A haunting sound

During the night of the cruise from the Bay of Islands to Tauranga I was woken around 2.00 am to the sound of the ship’s foghorn, which was set to sound every two minutes.
In the ‘old days’ of the 1960’s  when sailing in a cargo ship the officer of the watch would haul on a piece of rope when ever he thought he should, unless the ship was close to land or the captain was on the bridge.
The regular sound brought back memories of yesteryear.
https://silverfox175.com/2016/01/03/judy-judy-judy
The above link will take you to a foggy experience that I had in Hong Kong.

As we closed on Tauranga the fog became thinner and the foghorn was stopped. The above photograph shows the thinning as we approached our berth.

 

It rained as we moved alongside, but fortunately it stopped as we disembarked.

Our daughter-in-law parents live in Tauranga, and they were kind enough to show us around. The area where we berthed was Mount Maunganui and a walk along the main street reminded me of certain seaside towns in Australia.

It is a very popular a beach suburb with great beaches for surfing along Marine Parade.

We sailed from Tauranga later afternoon for the South Pacific Ocean and and a night of cruising before entering Auckland harbour. As usual the evening meal took precedence over gazing across the evening ocean.

We slid quietly into Auckland and moored next to the Hilton Hotel. On stepping onto our balcony, I received quite a surprise.

At first I thought the building was part of the port authority building until I noticed the name of Hilton, which is not too clear on the photograph taken from the balcony.

The view directly from our balcony as we overlooked the private balconies of the Princess Wharf Apartments.

The Hilton Hotel from the water – picture from the Hilton web site.

We also had company of the port side of the Majestic Princess – the Silver Whisper, which is a Silversea Cruise ship. 

A better picture than mine – Silver Whisper alongside in Sydney, unfortunately I cannot afford to sail in a Silversea vessel.

It was a short walk from Majestic Princess to Quay Street.

During our last visit to Auckland we had experienced the Hop on Hop off bus, so this time, we thought a DIY stroll around the shopping centre. 

The streets were quiet, but the ‘feel’ of the area was very positive.

The buildings were a mix of old and new, the ship that can be seen is the Silver Whisper.

Even though it was Sunday many of the shops were open, so passengers off the ship were able to buy what they required.
We bought some small items, and we did not have a problem using my credit card for low-cost items, much easier than changing Australian cash for New Zealand cash.

The weather was very kind to us after the two previous ports of call and it was a pleasure to walk around without an umbrella or a raincoat ‘just in case’.

A wet summer cruise

It was a beautiful day when we boarded Majestic Princess for a thirteen-night cruise to New Zealand.
It had been six years since our previous cruise to New Zealand and thanks to Covid we now hoped to renew our relationship with the land of the long white cloud.
‘Aeoteroa’ or the land of the long white cloud was given to the north island of New Zealand by the Maori people when they first saw the land mass that we now know is New Zealand’s north island.

The photographs in this blog were taken by me as we prepared to sail.

The large TV screen on the main pool deck was highlighted with the words ‘Sail Away’ – music from the ship’s band and dancers to get the passengers in the mood.

The ship’s dancers to encourage the passengers to join in the dance – perhaps if I was sixty years younger, I might have joined in . . .

While all the music and dancing took place on board the ship left her Sydney berth at Circular Quay and set sail for New Zealand. The weather was perfect.

We had a pilot onboard while transiting Sydney Harbour and as we reached the harbour entrance at South Head (see photo above) I watched a pilot boat manoeuvre alongside to collect the pilot.

Once the pilot had left us it was full ahead for New Zealand.


It was a two-day cruise from Sydney to the area of the North Island of New Zealand known as the Bay of Islands, which was our first port of call.

Auckland is south of the area indicated.

As we approached the Bay of Islands, I went on to our balcony to take a photograph of our approach –

It was heavy sea mist and visibility was limited. Later the mist cleared and the rain began – it poured!

Maureen & I had plans to go ashore and visit Paihia and take the ferry across to Russell.
From the ship to the small town of Paihia was a 25-minute trip in one of the ship’s tenders (see the orange boat above in the rain) and even though the passenger area was covered it would not have been a pleasant trip. We decided to stay on board  . . .the previous time we visited the Bay of Islands it was beautiful weather and we used a ship’s excursions to see the highlights of the area, which included where the signing of the Waitangi Treaty took place in 1840.

In the afternoon the rain began to ease by which time it had become too late to go ashore. The above shows the weather conditions towards Paihia – not very encouraging.

   I watched the above sailing vessel braving the weather as Maureen & I considered a visit to the Vines Bar – which became our favourite.

It wasn’t raining in the Vines . . .

Our next stop was to be Tauranga

The above map shows the Bay of Islands (near the top of the map) and the location of Auckland (which we will visit after Tauranga) – it is about two-and-a-half-hour drive from Tauranga to Auckland.
We sailed from Tauranga for an overnight cruise into the South Pacific before arriving in Auckland early the next morning.

Mal de mer

Finally, despite the rain, we managed to load all our Calcutta cargo in a dry state, as well as a number of passengers who were returning to the UK. The additional faces in the dining room and saloon expanded our conversational subjects beyond the sea and ships.

Three nuns who were retiring from service joined us for the homeward voyage. They had spent most of their lives in the hills of northern India as medical assistants and spreading the gospel. They brought two dogs on board and intended to pay for the six months quarantine in the UK, and keep them as pets. Part of our duties, as cadets, was to look after these animals, feed them, hose down the barker’s eggs from the deck area that they were allowed to use, and make sure they didn’t fall overboard.
The problem was that these dogs were vegetarians because the nuns could not afford to feed them meat during their time at hill station.

We had other passengers, which included a couple of teenage daughters who were around eighteen years of age. It was going to be an interesting voyage.
It was August before we eventually sailed out of the Hooghly River into the Bay of Bengal.

