I read to day an obituary for Capt Scott-Masson who has died aged 81. He was Master of Canberra when I sailed on her in 1984, two years after he had taken her on her voyage to the Falkland Islands. Capt Scott-Masson was, by all accounts, a remarkable man and enjoyed a distinguished career. RIP.
When reading the obituary all the happy memories of the trip on Canberra came flooding back. It was my first cruise and might have been my last if I hadn't turned out to be a reasonably good 'sailor'. We had spent a happy time bobbing up and down between the Canary Islands and then to Lisbon on the way home. On leaving Lisbon we encountered winds of force 11/12 and that's how it remained all the way. It was an amazing experience - just like being on a big dipper. We would sit up the front in the Crow's Nest watching the waves crashing over us and I can still remember the knot in the stomach time and again while waiting for the prow to start to rise again after disappearing beneath the water. It seemed like minutes, but was of course only seconds. What an adventure!!
When reading the obituary all the happy memories of the trip on Canberra came flooding back. It was my first cruise and might have been my last if I hadn't turned out to be a reasonably good 'sailor'. We had spent a happy time bobbing up and down between the Canary Islands and then to Lisbon on the way home. On leaving Lisbon we encountered winds of force 11/12 and that's how it remained all the way. It was an amazing experience - just like being on a big dipper. We would sit up the front in the Crow's Nest watching the waves crashing over us and I can still remember the knot in the stomach time and again while waiting for the prow to start to rise again after disappearing beneath the water. It seemed like minutes, but was of course only seconds. What an adventure!!
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