Wednesday 2 May 2012
S.S. UGANDA Cruise Personal Log, Second Day
Riveting stuff this. Please note the Navigational Log. No idea where the details came from; no recollection of these facts. I omitted to write that, in the course of this day, the weather got so bad, most of us were as sick as dogs. They encouraged (forced) us to play deck sports to ease the nausea. The games were regularly interrupted as kids ran to vomit over the side. Some made it; some didn’t. Swab the decks, me hearties! Evidently there was a nightly dance, vital to this 14 year-old as County High was all-girl and this was my first co-ed adventure. I think I actually mention a boy later in the log. Spelling, punctuation and strange, formal style is as originally written.
27/10/71
Bound from Southampton to Gibraltar
Personal Log: Second Day
After having washed and dressed we went to breakfast and on our return we tidied our domitories for their first check.
Our first period took us to the assembly hall for a talk on the ship and its history. Another practice for emergencies followed this, and at this time, the wind was blowing quite strongly and the sea was choppy. For deck games we played deck hockey which I found more fun than ordinary hockey.
Before lunch we had classroom periods in which we were given our log books. We were given a very brief lecture on the history of Europe and after this, we went to our last lesson of the day in the classrooms where we brought our logbooks up to date.
In the evening I went to the dance for the second time because the film already had huge queues and I didn’t think I could get in.
Navigational Log:
0400-0800 Morning Watch
Entering Bay of Biscay — weather calm and smooth
0800-1200 Forenoon Watch
Still on our journey through Bay of Biscay
1200-1600 Afternoon Watch
We sailed over the Continental Shelf which took us from 600 ft to 1,500 ft at 1400 hours.
2000-2359 First Watch
Nearing the end of the Bay of Biscay