For the next few days, I was as sick as could be, due to the corkscrewing motion of the ship in the monsoons conditions. I hardly ate anything and would get sick cleaning my teeth. One way of losing weight I suppose but when one is seasick and you are offered a gun to shoot yourself, you would thank the gunman. Seasickness is the most horrible feeling I’ve have ever experienced, because you cannot stop the corkscrewing motion of the ship.

It was not until we were close to Ceylon that the ship’s corkscrewing changed to a steady roll, which was much easier on the body, allowing me to get used to an even roll in the ocean swell.
Finally we entered Trincomalee harbour, which is a beautiful natural circular harbor on the northeast side of the country. We moored to a buoy and began to load chests of tea from barges, using our own derricks.

tea-chest

We loaded tea in Trincomalee for five days before sailing too Madras.  I stayed on board this time because I was not going to be accused of not being aware of our sailing time.

Our next leg took us from Madras to Aden, which is across the harbour from Little Aden, which is the oil refinery that I visited several times during my tanker days, which was my first ship.
At least this time we could walk into the town at Aden.

Crater City Aden

Aden is located at the southern end of the Red Sea and is part of the Arabian Peninsular. It has been a very important trading port and strategic point for hundreds of years.
It was captured by the British in 1839 to stop pirates attacking shipping in the area and to protect the route to India.
Crater city’s name is due to the town being built inside a dormant volcano.

At that time there was an independence movement that began with a grenade killing one person in December 1963.
The British had promised independence, but in the meantime British troops were sent in to keep the peace. It was never a holiday destination for me.

The white passenger vessel is the P & O Arcadia anchored off Aden in 1964.

From Aden we made our way to Port Tawfiq at the southern end of the Suez Canal – you can see the town and canal below. We were waiting for a north bound convey to join, to transit the canal.

The above picture is part of the land curve in the aerial picture shown below. 

The bottom of the above picture is the Red Sea, and the curve is the beginning of the Suez Canal.
During the voyage from Aden to the Port Tawfiq the dogs went off their food. I wasn’t surprised, because if I’d been given stir-fried or stewed vegetables for as long as they had, I’d have gone off my food.
So to encourage them to eat we gave them a curried meat dish. They both gobbled this down and then started to howl and run around the deck. Obviously, the curry was too strong. The howling stopped as they started to drink and drink and drink.
We had our comeuppance later as the dogs lost control of their bowels, and we had the unpleasant duty of clearing up the mess. Fortunately, we were able to apply high-pressure fire hoses to the area, and blast it clean with salt water.

After transiting the canal at night, we anchored off Port Said. Worked cargo for a few hours in to dhows, and then set course for Marseilles in southern France.

While in Marseilles we were allowed ashore. An interesting town steeped in history. It is France’s oldest city, having been founded by the Greeks over two thousand years ago.

It was a short taxi ride from the berth to the old port, and we were soon walking the old, cobbled streets and drinking in the sites of the area that the ancient Greeks would have known. It wasn’t long before we’d forgotten that we were only visiting for a short time. The aroma of food wafting from the pavement cafes, mixed with the smell of Gauloises cigarettes is a lasting memory of Marseille.

I even went as far as to buy a packet of Gauloises cigarettes as a change from the British & American cigarettes that I smoked at that time. In 1964 Gauloises hadn’t yet reached the stage of adding a filter to each cigarette, so it wasn’t long before I was coughing myself to death with a burned throat. I keenly shared the Gauloises with the other cadets to reduce the number I had to smoke. The thought of throwing them away never occurred to me. My upbringing, that I was never to waste anything, wouldn’t allow me to throw them away.

The following day we sailed from Marseilles for Gibraltar.

Six square kilometers of rock, captured by the British in 1704 and under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 The Rock was ceded to Britain.
This treaty was renewed in 1763 by the Treaty of Paris, and later 1783 by the Treaty of Versailles.
Gibraltar has been a bone of contention for the Spanish’s for long time so in 1968 the British Government held a referendum whether the people in Gibraltar would like to remain ‘British’ or become Spanish. 12,762 voters voted to stay British and 44 voted to become Spanish. A second referendum was held in 2002 with similar results.

The Straits of Gibraltar are only about 13 km (8 miles) wide from Africa to Europe and were known in the ancient world, as the Pillars of Hercules.

Once through the Straits and clear of the southern part of Portugal, we headed north.

It was during this phase of the voyage that one of the dogs gave birth to several pups. The nuns knew that the dog was pregnant and had hoped that it would not give birth until after it had arrived in the UK.
After the pups had been born (about six in total, I think) it was explained to the nuns about the cost of six months in quarantine for each pup. They were devastated, because they only had enough money for the two adult dogs.

One morning, in the Bay of Biscay, when my colleague and I arrived to feed the dogs, only one pup could be seen. We never did find out what happened to the other pups.

Fortunately, the Bay of Biscay was calm so we made good time to the English Channel, and finally to the mouth of the Thames, where we picked up the Pilot for the last part of the voyage up the river Thames to the Royal Albert Dock in London.

Ben Brooksbank / Royal Albert Dock,

The above is the Royal Albert Docks and the white passenger ship on the right is either Uganda or Kenya – both were Company ships on the London East Africa run.

Three days later I signed off Chakdara and went home on leave. I had been away for just over fourteen months and was given eight weeks leave.

I managed to fill all eight weeks without becoming bored.

Weather or not . .

Willis Island

450 klm (or 280 miles) east of Cairns lies Willis Island which we visited at a distance. We were not allowed ashore.
The island is an Australian weather out post, which is well outside the Great Barrier Reef, and is the only permanently inhabited island in the Coral Sea Territory.
It is about 500 mtrs (1600 ft) long and about 150 mtrs (450 ft) wide and is 7.7 hectares (19 acres) and around 9 mtrs (30 ft) above sea level.

Tried a closer look at the buildings.

The monitoring station began in 1921 to warn the mainland of cyclones and other weather.

Everything had to be carried on to the island and all waste was buried until high seas from a cyclone uncovered some of the waste. In 2004 a major clean-up took place to protect the environment of the island.

