Day 164
Trip Start
Sep 14, 2006
1
144
169
Trip End
??? ??, 2007
Fremantle,
Australia
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
So today, around 5pm, I went to the bridge to see Australia come into view. With the hi-tech equipment on board the Chief Officer was able to accurately make the prediction of when we would see coast for the first time in days. I grinned when I saw the coast and grimaced when we slowed to a stop 15 miles out. We can't just sail right up to port, we have to wait until 9pm/10pm to get tugged in by the port authorities.
I came back to the bridge at 9pm to witness this exercise. A small boat brings a retired local captain which great knowledge of the surrounding waters to the Theodore Storm. He gets on board and assumes control of the boat. I thought this strange. If you need to park a car in a tight spot surely it's better if the regular driver does it?? You wouldn't toss the keys of your car to your pal who inconsiderably lives in a terraced street with parking problems just because he knows the patch
01 Cool sunset
! Still that's how they do it at sea. I stood in darkness (all Bridge lights were turned off so the only lights visible were that of other sea-craft and the shore). The map room at the rear of the bridge had been curtained off so that the maps could still be illuminated. The new "Captain" would set the course and speed (directing the crew on the bridge) until very close to the shore where we would get attached to a tug boat. He would then use a walkie-talkie to direct the tug boat driver as well. I was very impressed. Often on this trip I've thought "all this stuff goes all year round on while I'm normally at home watching East-enders" - this was one of those moments. The final bumps and pulls were finished around 11pm and we were moored in Fremantle. During my hour or so on the bridge the Captain (the original Russian guy) informed me that immigration would come in the morning now as it was too late for them now. That meant another night on board in Fremantle Port and I had trouble getting to sleep (my beer crate was empty) and I was so close to my goal! 
