Quote:
Originally Posted by Engine Serang
Did you carry a Doctor? or a Nurse?
|
Both, dear fellow, plus around 100 passengers and a slightly greater number of crew. Sailed on Tuesday afternoon for a nine-day trans-Atlantic crossing, passing through the Azores to arrive Bridgetown, Barbados on a Thursday morning, where we spent 8 to 10 hours at anchor. The Royal Mail and departing passengers went ashore by boat, and any passengers that were joining for other ports of call came aboard the same way.
Then overnight at sea, to arrive in Port of Spain, Trinidad early on the Friday morning. There we spent half a day alongside (and the dhobi was done by the Trinidad Steam Laundry - an opening for you there ES if you had a steam ticket). Passengers and any general cargo were landed and passengers for Jamaica or the UK joined.
Left there in the evening and spent Saturday and Sunday at sea en route Kingston, Jamaica, where we bunkered and then landed passengers and general cargo on the Monday morning.
Sailed late Monday or Tuesday morning and visited various places along the North coast of Jamaica (e.g. Bowden/Port Morant, Oracabessa, Ocho Rios, Montego Bay and occasionally others) loading bananas, normally finishing up on Tuesday morning in Port Antonio. There we completed loading bananas and took on board passengers for the UK, sailing later that evening to arrive Southampton or Avonmouth on Sunday, after a 10-day great-circle Atlantic crossing via the Grand Banks. Depending on arrival time, passengers were landed either that day or on Monday morning. Discharging the banana cargo commenced on the Monday and was completed by the following Monday, so she was ready to sail for Barbados again next day.
Roughly 28 day trips to the Caribbean with 10 days back in the UK every trip. Good accommodation, absolutely first class food, cocktail parties, films and horse racing in the passenger lounge, swimming pool, plenty of ladies - what could persuade anyone to leave that ship? Just one thing, sadly MIMCo needed my sterling services elsewhere and they paid my wages, so that most definitely could persuade me.