In the early days the station would be manned by two or three people (all males) and everything including water had to be shipped in for the term of a year. To save water the station crew would work in the nude to save water by not washing their clothes. They also tried to make alcohol out of wheat and on one occasion with the home-made brew they fell asleep on Monday they and on waking realised that it was Wednesday not Tuesday.

Today the the island has all mod-cons from a desalination plant for fresh water, and the breakdown water to produce hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen for the weather balloons because this hydrogen is harmless to the local bird life unlike the hydrogen produced before 1994.

The island from the air – picture off the internet.

As the Majestic Princess drifted off the island a link was set up with one of the staff on the island and as he told us of life for himself and his three colleagues his voice came out of the ship’s internal communication system.

As we listened, we were told that about 9.30 am there would be launch of a weather balloon, so many of awaited with baited breath for the big event.

we were all expecting something like the above launch

When we were heard the countdown we all waited with cameras at the ready.

If you can see the balloon, please let me know where about it is in the photograph.
I did see it when I looked over the top of my camera because someone pointed it out and it looked the size of a tennis ball – and it was blue.

so I pointed and clicked . . . . I don’t think I will have this picture developed.

All jokes aside I am pleased that we ‘visited’ Willis Island.

The reason for calling at such a lonely island so far off the coast of Australia is because technically we have left Australia and the cruise now becomes an international cruise which allows for the sale of alcohol and other items to be tax free.

There were two other ports that we visited – after Yorkey’s Knob we anchored off Port Douglas.
Maureen & I had visited Port Douglas in 1992 when it was a sleepy village.

Market area open as we stepped ashore.


We had to walk through an air-conditioned shopping area to exit the pier .

  Across the road is an Irish Pub – somehow I don’t think they fit in the tropics.

When the boats come in – shops & shops.

Port Douglas or Airlie Beach?

I know places change, but the above is my memory of Port Douglas.

Our final stop was Brisbane – I checked how to get in to the City  Centre via ferry boat for a look around and perhaps lunch, and Maureen would be able to visit the shops.
The best laid plans etc – the ship docked at the new cruise terminal, (not the old cruise terminal that I used to make my plans ) which does not have any public transport link with the city nor the airport. We could see the planes coming into land and some of the airport buildings.

A taxi into Brisbane would be $60 each way and the drive would be around thirty minutes.

Princess Cruises offered a service into the city for about $26 round trip via coach, so we bought two tickets.
The code on the ticket told us the departure time of our coach and the time &  coach number of our return transport.
I asked that if we wanted to return early could we board another coach for the return – we would not be allowed to return before the dedicated time according to our ticket.

A large crowed gathered ashore waiting for various coaches – we could see six coaches in loading bays and they filled quickly with I think,  mainly excursion travelers to dedicated destinations, but I think one was a shuttle to the city.
Many of us waited and waited for more coaches to arrive to ferry us all to the city – and we waited.
After half an hour I asked one of the ship’s cruise ‘controllers’ how long we would have to wait-because if some of the early coaches had taken passengers to the city the round trip from the ship to the city and return would be well over an hour.

This person was unable to give me an accurate answer, so I asked for my money back for Maureen & I. He took our tickets and said that he would personally make sure of our refund.

All of a sudden, more and more passengers asked for refunds and I think we were the lead couple of many others who had changed their mind about visiting Brisbane.
It was now nearly lunchtime and we had spent the whole morning hanging around waiting for nonexciting transport.
A cold beer and a light lunch was calling.
I do not blame Princess Cruises but the transport company that they used – I am sure Princess Cruises would be having a word or two with the coach company.

Compared to the efficiency we experienced at Yorkey’s Knob the Brisbane organisation have a lot to learn.

Just a thought, it is 7 km (4.3 miles) from the airport to the new international cruise terminal. At the airport there is a fast Airtrain to the city every fifteen minutes.
How hard would it be to use shuttle buses from the cruise terminal to the airport for the cruise passengers to use the Airtrain?
Majestic Princess had over 3000 passengers, many from overseas, who wanted to spend money in Brisbane, but were unable to contribute to the Brisbane economy because the ground transport failed. I just wonder how much it cost Brisbane considering the large number of us who cancelled and returned to the ship.

Brisbane International Cruise Terminal

Yorkeys Knob

Yorkeys Knob

George Lawson was from Yorkshire in the UK but by 1886 he was a well-known as a beche-de-mer (sea cucumbers, but aka sea slug) fisherman.

During the off-fishing season he farmed a plot of land on a area known as the Knob where he raised pumpkins, sweet potatoes and paddy melons, which the bandicoots and pigs ate.

An Eastern Barred Bandicoot. Photo Hans and Annie Wapstra.

George Lawson’s nick name was Yorkey, and he lived on the Knob, which in the first picture is the land that sticks out into the sea.

Once again we anchored of shore and we were ferried ashore where we boarded a coach for the short ride to the Skyrail.
Maureen and I had visited Cairns in the early 1990’s before the Skyrail was built.

We had experienced the trip from Cairns to Kuranda and we had also driven up to Kuranda.

So this time it had to be the Skyrail and we did not want the bother of DIY so we used the ship’s excursion system. All went very well and the whole process was very efficient, which took away any worries.

Once ashore we were guided to coaches based on our ticket number. Very easy and we were soon on our way for the short ride to the Skyrail Terminal.

Once inside the Skyrail terminal, the Terminal staff guided us to the boarding area.

As the ‘cars’ approached the terminal staff would hold the ‘car’ steady to allow passengers to disembark. Once the disembarking passengers were clear he would call the next couple or four to board as he held the car so that it moved only very slowly.

They had two types of viewing cars – the ‘normal one’ and one with a glass bottom so the passengers could also have a clear view of what was below. This would depend on your ability to accept being so high and your faith in the strength of the glass. Maureen and I were in a ‘normal’ car with a solid floor.

