In 1962, the two of us were waiting to board the Mail Boat, the MV “Accra”, bound for Liverpool from Lagos, West Africa. My daughter was three years old. The port was a teeming mass of humanity, including local merchants folding their wares, many of them women. As always, her slippers were resting on her head. The aroma of spices filled the air along with the indescribable smell of Africa itself. Stalls were set up in all available spaces, no matter how small. Immediately next to a display of pots and pans, fruits and vegetables alongside sweet pastries. Brightly colored fabrics clamored for attention along with an array of glorious rugs. A few meters away, a vendor extolled the virtues of his coffee beans, inviting everyone to taste them. All the merchants considered their wares to be the best in the world: the juiciest watermelons, the largest shrimps, the thickest carpets, the richest coffee, the choicest cakes, the heaviest rugs.
Amidst all the hustle and bustle, we slowly made our way to the catwalk. We were finally on board where a flight attendant showed us to our cabin. After unpacking we went up on deck. Beverley anxiously scanned the faces on the dock, looking for her dad. “There it is, there it is”, she yelled excitedly. She was waving frantically to get our attention. Everyone had already boarded and the ship prepared to set sail. Suddenly, I heard the sound of “Rule Britannia”, which I found out would play every time we arrived and left the port. They all waved their last “goodbyes” before settling in for 13 days at sea.
I remember feeling terribly dizzy but luckily it didn’t affect Beverley. After a couple of days, I suddenly felt much better. I mentioned this to a woman he had started chatting with every day and she burst out laughing. “Idiot! We’ve been docked for two hours!” We had reached Sierra Leone, Freetown, still on the west coast of Africa. The port was most impressive, surrounded by mountains. The ship was there for only a couple of hours while it loaded cargo and more fuel. Once again we heard “Rule Britannia” as the ship left the port majestically. To my relief, I no longer suffered from motion sickness and began to enjoy the trip. I was wondering why I had never been on a boat before instead of waiting until my last trip from Lagos to England.
I was blown away by the wonderful food that was served in the splendid dining room. The ship offered all the services you would have associated with a cruise. We all changed for dinner of course, nothing too grand or formal but something a little fancy or elegant. I went to a lot of cocktail parties and other drinking parties, but all the officers thought they were a godsend to the woman. I could have happily stayed on board traveling back and forth forever. Of course, I was very young at the time.
Beverley had a great time, but now she doesn’t remember anything about it. She was with me all day and in the evenings a flight attendant kept a close eye on her and called me if necessary. I forgot to mention that I met a “sugar daddy” who promised me an all-expenses-paid vacation anywhere in the world with my daughter, no strings attached! When I refused, he never spoke to me again, so much for “no strings attached!”.
We finally docked in Liverpool and said a fond farewell to the people we had met and took home some very happy memories. My next trip would be to Benghazi, Libya, but that’s another story.