Trip by banana boat from Barry, South Wales, across the Atlantic and back, calling at St Lucia, Barbados, St Vincent and Grenada.
Thursday 3rd August
We boarded the boat, the Brunsdeich, and wondered what we had done as the captain had apparently gone to Dover and we won’t leave until tomorrow, and we don’t have a single coat hanger in our cabins.
Friday 4th August
Breakfast was at 8 and we found that we were sitting at the captain’s table. The breakfast was good with plenty of choice, so our spirits rose.
As we finished breakfast the ship began to move so everyone hurried up on deck. There are 12 passengers: a couple doing the round trip like us, a West Indies couple with a baby, 2 West Indians, a young couple, and two at the captain’s table who live in St Lucia. All seem very friendly and so does the crew; everyone greets you with a smile or a ‘good day’.
It was very busy when we got into The Channel. After lunch we reached the real open water and the full force of the wind. After tea we then went to the topmost deck and watched the sea coming right over. It was a real sight.
Saturday 5th August
At 7am I heard the engine stop. I hurriedly dressed and found it was a lifeboat drill with a difference. The lifeboat went out to a small Spanish fishing boat and came back with a lot of tunny fish. I did a great deal of reading during the day and even started some crochet.
Sunday 6th August
The captain says we should be at the Azores tomorrow at 7am so must get up early.
Monday 7th august
At 6:30am heard the engines slow down and then stop. They had gone wrong and we stayed for three hours whilst they were mended. The ship rolled considerably.
All was forgotten as we sighted the island of San Miguel in the Azores. We seemed to get very close indeed until you realised how small the houses appeared and then we realised how big the cliffs were and how far away we must be. The island looked very beautiful and very green. There were fields in the most precarious places.
We had only just lost sight of the islands when the engine started making a dreadful noise again and once more they were stopped so that they could be repaired. It seems funny to think that it is Bank Holiday and everywhere at home will be so crowded and here we are miles from anywhere and quiet.
We had a very pleasant evening spent talking to other passengers and eating bananas. I had just climbed into bed when the engine started up.
Tuesday 8th August
After breakfast, we changed into bathing costumes and went on deck. Saw quite a lot of flying fish.
Wednesday 9th August
They put the deck awnings up today so there is now only the little upper deck where we can sunbathe. Still quite a few flying fish about and a good deal of seaweed.
Thursday 10th August
The ship stopped again for over two hours last night and the captain and chief engineer are worried about it because they do not really know what is wrong.
Friday 11th August
The ship has been rolling very heavily all day as well as last night.
Saturday 11th August
We are now five hours behind Britain. We saw our first ship in four days. It was a Dutch will tanker. Apparently we will not sight land today. After tea I sat in the shade as I have gone a very definite shade of pink.
Sunday 12th August
Annette called me at 5.30am and I was dressed in a minute and up on deck to watch our arrival at Castries, St Lucia. It was just beginning to get light.
After breakfast we went ashore. It was very warm and sunny. We walked first through the town and then headed north letting our sense of direction guide us. Every house and hovel had its banana trees. The good houses are mixed with the bad. It took us about 45 minutes to get to the beach by taking a shortcut across the airfield. We had a swim. The water was lovely and warm and there were miles of lovely sand. This beach is called Vigie Beach and really you could not wish for better.
Back on the boat we went the whole length of the leeward side of St Lucia and as we were close in we had a wonderful view especially of the Petit and Gros Piton. We could also smell the sulphur springs.
The sea was fairly choppy all the way to Barbados. There is a new port at Bridgetown. When we docked, the captain got a big reception including a reporter who took photos. This was the only time during the whole trip that he got dressed up and when we looked by chance in his cabin he had six coat hangers – and to think I have not got any.
Monday 13th August
It was arranged that we should go with Mr and Mrs Shepperd by taxi round the island. First we went through Hastings and stopped at a beautiful beach. Onto Worthing where we seemed to waste hours because Mr Shepperd started writing his postcards. All this time it was wonderfully hot and sunny.
Then on to Codrington College. The gardens here were very beautiful. There were some lovely views of the coast. We went on the beach for a swim. We were warned not to sit under one tree because if the rain dripped through it would make the skin blister. Mr Shepperd tried eating one of the fruit from it!