Another couple climbed in with us who were not off the ship. They were an American husband & wife travelling independently from any organised tours. They were interesting to chat to and listen to their comments about Australia.

The trip to the top would take about 90 minutes and this included two stops part way – which required us to exit the car and walk a short distance to a viewing platform. It was not compulsory, just a suggestion.

Of course, had to find the ship at anchor – I marked it in pink as it was so small at 144,000 gt.

We exited our ‘car’ for the first viewing and reboarded another car for the next leg.
We knew that the next stop would give us dramatic views of a large waterfall.

The Barren Falls
The river descends from the Athterton Tableslands to the coastal plain.

Barren Falls

Click on the above link and this is what we hoped to experience – if not as wild but perhaps a little more dramatic than we did experienced.

Taken from our ‘car’ before the next stop.

the scene down river.

The Skyrail gave us an excellent view over the whole area and if we wished to return in the wet season perhaps, we would see a different picture.  At least while we were standing on the viewing platform, we were dry and warm.

Not sure if you will be able to read the warning so here it is . .

                                                    Prepare to get wet

While it is spectacular at any time of the year, the majestic Barren Falls really comes in to its own during the wet season (December to April) when huge volumes of water from rush over its craggy face to the gorge below.
Stand at the lookout when the falls are in full flood and you will very likely get wet.
Considering how high the viewing platform is it gives an idea of the power of the Barren Falls in the wet season.

We finally reached the top where the small town of Kuranad is located.

The trains were not running the day that we visited Kuranda – the local station.

We walked through the town on one side of the road and back again on the other side of the road – it was not a large town. They had a couple of pubs and various shops with tourist items for sale, cafes, and small restaurants.

Kuranda market – The above is from the internet because the market was not operating the day we visited the town.

We had an hour and a half before our coach left for the ship.

Of the two pub this one had character having been in operation since 1890.

We sat on the veranda for our drinks – the picture is of the bar area with several types of beer chalked on the back wall. I tried a couple of draft beers and when I asked which was the most popular the barmaid pulled small samples of the three beers in question. Great customer service which generated more sales of the larger glasses.
The one noticeable thing was when I asked for a glass of water later I was told to help myself as the barmaid waved her hand to several large water coolers containing iced water along with a stack of glasses. Couldn’t fault the customer service.

The coach took about 40 minutes from Kuranda back to the pier for the trip back to the ship. An interesting day out, but it is always nice to get home for a quiet sit down.

Airlie Beach

A ‘painted’ picture of the waters around Airlie Beach.

Ship’s tender boat

A shuttle service from / to the ship was constant and local fast tourist boats were used in support of the ship’s tender boats.

                                                                 MV 2001
One of the fast tourist boats were much larger than the tender boats, plus they were airconditioned.

First impression of Airlie Beach-boats and money.

The town of Airlie was created in 1935 and named after the town of Airlie in Scotland. In 1987 it merged with the larger town of Whitsunday and the area became known as Airlie Beach.
In 2016 the population was 1208 and the majority worked in the tourist industry, so they had a hard time due to the Covid lockdowns.

Units above restaurants and ‘sun’ shops as we walked towards the market area which opened whenever a cruise ship arrives, in addition to the normal market day.

It was a small, pleasant market and Maureen managed to secure a bargain.

Airlie’s Beach.
We had been advised not to swim in the sea from the local beaches.
From October to May it is the Stinger Season and I do not mean this type of
Stinger,
but more this type of Box jellyfish stinger – which can kill a swimmer.

A notice on the beach.


In 2001 the Premier of Queensland opened the Airlie Beach Lagoon, which had been built for people to enjoy the beach during Stinger time and to be able to swim in safe waters.
The water in the Lagoon is fresh and self-chlorinated, and the depth goes from paddling pools to two metres deep.
The whole complex is 4,300 sq mtrs (46,285 sq ft) and it free to be used by anyone. The facilities include showers, toilets & BBQs and it is smoke free and alcohol free.
The above picture is from an on-line advert, I did not take a helicopter ride.
                                               A general view of the Logoon.

There is sand for the children

I took this because it was a beautiful tree giving shade to a local couple having a picnic.

This holiday town’s main street with shop after shop.

For those who have moved to Airlie Beach often pick an area that overlooks the ocean and the beach even if they can’t swim in the sea.

As Maureen & I walked through the arrival pier area we were met by a Volunteer Cruise Ambassador (I only found out the title after I returned home).
Our Ambassador had retired from work in NSW and moved to Airlie Beach four years ago and joined the Cruise Ambassadors. He gave us a handy map of the area and explained the quickest way to the market – which pleased Maureen.

The people in the blue coloured shirts are the Ambassadors – the gentleman who spoke to us loved his job, even though I don’t think he was paid.

Below is the map which was on semi-stiff card and it was large enough to use as a fan.

 

The black spot just above the end of the point of land is our cruise ship.

Back to the ship for lunch and a quiet nap in a sun chair – it is exhausting enjoying yourself.

Airlie Beach is the gateway to the Whitsunday Islands and the Great Barrier reef.

Captain Cook visited the area in 1770 and it was he who named the passage through the islands as the Whitsunday’s Passage.
He thought it was Whitsunday when in fact in fact it was Whitmonday.
He also named the group of islands Cumberland Islands after the Duke of Cumberland who was travelling with Captain Cook in HMS Endeavour.

The islands are now known as the Whitsundays.
At that time the chronometer was being developed to aid sailors to work out their longitude and Captain Cook was in his third year of his voyage.
He had been ordered to observe the transit of Venus in 1769 from Tahiti. To reach Tahiti he had sailed from England via Cape Horn. 

He was also to seek out information about Terra Australis (the great south land) after he had visited New Zealand. 
In April of 1770 Captain Cook and his crew became the first known Europeans to visit the East coast of Australia. 
To reach New Zealand and Australia he had to cross what we now call the ‘date line’ when sailing from Tahiti.

