Day 22

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Day 22 - Tuesday, April 22 2008



Mon capitaine reports that we’re now only running a day late and we’ll hit Port Kelang on Thursday. There was a chance that we’d miss the flight back from Kuala Lumpur to Dubai, and we’d just have to stay on board to Southampton. I suppose there could be worse fates.

Only hope for Southampon now is that one of the dragon-chasing fishing boats won’t make it and we have to go about and rescue them, then divert to Manila. At least that would be good luck for some of us.

You’ll gather from this that we’ve really enjoyed the trip. And how! Before leaving Dubai, opinion was polarised into two camps: those who thought we were mad and those who thought it a fantastic idea. For once, the opinion polls lacked a “don’t know” column.

The “nays” were convinced we would be hi-jacked by pirates, constantly sea-sick, or at best, permanently bored. The “yeas” recognised the potential for adventure in doing something different, experiencing life on a working ship, and exploring ports along the way. How right they were. We are now hooked on freighter travel (and Freighter Travel - thanks again, Hamish) and are already planning the next voyage. Perhaps it’s not for everybody, but we are now committed advocates. Having an interest in the sea and ships is a good starting point, but bringing your own sextant and being able to shoot the noon sun is not a prerequisite. Even hardened landlubbers would find it hard to resist the joys of ocean travel on a vessel such as Tosca.

Boredom never enters into it. On the long stretches between ports, just watching the sea and the sky is an endless delight - by day or by night. Passing traffic always prompts a reach for the binoculars, and if you can’t read what’s written on the stern or the bows, take a trip to the bridge and check the instruments. Vessels with AIS (automatic identification system) show up with name, type, and size on the course plotter, as well as position. While you’re at it, you can check the charts to identify the occasional islands and rocky outcrops that protrude. Engine room tours are not to be missed, and although this area is not freely accessible like the bridge, the Chief is usually happy to oblige. Like most people who enjoy their work, seamen respond to those who show an interest in their professional mysteries.

When the weather allows, deck chairs and loungers are available for sunning on deck. We’ve had the full gamut of weather - from blue skies and blistering sunshine to bitter cold; plenty fog and rain, even a mild typhoon. And there’s always the swimming pool. It’s indoor, so the weather is irrelevant. I’m also told it’s the ideal place to sleep if you’re sensitive to the ship’s vibrations. Bringing a stock of books is a good idea, but that applies to any holiday and is not exclusive to being at sea. Tosca’s library is almost all in French, as is the DVD collection. If you still fear boredom, bring your own.
Best of all (especially from a Scottish perspective) is the value for money. We’ve done this trip for a small fraction of the cost of getting to the various destinations by air, and without the hassle of air travel. I could even have brought my beard trimmer. I’m so conditioned to airport confiscation of anything that could be remotely construed as a potential weapon that it got left behind. (The side benefit is lots of second helpings when I comb out the cheese and breadcrumbs from the accumulated foliage).

At airports, do you get guide and driver to fast-track you through immigration? No. Can you avoid the queues at baggage control and the fight for a trolley? No. Do you have guaranteed overnight accommodation wherever you go built into the cost? No. Do wander up to the flight deck whenever you feel inclined? No. Can you sleep in a bed, shower, and do your laundry? No. Are you free from the side effects of changing time zones? No. Do you have proper meals included (three times a day) with as much wine as you can get down your neck? No.

I rest my case. Robert Louis Stevenson famously remarked “It’s better to travel hopefully than to arrive.” Airlines might speed your arrival, but whatever pleasure was once attached to this mode of travel is long gone. The only hopeful part is that you can get off as quickly as possible. At sea, the destination is an added bonus; getting there is at least half the fun.

The accommodation alone is comparable to a high-class shoreside hotel, and the catering even better. If you travelled by air, you couldn’t even get hotel room at your destination for the daily shipboard rate, far less with all meals - and wine - included. From the captain downwards, the crew are warm and friendly. Passengers are not an imposition, especially when they take an interest in ship’s operations and joining shore leave whoopee. Our honorary status as ‘supernumerary crew’ was not just a useful ruse for getting round the visa hassles: we have felt very much part of the Tosca family, even if our main contribution was with the wardroom tool-kit three times a day.

Warning: if you’re weight-conscious, this is not the place to be - unless you’re prepared to work it off by going up and down the eight flights from bridge to A Deck several times a day (and not in the lift!). Another warning: the cabin fridge is dangerous, and not just for its contents. It lives in a cupboard which has a sharp-edged horizontal batten above the locked fridge door. The key is just below the batten. To open, you turn the key and wedge your fingers into the rubber seal at the top of the door - all in one movement. If you’re not careful, your knuckles get whacked on the batten as the door swings open. I’ve been very careful. So much so that I’ve only knocked off the same scabs about three times a week. Linda says this could be avoided - if I got up and used both hands, instead of lazily stretching over and opening it one-handed. Hey, I’m on holiday, don’t expect me to overdo things! (And I can pass off the skinned knuckles as evidence of a more successful return match in Shanghai with the pugilistic editor’s secretary.)

Noon position 13◦00.86 N - 109◦45.50 E
Day’s run to noon - 591 miles
8,650 miles out from Khor Fakkan
Heading 200◦
Local time GMT+8
Average speed - 24.6 knots

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