The Fertigan Journey

Introduction

The Fertigan Journey is an extract from the Skokholm "Chatty Log ". David Stanbury sketches the background to this classic of Skokholm literature.

As the Historical Adviser to the Voyage of Charles Darwin I had been reading all these old ships logs. I was amused by the following letter from an acting engineer in charge of an early steamship.

" Sir, I should have wrote to you before of our arrival at Deptford, but I have been so bussey imployed in to towing ships about that I have not had an hour since I left Crontead in Russia. After working that time my water in the boilers did exceed the tempeture of 216 deg. by blowing some water from the boilers several time a day. We took our departure from Copheagen on the 13th inst and the whent into a port in Norway in a gale of wind on the 17th inst at this place Biggs departed on 19th inst this life and was buried their the tempeture of the boilers did not exceed 216 deg. I have had a fertigan time of it with this journey....."

Colin Finbow, who is in charge of our film unit, was on the island making a Skokholm film and has imitated the engineer's style and spelling (or lack of it!)

The Fertigan Journey
Thursday 9th June - Jubilee day plus TWO

Today has been quite fertigan. Beginning as it did at 1.30 a.m. when meself and the old team was out at the crack of dark watching and listening at the stormy petrels what we never did hear and also the shearwaters that we did. Except that one of them was a Leach's petrel which did sing a different tune like a woodpecker a laughin and at no time did the tempeture of our bodies exceed 98.5 deg. We then was returning after we see them when we see a you.f.o. and stars in the eavens.

Velvet swoop of boling birds and the fesh dark sprinkled with stars and the sea just audible above the hiss ofthe tilley lamp "Tingling" cold as the shearwaters gradually appeared and filled the night with waddling till we waddled home and interrupted our day with sleep. Suddenly the bell for breakfast and the day resumed, clear, hot and seablue, the events of the early day seeming far away and everyone wondering if Matthew really caught a rabbit or Tony Hunter of what. Then off to the flora and the island blossoming under scrutiny. A day set fair to film flowers. A coffee break - then cries of "the boat! The boat's on its way!" (like the remembered relief of the delayed boats arrival after being stormbound on my last visit.) This boat was the Dale boat Grassholm bound.

We boarded the boat with somewhat of a tenshun in the air for the Skipper David could not take us all on his craft and so the third years at to stop behind at least sum of them did because we was able to take 2 Tonies and Philip who never really wanted to go (he said). We set out from South Haven in fair weather with the sun to windward and smiles on ourfaces for Dave Stanbury (alis Capn Fitzroy) was driving and I (alias Cpn Birdseye) took up my place in the bulwarks (bollards or gunwhales) to take pictures of the sea with azoom lens. What I did not need since the sea came very close and we all got quite attached to it (and vice versa). The sea it blew a gale of wind and it was lovely (Dave said). All our feet was awash and at no time did there tempeture exceed 60 deg. below. Philip said he never really wanted to come anyway. (I belivered him). Jamie said he was so wet he didn't care and he didn't. Graham dripped fom all his points and went very quiet. Dave and David(the Skipper) and John all smiled - sometimes they grinned.

Skpholm it took a long time to go from behind us so I guessed we was not nowhere near Grassholm yet. Greg hid all the cameras from the sea since his ands was too froze to hold them and we was all very quiet exceptin the Skipper and Dave who kept talkin about food and things some of us was not very interested in. The disappointed 3rd years who stayed behind never knew what they was missing (lucky beggars some of us thought). We gallant seafarers was missin lunch (which was just as well in view of the stait of the seas). Tony by this time had got on his funny hood and Doreen was making remarks about his head but it were very dry which is more than you can say for Matthew who had to borrow a waterproof to put over his wet cloths to prevent then from getin dry. Philip (who never wanted to come anyway) started to suffer from exposure (perhaps due to the ole in his jeans) and the skipper gave him a cagoule and over trasis to keep out the draft. (We had had baked beans and sossiges for breakfast). I lifted my head over the bows and we was suddenly at Grassholm for the sky was full of Gannets and all the rocks was white with them like flowers and in the sky they was black. They had shat over all the rocks and you could smell it which bearing in mind the sea Elain did not find very agreeable. Nor did some of us. (Philip never really wnated to come anyway and by now nor did Jamie). The skipper took us round the island several times and we did see seals and then he went round again which was fun and then again which was unkind and then again which was cruel and then again when Dave said he thought it was very kind and some of us did not agree.

One by one we went to the back of the boat where it wa warmer and Jamie sat in the bows and looked very peculiar (which is nothing to worry about). John he drove the boat and went in all the big waves becos he like them (and so do I lest my readers shall think me without sealegs). Matthew went to sleep. Tony Hunter started to shiver so he could go in the warm bit, by the eingine. Tony Jarret started to look like he never really wanted to come. Doreen and Tony started to look very determined. The skipper gave us some beer which was very kind, but still our tempeture did not exceed 60 deg. below. The beer it had a side effect on some of us (the younger members of the crew had orange squash which also had awside effect) and more of us started to look determined. The sound of rushing water and the cold and the drink was havin an effect upon us and thre wan't no loo on the boat. Graham said he could pee over the side so we held his coat while he did. Five minutes later he stopped. Some of us (especially Peter) was also bursting and John was going fast towards home when suddenly it was decided (I know not by hoom) to visit Skomer, and we sailed over past the Gannets or Guillemots or whatever (we did not care by now). One intrepid birdwatcher who shall be nameless (Peter) doubled in agony and said "Sod the Guillemots. Who wants to see guillemots." Such relief as we turned from Skomer to point homeward when suddenly a little fishin boat we parst let off a red flare and we was off to rescue it. This was too much and four of us lined up to pee over the side at once which must be something of a record, and the boat was not even on fire. We were about to save the boat (Vera) when the coastguard sent in the cavalry as John put it and HMS Woodlark streamed in like an episode of "Warship" and saved it (the Vera). It started to rain which was not very kind. When we got back the skipper would not bring his boat in to South Haven so we had to come in in a little rubber dingy which was very exciting and Jean had made us a great meal as usel. It was all very fertigan which why I have now stopped this record of our voyage.


Colin Finbow with apologies to John Chapender.