HMS Endeavour‘s route 
Captain Cook thought the day he saw the Whitsundays was a Sunday when in fact it was a Monday, but the Sunday name stuck. 

HMS Endeavour  by Samuel Atkins in 1794.

 

 

964 days between drinks

At last Australia opened the border to cruise ships and the first Princess vessel to visit Sydney was the Majestic Princess. She had sailed from Vancouver via Los Angeles, Tahiti and New Zealand to be based in Sydney for the southern summer.
Maureen and I had sailed in this ship in 2017 from Rome (Civitavecchia is the port for Rome) to Singapore.
In 2017 she had been ‘fitted out’ for the Chinese market because it was intended that the Majestic would be based in China.
She was based in China until Covid arrived in 2019/20 when the global cruise industry shut down.
Our memory of the Rome to Singapore cruise was not a hundred percent positive for various reasons, so we boarded the vessel on the 20th October of this year wondering what if anything had changed.

Princess marketed the cruise well and offered various incentives to join the ships for an eleven-night cruise to Cairns and back calling at various places of interest. The price we right so we bought a mini-suit, which included free drinks, free wi-fi, and onboard currency. The above shows the mini-suit and in the bathroom, we had a shower over a bath. We never felt cramped.

The above is the view from our balcony the day we boarded.

The main public area of the ship – the Atrium.

The ambiance of the whole ship had changed since our first trip in 2017 and in our opinion for the better. Additional bars had been added in various parts of the ship, so the bar areas were not as crowded as 2017 and it was easy to find a seat.

The Wake Bar overlooking the stern – not at all crowded.

                                       Part of the outside swimming area –

Other end of the pool area – note the large screen for those who were doing various Eastern exercises in the morning. The screen was used all day to show films or sporting matches and there were plenty of stewards to help with the drinks.

Princess has a new ‘system’ – the Medallion – which is free to all passengers. It is circular and has a code embedded in the unit.
The ship has its own ‘internet’ and if you use the Medallion with your mobile phone linked to the ship’s system you can order a drink via your phone,  (I think you click on a picture) the steward will know who you are and where you are even if you move from the location of the order.
We did not use our phones on board.
I kept the Medallion unit in my pocket and as I approached a bar I would be greeted by name and asked for my order.

The above picture show what the barman would see as you approached the bar for a drink – I think the left computer, and the images on the left of that computer – the second one down is your truly.
When you sign into the system (before boarding) you add a recent photograph of just your face and this comes up on the bar person’s computer screen. It worked well and helped breakdown any barriers with the staff.
A big plus for us was that as we approached the door of our cabin it unlocked for us to enter – and when we left in the morning for breakfast the cabin steward would be aware that the cabin was empty and available for cleaning.
The cabin would be cleaned while we were at breakfast regardless of the time that we left. We only saw the cabin steward once one morning as he was finishing placing clean towels in the bathroom, because we had returned early.
The system was efficient.
The unit does not have any personal information on it, nor does it indicate your cabin number, so if you lose it, it will not be a problem, the desk staff just replace the unit.
At the end of the voyage the unit stays with you as it is used to disembark from the ship and it is yours to keep if you wish. The unit can be used as a fridge magnet. The units are free to all passengers.
I kept my unit in my right pocket because I have a pacemaker and had read that the unit (being magnetic) should not be too close to the pace maker. It was not a problem carrying the unit in my pocket.The ship also had an indoor pool with controlled air temperatures – never too hot never too cold.

                                                  Vines Bar – our favourite
We would be at this bar for a drink before dinner. The staff were from the Philippine and their skill at mixing various drinks was very entertaining and they never had any cocktail left over when they had finished – the measures were always just right.

After we had seen a show, we would drop into the Crown Grill Bar

The dining room that we used most nights-  as we entered the Maitre d‘ always asked if we were willing to share a table – sometimes we asked for a table for two because we wished to see a show and we knew it would be popular, so we wanted a fast meal.
Most nights we agreed to share up to six, from experience anymore and one could not hear everyone.
Six was just right and we met some very funny and interesting people. Our dining companions were from Canada, various US States and of course Australians. We met one lady from Canada she was coming up to her fifty-fifth day on the ship and was due to fly home when we returned to Sydney.
On sea days we would also go to the restaurant for breakfast and lunch.
All the staff wore face masks, but passenger had the choice. We carried a face mask just in case, but never had to put it on. A few passengers wore facemasks outside of their cabins.
There had been about 100 passengers (out of 3600) who had been refused permission to land in Tahiti because they showed a positive result on arrival. If they were positive, then by the time they reached Sydney they were clean and as far as I know we did not have a single positive case of Covid.

We were late sailing and it had grown dark and most of the passengers were in various dining rooms for their evening meal, so I do not think many took part in the Sail Away deck party.
I took the above picture from our balcony around 6.00am the day after we sailed. As you see the sea was calm. and the ship was steady.

Two days later off the Queensland coast – once again a 6.00 am picture with an unusual wake. It was beautiful weather for the rest of the cruise and pleasantly warm.

Our itinerary was to be Airlie Beach, followed by Yorkeys Knob, Port Douglas, Willis Island, Brisbane, and finally home to Sydney.
I plan to do a post for each place we visited.

Thoughts of Calcutta

Even though Calcutta is a 170 km (100 miles) from the sea the river Hooghly is large and deep enough for deep sea ships to sail to Calcutta to load and discharge.

The Company that I worked for began life in Calcutta in 1856 so it was not a surprise to see other BISNC (British India Steam Nav Co) vessels working cargo and waiting for the schedule time to go alongside to processing passengers as Chakdara approached lock gates of our berth. The white vessel in the above photo is a BISNC a passenger ship.

The distinctive black funnel with two white bands has had connections with Calcutta for over a hundred years.
Until 1911 Calcutta was the capital of India and an extremally import city and ‘the’ place in which to do business.

