From Fleetwood to the Wild Fulmar - Wed 8th October 1975

Fleetwood - Preston - London - Zagreb - Rijeka - Koper - Wild Fulmar - To sea

Left Fleetwood at 03.00 after 2 hours sleep and eight hours packing! Both my parents came with me to Preston station and as the train pulled out I wondered how long it would be before I would see them again. As we pulled in at London Euston half an hour early I thought it was a stop further up the line, looked out of the door in curiosity and got a sudden shock. As I staggered out into the waiting area I bumped into the other cadet who was joining the WILD FULMAR. After a bite to eat we shared a taxi to Heathrow. Whilst waiting for the flight we bumped into two other cadets who were at college with us. The one with Souter Brothers was joining an ice-breaker bound for Canada in Spain.

At last we got on the plane, A BEA111, and taxied down the runway at 11.50. It was the first time I had ever flown and I must admit I was feeling a bit apprehensive. My seat was by a window and the views were terrific until we climbed through the cloud. However, over the Alps the clouds cleared and the views were fantastic. We landed in Zagreb (Yugoslavia) at 14.05 and met the new 1st Mate, Refrigeration Engineer, 3rd Engineer and Wireless Operator and all but the Mate spent four of the six hours to wait in the town that was, on the whole, unimpressive.

 I realized why it had taken me two attempts to pass my French “O” level when ordering a meal in the airport restaurant but once on the table it was very good.

After a twenty-minute flight to Rijeka we were met by two Mercedes taxis which were meant for only four people. However, we all crammed in for the two-hour journey to Koper that included a ferry crossing balanced on the tailgate! Eventually after receiving dock passes from the local authorities, we boarded the Wild Fulmar at 00.05.