On 14th April, 2008 Anne and I flew to Manaus, 1000 miles up-river from the mouth of the River Amazon in the Amazonia District of Brazil, to join the M.V. Discovery for a traditional voyage back to the United Kingdom. We were to call at Parintins, Santarem (Amazonia), Devil's Island (French Guyana), Trinidad,Grenada, Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua, Horta, Ponta Delgada`and Harwich. These pages illustrate some of the views on board and en-route.
This was another voyage for Maritime Memories, an organisation of people who have either worked aboard traditional liners and/or cargo vessels, i.e. sea-going staff, in the period from World War 2 to the mid 1970s, or were shore staff for the companies that owned and operated these ships. Examples are; Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P and O), British India Steam Navigation Company (B.I.), New Zealand Shipping Company (N.Z.S.Co.), Union Castle Line, Orient Steam Navigation Company (Orient Line) and Shaw Savill and Albion Line just to name a few. In the main the companies represented by the group were British and the aim, for the past eight years that Maritime Memories voyages have been undertaken, has been to replicate the type of traditional "lline voyage" that was so much part of the British shipping scene from the days of the introduction of steam, till the demise of traditional shipping due to the introduction of large intercontinental aircraft - the Boeing 747 for example - which rapidly took passengers away from the shipping companies - and the introduction of containerisation which spelt the doom of cargo ships, as totally new types of vessels were required together with the infrastructure to cater for them.
Manaus, Amazonia, Brazil
Royal Princess alongside at Manaus
Manaus River Boats
Manaus Skyline, 14th April 2008
Map, courtesy of www.v-brazil.com
Manaus is situated on the confluence of the Amazon and Negra Rivers, as can be seen from the map opposite. Ships travelling up-river have the current against them, so tend to be slower than those coming down river and with the current. Next port of call was Parintins some 15 hours sailing from Manaus.
Parintins, Amazonia, Brazil
Shop Advertising sign
Street Scene
A beautiful wall sculpture
Parintins Catholic Church
Parintins Masonic Temple
Street Market near Catholic Church
Last Ship's Tender returning
Departure from Parintins
Santarem, Amazon River, Brazil
Discovery alongside at Santarem
Old Shipping Company Flags
Piranha Fishing
by local fishermen
Amazon Jungle Scene
Local Fishing Boats
House on Stilts and Floating Garden
Meeting of the Waters
Anne's Certificate for Crossing the Equator.
View of Santarem Waterfront
Sailing from Santarem to Devil's Island in French Guyana meant a full day's sailing down the River Amazon, and it only when one does this that the immense size of the river can be appreciated.