The founders of the Company were two Scottish partners William Mackinnon and Robert Mackenzie and according to legend they wanted a house flag for their new company.
Being Scottish they wanted a blue Scottish flag, but to differentiate it from the national flag of Scotland they wanted a triangle cut from the fly. An outline of the new flag was drawn for the flag maker.

Instead of using the Scottish flag as his guide the flag maker used a St Patrick of Ireland flag as a guide

and produced a white flag with the triangle cut from the wrong flag. The partners were not happy, but being penny wise they kept the incorrect flag which over time became famous from London to Shanghai as the BISNC flag.

 

Remember cigarette cards and how children would collect them . .

perhaps when the children grew a little older, they took advantage of sailing in the school ship Dunera. The above badge would have been given to each child that sailed in Dunera.

Dunera was originally a troopship but when trooping by sea ceased, she was converted back to being a school ship, at which she was very popular with students. 

The British India Company grew to become one of the largest shipping companies in the world.
In the 1940’s the rail network of the UK was controlled by four major companies. One of the Big Four was the Southern Railway and they decided to create a Merchant Navy Class of steam locomotives.
In 1945 locomotive 35018   was completed and was named British India Line.

Unlike BISNC, 35018 aka British India Line is still in service pulling coaches full of holiday makers around the UK – the smell of a steam engine never to be forgotten.

The partners of the new Company had their eyes on the future and as such in 1856 they bought their first vessel,

Cape of Good Hope
500 gt – single screw, tw0 cylinder, 120 HP, 9 kts.

On her arrival in Calcutta, she was used by the Indian Government as a troopship during the Indian Mutiny. She carried troops from Trincomalee (Ceylon) to Bombay & Calcutta in India.

Governments had a habit of requisitioning passenger ships for trooping requirement during times of war.
BISNC vessels were no exception and to use Dunera as an example she was built in 1937 and served as a passenger ship and a school ship until the outbreak of the Second World War.
She carried New Zealand troops to Egypt, she carried deported aliens from the UK to Australia, which history has shown was a very a controversial voyage.
She took part in the invasion of Madagascar with another company vessel Karanja in which my father served during the invasion. 
She took part in the Sicily landings and was used as the headquarters for the US 7th Army for the invasion of the South of France.
She carried occupation troops to Japan, took part in the reoccupation of Rangoon in Burma and the landings to recover Malaya from the Japanese.
Later she trooped wherever she was required until in 1960 when the British Government decided that trooping by sea was no longer required because they would be using aircraft to deploy troops.

In 1961 she was refitted as a school ship once again, twenty-two years after her first voyages as a school ship, and in 1965 I sailed in her as a cadet.

  In 1967 Dunera was sold to Revalorizacion de Materiales SA of Bilbao, Spain and scrapped. 

Back to Chakdara 1964 – 

We berthed alongside in Kidderpore Docks.

Once alongside we began to work cargo. The problem was the monsoon season. We had to contend with heavy rain that stopped after about an hour allowing work to resume, and then perhaps half an hour later the rain would start again. We had a system of tarpaulin tents attached to the ship’s derricks and as soon as the rain started the tent was hauled up to cover each of the hatches to protect the cargo. Our time in Calcutta should have been for a few days, but turned in to more like a fortnight, all due to the monsoons. Even visiting Calcutta, itself was no longer a pleasure, due to flooding and heavy rain.

and the locals thought it was all just too much . . . 

Due to our inability to keep dry, when out and about, we entertained ourselves onboard, and of course the entertainment revolved around beer.

Each evening around 10.00 pm one of the cadets would go ashore and buy curried suppers for those involved in the entertainment.
We used to toss a coin for the first and second nights and after that took it in turns.
I lost the toss on the first night and trudged ashore to the local street stall just outside the dock gates. The food, various curries and rice, was packed in banana leaves, and tied with strong cotton. I hurried back with my load and handed the parcels around and sat to enjoy my own with another cold beer.
Unthinkingly I used the banana leaf as a vegetable. I thought the leaf was edible, forgetting that it was in place of a newspaper wrapping that we used in the UK for fish and chips.
Fortunately, I did not finish too much of the leaf, just enough for me to realise my mistake, but enough to keep me ‘regular’ for the next two days.
Of course, the others noticed me eating the leaf, but didn’t say anything – friendship?

Finally I don’t wish to bore you but . . . 
at certain times of the year the Hooghly River becomes a dangerous ‘beast’ particularly when the bore runs.
Vessels anchored or moored in the river working cargo must make special arrangements to protect the vessel during the bore. The Bore is strong enough to damage ships or cause them to be washed ashore if the captain has not made the correct arrangements.

Calcutta bore  

Certain ‘Calcutta’ bores have been given a special name called The Baan after a German motorway ( Autobahn ) because The Baan is twice as fast as a normal bore. This Bore has become a challenge to certain people. 

Surfboard riding

Don’t forget that Calcutta is 170 km (100 miles) from the sea. 

Home Line

Chakdara – launched 1951, 7,132 gt

The first Chakdara (3,035 gt) was launched in 1914 and was named after an important trading town in northern India, which was on the main trading route to Afghanistan.
In 1933 she was sold to Burma Steam Nav Co., but she foundered off Burma in 1935.
After partition the town of Chakdara was in Pakistan and Chakdara II was named after the original ship.
She had accommodation for 12 passengers.
The ‘atmosphere’ on the ship was different from the other cargo ships in which I sailed.
I can only put it down to the Chakdara was a Home-line ship rather than an Eastern-Service ship.
The Home Line vessels had to contend with Head Office in London, whereas the Eastern Service vessels had little to do with Head Office because of limited communication facilities. The internet was yet to be invented and all correspondence was via air mail or faxes to a network of agencies.

The officers on the ship paid for the mail from our ship to family and friends in the UK. The above is one of my letters from Abu Dhabi in the Persian Gulf to the UK. 

