On Sunday 22 October 2006 04:10, Dave wrote: >Deep Trouble is everywhere, and easy to find. Aye, very true! And trouble happens when you least expect it: While travelling on an international ferry between the UK and the mainland Europe,some arsonist had a field day - I got away almost scot free, just some smoke in my lungs, but others were not that fortunate. RIP. Some years later the same murderous Norwegian set fire to another ferry, killing 53, including himself (he was the only one who were on both passenger lists, and it was found out later that he had a history of arsons, so the case seems closed, and hopefully he rots in Hell). Back to 'my' boat: The crew valiantly battled the fire on our ferry, for hours, but ran soon out of air for the firefighters. A West German destroyer and firefighting boats from the Ekofisk oil field delivered hundreds fresh tubes to our ship, but as most of the firefighting crew had earlier during the night worked as waiters, pursers and engineers, they where eventually at their whits end, when a German firefighting crew boarded us, and within 5-10 minutes had the fire under control. So the ship's forward accomodation was on fire for about 10 hours! During all this we passengers had been herded onto the rear deck, and happily it was a very calm night! Some more or less nude, and none properly dressed - a few with life vests on which gave some warmth. The first ship that ran to our assistance was a huge Soviet tanker, which stayed with us, during the entire episode, if our ship had to be evacuated. Happily just a handful smoke victims and heart patients had to be airlifted off. On the return trip there was a gale blowing and just a handful were able to stand up at all, and even fewer ate anything. Had the arsonist struck then we'd all be dead, for you couldn't even get out on the deck, due to the heavy seas that engulfed the ship again and again, and the fire had been even harder to put out, due to the rolling, stamping and hurricane-like winds! I am in no way seasickness-proof, but I thoroughly enjoyed that trip, sat in the top bar with the only other guy around, a chief from another ferry line (STENA) and had a few drinks, while we swapped stories :-)! Eventually I retired to my shared cabin, which reeked of the others' puke, but I was too tired to mind much! Have a safe journey all, Tord *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Sun Oct 22 2006 - 04:55:50 PDT
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