Travelblog from Schwann-at-sea - Chapter 5 - Days
Schwann CyberShaman
ship, the crew, and my fellow passengers. Got a good connection with Willy, the 2nd engineer, who
says he'll try and get this journal out via email tomorrow, so I've been preparing something to
amaze and astound usenet. Eat this blog from deep Atlantic, a.r.k.
Thursday 11th Day 5: Another peaceful day. I worked in the afternoon on my book, and, like this
ship, it is hopefully going somewhere. I should note that being at breakfast with the Captain and my
fellow passengers at 8.00 AM in the morning is, IMHO, an ungodly hour of the morning for pleasantry
and I have therefore given notice to Russel, my cabin steward, to include me out for breakfast
tomorrow. Tried watching Charlie's Angels but when they bailed out of a plummeting truck from a dam
wall then jumped into their helicopter, which had also fallen off the bridge with them, I decided
that it was too fantastic - even for me. I mean Cameron Diaz is lovely to look at, but there are
limits. Then I tried watching '13', but when I was rewinding the tape I saw a young girl cutting
herself with a scissors so I didn't care to watch any more. I've been sleeping well, so this isn't a
problem.
Friday 12th Day 6: The endless novelty of sea and sky continues. I skip breakfast as planned and
spend most of the day trying to get offworld in my cabin.
Saturday 13th Day 7: Did breakfast today because there was a safety drill at 10.20 AM and I didn't
feel like waking up to the sound of that emergency hooter again. After returning from breakfast I
laze out on the couch before leaving the cabin attired in my life vest. On third deck they call out
our names and tell us what we have to do in case we have to abandon ship. The lifeboats take more
than sixty people each but there are less than fifty peeps on board. After the drill I go up to the
bridge to check our position and monitor the situation. We're doing 21 knots today, which is the
fastest we've been since we left. The sea is a pond. No change. Tonight I believe that we're going
to eat supper on third deck, which will be a pleasant change from the dining room where you can't
see the sun setting. It's Saturday night so maybe they'll open a container full of dancing girls?
Meantime, I'm starting to look forward to getting to Tenerife, where the solar observatory is
located n
ear the main vent of the dormant volcano. I have a letter of introduction from SALT (South African
Large Telescope) so this should be a cinch:)
Ends: Saturday 1.00PM
Sunday 14th Day 8: It's obvious that I skipped breakfast, having no wish to try and be clever at
8.00 AM in the morning for the freshly shaved Captain and cheery passengers. I've taken the POV that
the mornings belong to me and even though my fellow travelers may think I'm strange, this is good
enough for me. I have a good day, writing sci-fi and staring out of the window at the weather, which
is always novel and interesting. The afternoons are long though, and if one is not gainfully
employed, or used to being entertained, I suppose this could also be perdition. However, in my case
I'm finding it very relaxing as there is no one telling me what to do, only when to eat, and I can
put up with that for another few days without a problem. There only two single girls on board. They
are cadets. The one other girl is the beautiful second officer's wife who is studying to be a
teacher. Those lucky 6 year olds! Meantime, the two girls eventually muster up enough courage to
approach m
e and ask me to take some pictures of them that they can get by email. No problem. I meet them
outside the bridge but they want to take the shots down by the swimming pool. It's interesting to
talk to young people with the lives before them from the vantage point of age. I told them that I'd
rather be 20 than have all my toys, but they didn't look convinced. Sometimes it's tough being a
teenager in an old man's body. The sun is going down much later now, so after a buffet supper with
passengers and crew, I decide to take a 200 meter stroll up to the bow to watch the sun go down.
Taking just the still camera, a Fuji 6.02 with super wide-angle lense, I get to the bow in perfect
weather. Lots of cloud cover, but the sun finding its way through the multiple layers to provide
suitable illumination for the end of day 8. At about this time, I hear a blowhole noise, and am
fortunate to quickly spot a whale taking some sky. Keeping my eyes peeled, I manage to watch it
surface one mor
e time before the ship's mechanical process outdistances the whale's biological propulsion system.
I guess it's pretty obvious from the previous sentence that I've been writing lots of sci-fi, huh?
After I return from scoping the bow, I decide to treat myself to Star Trek, which finishes up what's
left of my energy.
Monday 15th Day 9: I reclaimed my sleeping pattern, so I rise only after ten. Take a bath, hang out
for a bit, then remember that we're supposed to be somewhere off Dakar today and close enough to get
cell phone reception. In great excitement, I dig the cell phone out of the bottom of my kit and
charge upstairs to 'Monkey Island', a large area full of radar and aerials located on the roof above
the bridge. This is the highest point in the ship and in a high wind it can get scary up here. There
are steep drops on all sides but the view is awesome. I'm fortunate to find someone up there already
with a cell phone and he tells me to hit double plus on my nokia and then the number. This is a
great piece of info and I immediately track down my daughter who updates me on what's happening.
Unfortunately my home phone is unanswered, nor does my wife answer her cell phone, but this does not
stop me from phoning Azmazz and Louise, nor does it stop Simon from phoning me as the word got a
round fast that I was online. During my call from Simon, the ship's main hooter, situated a few
meters from where I was crouched on Monkey Island, went off. Hell, my ears are still ringing as I
type this, but I wonder what it sounded like on the other side for Simon?. Hopefully, I'll be in Las
Palmas, and Tenerife, the day after tomorrow, so this may be the last transmission from this ship.
Next time I should be at the solar observatory on top of the third largest volcano in the world,
Mount Teide, Tenerife. And let's not forget the romantic sojourn with my wife, nor the entertaining
of my four year old, Ariel, who says she'll swim with the dolphins with me in the warm waters off
the Canary Islands. Schwann out!