Our mail from family and friends would be sent to the London Head office and H/O would bundle the officer’s mail for a particular ship along with official business documents and send the combined package to our agent to wait for the ship’s arrival.
If while at sea we were diverted to another port it was a panic job for the local agent to try and send the ship’s mail to meet our arrival at our new destination. To say that we were upset if the mail failed to reach us is an understatement.
A similar system operated for our crew, but the crew’s families did not send their mail to London, but to Calcutta or Bombay because this would be a domestic postage cost for the crew member’s family.      

After checking out of the Beach Luxury Hotel in Karachi I was taken by the agent to sign on Chakdara, which had arrived a few hours earlier. She was outbound from the UK to Pakistan and various Indian ports before loading in Calcutta with a homeward bound cargo. The majority of our cargo would be for the UK, but we would also carry smaller amounts for various ports that we had to pass e.g. Colombo in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) or Aden (now called Southern Yemen).    

I signed on Chakdara on the 6th July and on the 7th July I was sent to take a lifeboat examination.
All officers had to hold a current lifeboat certificate particularly if we were to carry passengers.
I already held a lifeboat certificate (but it had not been issued in Pakistan), so I was told to do it again.
I think this was to satisfy the Pakistani authorities, plus a number of our crew were taking the exam so I was given the job of keeping an eye on the procedures.
On arrival in any port the First Officer is responsible for the overseeing of the discharge and loading of cargo and allocated various duties to the 2nd & 3rd officers, who in turn were supported by cadets.
The arrival of a new cadet, who did not yet know his way around the ship, was inconvenient, so appointing him to look after the lifeboat attendees would mean that a cadet who had more knowledge of the ship was more useful onboard than overseeing the crew’s lifeboat exam.           
It was an interesting day with a boat full of unknown crew rowing around the docks of Karachi after we had released the ship’s lifeboat, swung it out on davit and lowered it into the dirty water of the Karachi docks.

The above is an illustration of a lifeboat in the early 1960’s, which was open to all the weather and propelled by oars.

           
The above is to give you an idea of an open lifeboat

A modern-day ship’s lifeboat, which would you prefer? 

I passed,

and as Ratty said to Mole – “Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”
(Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows.)

Ratty did not spend several hours in a dirty smelly Karachi dock in 40 c heat.

We sailed with a couple of passengers, an Indian lady and her daughter. I was fortunate to spend a lot of time with the daughter who was in her late teens and wanted me to teach her chess.
For those with questionable minds we just played chess.   

We sailed to Ceylon, as it was then – Ceylon didn’t become Sri Lanka until 1972. After which we sailed to our first Indian port of Madras (now called Chennai).

Mount Road Madras, in the 1960’s – note the lack of rubbish. 

The day after arrival in Madras, I and another cadet were allowed ashore. We were under strict instructions that we had to be back on board no later than 6.00 am the following day, at which time we would sail for Calcutta.

Madras was a pleasant place, but it could not hold our interest until 6.00 am the following morning, so we decided to return to the ship around 11.30 pm.

Another Madras scene in the mid 1960’s

On entering the dock area, we noticed that our ship was no longer at the same berth as she was a few hours earlier. We looked along the quay thinking that she had been moved to a fresh berth – we couldn’t see her.
On reaching the original berth a well-dressed Indian stepped out of the shadows and asked if we were cadets from the Chakdara, with him was an armed soldier.
We agreed that we were from the Chakdara and asked where our ship was berthed. He pointed to a vessel turning in the outer harbour.
‘You are booked on the next train to Calcutta, and an armed guard will accompany you’ said the agent.
‘How were we to know she was going to sail early?’
He shrugged his shoulders and spoke to the guard, who moved towards us to make sure we were not illegal immigrants trying to enter India.

As he did so we noticed a small rowing boat passing near the steps that led from the quay to the water, and we both ran down and jumped into this boat. The dozing boatman was suddenly wide-awake.
We waved money at him and pointed to our ship in the outer harbour, and we set off in hot pursuit. Behind us the armed guard was not at all happy at losing his prisoners, but at least he did not fire at us.

Our ship was turning very slowly in the harbour, and the boatman was pulling on his oars like mad, in an effort to catch our ship.
While the boatman rowed, my friend and I stood in the stern shouting and waving like demented fools as we waved our lit cigarette lighters, in an effort to attract attention.

The ship completed her turn and was now pointing out to sea through the harbour entrance. We could see the white disturbance of the water caused by her propellers as she began to move ahead.
Suddenly the disturbance stopped, and a Jacob’s ladder was lowered down to the water’s edge – they’d seen or heard us. The harbour and the quay were all brightly lit so perhaps someone was keeping an eye out, just in case.
We paid off the boatman and began the climb up the steep side of the ship, via the ladder.

The picture shows Chakdara with a Jacob’s ladder hanging over the side – our problem was that it was half past midnight – not daylight as in the photograph. At least the deck crew shone a light over the side to assist our climb.

We were nearing the top of the ladder when the sound of the engines could be heard as half ahead was rung on the telegraph, and we could feel the vibration of the ship’s  engines as the ladder quivered and our grip tightened on the ladder.  Time was money.
As the senior cadet I was ordered to report to the Captain to explain our lateness.
Even though I’d been told that we were not due to sail until after 6.00 am the following day, I was told that I should have known that we would have sailed early.
At that comment from the captain, I kept my mouth shut – I was not sure if he was joking or blaming us.

Our next port would be Calcutta.

Shattered dreams . . .

On receiving the contract, I read it quickly and then read it again more slowly and then one more time, after which I decided that I needed help to make the correct decision.

I bounced the idea off members of Goodreads , which is a book readers web site, and I was very pleasantly surprised to hear from Stephen Leather  one of my favourite authors. He was kind enough to comment on my request for advice. 

                

Just four of the twenty Stephen Leather books that I have collected over the years.

Stephen advised me to retain an agent before signing with a publisher. So, the next thing was to find an agent willing to represent me. Funny how history repeats itself – I was unable to persuade any Australian or British agent to represent me, even though I had a publishing contract and their cut from my commission would be 15%. Many of the agents that I contacted stated that they were ‘full’ – and others failed to reply.

