Shipping News

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33858, 2 June 1975, Page 10

Shipping News

Hazards for liner passengers

(By

JOHN LESLIE)

“We are paying more than S7O a day for this luxurious Pacific cruise,’’ said a friendly, elderly couple at Lyttelton not long ago.

The writer was making a 1 routine shipboard call, one of hundreds to vessels ranging from luxury liners to canoes.

“We are bored to death by our table companions. We .have nothing in common — its not their fault; and not Our fault either,” one said.

“Everything is perfect — ship-food, entertainment, your country, too, what little we have seen of it. — but we can’t get away from this sheer incompatibility. What a waste."

Alas, what a familiar ring. A foursome, consisting of two married couples, set off on a world tour together. They returned to this country by separate vessels. In their "home town they had been fairly close friends. “We found aboard ship that we really did not know each other at all,” a member of one couple said.

“Unrelated people give little joy to each other,” according to Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Passengers pay for enjoyment. Professional seafarers have to live together and [ like it — and they do — but (they of course, are paid to [do so. The ship’s well being 'comes first.

Shipmasters, because of protocol, company policy and diplomacy must have certain important personages at the “captain’s table.” But a shrewd purser will see that there is a good mixture when possible.

Shipboard life is rather like a stage, and a good thing, too. After all, passengers pay for it, and life cannot be all drab. But shipmasters like privacy. They dislike, on gala occasions, being shot in the eye with water-pistols, ear-trumpeted by fancy-dress revellers, or smeared with lipstick by young female celebrants in paper hats, or entwined with coloured paper streamers. However, staff captains are the shock troopers for the main hazards. Be careful of your comipany on a long voyage. You [cannot just leave the table (when you wish, walk around in stocking-feet, slump in an armchair, take a beer out of the refrigerator, shut the television on or off at will, [ or even nurse the cat. Even luxury-liner masters would (like to do all these things. It is something like marI riage. Do your homework i first, if taking a long passenger voyage.

When travelling, it is nice [ to meet al! types of people. ; For instance, the writer hap[ptly met his wife at sea.

In April, 1957, before sail-, ing from New York to Southampton aboard the: French Line’s Liberte (for-i merly Germany’s Europa), the writer was asked by the head waiter (cabin class), if he wanted a French or Eng-lish-speaking table. The

I French are very civilised at I times — shrewd and in-j telligent. | By some mistake, the I writer, then middle-aged, I ended up at an Englishi speaking table. What a fori tunate mistake for the fouri day passage. There were ; three American girls in their i; early 20s and one a little i older. None spoke French, i Initially, the writer had requested a French-speaking I table to polish up highschool French, or, alternatively, be left alone. What an amiable crossing. All were on their first sea voyage. One was going to see her grandmother in Sicily. Another was off to see her grandmother in Cork; another was off to trace her ancestors in Britain. This is one of the delightful things about America — it is a league of nations. All had worked hard for the fare; all were from New York State. Our only association was at meal times, and it was the fourth girl, a little older who intrigued us all. She was a writer of some kind.: She ate, smoked, conversed,, read a book, consumed table: wine lightly, and drank j coffee simultaneously, with-; out being offensive. One wonders if they are; all happily married today, or! happy anyway. The French so graciously serve wine at shipboard! meals — free, too. When a; French wJter speaks of! food it is like poetry. There j is only one cook who is bet-1 Iter —"and she is at home. ' Two young Nicaraguan | business graduates, bound ; for Switzerland, were my ■ cabin mates. Sometimes in ithe early hours one dozily i heard them going to bed. ; Most likely they had been entertaining my table-mates. The ship contained plenty of young people, and life is for living. But not all know how to live, for next to our happy saloon table the writer noticed occasionally a New Zealand couple, who apparently sulked, expensively, all the "way from Manhattan to Southampton It does seem a waste. But “n’importe” as the French say. Liner travel in that manner is all but gone now. s’: % sis ARRIVALS Saturday Rangatira (6.35 a.m.l, 9387,1 ■Capt. R E. Pugh-Wllllams, Wei-[ lington (U.S.S.). ARRIVALS Sunday '• Rangatira <6.39 a.m.), 9337,; ! Capt. R. E. Pugh-Williams, Wei- ■ I lington (U.S.S.). ! Jelunga (8.15 a.m.), 7432, Capt.[ ID. T. Foreman. Wellington (P * and O (N.Z.) Ltd). DEPARTURES Saturday Rangatira (9.40 a.m.), 9387,, ICapl. R. E. Pugh-Williams, Wei-1 ; lington (U.S.S.). (Daylight.) DEPARTURES Sunday Rangatira (8.4 p.m.), 9387, i Capt. R, E. Pugh-Williams. WeiI lington (U.S.S.I. EXPECTED ARRIVALS Coastal Trader, Auckland, today, i Chilean Reefer, Auckland, today. I Vlieland, , June 3 (tanker). I Union Svdnev, Melbourne, June 3. Rangatira, Wellington, June 3. [Nganere, Dunedin, June 4. Frysna, Tonga, June 5 (docks). I Shansi, Wellington, June 5. I Loire Lloyd, Auckland, June 5. - Vishva Bindu, Napier, June 6. , Vienne, Napier, June 6. j Soochow, Wellington. June 6. I Ngakuta, Tauranga, June 9. PROJECTED DEPARTURES I Coastal Trader, Dunedin, today. I Union Sydney, Wellington. June 3. • Rangatira. Wellington. June 3. Otaki, Napier, June 3. Chilean Reefer, , June 4. I Vlieland, , June 4 (tanked. ; Jelunga. Dunedin, June 5. . Holmdale. Chatham Islands. June 6. : X'gahere. Wellington, June 7. VESSELS IN PORT : Jelunga, No. 1 Cashin Qtiav. .Otaki. No. 2 Cashin Quiv. ’ jHolmdaie, No. 3 East,