The sea is big and we are small, we got a fair beating in the North Sea the other day, the wind was cold and from the North and it whipped up the sea, and because we were heading west we got it on the beam. So there were a few green faces among the crew, the picture above shows the big sea and the small ship is what we are on. The decks were covered with seas and the howling wind was whistling through the ventilation system enough to make you wonder what the hell you are doing at sea and not at home eating chocolate Easter eggs.
But now it’s Sunday, and we are in the Irish Sea, the wind has died down and we’ll survive to fight another day.
HMS Gloucester
HMS Iron Duke
HMS Lancaster
Three warships passed our position today heading for sea all spick and span after the bad weather, there was no radio traffic and the AIS was switched off so no ideas about where they were going or what the mission was. Their silent passage was impressive with all the crew on deck and the white caps gleaming in the winter sun. A few days earlier there was plenty of chatter from one warship and the VTS at Southampton, now the other day at Rotterdam I blogged about being able to speak English on the VHF, well who better to give us a great example of perfect Queens English than the boys and girls of the Royal Navy?
Well it was English, but it must have been the competition for the most clipped and shortest time on air or they have some kind of military practice for short messages so they don’t get targeted by radio direction finders or something. There are things that are confusing when hearing such military tone and military speak ” This is coalition warship calling the vessel on a course of 225 speed 15knots in position etc. etc.” Since when have the Royal Navy started calling themselves “coalition warships”, and what happens when they use the half second grunts and bleats that are meant to be words but sound more like noises from a haggard or stall with the non-English speakers like the French? Probably more of the same back to them……
But I was happy to hear the calm and collected voice of Solent Coastguard on the VHF sounding very clear and concise, even if it was a bad weather forecast for more gales, they sounded good anyway.
Back in the shadow of a satellite again blogging can resume normal service. New ship and new voyages, joined in Tenerife as can be seen from the selection of photos in the side bar and now proceeding northward towards winter and getting used to Atlantic swell. Judging by the lack of e-mail my short absence wasn’t sorely missed, I suppose no blog posts equals no comments.
On my way to Tenerife I passed through Barcelona and ended up on a charter plane full of Spanish pensioners who were off to the sun, they completely ignored the call for seat row numbers to board, so I followed them and got a dirty look from the stewardess as if to say, what is the point, I had an excuse ready but didn’t need it. I got the usual stares and smiled back which is totally not what people expect, some look away embarrassed and some smile back, not as if I’m John Merrick or anything but it is interesting how quickly the stranger gets singled out. They all had their winter clothes on so it looked more like a ski holiday crowd than a sun holiday, I suppose it’s all relative, I had expected warm weather but for them it is winter.
Santa Cruz de Tenerife is just like any big city full of cars and taxis, and cheating taxi drivers waiting to prey on unsuspecting tourists and suspecting sailors, we knew we were getting ripped off by one driver, when we went ashore but he looked like he had friends in low places so we just got out early and paid the fare, the driver on the way back was honest so we didn’t feel too bad. The place was full of Christmas decorations which looked mad beside the palm trees, and the shops were thronged with shoppers. And legs of serrano ham!
We are in the green area (indicating 17-21 metres per second or about 40 knots) in the German Bight getting hammered by a storm coming down from the north west, it’s been blowing all day and is showing no sign of letting up. These storms are all very well in the winter but at the end of June (climate change?)you want to be out painting or sunbathing not helping sea sick cadets and lashing everything down. Sleep is a luxury also, and everyone is a notch crankier and irritable for the lack of it.
It can’t go on for ever but it feels like forever when you are getting thrown about the shop, salt spray covering the windows, no one allowed on deck, too much water and risk of going over the side, engines groaning on reduced speed, and the creaking of the bulkheads and deckheads. Then theres the smell of diesel and cigarette smoke, puke and body odour, over cooked coffee and soap. The menu is limited to toast and peanut butter, if you can stand up straight for long enough to butter the toast, or if you have any appetite in the first place. There isn’t much in the way of chit chat either, just knowing glances or scowls. Roll on tomorrow!
Life at sea is grand all the same.
Pauline from Luxembourg appears from the mist on the Humber, passing our berth at South Killingholme. I can’t help thinking of the Smiths song “ask me” where he writes “frightening letters to a buck toothed girl in Luxembourg”. Surprising to see that little Luxembourg has big ships.
The above shot was taken at full digital zoom so it is fairly grainy, but you can make out the boys getting the hawsers ready.
Melusine passing by between the torrential rain showers, same shipping company, Cobelfret, as Pauline but registered in Belgium.
Final ship for this post is the Maersk Voyager from Vlaardingen in the Netherlands of Norfolk Line, which is of course a subsidiary of mighty Maersk. All 3 ships are Ro-Ro’s (Roll on, Roll off) and operate scheduled services to Immingham, and Killingholme.
Norfolk line schedules for those who may be interested.
Cobelfret have also schedules but you have to dig around their site a bit.
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