It was calm, the sea was as calm as a millpond. The freighter was just visible on the horizon. The freighter’s crew were trying to mend it, the engine. But no chance, sooner or later the ship’s owners will contact me and I’ll tow it back to its home port, probably tomorrow.
It is stormy, the sea is really rough, I’m singing “I’m granny the tugboat girl!” But you can’t hear me even if you are standing next to me on the bridge. Hang on very tight – I’m hanging onto the helm, the boat’s steering wheel.
With two 2000Kw diesels and 1000w of loudspeakers on the wheelhouse roof we might get the freighter back home before dusk if the storm dissipates.
But no, it is long dark when we get there. And no, I can’t tow the freighter into the repair dock; two dinky little tugboats tow the freighter into the harbour – local regulations. I could have done it in half the time and it would have been cheaper.
I moor my boat with help from the shore, whilst Johnnie winds up the towing hawser with the winch. We go down into the galley for a late dinner – Johnnie and granny with the aid of “The Jolly Jumbo” have done it again.
It was the worse storm in my lifetime, fortunately all of the ships in the area got to safe ports, including the Isle of Maultway ferry, and stayed there. After two weeks the population on the island were in trouble, no food supplies and no doctor and two very sick kids.
Time for “The Jolly Jumbo” and crew. We loaded up the boat with food and medicines and a doctor and extra fuel. This was not easy as the boat was bouncing violently up and down in Highclere harbour, our home port.
It was going to be a very rough ride. I wanted to tie the doctor down – less trouble hopefully – but no, the doctor objected. We fastened and tied everything down with ropes, apart from the doctor.
So off we went with three of us in the wheelhouse. As we left the end of the harbour I move the throttle lever up to maximum cruising speed, we were not feeling too good, the doctor worse. I told him not to leave the wheelhouse. “You go through that door and we will never see you again.”
We were making slow progress, the boat had to climb the enormous waves and then crash down into the gap between the waves the engines screaming with the propeller above the water. Very rough and the doctor green. He wanted to… Johnnie tied him to a seat and tied a shopping bag around his neck. Not very pretty.
The engines were set to maximum cruising speed, but we were not moving too fast. The boat was heaving up and down and propeller was often fanning the air. The wind and the waves were against us. But move we did.
The trip took three times as long as usual. We half-circled the island to reach Port Southwell. It is the second port on the island, but it has a safer, sheltered, deep-water harbour.
The doctor puked again, helpers came to assist the doctor off the boat. “You’ll be OK with land under your feet.” More islanders helped unload the much needed supplies. We had made it. Johnnie and granny with the aid of “The Jolly Jumbo” have done it again.