Journey at Sea

Tryst With The Sea

The call came at 10 am. on the 13th of June 2014. I was to fly to Bhuj and then onwards by car to Kandla, to join my husband on the ship.

So began my journey.

It was flawless reaching Kandla Port. Memories of an early time came flooding back. Nothing much seemed to have changed and the Port looked the same as it did, those many years ago. Try as I might, I could not take any pictures of the port as it was not allowed. Although once I reached inside the port there were no such restrictions.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

A few Officers were joining with me so we all got into this Tug, where we were told that it would take us at least five to six hours to reach the ship.

The tug seemed as old as a Dhow. The cabin where we were asked to sit had places to sit but with ten of us and our luggage got extremely cramped. Within ten minutes I asked the captain of the tug if I could sit out on deck. Fortunately he gave me a stool to sit out on deck behind the steering house and finally we set of.

As we boarded in the evening it became quite dark. The sea, given the time of the year, was not calm at all.

As soon as we reached the open waters, the tug bobbed away at every wave that hit it. Managing to sit and hold on to the railing for support was quite a humorous sight.

There were two first time cadets with us, and I could see there discomfort, even though they tried their best to hide it.

As there were a few hours to kill, I looked around the tug. The state from inside was truly appalling, to say the least.The living conditions were terrible. I was later explained that as no one actually lives on the tug, it is not usually cleaned.The journey took  five hours, where I got to know the officers and we could keep a steady conversation going. 

My first sighting of the ship, took my breath away. There it stood with a warm glow around it, as though beckoning us to be there. As it was dark she was lit up and the ships reflection into the water created quite a beautiful picture.

As we drew nearer, we all started wondering, how we were going to get on the ship. The swell of the sea made our little boat bob up and down so much that it was impossible to get on to the ship's gangway. After a lot of tries, it was decided that we would be picked up by the crane that was being used to discharge coal on the ship. It was only once we reached the barge which was being used to store the coal that we were or rather I was in for another surprise. I think it is best explained by the picture I took.

On the far right was our boat. We were to jump from the boat to the first barge then the second and then on to the crane platform. This picture was taken in daylight. It was 8 pm. when we were boarding the ship. Even though the barges were tied up alongside each other, there was a gap of about 2 feet between them. This was the first time that I had to face anything like this. I have climbed up pilot ladders which are basically rope ladder lying vertical from the ship side but never anything like this. With my heart in my mouth leaping from one barge to the next, I was finally onto the crane platform. The crane then was fitted with an iron basket, enough to carry three people. This took me up and onto the ship. It was quite an exhilarating experience.

The days on the ship flew past and soon I was to be leaving the ship. 

Weather conditions, in the mean time had gone from bad to worse. The day I was to leave the winds were blowing at 40 knots and the swell of the sea was between 6 to 7 mtrs. I was dreading venturing out from the comfortable confines of the accommodation. Unfortunately as the ship was going to sail the next day, I had to leave her from the anchorage itself. There I was donning a life jacket and out on the main deck.

The scenario was not a pleasant one at all. Due to rough conditions the platform with the crane had developed a hole on its side and had to be taken to shore. The only way for me to go ashore was on this platform.

Once again the crane was fitted with the basket, with me in it. Only this time there was no exhilaration. 

As the basket rose high, the wind thought of giving us a joy ride. It made it swing from side to side and turn round and round.

I have never been fond of roller coasters or the spinning wheels in parks, but there I was, eyes tightly shut, heart thudding loudly, holding on to the metal rail of the basket for dear life. After a lot of maneuvering, we finally reached the platform. I would like to add that from the ship to the platform it was a drop of about 20 mtrs. There was another officer with me while going back and we were immediately asked to get into the accommodation for safety.

Watching from the outside of the accommodation which was at a height from the platform, I could see that two tugs had been tied to one another and then to the platform. 

Moving the platform away from the ship was quite smooth. The platform was listed at one end due to the hole in its side, but the Captain assured me that it would not be a problem. The waves kept coming on to the platform but otherwise it was quite steady and I could busily take pictures.

Suddenly there was a jolt and a huge wave came crashing on to the platform. It was so big that it sprayed onto the accommodation too. I could see a lot of commotion and the crew running hither, thither. The rope tied to the tug which was pulling us had broken. The crew was trying to tie the platform to the other tug but unfortunately it got stuck in its propeller and had to be cut.

Here we were in the middle of the sea, 20 miles from shore, at 730 in the evening, completely adrift, with no help in sight and darkness falling.

Being adrift also meant that we were at the mercy of the wind and the waves. The waves were coming on now with gusto, huge waves which hit the platform taking away anything that was loose on it. Barrels of Diesel, ropes and such loose items just got washed out to sea. The crew was desperately trying to secure things but the force of the waves was such that two of the crew got thrown from one end of the platform to another. Luckily they could hold on to an immovable structure on the platform and were saved. Of course they were badly bruised and the next day had to be taken to the hospital for treatment.

I overheard the Captain speaking in a hushed voice about how anxious he was because I was on board. He was frantically calling other tugs in the vicinity.

The situation was getting out of control. The platform which held the crane was already listed to the left. The huge mammoth crane was also on the left side. Due to the continuous pounding of the waves and water entering through the hole in its side, there was every chance of the platform capsizing.

It was a dark an eerie night. Dark clouds in the sky, obliterating the moon and stars. Stormy winds,waves so huge as if they would and did swallow anything and everything that came into their way.

After about two hours of being thoroughly beaten by the angry forces of nature, a tug did come to our rescue and slowly we made progress towards the shore.

The journey which was supposed to take us three hours, took almost seven hours.

I must say the captain, never lost his cool even once. I remember his remark " It is the first time that I have faced such a huge problem, there have been problems before but nothing like this on." The way he guided his crew was exemplary. What was even more amazing was that, through all the chaos, there was a hot meal ready for everyone. It was such a relief to actually sit down steady in one place without being thrown round. 

Reaching shore and standing on my feet on land was an emotion I cannot really put, in a word or sentence.

Till today however, I cannot understand the feeling that had come over me that night. Was it acceptance? Was it a realisation that panic would get me nowhere? Or was it just a belief that we would make it safely to shore. Strangely enough, as I sat there observing the mayhem, a deathly calm had befallen over me. I who is so scared of the deep waters, was sitting perfectly still, with thoughts of family and friends flashing through my mind.

I remembered reading a poem and how perfectly it fitted in, with the situation.

Wild Stormy Sea
by Elpis

Billowing winds, skimming the surface of the dark gray sea.

Churning the water, forceful and wild.

A distant howling, the promise of an untethered force.

Swirling mute skies, the storm approaches.

Gathering pace, gathering noise.

Waves rising higher, crashing from their peak,

to the foamy wash below.

She will take no prisoner's, have no mercy.

Arc's of silver flash in the distance,

into the depth's of the angry sea.

A building crescendo of deep, growling,

closer, closer.

Mother nature, she reigns supreme,

ethereal, powerful, a universal queen.