Ends Monday 15th 2.00 PM
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For those of you that missed chapter 4, due to usenet, or posting problems, I'm including the first
part of this epic sea voyage again...
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Repost of Chapter 4: (Back one week from now)
Sunday, June 6th 2004
It wasn't easy cramming my studio into a suitcase so it took me nearly
two months and without the help of Daene I would probably have missed
the boat but I was nearly ready by the time the driver arrived. 10.00 AM
Sunday. This was not to be the only time on Sunday I was to be grateful
not to be traveling by air, but more on that later.
The ship is berthed at Milnerton container terminal and boarding is no
problem, until I discover that my wife hadn't packed my Berry Blaze or
toothpaste. With a bit of cell phone persuasion she drops off the
missing objects but not too long after that I unpack my photographic
equipment but to my horror I find that I've left all my vidcam batteries
behind. Another call, this time to my daughter, solves this and within
an hour I have the batteries. Like I said, I'm lucky to be traveling by
sea. No way you get service like that at an airport.
Some hours after the battery problem I discover that I'm watching
containers getting loaded from 20 ft away because my cabin faces forward
and I've got a grand stand seat of the proceedings. I take the
opportunity to film the loading of scores of containers which I already
know will make a great scene when speeded up. Did I mention the three
other passengers, the purser, steward or the Captain? Well I had
interaction with all of them, not that I was invited into the Captain's
cabin, I just sort of wondered in because the door was open. How was I
to suspect that he's got the cabin next door to me? Yes folks, this is a
60,000 ton container ship and there are only four passengers on board.
I've been fantasing that this sea trip is like boarding a star ship, the
Nostromo, to be exact. Now it's only 10.30 PM but I'm trying to change
my routine by going to sleep early. See you in 57 years?
Monday 7th June Day 2: It isn't like I get up early at home, but I'm
woken sometime before 7.00AM by loud unidentifiable noises. I try
ignoring them and am almost back into dreamland when there's a loud
knock on my door. Not sure what's up, I croak out; "Come in" but that
doesn't get me any reaction so try going back to Club Duvet, blissfully
unaware that 'general quarters' had just been sounded. My wife has
always told me that we could get robbed and I'd sleep through it, let's
just hope that the next time I hear that sound will be in the movies,
and not hundreds of miles out to sea. Sleep broken, I struggle into
yesterdays clothes in the strange environment I've abruptly been woken
into. I'm on a giant container vessel somewhere off the West coast of
Africa but what is going down? Making my way down a few flights of
wobbly stairs I eventually make it to the dining room come bar/lounge.
The purser is dressed in a boiler suit and he tells me that there's been
a 'fire', but it's 'nothing for me to worry about'. It doesn't exactly
explain why the ship is now leaning heavily to one side. Sometime after
breakfast I make my way up to the bridge where I find out the real story
from one of the bridge crew. One of the 'chippies', a term for junior
seaman, has gone missing during the night and in case I didn't know it
we've turned around and are steaming south to look for him. I understand
why the ship is leaning so heavily to the side. It's because we're
60,000 tons and we're in a hard turn. This is terrible news. I run
downstairs, grab my binoculars and join the watch. There's also a search
going on aboard in case he's just holed up somewhere but unfortunately
no trace of the missing seaman is found and after some hours of futile
searching we turn around and head north again. Word has it that no one
can last more than an hour in these waters but that doesn't stop me from
thinking about falling two hundred feet into a cold ocean. We're a
hundred miles from nearest land so it's understood that he doesn't have
a chance. The rest of the day is somewhat somber. The officers don't
chat and the crew are busy checking and re-checking every part of the
ship. After lunch I pass out on the couch in my luxury cabin, not sure
what I should be thinking about.
Supper begins with an introduction to our Captain and officers, and a
general clearing of the air regarding their lost shipmate ensues. It's
obvious that no one can just 'fall off' a ship as steady as this, so
it's just as obvious that either he jumped, or was pushed. No one wants
to think that there's a serial killer on board so we all agree that he
must have had bad personal problems to want to end his life like this.
Alone in my dark cabin, I'm not too worried because I'm an optimist and
time is always in the present, but I've double-locked my door.
Tuesday 8th June Day Three: The 'Transit of Venus' promises a new age,
complete with love, compassion and understanding, maybe even some
wisdom. This is why I wake more than an hour before breakfast, which is
at 8.00 PM. I've slept surprisingly well on the shuddering pillow of the
night and after a quick breakfast make it up to the bridge, complete
with camera gear, solar glasses and lens from an ill-fated attempt to
view the total eclipse of the sun, back in December 2002, but that's
another story. The shoot goes well and I get to film some cadets looking
up into the sun with the yellow glasses. The lens works well with the
binoculars as well as the cam and I clearly see the black dot of Venus
crossing the sun. This takes up most of the morning, after which is
lunch. I can see it's going to be an effort eating continuously on
schedule but will take this as it comes. In the afternoon I decide to go
on a hike to the front of the ship and do some photography. Packing
everything I think I'll need, including spare clips for both cameras,
both tripods and something to drink, I make my way to the bow. Hell,
it's only 175m forward, but there are six flights of metal stairs plus
lot's of greasy handrails. No biggie, except for the view from upfront.
It's just as well that I applied suntan lotion before going because the
weather is turning hot. I think I got some great footage and my jeans
got greased, but in the edit who knows. Coming back to the cabin after
two hours on deck wasn't as claustrophobic as I thought it would be
because my cabin is really huge and faces directly forward over the bow.
I've arguably got the best view on the boat outside the bridge, which is
not surprising because the bridge is above me, one floor up. Shaving
lightens my load, and I even get to write some sci-fi before supper,
which wasn't anything to write home about so I'll stop here for the day.
One more thing, they set the clocks back one hour but how does that
affect you if time is always in the present?