Le Havre and a brief detour to Rotterdam

Sunday 29^th February

Both watches were uneventful, still on manual steering.

Monday 1^st March

I only had to do one hour at the wheel as the visibility improved and we switched to automatic steering, my last hour just spent keeping a look out. Just before dinnertime we could see the famous ‘White cliffs of Dover’. By the afternoon watch we were nearing Le Havre. We had to anchor off for an hour to wait for the pilot who arrived at 19.30. We had just missed a chance to get in immediately by a few minutes as the ‘Newcastle Clipper’ got in just before us. We had heard it approaching over the VHF and were trying to beat it. I took the wheel for the last half hour of my watch and then went to ‘stations’ aft as we took a tug on and entered the locks. As the tug was slowing us down it managed to snap a 7” polypropylene rope. It was only the second time the rope had been used. After we had tied up and I had read my mail I turned in.

Tuesday 2^nd March

I worked the morning cargo watch till 15.00 when Billy took over till 22.00. I went ashore in the afternoon and realized how bad my French was! As we walked round admiring the town the town we kept stopping in every other baker’s shop to buy delicious French bread, to be eaten ‘en route’, to the next shop.

Wednesday 3^rd March

I worked the morning until 10.30 and then decided to pack all my bags as we were due in London tomorrow. It took me several attempts and was a classic example of having to sit on the case to close it. At 14.30 I went onto the bridge  to help the 2^nd Mate to test all the gear and prepare to sail at 15.00. At 14.50 the Captain rang the bridge saying orders had been changed and that we would be sailing to Rotterdam before London! As we left I kept the rough Bridge Log up-to-date before doing my spell on the wheel, a bit disappointed at not going home for a day or two.

Thursday 4^th March

As usual the Pilot was picked up during the 4 to 8 ( a notorious coincidence throughout the voyage) and he took us into the river. I have never seen so many cranes in all my life. It was very beautiful as we sailed up the river towards the sun rising behind the cranes.

As soon as the gangway was down, workers came teaming on board and started to clean up the damage in number 4. A team of men came on board to test all the fire alarms and service the extinguishers. In the afternoon I had to make an inventory of any equipment missing from the lifeboats and lift the boards out and see they were dry inside. At night I went ashore to the Seamen’s Mission to ring home and say why I would be late. My mother answered the phone and thought I was at the station waiting for a lift home! She got a shock when I told her that I was in Rotterdam.