Doesn’t 13.78 mph sound SLOW?? Let’s see… if one went forward 24-hours a day at 13.78 mph, that is going 330ish miles a day. And it was 23 days from NOLA to Cape Town. That comes to 7,590 miles, which is pretty much the exact milage between the two ports! Who knew?? (But ask my husband the amount of times I’ve ordered shamefully incorrect sizes of things — think Stonehenge in Spinal Tap — and you’ll know about me and numbers.)

So chug chug, little freight boat, you’re just on time (if my math is right).

To refresh, we’re about four days into a five-month ’round-the-world trip. We are currently snaking through the Caribbean Isles, soon to be spit into the Atlantic, where we will then see no land for 20 days. But we will see a lot of sea.

The journal:

While Helen is busy in her Navigation 101 class, she takes detailed notes – lists, definitions, illustrations, scribbles, and diagrams (some not in her handwriting!). I will scatter those around.

Like now:

7:30 p.m. — to Engr. Deck for first lesson in telegraphy. All 'prentices there, wireless op., Shad. 

Shad, Foster and I talked until 10. Shad is interesting — he & Foster want to take a diesel auto trip from Capetown to Cairo. For conversation they asked me to go. Wonderful pipe dream. 

Capt. begins to call me Helen. 

Side note: The telegraphy lesson is likely Morse Code. This was definitely on her ‘prentice wish list.

And most importantly… drum rollll… IT’S SHAD. Shad = Roy (Shadbolt), sometimes also referred to as Shag. She seems intrigued by him, no?

I thought at first ‘Foster’ was a job title on the ship. Like a deckhand or something. The Captain hollers, “You there, Foster, fetch me my telescope post haste!!”, or something. But no, Foster is a person.

Roy and Foster invite Helen on a 10,000 kilometer roadtrip, from South Africa to Egypt, in a diesel car (a brand new type of car in 1937 that takes a different FUEL than other cars, so how do they get the gas? So many questions). Ten thousand kilometers is almost three times as long as the United States. And in 1937, it would probably take at least a month, if not longer. And where would they sleep. Hm… Flirting alert!

The Captain was likely calling her Miss. Skinner before. How informal for a ship Captain, who are typically so upright and salute-y. Hours of radio soaps and variety shows with someone nice, smart, and cute will do that!

Capt. reads my character in handwriting "Tact, diplomacy, modest, not forceful, religious tendency, non-informative, hopeful, ambitious, gentle, cautious, head rules emotions."

Side note: Most of those things, yes, but religious tendency, not so much. And what is non-informative? Like coy? Whatever it means, flirting alert!

Sun. Nov. 14: Today I am a passenger — no lessons. Large dinner — fried oysters, chicken, asparagus, potatoes browned, celery, olives, tomato, orange ice & Nabisco, walnuts. Listened to Jack Benny on Capt.'s radio. Foster on the bridge from 12 - 2. 

Side note: I leave in some of the food lists because her relaying mundane meals in the midst of daily wonder and so many once in a lifetime experiences is fun. One’s gotta eat.

Jack Benny, at the time, was slinging witty banter and Jello to all corners of the world. And which 12-2 is she with Foster?? The day time or nighttime one. I think the latter since she mentions him last. Hm.

Mon. Nov. 15: 

10 — 11:30 Light begins to dawn on a few matters. Talked to Shad. Worked on my hammock, annoying the passengers with my hammering. Sun bath on the monkey deck. 

7:30 — 9 with Shad, hearing in outline, a sketch of his life.  

10:30 — 12:30 — with Jimmie. They are interesting youngsters. We can all learn a lot from each other. A most gloriously beautiful moonlight night, clear as crystal. Clocks have been advanced 20 min. each day. The European members of the crew are quite a lot, I gather. Know their jobs, but nothing else. Wine, women, smut fill their days and nights. A sensitive lad like Shad, with beauty in his heart and a keen inquiring mind is like a man in a diving helmet at the bottom of the sea, with an octopus just about to close a tentacle on his slender air line. Jamie with a brain, but so young and untouched by the world. What will this apprenticeship leave them? Have been asked to teach Jimmie to dance.

Side note: There is a lot to unpack there. It’s all one day, which starts off a complicated… ‘Light begins to dawn on a few matters’… that must be about Shad and has an undertone of trouble, no? They have had a talk.

Perhaps because of this talk, she hammers forcefully on things and bothers fellow passengers.

Then she rests.

And Shad’s life, from what I know at that point involved art, culture, travel, engineering, a doting family. So even at 23, he had a lot of stories. Did I mention before he was 23? And that she was 34?

A sensitive lad like Shad, with beauty in his heart and a keen inquiring mind is like a man in a diving helmet at the bottom of the sea, with an octopus just about to close a tentacle on his slender air line.

And if she mentioned Europeans before, I didn’t notice it. These particular Europeans I picture a pale, freckled, red-faced hooligans.

But Shad. My goodness indeed. He’s an artsy man. An intellectual man. A funny man. A manly man. And super cute and single. What?!

Nov. 16: Capt. received a radiogram this am. saying a son was born on Nov. 12, his second. Chief has a child a year old he hasn't seen. 1st Mate has one 2 1/2  he hasn't seen.

