Southampton to King's Lynn ~ April/May 1998 
Remember when I said I was only going to do this tail ship sailing this just the once?
I got tempted again to do a bit of local waters sailing, be rude not to, plus I could give back by helping with the port visit weekend when we got to our destination.
The trip was not without its extra bit of surprise.
Day One ~ Getting Aboard
Thursday 30th Aprl 1998
What a day! Up at 0545 to get ready for Lynn and Dick to pick me up, not much anxiety yet? Got to Southampton in plenty of time and found somewhere for a cuppa and waited looking at the ship until embarkation time 1300. Hoisted aboard in the wheelchair and took stuff below, berth number 34 third cabin on the port side, I am in the Aft Port Watch same as last time. I persuade my sister to make my bunk and gave her the full tour of below deck, it is a lot more cramped and “friendly” than she thought. Surprise! Surprise! Gig and Brian from Portsmouth came to see me off, it was really nice to meet family who you normally only write to, but 1400 was approaching fast and I still had to unpack my kit into the small lockers.
Met Sue my buddy for the voyage, a really nice lady, sheis a care worker with MS and has three grown-up children.
At 1415 we were called to the Lower Mess for the usual meetings and greetings of the permanent crew and briefings, the general plan is to get to Antwerp by Monday. I met some of the people I sailed with last time, John the Captain, Nigel the Bosun’s Mate, Jo the Medical Purser, Piers the Second Mate, Derek a Watch Leader and there are some new crew to meet, mind you it is unusual to have a female as a First Mate but Barbara is great. Sue and I are the only girls in the watch and the rest of the guys seem very nice and no doubt I will know their names by the end of the week
Unpacked and up on deck ready for the off, warps let go at 1730 and we leave Southampton, bound for somewhere. Captain could not make up his mind whether or not to tack straight over to France or anchor somewhere for tonight and set off after breakfast at 0900. I was hoping for the second option so I could get some sleep, I did not fancy getting to bed at 0030. Surprisingly when we left Southampton and motored down the Solent the sun was shining but the wind had a cool edge and when we get out to sea it is going to be cold.
Dinner was pork chops with broccoli, leeks and potato’s with apple crumble to follow, Captain John came down to the Lower Mess just after dinner to tell us he had decided to anchor in Stokes Bay tonight – YES no watch tonight, can crawl into my pit and get warm, I had forgotten how drauvghty it is below decks.
But none of that until after the Evac Drill, as I am in a wheelchair, I sit in a transverse chair which can be clipped to hoisting gear quickly to pull me up the stairs onto the deck in as emergency, which is fine but if the bottom team are pushing and the top team are not pulling enough you get a rope around your neck!!
As we were all on deck after the drill it was Bracing Stations drill. A chance to test the old memory cells, could I remember the ropes and terms used – yes of course I could. Had a go at heaving the Main Royal Yard (that’s the horizontal pole at the top of the middle mast), it was surprisingly easy to pull round, but as all the yards have to come together, I had top make sure my pulling did not get ahead of the Main Course Yard (that’s the bottom one) which is the heaviest.
I am glad to be back yet still nervous and anxious about what the weather and the ships rolling will be like over the next eight days
Day TWO ~ Sail Away
Friday 1st May 1998
Up at 0730 dressed for breakfast, the daft thing is it took me 15 minutes to put my boots on! Rice Crispies and toast. After breakfast it was sail setting, spent time tailoring and tidying the ropes to the pins (the clew lines and bunt lines on the port side).
Oh the memories of numerous happy hours spent with the brasso, today polishing the wood with Mr. Sheen, a new addiction
As our watch was on the 1230 to 1600 we were early lunch, Cornish pastie with baked beans and salad. I was placed at the helm steering course 090` but the wind was trying to back the sails so we changed course to 130`. Piers was our Officer of the Watch and it was great to catch up on the gossip (far too spicy to print). While on watch it was my job to teach and supervise the novice crew in the art of helming this great ship.
