On the Green Mountain from Cape Town to Hamburg – 11 May – 8 June 2022
“On a cargo ship? What on earth were you thinking?” – “You’ll go mad after three days at the latest.” – “You’ll be terribly bored…” – These were the comments I heard when I told friends and colleagues about my plan to travel from South Africa to Germany on a cargo ship.
To cut a long story short: I didn’t go mad and I wasn’t bored for a single minute! On the contrary: my very special, slow journey home from Cape Town to Hamburg was an incomparable, magnificent experience. Being so far away – and not seeing land for days on end – that was unique. At times, there was nothing but the ship, the sea and the sky …
The journey was a temporary escape – I drifted further and further away from my tightly scheduled daily routine, and what is so aptly described as ‘slowing down’ took hold. One day blended into the next. I read a lot – a book I simply hadn’t had the peace and quiet to read at home. I didn’t count the many hours I spent ‘just’ gazing out at the sea – often at the stern, where the ship’s propeller left a trail stretching for kilometres. Sometimes I spotted whales or dolphins, and the spectacular sunsets, which occurred almost every evening, rounded off the days, whilst the Green Mountain sailed slowly and calmly towards its destination.
I could never have imagined that I would one day be so fascinated by a glimpse behind the scenes of cargo shipping. Experiencing ports such as Vigo, Rotterdam and Hamburg up close, authentically and not as part of a sightseeing tour was a very special experience. I followed everything from the arrival of the pilots and tugboats right through to the berthing manoeuvres. I learnt a great deal about the complex tasks carried out by the ship’s crew in port, such as liaising with port authorities and logistics companies, and handling checks by immigration, security and customs authorities. – From now on, I’ll look at everything I pick up from a department store shelf with fresh eyes.
A cargo ship has so much of interest to offer: on one occasion, the chief engineer showed me the engine control room and then took me down into the ship’s impressive engine room. – The third officer took me on an inspection tour of the main deck, where I was able to marvel at, amongst other things, the huge winches and ropes used to moor the ship, as well as the gigantic anchor chain. Afterwards, he opened a hatch for me and I was allowed to climb a few rungs up into the bow of the ship. It was completely quiet up there – and I was able to enjoy the view of the sea stretching out before me. – Taking a peek into the galley gave me an idea of where the ever-cheerful, creative chef prepared his delicious meals.
The absolute highlights were my daily (and nightly) visits to the bridge, to which I almost always had access! Standing up there, glancing at the radar or the compass and looking out over the ship laden with countless containers was indescribable. Whenever their time allowed, the officers on watch not only let me look over their shoulders, but were also happy to answer my many questions and provide interesting insights into their daily work – and I was always welcome!
It’s important to me to mention that I felt very much at home on board! This is, of course, thanks to the lovely, ever-courteous crew, but in particular to Captain S., who, with his calm and friendly manner, made me feel welcome and safe throughout the entire voyage.
It’s wonderful that cargo ships offer passengers the chance to experience all of this. Many more people should have an experience like this to understand the long journey and, consequently, the value of the goods we consume every day.
I am very grateful to the crew of the Green Mountain for this unforgettable experience! It certainly won’t be my only cargo ship voyage. I will board a ship again in the near future and set off on a new adventure.