Tims Times

We have anchored safely in the Severn estuary SW of the Breaksea Buoy, near enough to Cardiff our eventual destination. We can all sigh a collective sigh of relief after our experience with the severe storm we passed through yesterday, a Force 11. The ship (and everything inside it) was tossed about like a cork and all we could do was hang on and enjoy the spin. We escaped with minor damage to the ship, a few railings got twisted off, after taking a few big green ones on the bow. In our vicinity yesterday 50 miles south of Lizard Point a container ship the MSC Napoli got into trouble and started sinking. She started taking water into the engine room and lost power, so the old man decided to abandon ship. There were 50 foot waves when they took to the liferafts fortunately all hands were rescued by helicopter in a joint French-British rescue effort.

 

 

MSC Napoli didn’t sink and was being towed in a salvage operation today. Apparently she developed a hole in the side of the ship, in the engine room and took in water. The worrying phrase there is “developed a hole”  it’s a bit like I grew an extra arm or just off to the moon for the afternoon, you know unlikely. How on Gods green planet did a hole develop in the side of the ship, that is the question. Probably a crack that wasn’t noticed when the ship was approved at her last survey, holes just don’t appear. I’m glad I’m on a 2 year old ship.

We heard all the action on the VHF radio, starting with Dover Coast Guard having a conversation with HMS Nottingham it was all very efficient and British, the radio operator on Nottingham had the kind of clipped, concise, professional accent all in military code undecipherable to the layman and very overdriven, the coastguard asked for the warships position, he proceeded to give a long list of numbers and letters taking about 5 minutes, then he said -we are anchored off Portsmouth, he could have just said the latter. Anyway helicopters were scrambled and the VHF was alive with ROGER and WILCO and Tally ho and Bobs your uncle. Fair play to them they rescued 26 men in terrible conditions.