Tuesday 14th August
Got up by 6:00am to watch the approach into the harbour of St George’s, Grenada. It was a beautiful place split two sections by a spur of land with a fort on it.
As we got off the boat a swarm of taxi drivers appeared. The first said $20, we said $12. $18 said the next and one said $16. We said this was too much for a morning trip and started walking. We had only gone a few yards when a young lad said he would take us for $12 so we accepted. When we got in his car he had to ask someone to give us a push as the battery was flat. All the other drivers rushed up saying that we could not possibly go in such a car. We did. The first stop was a garage to get some petrol and collect a spare tyre.
We went up to the Grand Etang. The hairpin bend corners were amazingly steep but the old car got up them easily. He was a very good driver to say how young he was. The scenery was remarkable- really tropical. There were breadfruit, yams, cassava, mangoes, coconuts, pumpkins, melons oranges, pineapples, grapefruit, lemons, avocado, pears, limes, cashew, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, pawpaws, cloves, cocoa, coffee, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, guava, sugarapple, and of course the inevitable banana. The driver knew the names of them all and we collected a lot of samples. It was all very mountainous unlike anything I have seen before.
The Grand Etang is some 1700 feet above sea level. It’s not all that big but you could see the rim of the volcano. The houses here were made of a type of matting.
During lunch at the boat the captain asked us if we would like to go by the lifeboat to the beach. We jumped at the idea. It was a dream of a beach.
They were still loading bananas when we got back to the ship, but they finished about 7pm and we sailed about 11pm.
Wednesday 15th August
Kingstown, St Vincent. Yet another early morning. We did not tie up by a quay – bananas came out to us in small barges.
We hired a taxi for three hours at $5 per hour. First we went to the botanical gardens which were beautifully kept. There we saw the original breadfruit tree planted by Captain Bligh in 1793. Then we headed for the windward side of the island. It was a complete contrast to yesterday. There was quite a lot of pastureland and acres of arrowroot and once more coconuts and naturally bananas. We saw the island where Sir Anthony Eden lives. Then we went on to Georgetown.
We arrived back at Kingstown at 12:30pm to find that all the shops were shut. The boat left at 4pm and went along the leeward side of the island. It looked very attractive from the sea. The ship docked at Vieux Fort, St Lucia at 8pm, and was to stay there until 4am. It seemed impossible that all the bananas stacked on the quayside could be loaded in eight hours. Here they were loaded by women who just put them on their heads and carried them as easily as anything.
Thursday 16th August
We went to meet the Chief Education Officer. We talked for a long time about various types of schools. Then he took us round Castries to see several schools and their method of teaching teachers.
We then went to Soufriere. We stopped to take a photo of the Pitons and all the local boys ran to get into it and then they wanted money for it.
Next we went to the sulphur springs. The fumes of hydrogen sulphide were almost overpowering. We did not stay long.
We stopped a short time at Vieux Fort – a strange sort of place. One road was called Malgretout, which I thought was rather appropriate.
At 8pm we cast off and left West Indies behind.
Friday 17th August
Spent the whole day sunbathing
Saturday 18th August
What a lazy day! Spent my time sunbathing, reading and writing up notes.
Sunday 19th August
After tea we saw at least three whales blowing.
Monday 20th August
The sea is amazingly calm today. The captain says we will pass the Azores tomorrow. We saw another couple of whales.
Tuesday 21st August
The captain was saying that there are 150,000 stems of bananas on this ship. We worked it out as between 7 to 15 million actual bananas!
Wednesday 22nd August
For tea we had a very unusual but very nice cake with gooseberries in it.
Thursday 23rd August
The sea is very much rougher today. Dinner was late because the soup went over.
Friday 24th August
The sun the sea was very rough all the night and there was a big swell and we were rolling heavily.
Saturday 25th August
We were able to see the coast of Cornwall and Devon. It looked lovely in the early morning sun. At 11am we were off Barry and the pilot came on board. At 1:30pm the tugs came alongside and we went into the lock. The customs people came on board and we had our luggage checked. The man was very pleasant. He said it was quite alright to take a whole bottle of rum each. He told us that the weather in Britain have been appalling. Our car was waiting for us at the foot of the gangway and we were the first away. Mr and Mrs Shepperd had to wait for clearance of their car and it seemed as if they would have to pay wharfing charges.