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Published: August 20th 2013
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Hurricanes
Nadine is the "little" storm on the right. It was actually the worst of the three but stayed out to sea so caused little damage. For new readers: if you click on the photos, you can see them enlarged. Friday, Sept 7 We eventually sailed at 0700. Sunrise was 07:20. The sea was flat but there was a mist that obscured our exit from the harbour.
Sylvia had woken at 0330, disturbed by the noise of containers being loaded onto the ship. They were being loaded right next to our cabin and she was concerned that they would “accidentally” be smashed into our cabin. Having experienced how containers are loaded, it was not a frivolous fear but we managed to survive the loading without any damaging problems. As we get further from the shore, however, the waves grow bigger and the period between the waves increases. We are truly in the Atlantic.
Lunch: Ham and pea soup / Fish and potato pie / Green bean salad.
In the afternoon we amuse ourselves with a game of table tennis. Neither of us is any good but we make up the rules to suit our mood. Lots of fun and good exercise but we won’t be entering any tournaments soon.
About 1930 we are escorted for a few kilometres by a school
of dolphins. I had expected to see more sea life but so far there has been very little – some seals in the harbour at Sines and a few flying fish at sea but that is all.
Dinner: Spaghetti Bolognese / Cheese / Bread.
Clock goes back an hour.
Saturday, Sept 8 Up early this morning. Sunrise is stunning – miles and miles of nothing. The curve of the earth is so obvious here.
So far the voyage has been fairly calm and the winds generally mild but today we can see white horses on the water and opening the outside doors requires strength to force them against the wind. The ship has roll as well as rock.
Lunch: Beef soup / German sausage / Salad / Fruit.
The swell gradually increases during the afternoon and the wind becomes seriously unpleasant. We struggle through another table tennis bout but the ship is rolling so much that we give up and go back to the cabin to read. By 1700, squally rain has set in and it is seriously unpleasant on deck. Not the best weather
for a barbecue but that is what is planned for dinner this evening.
We make our way up to “G” deck where the BBQ is supposed to happen. Despite the crew’s best efforts the rain and spray and wind make it impossible to be held there. The captain turns the ship so there is some protection from the wind but the conditions are still unpleasant. Eventually the decision is made to move the whole thing to the bridge deck on the opposite side of the ship, which is much better protected. It was quite an experience to have the bridge set up like a restaurant. I doubt it happens very often.
Dinner: A whole (small) roasted pig / NZ mussels / Sausages / Beef steaks / Salads / Cakes / Beer / Wine / Soft drink (for the crew). Yum!
After dinner the captain resumed course and we started to bounce around once more even though the sky was still clear. Overnight, the weather was really rough.
Clock goes back an hour.
Sunday, Sept 9 Cloudy and windy this morning with heavy rain.
At breakfast the captain tells us that we
are changing course, as there are three hurricane cells ahead of us off the USA coast.
By 1100, although there are still rainsqualls and the wind is strong, the weather seems to be clearing and there are blue skies ahead. The sea swell is still about six metres, though, and the rock and roll of the ship is quite severe.
Lunch: Minestrone soup / Beef steak / Potato & veg / Ice cream.
We had a quiet, sunny, afternoon. Even though the sea was still rather rough, we tried to have a round of table tennis but it turned out to be impossible with the pitch and roll of the ship.
We ended up going back to the cabin and having an early but bad night. The motion of the ship seems to be even worse when it is dark and you can’t anticipate the waves. Sylvia wonders whether flying might not be so bad after all!
Dinner: We skipped this one. Wine rules!
Monday, Sept 10 Up at 0500. The ship is rolling more than usual but we are used to it by now so it doesn’t seem too much
of a problem.
About 1000, we notice a strange weed in the water that streams alongside the ship. It is Sargasso weed and we realise that we are entering the
Sargasso Sea .
The Sargasso Sea is one of those places in the world that makes you wonder whether all the knowledge you have about how things work is really true. There are many myths about this sea, not the least of which are stories of sailors being trapped in the weed and being attacked by all sorts of monsters. Gladly, these are all fantasies and have no foundation.
At worst, the weed is a nuisance and smells but it is not dense enough to trap a boat.
It is the breeding ground for eels from both Europe and America. They swim thousands of miles/kms from their freshwater rivers to spawn in the weeds of the Sargasso before returning to their rivers each year. Turtles use the weed as nurseries. Humpback whales, marlin and dolphin fish depend on it for nutrition as they grow. It takes us more than three days to pass out of the weed but we navigate through it without any problems.
Lunch: Mushroom
Waves
It is hard to tell from the photos but these waves were about 6 metres from trough to peak soup / Pork chops / Rice / Fruit.
This afternoon we practise “Abandon Ship” drill, which is not very comforting, but we have sailed south of the worst of hurricane Michael and it seems that we may also avoid the worst of Nadine. Unfortunately, Leslie is directly in our path and there is no way we can go around it.
Clocks go back one hour again.
Tuesday, Sept 11 Rough night. The seas are very choppy and the ship lurches about a lot. (If you have ever been on a ship you know that means it goes up and down and side to side at the same time. A bit disconcerting for the inner ear!)
We are up at 05:30 after a particularly big wave rearranges our cabin. Everything loose is scattered about and even the secured tables and chairs are wrenched loose from their fittings. My spectacles are smashed in the chaos. It is the second pair I have destroyed on this trip. Down to my last set.
About 0800 we altered course to minimise the wave action and reduced speed to 10 knots. Even so the sea is very rough
and we are bouncing about all over the ocean.
Fortunately we have passed to the South of Michael and Leslie is now travelling north-east away from us so we should avoid the worst of it. Still not much fun, though.
The worst of the seas abated by about 10:30 but the ship still rocked and rolled from crest to crest and trough to trough for most of the day.
About mid-day the sky cleared and the sun came out and we increased speed to 16 knots. The sea was still very lumpy and the ship still bounced around but it was a vast improvement on earlier in the day.
Wednesday, Sept 12 Quiet night and skies clear at last. It seems that the worst of the hurricanes have passed us by. We are back to 24 knots again and have made up the time lost by our change of course. Tomorrow we arrive at Boston.
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Tot: 0.106s; Tpl: 0.014s; cc: 14; qc: 30; dbt: 0.0287s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Freighter Blogs
Someday we would like to take a trip on a freighter. Sounds like your glasses are not holding up well.