumstances but real nonetheless. More feverished bashing of the hatch failed to bring help....but then a brain wave...or so I thought. The engineer was in the engine room, the watertight area next to the Dry Stores and I tried to get his attention by tapping dot dot dot-dash dash dash-dot dot dot a number of times on the water pipes running through the ship. Sod all !!!! and was in not for assistant cook coming down for a few cupfuls of self raising flour I might have been in there for hours, although I think she found it a little disconcerting to open up the hatch and see an angry man wielding an iron bar.
Out of interest I spoke to our Swiss engineer later that day and asked him if he had heard the water pipes banging. "Oh I wondered what tune that was the beat to" he said. So much for morse code and the internationaly recognised distress signal.
Our new trainees were made up principally of Belfast youngsters, a few Nova Scotians, and the usual smattering of young and old from around the world. Julian Fowler BBC presenter for Northern Ireland was also coming along for the ride and would be doing live broadcasts from the Europa, facillitated by a sattelite dome fitted at the back of the ship, which maybe looked a little out of kilter with the aesthetics. Anyway this new crew would bring a new dynamic to day to day life, there was bags of spirit and Im sure we would all be enjoying the craic.
After the statutory safety instruction the Captain gave his brief, which included referenceS to the Titanic and icebergs,(its his wicked sense of humour),and it certainly turned a few faces a paler shade of grey as the newbees realised we would actually be sailing over the spot where she sank. I don't think we will have any problem with the look outs losing concentration on this trip.
But in any case The North Atlantic can be a feisty beast, there would be fog, rain and it would certainly be colder once we left the warming effect of the Gulf Stream. There would also be the possibility of huge swells and perhaps this last leg would be the most challenging so far.However I have learnt over the last few months that the ocean sets its own agenda......so who knows whats in store.
We left Halifax on the Monday 19th July for the journey home, well wishers in their thousands lining the waterfront enthusiastically waving us off. Mixed emotions for me really, glad to be back to sea once again, but the realisation that this adventure would be over in a little over three weeks and big goodbyes were beginning to loom.
Doddy
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