Tina's Encounter with History.
























In 1966 we went to South Africa as a family with the advent of the UK Seamen's Strike. I had secured employment as a Marine Officer with the South African Harbour Service. We were reminded of this by coming across one of Tina's old Passports [see above] and her Identity Card.
This was also a harsh reminder for us of one of Tina's encounters with history.
We started our adventures in Durban but finally ended up in Walvis Bay, SW Africa, now Namibia, but that is another story. I was appointed to the tug "Otto Siedle" [see above] and operated in that port and in rescue operations on the Skeleton Coast. In the autumn of that year we were scheduled to go to Capetown to dry-dock/refit. We were also instructed to pick up a tow in Lüderitz, a small Harbour and town in south-west Africa, lying on one of the least hospitable coasts in all southern Africa.
This was going to be about 9 weeks away from Tina and the Boys so we decided that she would take the boys and do the estimated three days train journey to Capetown across the Kalahari Desert via Windhoek and De Aar. So I set off by sea and Tina commenced crossing Africa with two little boys aged 2 and 5.
Tina's journey by train was tough, it took much longer than three days with Bushmen encamped on the line. The journey was also slow climbing from sea level to 6000 feet and then onto the veldt. The train went at walking pace at times!
Unbeknownst to Tina my voyage to Capetown was really rough. We picked up a bucket dredger from Lüderitz and then headed out south. The weather broke quickly, a Southerly Buster roared up from the Antarctic, and we experienced considerable damage including loss of radio. A bucket dredger is the world's worst marine equipment to tow. We were well overdue and no way of letting Capetown know of our plight.
Tina and the Boys arrived in Capetown on Tuesday 6th September 1966. This was very shortly after Dr. Hendrik Verwoerd, the South African President had been assassinated entering the House of Assembly by Dmitri Tsafendas. Verwoerd was the architect of the South African Republic and apartheid. She faced absolute mayhem, soldiers, police, all armed and demanding identification, and all being very aggressive, English people were not welcome. I was not there and this was Tina's first trip outside of the United Kingdom.
The Harbour Office was vague when she contacted them, in fact, seemed that they could not give a damn. The Hotel Manager was kind enough to take her to the Harbour Office, and there again she met almost indifference and certainly hostility from the Afrikaans Harbour Master.

Later they finally realized there was a problem and started a search and found us limping towards Capetown. Tina was finally advised 6.30 the following day and we made port later that day.
This was one of Tina's encounters with history.

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