MARINE WAVE


As with any less than favourable situation, it makes the positives feel that much better. After over 95 days together onboard the Miami, the crew were given some reprieve in Durban, South Africa, where they waited for two weeks as the fuel was purified.


“We were exhausted, and needed that break,” recalls Gallant. “By that point a lot of us had gotten pretty lean because all the sugar and sweets were gone!”


In total, the delay of waiting for new fuel and the delay in purifying the fuel they had on board took an additional five weeks. While the crew and the Miami were not met with any inclement weather, the travel was slow because of the weight of the two ships and the tides that were working against them.


The crew finally reached Alang, India, and handed over the two ships for scrap. They were then asked to rescue a ship that had been grounded near the India-Pakistan border. The rescue required 2700 feet of tow cable, and most times, when the cable lifted out of the water, it was covered with hundreds of sea snakes. After two weeks of attempts, the crew and the Miami, with the assistance of another tug, were able to successfully rescue the ship.


Rather than sailing back to Saint John, Atlantic Towing sent another crew to complete the return mission. Before flying home, Robert had a chance to stay at the Hotel Taj Mahal, which turned out to be another highlight of his epic journey.


“It was the nicest place I had ever stayed in and a great way to complete the trip,” says Gallant.


Returning home was also a unique experience for Robert. “We had been away for so long, and it felt that we had missed so much in our absence, including the L.A. Riots, and the music seemed to change overnight. We came back to this whole grunge scene, which we knew nothing about.”


While the sail was riddled with painstaking delays, contaminated fuel and a current that felt like it was pushing the Miami and its crew backwards, Robert would not have had it any other way.


“At the time, it felt like the trip would never end. But looking back on it and remembering all the places we saw and the laughs we had along the way, I wouldn’t change a thing.”


Throughout his career with Atlantic Towing, Robert has worked on eight different tugs, including the Irving Maple, the Irving Birch, and the Irving Miami to name a few. Gallant is now Mate on the Atlantic Cedar where he assists with Canaport operations.


Several years after the journey, Robert saw a documentary called ‘Into the Graveyard’ about the scrap operations in areas such as Alang, India. You can watch the documentary here:


www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGDZiWwF_V0


After a crew change in Bombay (now Mumbai) Gallant stayed at the Taj Mahal Hotel, one of the best experiences of his journey.


17 Robert takes in some sun during some down time on the voyage.


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