Part I: Seals teeth and whales ears - Scott Polar Research Institute ...

On 30 November, a few hours sailing from Cape Town we had wonderful distant
blue-tinged views of the Cape Peninsula - Table Mountain, flat-topped, the Devil's
Peak, Twelve Apostles and the Lion's Head - a hazy blue in the distance. Cape Town
undulated over the slopes surrounding the mountain. To the East of us, on the far
side of the enormous bay was a low-lying sandy coast which looked rather
interesting - probably in the vicinity of Saldanha Bay (where there was a shore
whaling station). The water was muddy grey-brown instead of the deep-sea blue to
which we had become accustomed and the shallow water had made the swell more
noticeable. Coastal birds flew to and from their fishing grounds - the shags in long
lines low over the water and the black and white boobies very gracefully but
seemingly aimlessly. Small schools of penguins were in the water - the Cape penguin
or jackass - and a number of fur seals porpoised away from the bows of the ship; I
had one under close observation beside a piece of kelp. The sun was shining, the
wind blowing and all was right with the world.
Balaena came into the harbour that afternoon and tied up alongside. The Customs
Officers came aboard and so on. Then as the formalities were completed, the catchers
came alongside and began to load up with stores and take on fuel oil. Hugh Symons,
Second Chemist came aboard, sporting a huge black beard. He had been on the
Balaena the previous season in my position, (Junior Whaling Inspector), stayed in
South Africa during the off season and was coming down again, now working for the
Company. He was a zoologist and was a student at Queens' College, Cambridge. He
invited me ashore to a party arranged for some of the others - Chris Ash, Shep, Alex,
Hugh and myself. I changed and got some South African money from the office, and
then we all took a taxi to Hugh's hotel - called ‘Arthur's Seat’, a very Scottish name
but with a typical Africaner stoep, where we sat in the coolness of the evening with a
drink. Table Mountain was looking very fine. It rises immediately behind the city - in
fact the city straggles up the lower slopes and a blanket of cloud was just pouring
over the plateau from the South and sinking down towards the city. It is known as
the 'table cloth'.
Three of the girls came along as we were having a drink. They were Monica, very
attractive, blond and a painter, Phyllis, a bit older and fairly ordinary, and Pat, a very
pleasant Australian girl - but the only girl I've ever seen with freckled lips! We sat
and chatted over drinks and then Gillian, tall, blonde and very glamorous in black
velvet, and Claudia, Italian South African, came along. Dinner was excellent and well
served in a pleasant room with delicious South African wines and afterwards
liqueurs and coffee on the stoep. Such a change from life on the ship! Gill turned on
the charm and became my partner for the rest of the evening. She reminded me of
Maureen in some ways - tall and glamorous (and she liked Scandinavians!). She had
a degree. We all went on to the Clifton - a hotel on the coast at Sea Point - high up
and overlooking the sea with the surf down below on a sandy beach. It was really
very romantic, but I wished that Maureen could have been there instead. We danced
and drank champagne on the terrace until the place closed at midnight.
Then we returned to the ship by taxi and gathered in Chris's cabin. I showed Gill
around the ship - the factory, bridge, laboratories and so on - and then back to the
party, which continued. At 3.30 am. we left in a taxi to take the girls home to Sea
Point and arrived at Gill's hotel to find her aunt waiting up for her! The taxi taking
Ole and me back to the ship broke down and we had to search for another, so we
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