Christmas at sea

[Finkenwerder]

Maybe not the best but certainly the most tense, well leading up to it anyway.*Birchbank*1977, December 24th, completing loading at Durban for France and Italy on Chargeurs Reunis charter. Agent ascertained that East London had one vacant berth on Christmas Day, he also advised that a Messagerie Maritime ship also in Durban, also completing that day and also after the East London berth! We finished first and got away first but the unmistakeable shape of the black painted MM ship was getting ever closer in the dark. 3rd and 2nd Mates kept an eye on the radar distance but there was no doubting that she had the edge on us and would get by eventually. Don Young, the Master got the Chief to pile on all the revs he could. Would we make it?*

Ironically, we had a charterer's French supercargo with us who visited the MM ship in Durban, partly to mix with some of his own countrymen but mainly to cadge some French cheese off them! He forecast that they would get to East London first. Whoever failed would have to anchor off and roll for two or three days.

The pilots put out a VHF broadcast stating that they would take one ship in if it arrived at or before 1000. Don Young answered immediately stating that we would be there at 0945. THe MM ship made no reply for a few minutes but then claimed it would be there at 0945 also! The pilot said whoever got there first would get the pilot.

Now I don't know whether it was luck or just those few extra revs but we got the pilot at around 1000, got berthed and had a great Christmas Dinner plus an extra day off on the 26th.

On Christmas afternoon whilst walking off the meal we watched the MM ship rolling quite heavily outside East London. There but for the grace of God....