Natko Nodilo 1975
the year. This combined with few
landmasses to serve as windbreaks,
results in what is called the Roaring Forties. There was no walking.
The dining room was 3 stories down
and had to be tackled using a ‘butt
and scoot’ maneuver. At meals, the
table cloth was soaked with water
to keep dishes from flying off the
table.
the sides and at certain points it was
so rough the propeller of the ship
would come completely out of the
water, causing the ship to noticeably vibrate. I began to wonder
about the integrity of this freighter
and sought comfort with my son by
staying in bed tucked behind the
high sideboard put in place to keep
us from rolling out at night.
Going out on the deck was prohibited. I did, however, manage to
make it to the bridge a few times
and was able to see the bow plow
through gigantic waves, covering
every 8-story high window on the
ship with seawater. I watched as
unsecured cargo disappear over
On approaching New Zealand the
captain informed us we would be
disembarking in Dunedin, not Auckland. I gathered my belongings,
grabbed my son and headed north
to Auckland, happy to be on dry
land.