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Due to the poor visibility the coast as obscured for the
majority of the voyage, but on the Saturday evening I caught my
first glimpse of land as we passed Flamborough Head. At approximately 8 p.m. the Blyth pilot came aboard to direct the ship to its berth, and by 9.30 p.m. the ship was moored to a small wharf where it remained until the Monday afternoon. On the Sunday as the weather was vary unsettled I took full advantage of the ship's library. The following day, as the weather was much improved, I decided to spend the day at Whitley Bay, and on my return to Blyth I discovered that the ship had moved to a loading berth and had already taken on approximately 2,000 tons of coal. The loading continued throughout the following day and by evening the complete cargo of 4,300 tons had been taken aboard. The ship could not sail immediately as it had to wait for the tide, and it was not until 1 a.m. Wednesday that the pilot came aboard to take us out of Blyth. The visibility during the return journey was very much improved and most of my time was spent on the bridge from where I was able to view the various types of shipping that passed and much of the Norfolk coast line. We arrived at Gravesend at about 8 a.m. on Thursday where the pilot came aboard to take the ship up the Thames to Deptford Power Station, and after a very interesting journey past various places of interest we berthed at approximately 11.30 a.m. My trip was now finished, and after taking leave of the Captain and the friends I had made during the last few days I made my return Journey home. The voyage proved to be a very interesting experience, and I would strongly recommend it to anyone who has the opportunity of taking such a trip. |
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| R. W. | ||
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