Day 11: “But what a ship is… is freedom”

This morning we are now UTC -2, so we could sleep in for another hour before breakfast. This morning’s breakfast consisted of toast with Feta and cream. A somewhat unusual combination, but the guys made the most of it by using flat bread with jam and cream. The new breakfast waffle! After that I spent the morning sorting out photographs and videos. I am collecting from everyone so we have a complete set of our adventure.

One of the crew brought out his videos of the night of the rescue and he has some excellent footage. It brings back the drama of that evening, but for me it reminds me of the great boat we had the sadness of losing here so soon. The afternoon Shaun and myself played solitaire on my PC, something I have not done for years.

It is really boring at present and I can’t wait to get off. We have just heard that we will not go directly into port but will probably lay anchor while the captain’s body is removed and statements are taken. The suggestion is that this will take a few days, so it seems we will only get ashore on Sunday or Monday at this rate.

My quote of the day is somewhat ironic:

“What a ship is, you know, it’s not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails, that’s what a ship needs.  But what a ship is… is freedom.” Captain Jack Sparrow

This very true if it’s of your own choice I assume – but when you are through onto an island like we are, one spends the day like caged animals pacing around the ship trying to imagine a way out.

Today we started to see some life out here in our soup bowl. Early afternoon a ship on the horizon and in the early evening another one. The sightings seemed to excite everyone including the crew of the Golafruz. The crew have become our friends and I am sure that they will miss us when we leave. It’s amazing the comradery that has built up over the few days we have been here. Out here everyone is equal, and country and politics have no place.

The latest is that we will go into port straight away and they claim that they will load and be back at sea in 3 days. It’s a tough life as a merchant seamen. We had some further pictures taken with everyone, as has become the ritual daily. I can’t wait for a beer and steak!