…. He had handed the helm over to the second boatman and jumped off the rim of the lifeboat to the back of a whale and from there to the next, sometimes forward and back again. Soon others followed him not only from his lifeboat, but also from others.  The hustle and bustle looked great, especially when a whale blew a huge fountain of water into the air, or one or the other did fall into the water and had to be retrieved into one of the boats with the help of ropes being cast or oars.

Report 15: Sailing ballet near St. Helena

…. With full speed, we raced past them at a distance of less than 200 meters Several thousand arms on each ship waved to us. A loud “OOH” and “AAH” from many mouths could be heard. The ship’s sirens hooted, the ship’s musical bands tuned in. But we had no time for this. Pamir had to remain under control, and the first free program began, as we had passed the third ship. Then the command came: “Prepare to gybe”. …..

Report 16: Benny Goodman in Concert –
Whistling makes it possible.

….Having heard Benny Goodman’s clarinet yesterday, this is a story that has to do with superstition. Few of us boys were superstitious. Few cared about the fond likings of the others. But we were immediately informed emphatically: The captain does not tolerate whistling aboard!  Only the whistle of the watch officer was permitted….

Some things are obviously understood slowly. Fresh water is essential. After we had packed plenty of pieces of ice on departure, we probably lost sight of the warning that there was not more than one liter of fresh water per day for personal use. Until Bahia Blanca, we got almost five liters a day and now almost nothing. They did not tell us, the youngsters of the ship, why water was so scarce. Anyway there was only enough left to brush your teeth twice a day. ….

Report 18: Sky sailing in the Bermuda Triangle

….During the lunch break suddenly we heard a cry “All hands on deck”. Then the command: “recover all sails” For asking “why” and “what” there was no time left. Even without explaining, it felt unusually strange: The ship turned itself around. The captain hesitated and then yelled at the guards on duty, “Take a look! What a great vortex! If that speeds up it will form a deep eddy, and we will be in a tight spot. We have to get out of here!”…

……..The first officer instructed us: “The captain wants you here on deck again in 10 minutes wearing a white dress shirt, blue pants and bareheaded! What else you’re wearing underneath, you can keep it as you want. Reason: About 30 minutes ahead of us was Her Majesty’s Yacht “Britannia”, commissioned three years ago. Distinguished guests on board would like to see the Pamir under full sails.

Report 20: The Truth from potato sack

For this, I must briefly tell the story that started 5 days ago when we were still in the vicinity of the lightship Borkum.

At night, it was very cold, very wet, and all hands were on deck. I shivered for hours, was tired for hours and for days damp through and through. Then there came the only solution to take into consideration. To vanish off without permission.