I hope the weather in the UK is improving as I’m
finally homeward bound, West Africa is receding over the horizon and next bit
of land I expect to sea will be Gibraltar on 21st April. Our next
port of call will be Fos-sur-Mer, then it will be Valencia, Sete and finally
Marseille on 29th April.
Once again we were delayed in Cotonou, the West African
beaurocracy machine went into overdrive! The original order was for 29
containers of yellowcake to be shipped, but as we were due to berth the vessel
to load only 23 containers of yellowcake could be located. Under normal
circumstances it wouldn’t take long to locate 6 containers, but this is West
Africa. If the paperwork is wrong then somebody somewhere wants a payment to
correct the paperwork; so for another 3 days we sat and waited. However you
have to worry; in Lome (just 60 miles up the coast in Togo) 30 tonnes of mortar
shells went out of the dock gate unaccounted for, and now in Benin there is 90
tonnes of uranium ore missing. And all of this is just 120 miles from Nigeria
which is about to become the next hot-bed of Al-Quaeda activity; and you’re all
worried about North Korea………
Cotonou, Benin; The Holiday Resort
Cotonou is a strange
place! It has a couple of beautiful white sandy beaches, there is a lively surf
breaking up both beaches; there is even a hotel right next to the port with its
own private beach. With the correct marketing and a little bit of advertising
this could be an ideal holiday destination. The climate is superb, a very warm
30˚C,
manageable humidity and a lovely breeze off the Gulf of Guinea to keep things
cool. Instead this place is classed as one of the highest risk areas in West
Africa, only Nigeria is classed higher! And this hotel is very close to the port and
just a short walk from the very lively market place; over Easter when they had
the beach party we could hear, this is where it was held.
West African Organisation
We finally did get alongside in
Cotonou to load the containers of Yellowcake; however there weren’t 23, nor 29;
but 28 containers! So take a big sigh of relief, there is only 15 tonnes of
uranium ore missing; phew! However, watching the loading of these containers
was very amusing. In my days at Seatruck, we could discharge 110 containers and
load another 110 containers in around 3 hours; so you would think 28 containers
would be a doddle! Oh no, we sat and watched as containers came on, were
secured, moved, unloaded, reloaded, secured , moved, re-secured and finally
after 5 hours they were satisfied with the result. It was of no concern that
the ship was listed 10˚ to
starboard as they had put most of the containers on one side. And then it was
time to leave…..
“This is Blue; I want a Yellow one!”
What is it with Africa and colours?
In Dakar we had the fun and games with the Port Agents Peugeot being the wrong
colour; and in Cotonou it was the Port Release papers. The stevedores were
finally off the ship, the stern door was closed, the engine was running, the
tugs were standing by and the pilot was on-board; and then the pilot said we
couldn’t leave because he had to have the yellow copy of the papers, not the
blue copy. And so began a search for the yellow copy of the papers, it took a
further hour to get correct copy on-board and then get the tugs to come back.
Maestro Sea
And here is a picture of the mv
Maestro Sea, in all of her “post-refit” glory. Built in 1986 as “Mercantile Sea
III” she has traded as mv Express for a long period of time in the Caribbean
Sea and more recently on charter to Van Uden running from Immingham to Egypt,
Libya, Lebanon and Syria. She is currently on charter to Delmas running from
Valencia, Livorno, Sete and Marseille to Dakar, Abidjan, Lome, Cotonou, Malabo,
Bate and Doula.
Beer
I am rather partial to the
occasional ice cold beer, as some of you know; however for a very long time
most of the ships I have worked on have been dry. So it is a refreshing change
to find a company that trusts its employees to enjoy a beer, in moderation
obviously. What is not so refreshing is to find that although I’m allowed to
enjoy a beer, I cannot because we have run out! Unbelievable, 17 days remaining
of the trip and there is no beer left on-board!
Beer is not the only items we are
running short of, we also lack fresh fruit, vegetables, salad and water. They
only planned for a five-week voyage not the seven weeks it will take.
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner may
be coming true after all; although I don’t recall killing an albatross on the
voyage south.