I still wanted the contract read by someone who was aware of the pitfalls in the publishing industry, so I joined the Australian Society of Authors and paid to have the contract checked by their legal department.
I received an eight-page report containing thirty-four suggestions. Some suggestions where easily fixed with the publisher, but for other suggestions the publisher would not budge.
Certain clauses were going to be ‘take it or leave it’ clauses.
If I rejected a certain clause the contract to publish would be withdrawn. In the end I accepted the contract, after all, I’d always wanted to be published by a professional publisher and this company had been in the business for a hundred and fifty years.
A strong consideration for me living in Australia was that a UK publisher would be able to market the book far better than I could in the UK & USA.
I had some of this publisher’s books on my bookshelf at home, which I’d bought some years ago.

At the request of the Company, I sent the publisher’s editor a copy of the manuscript and I am pleased to say she (another female editor) only requested five small changes to the manuscript. One of the changes was based on the perception of how a reader would accept my description of an urchin in 1805, which would be unacceptable today (un-PC). I explained that in 1805 it was acceptable, but in the end, I lost the argument and the word had to be changed. Overall, I was pleased that the editor that I picked to do the original editing was a very good choice.

Once they were happy with the manuscript, they wanted to change the book’s title and the book’s cover. It took me some time to get used to the new cover.
I must admit that it is more dramatic than the original cover. The title in the picture above shows ‘The’ Triangle Trade, but in the final production I managed to get rid of this word on the grounds that it made the title sound like a textbook. It was published as just ‘Triangle Trade’. 

I was then asked for suggestions as to marketing the book.

My suggestion was to produce the book in paperback, and I specifically asked that it not be produced as a hardback.
I wanted it produced as cheaply as possible and suggested that the publisher place copies in airports & railway station book shops marketing it as an impulse buy for travellers. 
I was an unknown author, but with the new cover and at the right price, I thought that it would make an attractive read for a traveller’s journey.

The publisher already had a databank of customers to whom they could do a mail or e-mail shot.

Sales staff around the country where given the new book’s title and told to start marketing.

I was given a small advance on sales and the book was produced – in HARDBACK with a sale price of £15.99! (about$28 AUD) I was sent six free books as the author.
I have five grandchildren so a copy of the book will go to each one on them on their  eighteenth birthday, and I will keep one of course.

I complained that Triangle Trade should have been issued as a paperback and I was told that they had been in the publishing industry for over one hundred and fifty years, and that they knew what they were doing. . . . . .I had my doubts, because I spend a lot of time in second-hand book shops. New paperbacks in Australia are expensive and hardback novels are beyond many people. Hardly anyone would spend £16 (AUD $28) on a novel by an unknown author. 

A year or so later the e-book version was issued at £4.99 (AUD $10.00), which is more expensive than the e-books of Stephen Leather, Lee Child, C. S Forster, Vince Flynn, Michael Connelly, and many others.

Overall the sales have been disappointing. I receive a report of sales every six months, which includes details of my commission. My commission has not yet paid back the small advance!

On a positive side the marketing by the sales person working in and around Merseyside (Liverpool & Birkenhead UK) did a very good job by getting me interviewed by Radio City of Liverpool, the local Merseyside radio station.

Pete Price, one of the radio stations presenters rang me and interviewed me over the phone. The interview went for about twenty minutes, but the highlighted interview link is a shorter version of about thirteen minutes.

The same salesperson also managed a full page spread in the Liverpool Echo on the ‘Book’ page, written by Laura Davis, the Executive Editor of ‘What’s On’, in the widest read newspaper on Merseyside.
As you know Triangle Trade (Ice King) is centred around Liverpool in 1804 to 1807 so the radio and newspaper link generated a lot of interest, but few overall sales, which I put down to price again.

If a reader of this blog is considering self-publishing and they are fortunate enough to be picked up by a regular publisher, be careful as to what you sign.
I signed away my own work (Ice King) for ten years in a cloud of euphoria, plus I have to offer any further books to the same publisher.

I sold a number of paperback editions of Ice King, (which I had printed in Sydney) and a lot more as an e-book via Smashwords  as Ice King for $1.50 USD.
I found Smashwords easier to deal with than Amazon (US), and Smashwords pay quicker, and I am still waiting for Amazon to pay. 

                           

I have a writer friend in the USA who started her first book Far Away Home around the same time that I started Ice King.
She planned to write a sequel, but only if she sold 50,000 copies of Far Away Home. 
Susan attended a seminar and was told that self-publishing authors can be more successful than traditional published authors, and the secret is to treat self-publishing as a business.
Over the years Susan has sold 202,000 e-books via Amazon and other outlets with an average price of US$0.99 and she also joined a system of being paid by the page – the reader only pays for the pages that they read.
To date Susan has ‘sold’ 20,817,564 pages and her books average 237 pages which equates to a further 84,388 books by this method.
It has not been easy for Susan because she has given away hundreds of copies to make sure that her books are ‘noticed’. Amazon Free Month and other such promotions to encourage ‘word of mouth’ advertising. 
Her rating on Amazon are 4 stars out of 5 for Far Away Home and 4.5 stars out of 5 for Embrace the Wind.
Her books are also available in Australia & the UK for AUD $1.29 or £0.83

I should have followed Susan’s example!

If any reader of this blog is keen to write and actually finishes writing their book overcome your wish to be published in the traditional way, maintain control and do it yourself. Only reconsider this approach if you have an agent.

Stephen Leather being a prolific writer, has managed to do both, much of his work is published by a traditional publisher, and he has produced additional e-books, which he self publishes. Check Mr Leather’s link for a great deal of information on self publishing.

A few years ago I started a new novel, which is again set in Merseyside, with the main character living in Birkenhead in 1839 and I have managed to write about 35,000 words before I started blogging.
I found blogging easier than novel writing and just as enjoyable having produced about four hundred blogs, but I intend to finish the new novel which requires a lot more research.     

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