(one of the boats I worked on)
Casablanca and the Fresh water mistake.
We left the Canaries fully loaded with fuel, fresh water and food, now we were really on our way. Two weeks and god willing we should be in Antigua just in time for Christmas and having fun with our friends. I was very excited.
Late at night a commotion started on deck. Raised voices, heated arguements, the engine slowed down. I could hear everything, my cabin was under the cock pit. I dressed quickly and went on deck as did the others. what was going on. The captain was red in the face, eyes popping and jumping up and down with anger. The first mate was looking guilty and defensive, but unable to save face in a hopeless situation. He could not do anything but pleed guilty. what had he done to cause such anger.
In the ealy misty morning in the Canaries with a blinding hangover our first mate had put fresh water into the spare fuel tank. You can well imagine what a distaster it would have been had the water got into the engine. Our Captain a perfectionist in the extreme, had for some reason best know to himself decided to test the fuel before changing tanks and low and behold he had found a greasy fuel and water mix. Our first mate was in for it, we thought it was going to come to blows!!!
There was nothing to be done but find a port, we were near to Casablanca, we found an industrial port, it was three in t he morning. A gloomy red yellow light fell on the water gigantic rusty cranes filled the sky like ominous giants, ready to fall to collapse, to capture us and to metamorphe us into their rusted stillness. We crept slowey forward towards the port. The sea was filled with debris, old logs, plastic bags and goodness knows what else. We were filled with trepidation at least I was, it was not an exciting adventure, it was a scary one. At last we arrived into the smaller port, filled with colourful and stange looking fishing boats, it felt a little safer, at least we were close to land and and hopefully fuel and an answer to our problems.
Two of us stayed on watch and the rest went to bed. I awoke to the sound of dozens of boot clad feet on deck and an anxious voice coming from the deck hand..............................
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