Friday, 21 August 2015

First day at sea - is that a ghost ship off the port bow in the Kimberleys ?

It's sunset and the light is fading fast.  I'm standing on the deck of the ultra modern, hi tech Oceanic Discoverer. We have just left tropical Broome on the West Coast of Australia on a ten day cruise. Is it my imagination, or do I see a ghost ship off the port bow ?
Perhaps I had a welcome drink too many when boarding.  Yet I do recall that the famous explorer and adventurer Phillip Parker King travelled this way in 1821.  His vessel was the HMS Mermaid.  Only 18 metres in length, the brave captain and crew must have endured primitive conditions in their single masted rigged cutter.
Compare this with the OD, or Coral Discoverer as it is now known in 2015.  Equipped with every conceivable modern navigational device, it carries 72  passengers on four decks of luxury. An efficient crew of 25 are helping make our voyage as comfortable as possible.
In the next few days, we will follow in the steps of the intrepid Parker King. I'm looking forward to seeing the locations he discovered.

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