A chance to get to know the watch better, Maurice and Deryk are Father and Son from Rutland, Brian who works in a Benedictine Monestary has bought his palmcorder so hopefully there will be a video by the end of the voyage, Roger a fellow Norfolkite. Chris a young man blinded after a motorcycle accident, Roy and ex-London Docker, Steve the baby of the watch a mere 22 year old who thought sailing would be less risky than skiing (silly fool), Sue and Myself and our beloved watch leader John who is the Rural Dean of North Portsmouth, (just my luck to get a vicar and he is wearing a bottle green jumper I hope this is not an omen). It turns out that John, Sue and Myself are the only ones who have sailed before.
It felt very familiar being back at the wheel, however it is so cold after watch I went to bed with all my clothes on so I could try and get warm.
Dinner, still shivering especially my legs, was roast chicken breast with carrots, peas and potatoes with chocolate pudding to follow. Quite a lot of people (mostly first-timers) are feeling the effects of the NNE winds. Captain John came to tell us what the plan is, we may push through the Dover Straits to calmer seas and maybe stop at Dunkirk or Calais but we may have to take in some sail and use the motors, as the wind is trying to push us further south than we want to go.
Anyway got the 0000 to 0400 watch so some sleep needed as the wake-up call is 2315.
Day three - Dunkirk, france
Saturday 2nd May 1998
Ready for the watch with time to spare, all trussed up in tee-shirt, sweatshirt, jumper, jacket, hat, gloves. harness even two pairs of socks an the hoofs. As there was to be some sail handling through the watch I was placed in the helm chair to take the wheel, which I did for around 11/2 hours. Numerous times I was the only one on the Bridge, as all hands were on deck to pull the ropes, the brain said better keep a lookout as well, but who could I tell if I saw anything, oh just concentrate on the compass.
Once the rufty tufty ones came back to the Bridge I was placed as starboard lookout but the wind was getting colder and really biting so I was pushed into the Chart House to study the radar for the racon bouys and bearings of other ships travelling up the separation channels. A couple of ships came a bit close (damn poxy PDV’s just because they are bigger than us), but there was not as much traffic as I thought there would be.
I was glad to come off watch a little after 0400 and it did not take long to strip and roll into the bunk and settle down listening to the swell crash against the hull which is just by my right ear-lobe.
I had not been asleep long before the rising swell turned solid sleep into a series of cat naps as you tried to brace yourself against the roll. I thought to myself there is no way I am going to be able to get up for breakfast, I could not balance lying down how the heck was I going to manage it standing up. Sue got up early and went on deck she was feeling a little icky, Jo came past and told me to stay there we will be docking in Dunkirk soon.
I got up as soon as we entered the estuary taking us to the harbour, it was flat enough. We had to come through a lock before we could get to our berth (just like the canal locks but a bit bigger). Within minutes of arriving the local news reports arrived to find a story and the Chaplin from the local Seamans Mission came to invite us to the bar and cheap telephone.
Lunch today was soup (made from last nights veg) with French platter and fresh bagettes. As I did not have to do the Anchor Watch on the first night I volunteered for Harbour Watch from 0400 to 0600 and on a Sunday too! The afternoon was spent reading the newspapers and talking to people as they came into the bar to wait for various people before heading off into town to see the sights.
Dinner tonight was steak and chips with mushrooms with fruit and ice cream for pudding. There were only eight of us in the lower mess, conversation strangely was about the war bombing and how no building is over fifty years old but the town is neatly planned. The evening was spent quietly in the bar, Sue feeling tired has already gone to bed, will follow her soon.
Monica was hurrying to the Ship and fell flat on her face, she has a lovely bruise, there is some fear that she may have a fracture and possible concussion. Tomorrow John the Doc is going to take her to the Hospital for an x-ray, if it's bad they will send her home.
I feel strangely settled but not looking forward to tomorrow as I am unsure what the weather will be like, will have to listen to the weather forecast and hope the sea swells stays low.
Day Four ~ aloft and almost overboard
Sunday 3rd May 1998
Tried to get some sleep before I went on watch at 0400 but despite the lights being out the returning revellers made quite a lot of noise so I just laid on my bunk and gave in, managed a couple of hours cat naps.
