Volume Eight - Pre-Victorian to the present day - more aspects - Passat & Pamir at Penarth Dock - A Photo Album - 1948 - 1951

Her last harbour was Helsingborg, in Sweden. Her commander is Captain Ivar Haegerstrand, a famous windjammer skipper who sailed the Viking before the war.

Laid up for Seven Years - The ship had been laid up for seven years. In Finland she went aground, was holed, and on Christmas Eve her third mate died. Everybody thought the Passat was ill-fated.

Three days after she ran into the worst hurricane for 100 years north of Scotland. She was half wrecked and drifted around for three weeks, but Captain Haegerstrand took her safely down to Cape Town, the voyage lasting for 79 days. In Cape Town she unloaded a third of her cargo and was dry-docked for repairs.

The rest of the cargo was unloaded in Durban and East London, on the coast of South Africa. She sailed from Cape Town to Durban in 10 days, which was supposed to be a very good run. She was in Cape Town at the time of the Royal visit, and was lying next to the British battleship Vanguard.

From South Africa she sailed to Australia, arriving at Bunberry after 21 days' voyage. Her average speed on this run was nine knots. Australia was excited over this lovely white-winged windjammer, and special trains were arranged from Perth to take visitors to see the ship. The captain found himself very celebrated and became an honoured guest among the Australian families.

Across Indian Ocean - Over the Indian Ocean the Passat then sailed with a cargo of sleepers up to the Malavan harbour at Port Swettenham, three degrees north of the Equator. Here the crew bathed amongst crocodiles and water snakes, and the British Governor visited the ship, which was the first windjammer ever to visit the port.

Then back to Australia she sailed in ballast of sand, which was brought aboard by 500 djonks. Captain Haegerstrand could quite as well have taken iron aboard as ballast, the price would have been the same, he found out!

During the voyage back, and while at sea, the crew got a new member. A baby was born to the stewardess, and as there was no doctor aboard the captain had to perform the duties. The baby is now a clever little boy of eight months and can nearly walk.