Cargo ships hold a magic for me that no other sailing vessels do, and the best of them were the ships of the South African company Safmarine, known as The Big Whites.
Dreaming of far away places now that travel is impossible, I was looking through my photographs and remembering former happy times, sailing the ocean. Our last trip we were only 6 passengers and a crew of about 20. Crew and passengers mixed, ate together, swopped CDs and DVDs, played Trivial Pursuit in the evenings and did shopping for each other when in port.
Sunday was the big day, Barbie Day. South Africans, like Australians, are devoted to their barbecues and Sunday were barbie days (when out on the ocean). It was dress down day and the crew wore whatever they fancied – even the captain sported a pair of coloured shorts and a battered straw hat! This was Chef Eddie doing his thing somewhere off South America.
I believe the Safmarine fleet has been disbanded now but I shall always remember The Big Whites with affection.
MARI'S TRAVELS WITH HER CAMERA 
It is. Crew in orange boiler suits all day, evening in sparkling whites. Passengers have their own bar stocked with their own drinks (spirits were all about £2. 00 a bottle I remember) and snacks bought from the Purser, own lounge and own kitchen. Very large cabins (like hotels), good library, but you have to be able to entertain yourselves as there is NO entertainment at all. Bliss for me.
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What N interesting way to travel, sounds like fun
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It sounds like a good life, Mari 🙂 🙂
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It was, Jo, and it spoiled us for cruise liners (but I don’t think we’d ever have gone down that route). We only did two long cargo ship trips and one short one but they were so relaxed and we loved living with the sailors and eating with them. The food was great as it has to be to keep them happy, and the wines ……………… whew!
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