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July 2008 Blog Posts (5)

PART 2: Safely on board Wellpark, the first days

We were already in to October 2nd, but I didn’t get to sleep that night. At 6am I headed downstairs to change into deck work clothes. We tended to wear a variety of boiler suits carried over from previous ships. Some cadets had orange or grey boiler-suits, but most had one that had started life as white when first made, or navy blue. Mine was navy blue, but I had torn off the sleeves for extra cooling. We were used to changes in routine and so were prepared for something new in the orders of… Continue

Added by Mike Newton on July 31, 2008 at 1:33pm — 2 Comments

PART 3: Wellpark arrives to an uncertain welcome in Taiwan

It was decidedly hotter on Wednesday 4th October. The horizon was hazy and the coastline of Taiwan was veiled in mist as we got closer to land. Many of the teenage Vietnamese had been standing at the ship’s side, day-dreaming as they watched the water slide past Wellpark’s hull as she powered forward. Only two whole days after their rescue it seemed they were at home on the ship and enjoying the experience like some low cost cruise.

But arrival in Kaohsiung meant confrontation with… Continue

Added by Mike Newton on July 31, 2008 at 1:32pm — No Comments

PART 4: Living in No Man's Land

Day 5 started slowly. The ship lay, swinging lazily on its anchor, in the hot still air. Everything was quiet, and those Vietnamese not included in the various work parties spent the time pacing restlessly up and down the deck. For the adults this new day brought more uneasiness. What was happening? What were the powers-that-be in some far off land deciding? What would be their fate?

Nerves tightened when a cutter was seen leaving the shore and heading directly towards Wellpark. As… Continue

Added by Mike Newton on July 31, 2008 at 1:31pm — No Comments

PART 5: October 10th - a special date to remember

October 10th was a special day. Not only was it my father’s birthday, but it was also Taiwan’s Independence day. We tried to create a bit of a carnival effect and hung up every available flag on the ship. It added a bit of gaiety to the pattern of life which in the last few days had been a bit stagnant for the Vietnamese adults. With no news on their future and the uncomfortable and restricted living conditions we were all beginning to wonder how long we could be left in limbo.

As… Continue

Added by Mike Newton on July 31, 2008 at 1:19pm — 1 Comment

PART 6: Leaving Wellpark

That was it. For the last ten days we had shared our ship. Now we were going to share our country and heritage. And our home would become their home. Any last barriers that there might have been, came tumbling down. The refugee’s trust was complete. Any reason to keep a small division in case the situation became more complicated, evaporated and the crew relaxed the rules. It meant the adults came into the accommodation freely to use the crew showers and toilets. Whilst they respectfully… Continue

Added by Mike Newton on July 31, 2008 at 3:08am — 1 Comment