Side note: Most of the crew is married it seems. Despite all these men flirting with Helen, these aren’t necessarily the type of men who hoot at ladies from the rafters. These are not party boats, everyone is working, and they probably were just not used to a passenger like Helen on board. So she got a lot of attention. And she loved to flirt. No one is saying anything happened, but it’s easy to read into things. Throughout though, she speaks fondly of almost everyone (except a few civilian passengers, who just seemed annoying) so I hope all happenings were above board, so to speak.

Problem #1: Roy precipitated tonight. Vessel burns 37 long tons (2240 lb.) of oil daily. Leak in ammonia pipe at 4:00 a.m., Roy dashed up for the gas masks.

Side note: Roy precipitated? Like he did something bad? She is with Roy at 4am to see this rushing??

Tue. Nov. 16: Barbados on the port bow early this a.m. Finished setting the grommets in the hammock. Found today's navigation problems came very much more easily. Began Emil Ludwig's "The Nile", the description of the source is striking, vivid. Roy and I stood on the after deck in the moonlight. Up at 3:30 to see the silver lining of the clouds where the moon illuminates them from behind. 

Wed. Nov. 17: Jim showed me how to crown and splice a rope — for the hammock. At this rate it will be done by Christmas. Jim gave me a lesson in Morse until he went on the bridge at 8. Talked to Shad until 9. Talked to Jim 11 — 12:30. Full moon, but storm clouds all around the horizon. 

Thru. Nov. 18: Found a Latitude. Capt. says I may shoot the sun tomorrow. Finished splicing the rope for the hammock. Life boats are going to be painted, began taking out the rig today. 7:15 - 9 - with Shad. Coffee at 4 a.m. with Jim.

Side note: Sometimes I’ll just shut up and let her talk. But here I must interject. I wasn’t going to complicate things with too many people, but now this ‘Jim’ keeps being mentioned and I don’t remember him from the last time I read through this. What I know of him thus far: he is one of the ‘youngsters’ and probably a ‘prentice. She was asked to teach him to dance. She seems to be with him when she’s not with the Captain or Roy or Foster. So let’s watch out for him going forward.

Fri. Nov. 19: Shad and I took pictures of the boat this morning, starting aft. Worked some problems of Lat. And then at noon, I had my first look thru a sextant, and figured the Latitude of the boat. Very exciting for me. Lesson in Morse, tried sending. Read some western Canada plays Shad has produced and acted in. Jim gave me a picture of the ship, which will help in explaining to the family.

Sat. Nov. 20: Big card game on tonight, ending in hot words. Came down at 10 to find everybody frothing at the mouth over Mrs. S_____, who is a poor loser. I hiked them round and round the deck until they cooled off. 

Side note: maybe this is why she doesn’t spend too much time with the civilian passengers.

Still not so good at arithmetic but I found another Latitude today, taking the corrections from the nautical almanac. Foster supervised the completion of the hammock. Put on the battens and tied up the lanyards. Capt. came down and hung it for me in the aft-starboard corner of the deck. It's wonderfully comfortable, and I'm proud of it. Slept out about 4 hours tonight. 

Called topside after dinner. Capt. pasted stamps in his album. He has them from most of the strange ports of the world.

Side note: I love that she’s proud of her hammock. She should be, but it’s nice to recognize the feeling. And how awesome must it have been being cradled up in the air in a sling you made, outside on the deck, alone, moon out, a big black vastness in the distance punctuated by the stars of that sparkly chaotic roundabout in the sky, the Milky Way? I would say VERY awesome.

Sun. Nov. 21: Almost the coolest a.m. we've had, and nearest the equator. Watched the `prentices do their weekly house-cleaning, very efficient. At noon Jim snatched one arm and leg, Thompson the other. Threats of the tar and feathers, but took it all out in hot air and so, I crossed the equator.  Came up from lunch to find Capt. in my hammock. Another visit to the boat deck, started "Silas Crockett". 4 passengers, and several from over yonder, doing the backhouse trot.

Side note: Playful equatorial-themed flirting is always fun. The pull-a-person-apart game, so as to exist in both hemispheres at the same time. Captain in hammock = flirting alert! I thought that ‘doing the backhouse trot’ was a dance, but it is not. It means what might happen if one ate bad food.

Mon. Nov. 21: Slept out in my hammock all night delightful. Reading about setting a course on a chart. Shad furnished a pair of coveralls, Capt. came and took movies of me climbing board and beginning to paint the inside of #4 life boat. I had a fine time wagging the paint brush, got my arms and nose some what burned in the equatorial sun.

Lesson in Morse, and listened in astonishment to Shad, who quoted poetry, play, sang, ran from the sublime to the idiotic and back without a change of pace. He's really gifted, if he wanted to do anything with it. 

Side note: Oh, to have those movies. The personal movie camera had just come out that year. Someone was a gadget head!

And also, more Shad intrigue. And he sounds intriguing.

So much going on and we’re still at sea, but we’re another eight days in. There’s still another 10 or so days to go til Cape Town.

What else was Helen doing aside from the above, you ask? Learning about how engines work. The below is NOT her handwriting. I’m gonna guess it is Shad.

Soon, Helen will know all this stuff like the back of her hand.