1972 - 1984 | Returning Home

NOTE: Some of this is identical to what is written on Wikipedia, as both were written by the author of this website, stardust5980 (aka celesteshipping5980). 

NOTE TWO: Huge thanks to Kenneth Kennedy and Kerry Kennedy for providing Kenneth's book 'ALL AT SEA' which provides almost all of the information on this page.

Returning Home

- Fortunately, the wait for better weather wasn't very long, able to set off on April 14th. They decided to take a shortcut through Jack Sound, which saved them hours of voyage time but also made for an anxiety-inducing experience as the bottom was visible for the entire way, with Kenneth expecting them to hit it at any moment. Mike had to go up one of the masts and shout steering directions to keep the ship well out of the way of rocks. Luckily they made it out unscathed and soon set a course for South Bishop.[1]

They worked four-hour shifts as with a crew of four they were a much more flexible unit, which was appreciated as they would be able to get much more rest compared to the voyage to Milford Haven. During the first night of the voyage, there was some engine trouble, smoke pouring from the tail end bearing. Kenneth cut the engine speed to an idle, taking off the cover plate on the end of the engine to find a white bearing that drove all five pumps about to melt. Without it, the engine would certainly come to a stop. The solution to this was to throw bilge water over the hot metal in hopes that over time the temperature would drop enough that the bearing would no longer be at risk of melting. Fortunately, this seemed to work, as once the temperature was low enough they resumed their typical speed of 6 knots as Kenneth rigged up a drip feed system to keep the bearing cool.[1]

Everything was still running smoothly as Kenneth and Alec returned from their rest to take the watch. The sun was now up and South Stack was visible ahead, and since there was a southerly breeze they had the mizzen sail raised to assist the ship on its way. They carried on until dawn on April 16th, spotting the Mull of Kintyre far off in the distance, taking the remainder of the day to arrive in West Bay, Dunoon. The tide was too low to come alongside the coal pier, so they anchored for the night, making for the pier the next morning, By midday they were alongside, a crowd gathering to take a look at the ship and its crew as they offloaded Mike's car with the aid of the hatch covers. Soon enough, they left the ship behind, heading home for a rest they were sorely in need of.[1]

References

1.  Kennedy, Kenneth M. (1985). All At Sea. Retrieved 2023-12-16.