Stage Eleven – Shipping news! CC Coral from Taiwan to New Zealand – overland from UK 2 NZ

CC Coral charted course Solomon Sea
CC Coral charted course Solomon Sea

Day seven in the Solomon Sea dawned cloudy but still calm and flat. We were in the Southern Hemisphere.

Southern Hemisphere CC Coral chart
Southern Hemisphere CC Coral chart

To celebrate I walked right around the ship factory – be hanged if I’d worry about their hydro-blasting. I was careful, though and waved at the workers as they wielded their spray.

Bridge view Solomon Sea CC Coral
Bridge view Solomon Sea CC Coral
Remains of the cloud sculptures in Solomon Sea
Remains of the cloud sculptures in Solomon Sea

I noticed when you walked towards the stern, it appeared we were travelling at a greater speed than a leisurely stroll towards the bow, going forward into the waves.

Day seven CC Coral in Coral Sea
Day seven CC Coral in Solomon Sea

I was sure doctorates would have been written about that physics hundreds of years ago but it struck me as an interesting phenomena as the speed really does seem to increase to an eerie extent; a cargo ship zipped past, dare I say at the rate of knots (whatever that means) in no time at all.

Modern cleaning implements on CC Coral
Modern cleaning implements on CC Coral

The sounds outside, apart from the bow where they were hydroblasting this day, were accentuated by a little wind picking up chains as they hung on metal struts and clinked against their supports, the hiss of airco vents and rumble of other engines apart from the main engine, the water blasting and the fizz of taps affixed and, depending on where I was on the ship, the slap and splash-sizzle of freshly ploughed waves rolling back from the bow.

The land of lightning clouds the night before was indeed the tip of Papua New Guinea. I checked on the Bridge. As we had travelled through that dramatic portal of clouds and flashes, the sky began to cover itself in shame. During the next day we still bore pennants of grey. Above them, fluffy clouds tried to expand themselves like angry toads. But they were no match for the whip strikes of dark clouds over the flat sombre sea.

CC Coral into the Coral Sea
CC Coral into the Solomon Sea

Today El Mar was covered in wavelets, ready to rise up at a moment’s notice, should the rain retreat. Those heavy disapproving clouds were spilling rain, dropping moisture sucked up from the hills of the Solomon Islands, places with unwieldy names like New Britain or New Ireland featuring bays and inlets, that on a map printed in 2007, were still unsurveyed. Third Officer Myo Han said if there were no profit, no trade or commerce, to be made there there was no reason for it to be surveyed. Wonder what Alfred Russel Wallace would have made of such cynicism from a twenty-five-year-old.

This day also brought more shipping into view. The first things I saw out of my window were two tankers stretched out upon the flat.

I had been onboard for a week. I remembered how the strangeness and impossibility of being on one train for six days had gone through the hourglass just as surely as this fortnight would too. I was half-way through my journey to Auckland.

CC Coral lifeboat still ready
CC Coral lifeboat still ready

The comfort level on board ship was far greater than the basic camping I had encountered on the TransMongolian Railway. I found it intriguing, my mental mind-mapping of the size of time adapted to the length of time. Again, I was sure doctorates existed to explain the perception of time – how long is a long wait – a Robert Lepage play of nine hours is definitely shorter than an occupational health and safety lecture of one hour (especially in Spanish). And an ocean voyage may well be perceived as longer than a flight if turbulence was involved!

Stern of CC Coral
Stern of CC Coral showing small jumps as obstacle course

Some people were in a hurry. Perhaps I had a long life to look forward to and could afford to take my time. Perhaps I had a slower brain.

Wake CC Coral
Wake CC Coral

I watched ‘Bridge of Spies’, another Tom Hanks classic directed by Stephen Spielberg. (Captain Phillips not on the hard drive!) Another travel film (in a manner of speaking – okay – they went to Berlin and talked about Russia) it was big, slick and beautiful. It was about the rule of law, insurance policies and how nice Americans were. Every frame was as elegant as a Wes Anderson film. The art design was flawless. The colour palette across furnishings and wardrobe was perfect; shapes of cars, furniture and sculptures spoke clearly of time and place.

I didn’t believe Tom Hanks had a cold. Perhaps he had to protect his make-up? Mark Rylance was breath-taking in that he really did take his time. He was settled into Abel like a chicken on a clutch of eggs.

Given the current politics in the USA I wondered what audiences made of it even as they were being brought to heel. No longer should they fear the red under the bed. The red didn’t count anymore. Only money counted. Some of their best online friends were Russian.

Rain on day seven CC Coral
Rain on day seven CC Coral

12 thoughts on “Stage Eleven – Shipping news! CC Coral from Taiwan to New Zealand – overland from UK 2 NZ

  1. epic quote “As usual, the more you know, the less you know and the more I smelled.” err ! diesel fumes and the sea = roiling nausea
    So happy you got the upgrade to the Owner’s. Really enjoying your experience of the high seas and can’t wait to read more!!!

  2. Reading this, all pages, after you have been in Aotearoa NZ for just over one month. What an awesome adventure. But also conveying the sense of that disembodied vessel and its occupants chugging through the different seas.I hope you do feel that you are safely home.

    “We shall not cease from exploration. And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.”

    • Thank you, Pen, I am certainly in one of my homes! But I am certainly enjoying the music, scenery and of course, mainly, my good friends in Aotearoa.

  3. Epic voyage and marvellously engaging account! So evocative, I could almost smell the fumes and feel the engines rumble. Some magical moments, poignant ones, lots of fun facts. I feel like I vicariously experienced something I would never have otherwise had the opportunity to experience. Thank you, dear, V! So many wonderful words!

Please leave a comment - would you travel this way??