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Reports written by Susan
Wels
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Images produced by Matt Tulloch | |||
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Wednesday, August 19, 1998
"I...saw icebergs all around me. There were about 20 icebergs that would be anywhere from about 150 to 200 feet high and numerous smaller bergs; also numerous what we call ‘growlers.’..anywhere from 10 to 12 feet high and 10 to 15 feet long above the water."
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 St.
John’s, Newfoundland--founded in 1528--is a city with a long maritime
history. There’s rich fishing in its North Atlantic waters, and whales
and icebergs regularly make their way along its coast. In fact, it’s
from this spot, on the easternmost point in North America, that the International
Ice Patrol sets out each ice season to survey the North Atlantic lanes for
bergs—a tradition that resulted directly from the wreck of the Titanic.For crews on leave, this port city of about 100,000 is a decent spot, if you don’t mind the perennially drippy weather. With a few hours of liberty, you can find most anything you may want or need. For the truly adventurous, there's always the local culinary specialty--cod tongue. Sub pilot Yann Houard tucked into a plate of the deep-fried organs during his 22-hour shore leave and recommends them highly. "They taste just like cod cheeks," he mysteriously explains. Food and drink has been a priority for many expedition members today, though most went hunting for less exotic fare—from doughnuts and steaks and huge bacon-egg-sausage-bean-and-potato breakfasts to numerous pints of local beer at Nautical Nellie’s and other dockside pubs. For some reason, many of us (myself included) spent an astonishing amount of money, in just a few hours, on shopping errands, telephone calls, meals, drinks and cab rides to the local malls. Shore leave—even a short one—can be an expensive proposition. |
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 Of
course, that’s especially true if you buy things like cans of "Titanic
Water," priced at $6.95 (in Canadian dollars). The label identifies
the contents as "Genuine Atlantic Water from Newfoundland: a constant
reminder of the inferiority of mankind in the face of mother nature."
Following the printed instructions, I shook the can and held it to my ear,
expecting to hear, as promised, "the gentle sound of waves rolling
over the beach." No luck. All I heard was a faint fizzing sound, a
little like seltzer in a glass or a growling stomach.Nevertheless, there were hardly any cans of "Titanic Water" left in St. John’s by the end of our shore leave today. Though not everyone went shopping, just about all of us walked, as much as possible, almost all day long. One of the best things about being on land is just stretching your legs. Unless you’re a deckhand hauling chains and heavy gear, you don’t get a whole lot of regular physical exercise on a ship. You also don’t see much nature of the green, growing variety. That’s why Thierry Leneil, one of the Nadir’s divers, purchased a little green-and-pink-leaved houseplant in a plastic pot. "I always like to bring a plant back to the ship," he says, "so we can see some green things when we're out at sea." Rather abruptly this evening, at 9:30 p.m., our shore leave was declared over. Tonight, we’ll start heading back on the Nadir to the Titanic site, and The Ocean Voyager will follow us tomorrow once some repairs are made. No other vessels will be joining the Titanic expedition for the second half. The Petrel 5 has has ended her voyage in St. John’s, and the Abeille Supporter will soon be pulling into port in Boston. |
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 At
about 10:00 p.m., as the Nadir’s engines started up and the
ship began to pull away from shore, I felt strangely happy to be
heading back to sea. Being on land for a day was a nice break, but I wasn’t
at all ready for the shock of shopping malls and traffic and men in business
suits and all the routine noises and distractions of shore life.George Tulloch understands exactly what I mean. As we were standing on the Nadir's fantail, he turned and said to me, with a knowledgeable smile, "It’s good to arrive--and it’s also very good to leave." Back to the Expedition Calendar |
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