’Day
after day, day after day, we stuck nor breath nor motion.
As
idle as a painted ship upon a painted ocean.
Water,
water everywhere and all the boards did shrink.
Water,
water everywhere nor any drop to drink.’
Samuel Coleridge Taylor, The Rime
of the Ancient Mariner
Wine Tasting Notes
Andimar Vino Tinto; what can we
say? Its red, its bland, its 10% by vol and it comes in a Tetrapak box. I have
absolutely no idea what grape it comes from, except its red (probably). I also
know that any wine that comes in a tetrapak is probably best avoided, or used
for cooking; however this little number has two saving graces. One, its all we
got and, two, it costs $2 a box!
“Another glass, Chief?” “Don’t mind if I do,
cheers!”
Next week I’ll review the Vino Blanco.
“Out of Africa” Barbecue
One of the
things destined to bring about a change in the weather is a barbecue! Five
weeks on-board and I haven’t seen a drop of rain, so on the day the crew
decided to throw the “Out of Africa” barbecue you can guess what the weather
was like! Oh, yes, just like in the UK a barbecue is guaranteed to bring the
dark skies and rain; and when it rains in Africa it absolutely throws it down!
It’s still 28°C mind…
However our spirits were not to be
dampened, as we all enjoyed a bit of roast pig; found the last of the beer and
the sun did eventually shine very late on. The crew entertained us with a
karaoke show and despite being primed with the last of the beer, the very bad red
(and even worse) white wine I resisted the temptation to have another go at
Celine Dion’s Titanic theme tune.
… And finally…
And this week’s birthday mention goes to Miss Megan Walker,
who turns into a teenager on Tuesday 16th April! Where has the time
gone? Have a very happy birthday Megan.
This week, from the Galley we have a special guest…
The Cabbage!
The green-leafy vegetable is high in nutrition and very low in fat and
calories. It is an excellent source of vitamin C and natural antioxidant, which
helps protect against breast, colon and prostate cancers. Cabbage also helps
reduce 'bad cholesterol' i.e. LDL levels in the blood.
Spicy Stir-Fried Cabbage
Ingredients: 4 garlic
cloves (minced); 2tsp ginger (minced); 1/2tsp red pepper flakes; 1 star anise
(broken in half); 2tsp soy sauce; 2tbsp Shao Hsing rice wine or dry sherry;
2tbsp peanut oil; 1 small cabbage quartered, cored and cut crosswise into
1/8-inch shreds; 1 medium carrot (cut into julienne); Salt to taste; 2tbsp
minced chives.
Method: Take a small bowl and mix
garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes. Take another small bowl and mix soy sauce
and wine or sherry. Take flat-bottomed wok over high heat. Add oil and combine
garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes (mixed in a small bowl) and stir-fry for a few
seconds until fragrant. Now, add cabbage and carrots and stir-fry for one to
two minutes. Once the cabbage begins to wilt, add salt and wine/soy sauce
mixture. Cover and cook over high heat for one minute. Uncover and stir-fry for
another 30 seconds, then add chives and stir for a few more seconds. Remove
from the heat and serve with rice or noodles.
Warm Red Cabbage Salad
Ingredients: 1tbsp
extra-virgin olive oil; 4 cups red cabbage (thinly sliced); 3/4tsp caraway
seeds; 1/2tsp salt; 1 crisp, sweet apple; 1 shallot (minced); 1tbsp red-wine
vinegar; 1/2tsp Dijon mustard; 1/2tsp freshly, ground pepper; 2tbsp chopped
walnuts (toasted).
To toast chopped walnuts:
Heat a small dry skillet over medium-low heat. Add nuts and cook, stirring,
until lightly browned and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.
Method: Take a large saucepan; add
oil and heat over medium flame. Add cabbage, caraway seeds and salt. Cover the
pan cook, stirring occasionally, until tender. After 8-10 minutes, remove the
pan from heat and add apple, shallot, vinegar, mustard and pepper and stir
until combined. Serve sprinkled with toasted walnuts.
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