Up at 0330 on the Bridge just before 0400, not a lot to do just keep an eye on the mooring lines, gangway, decking, take down the shipping forecast (Humber, Thames, Dover NE 4-5 occasionally 6, rain at first, visibility moderate or good) so we may have to ail close to the wind again tomorrow. Lit the cookers, woke up the next watch and stumbled into bed just after 0600.
I slept well until somebody said “Getting up for breakfast”, where was my wake up call!! The wheelchairs were hoisted aloft the Main Mast causing quite a stir to the local people who were driving past in their cars (I remained firmly on the ground this time). Smoko by the Main Mast included fresh baked biscuits, yummy, conversation hovered on the sea swell and the novice sailors hoping it would be a lot more settled, I did’nt have the heart ti tell them we would be having more of the same.
Lunch had a choice, ham and pineapple or mushroom and pepper pizza with salad and coleslaw, it had just about settled in the tum before it was all hands on deck to cast off the warps and away at 1315. We had a gentle motor down the estuary, a lot of us were taking advantage of the quiet time to catch up on some sleep and I was just about asleep when I felt the open sea sway start up.
The sea swell was really starting to push with waves as high as 18 feet, up in the Upper Mess for dinner, roast beef with Yorkshire pudding, beans, cauliflower and roast potatoes, the swell was pushing us around so much I had to get Mark (the cooks assistant) to cut my meat.
It took two people to wheel me to the Bridge because of the swell and I was strapped into the helming chair to do my usual stint. I had already finished assisting Maurice (who is in a wheelchair) and was taking Brian through the routine. I was beginning to get the feel of the sea, riding it quite nicely and ready to assist Roger with his helming, when a massive swell tipped the ship to starboard and the helming chair broke away from its fixings. There we were John, Roger, Steve, wrapped around me trying to keep balance, keep me balanced and put the chair steady so I could be lifted out and all I could think about while I was rolling uncontrollably as I watched my left foot in the air was “Don’t put your foot through the wheel”, John lifted me back into my chair where I remained roped to the superstructure as starboard lookout.
Barbara came rushing up to the Bridge and stood staring at the base plate and simply said “wow”, Piers however said “it must have been something to do with her weight”. I am going to be remembered through the annals of JST history as the girl who broke the helming chair. Well the wind was gusting up to 35 knots NNE, steering 070’, sea state must have been a 5.
After things started to quieten down and settle, Captain John came onto the Bridge and said” I hear you tried to leave us early, I am very glad you did’nt. It took Steve and Roger 15 minutes to wheel me back to my cabin, as the swell below decks in the bar was terrible. Anyway they locked the chair in with the Unwin straps and I got undressed just throwing my clothes down the bottom of the bunk. I drew the lee sheet up very tight and now as 2115 I am writing up the days events.
The news of my flying adventure has spread around very quickly, my fate is sealed. To top the day off I have clouted my elbow, scraped my fore arm and grazed my knuckles – I want danger money for this!
Lying in my bunk with my stomach and thigh muscles doing a really strenuous workout I feel todays watch has been the best and the worst ever, but please do not ask me to explain it I would not know where to start.
Now if you do not mind I am going to try and sleep before the anchour is dropped at 0000, heaved back at 0530 and I get up for early breakfast at 0630 as we are back on watch again from 0800 for the trip up the estuary to Antwerp to arrive around midday.
Night night everybody night night
Day Five ~ antwerp, belgium
Monday 5th May 1998
Whether the events of last night were on my mind but I did not have a very good nights sleep. The anchor was dropped at 0000 as we sheltered in a bay and was heaved up again at 0530 so we could start our way up the estuary to Antwerp. I woke up twice because my knees were cold, no other parts were cold, just the knees and I could not work out why
Our watch was on early breakfast so up in the Upper Mess for cornflakes (no rice crispies) and watching the industrial plants go by. Up on the Bridge I was parked on the starboard side making a note of the time as we passed the numbered bouys. Slowly the industrial plants gave way to beautiful countryside complete with cattle and wind farms, a mixture of ancient and modern. The river was busy with traffic, as the cargo vessels came passed us their crews looked somewhat bewildered as Belgium as an active reclamation policy.
