Any Port in a Storm?
On any cruise there was always the potential for diversion, particularly if there was inclement weather. Initially, the only information that came to me about a major storm near Mauritius in February 1964 came to me from George Peterson.
He wrote…
There was a change of schedule due to a bad storm over Mauritius. I was to go on a tour there but
lost out because of it. Instead we left Tamatave (Toamasina) Madagascar and were diverted to Diego Suarez at the top
of the island. This was a very primitive place, we anchored and used the launches to get ashore.
I had heard that Capt. Warwick had been there during WWII and took the opportunity to revisit. There were just mud huts and chickens running around the place. The post office was a small hut, a tiny table with rubber stamp and ink pad. The locals were very friendly and glad to reap the windfall of the new visitors.
Avoiding Tropical Cyclone Giselle
Subsequently, I've heard from Kevin Taylor from New Zealand, who has explained why there was a diversion back to Madagascar. At the time he was one of the Engineers’ Stewards on board, also known as a “Peggy.”
Kevin writes…
We had left Tamatave (Toamasina) heading off to Mauritius, as per our itinerary. It was a very warm evening and we
had our porthole open for cool air. Late that night, after we had turned in, there was an almighty crash
which made me sit bolt upright in my upper level bunk. All I could see was a wall of white water rushing
through the porthole.
The lower bunks were awash, along with the inhabitants of the same, so the water in our cabin was certainly a few feet high. After an initial fright, order was restored. The cause was not apparent until the morning.
I was an Engineers’ Peggy on this trip, so was I privileged to overhear many conversations in their mess. We learned that Caronia had sailed into the fringe of Tropical Cyclone Giselle and had dropped into a deep swell, followed by a rogue wave.
Our cabin was on the second forward deck, a long way above the waterline so it must have been one hell of a wave. The top deck's large RSJ beam, athwart ships, was seriously bent, the crew pool had been washed overboard and several damaged stanchions were apparent. This was why we were diverted to Diego Suarez, to shelter from the storm.
If you can contribute any information, do please get in touch…
with slide show
