Ross James
8th February 2002 I booked an aerobus which picked me up from the hotel and delivered me on time to the airport. It only cost 2.5 euros for a door to door service - absolute bargain. Portugal seems to have really nailed their public transport network. The flight was uneventful other than a bit of … Continue reading Day 114
7th February 2002 I awoke after a fantastic sleep showered and packed. I paid the bill at reception and ordered a taxi to the train station. I was feeling more alive now and less of a space cadet. I was ready to bust out my Portuguese and attempted conversation with the taxi driver. I can't … Continue reading Day 113
6th February 2002 It was a great thing to see land on the horizon for the first time in months, but the anticipation of whether we would get into harbour or not took away much of the enjoyment. When we got into VHF range of Averio, Miguel called up the Port Pilots but the news … Continue reading Day 112
4th February 2002 This could well be my last full day on board; we are steaming flat out to make it to Aveiro, Portugal for tomorrow afternoon. I’m feeling really bad, I’ll tell you why: On Friday I was hugely relieved after I showed the captain my figures and he agreed that I could send … Continue reading Day 110
2nd February 2002 It’s late now. I was just getting ready for bed when I thought I’d get some fresh air out of the porthole. I ended up hanging out the porthole for ages thinking about everything. Being at sea is a great opportunity to think if nothing else; there are so few distractions and … Continue reading Day 108
1st February 2002 The last couple of days have been hellish. I’ve been working on my reports, checking and re-checking my figures and calculations. I still haven’t finished but am over the worst of it, at least all the calculations are done. Now it is just a case of looking up the various acts and … Continue reading Day 107
29th January 2002 We serviced with the Santa Isobel today, taking three crew off along with a few parcels and supplies. Then, this afternoon the long awaited final trawl came. I was wondering around the factory extracting otoliths and cutting up fish when the order to heave up came over the tannoy. It was almost … Continue reading Day 104
28th January 2002 There was a beautiful sunrise this morning. Usually sunrises out here are cold and blue, almost depressing because the light just fades in from black to grey and there is rarely any colour, but this morning the sky was lit with pinks, purples and oranges and felt altogether more hopeful, which was … Continue reading Day 103
26th January 2002 It's a day much the same as any other out here in the wilderness. The weather is bad and set to get worse, we are heading south for warmth and better seas. It is a matter of days now before we head home, I wouldn’t be surprised if we make our escape … Continue reading Day 101
25th January 2002 With only two weeks remaining and less than a week of fishing I decided that it should be a day of celebration as I do every Thursday (because that's the predicted go home day) and every Friday, Saturday and Sunday (because it's the weekend and why not?). To make it a special … Continue reading Day 100