Happy hour saw me reunited with the brasso, buffing up the various brass name plates, oh I remember this very well. While the others scrubbed the decks, all the time poor Steve was taking helming instructions from Piers or John or Barbara. Gradually we approached the harbour, well in the centre of town with quite a crowd to greet us.
Lunch was sausage roll and chips with salad, which was most welcome, the conversation topic had to be my vandalism!! I did not think much about the brevity of the situation at the time but people kept saying “She was very lucky being such a little weight that she is” and things like “That could have been very nasty”. After lunch I had to fill in all the details about my accident in the Officers Log.
The ships deck is open to the public this afternoon for a couple of hours, which is a bit of a rum do, all sunbathing moved to the quayside under clear blue skies and warming relaxing sunshine. What is Belgium for Hello?
After the general banter was over people started to get changed to go ashore and I took advantage of a long hot shower. I went to the shower in just my knickers and a tee-shirt with my towel over my shoulders, someone wolf whistled as I went past, I don’t know who it was but I have a pretty good idea. The shower was lovely although my clean knickers fell on the floor and got wet, so I had to walk back to my cabin with my wet towel around my bottom – I don’t know how I do it but whenever I have a shower something always falls on the floor and gets wet.
I sorted out the mess of my cabin and wrote up my log before thinking about going ashore for dinner, well I had to hide all the goodies that I had bought from the ship shop! While up on deck I had a conversation with a Belgium gentleman about the ship and he looked a bit puzzled as to why people would do such a thing (if only we could ever answer the question).
In the bar I thought I would wash the dirty glasses and tidy up as I knew we had people from the local support group coming that evening, what a mistake, Captain John came through, saw me washing-up and asked if I could give the woodwork a quick polish, two happy hours in one day that’s a bit much!
Rumours were beginning to circulate about John the Doc and a telephone card. Apparently he had bought a telephone card in order to call home but when he put it into the slot it got stuck, it was the wrong type of telephone. However, that did not stop the Doc from trying to retrieve the card, first try, brute force but that did not work, they tried to prize it out with Rach’s metal nail file but that did not work either. The last I saw was Beccie grabbing her Bosuns tool band and heading off.
A little after 1800 (1900 local time) we met up I the Lower Mess and headed off into town for dinner. The local cathedral looked beautiful with its gold clock and clean stone. The cobbled alleyways were lined with restaurants specialising in fish, muscles and oysters, as well as Pizza Hut and Mac Donalds.
As we were crossing the main square we ran into John the Doc, how was it going? Got your card back? No, but he had found out the telephone number to reverse charge calls to England! Giggles were had by all as we thought of how to explain things if he was arrested.
We (8 of us) chose as Italian Restaurant where the menu was in Italian and Belgian (anyone got a phrase book). I had Spaghetti Napoli which was incredibly tasty and we shared a bottle of Cianti, Chris had a pizza, watching it being made was quite a floor show. As a group we have really started to bond, again my flying trip was talked about, as was the formula one racing season, the debate about Senna’s death, places we have visited and enjoyed food and all sorts of nonsense and of course what the winds will do over the next few days. The poor little waiter (with a nice bum), who was serving our table was very friendly and helpful, asked where we had come from and when we said the ship quickly went to get the other waiters and the chef to tell them, it caused quite a stir.
Roger gave me the tinsel decoration from his ice-cream pudding but I could not persuade anybody to buy me a red rose – aghh aghh. As head of the table I was charged with sorting out the bill, once we had sorted out who had what and how they were paying (some paying in Belgian Francs and others in Sterling), then the great debate of what to leave as a tip.
Once the bill was paid they bought us an after dinner liquour on the house and wished us well for the rest of the voyage. They brought Maurice’s and my wheelchair back to the table calling one the Ferrari and one the Lambourgini. He shook hands with the boys and kissed the girls – what charmers.
We raced back to the ship as some of the watch had to be on harbour watch from 2200. It is a little after 2235 now and I am off to get some sleep. We are leaving here tomorrow and we are all wondering whether or not the weather will be nasty or nice, cold or warm, NE or SW.