Home » Iran » Atlantic Express, Hormuz Strait, 18/09 – 20/09

We leave the U.A.E by 10:00 and head across the Persian Gulf through the Hormuz Strait to the port of Bandar Abbas in Iran. On day 96, we have our usual B-B-Q and the chef is happy and joyful, as he has plenty of new ingredients to play with. I spend most of my days struggling to leave the side of the swimming pool where Pepe, who loves swimming, comes and splashes about with us. She likes to dive and so the Chief and myself take it in turns to throw her up as high as possible over the swimming pool. She does not splash, as most dogs would, but makes an elegant dive, surfaces and swims endlessly around the pool going from person to person. She cannot bear that someone is in the pool when she is not. On the evening of day 97 we arrive outside of the port of Bandar Abbas but have to remain at anchorage waiting to go in to berth. The anchor has barely been dropped that the crew appears out of nowhere and starts fishing, mostly for squids as it is night and they are best fished at night. A large light is dropped down to the surface of the water and we are all given long lines with reflective hooks at the end. The squids are very much attracted to the light and the reflective hooks. As soon as they start pulling, we hook them with a swift pull and heave them on board. Pepe loves fishing as much as I do and runs from sailor to sailor hoping to steal a squid in a moment of inattention. When she does manage to steal one, she eats it alive and whole in one gulp before whacking her tail, demanding more.

Atlantic Express, Hormuz Strait, 18/09 – 20/09

Degrubenc
2005-12-09 16:18:05

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We leave the U.A.E by 10:00 and head across the Persian Gulf through the Hormuz Strait to the port of Bandar Abbas in Iran. On day 96, we have our usual B-B-Q and the chef is happy and joyful, as he has plenty of new ingredients to play with. I spend most of my days struggling to leave the side of the swimming pool where Pepe, who loves swimming, comes and splashes about with us. She likes to dive and so the Chief and myself take it in turns to throw her up as high as possible over the swimming pool. She does not splash, as most dogs would, but makes an elegant dive, surfaces and swims endlessly around the pool going from person to person. She cannot bear that someone is in the pool when she is not. On the evening of day 97 we arrive outside of the port of Bandar Abbas but have to remain at anchorage waiting to go in to berth. The anchor has barely been dropped that the crew appears out of nowhere and starts fishing, mostly for squids as it is night and they are best fished at night. A large light is dropped down to the surface of the water and we are all given long lines with reflective hooks at the end. The squids are very much attracted to the light and the reflective hooks. As soon as they start pulling, we hook them with a swift pull and heave them on board. Pepe loves fishing as much as I do and runs from sailor to sailor hoping to steal a squid in a moment of inattention. When she does manage to steal one, she eats it alive and whole in one gulp before whacking her tail, demanding more.

I have never seen such a curious and lively dog. The crew tells me that it is because she is a woman. She wants to see and smell everything, regularly giving every cabin on board a thorough investigation lest we should be hiding anything from her. She eats anything that is given to her, including fruits and vegetables, as well as the live fish she loves so much. After swimming, she loves to come to my cabin and have a fight with my large towel. She loves to drink soft drinks and often comes to find me, in the hope of receiving some coke fresh out of the fridge. When she has earned a special treat, then she gets a bit of beer from a crew member.

I am growing fonder and fonder of Pepe everyday; she often follows me around, curious and happy. I am improving at the fishing business and now catch my fair share of squids. We fill a bucket every half hour, giving the chef enough squids to last a year. I study them with medical candour and am amazed to see how they work: quite well made creatures with incredibly sophisticated propulsion and defence mechanisms.