Sunday in Waterford. Bells ringing and the faithful all in church. For the watchleaders it was a lazy start to the day. Fill in your watch cards, sort out the mess days, get to know each other. After 'smoko', we met with Steve Hicks the first mate, to talk through the coming weeks voyage and what was expected of us. Hammie the cook produced a great cold lunch. Then there was mayhem, The voyage crew started to arrive. We met and greeted them, took them to their bunks, got them signed on with the medical purser Tracy, issued them with wet gear, belts, and wellies!, then we started the safety training. We had intended to sail this evening, but there were a couple of late comers, and the departure was postponed to 7am the next morning. After dinner, a good crowd of us went ashore to a traditional Irish pub for the grog and rock and a rendition of the 'Leaving of Liverpool'. The Guinness and the Bushmills was in free flow as was the crack and the banter. But an early start meant an early night and the ship was a very quiet.
Mike Travis FWD PORT