Monday 15 March 2010

Something I saw from my bathroom window

There was a good blow on Saturday 13th March, 2010 right here on Blueskin Road overlooking Carey's Bay and Port Chalmers. In the main channel I saw something I knew should not be there. It looked like a container. If you don't know what a container looks like you haven't lived. We see them all the time. We here them being moved around the docks. Occasionally they will be hoisted, craned, thumped around from dawn to dawn. An unusual auditory distraction when trying to sleep but preferable to the psychopathic roar of the modified car in the wee small hours.

I watched it bobbing for a while waiting for someone to mount a rescue. Nothing happened. It wasn't far from the dockside so I was sure a shout would go up at any moment and one - maybe both - of the tugs that manoeuvre huge cruise ships into the harbour would do the maritime equivalent of springing into action.

Outside for a better view I still could hear no wild cries of desperation drifting up from Port Chalmers. The container was dogpaddling leisurely in the channel. Thinking the high winds had kept the hardy longshoremen indoors sipping mugs of tea and playing bridge with greasy cards I wondered who I might telephone to alert them to a hazard to shipping. Yellow pages! That ought to do it. Back inside I got distracted. Many hours can pass like this but do not worry no ships were sunk because I had failed to call for help.

I went back outside and a small craft was towing the escapee back to container gaol.

A happy ending.