“Free
man, always you will
worship the sea.”
Charles Baudelaire
A different way to discover the world … on a cargo ship
Before and after the second world war, cargo ships were regularly taking passengers. Some had luxurious conditions on board, others rather more modest ones. They usually stopped for one week or more at ports. Life on board had the taste of adventure and represented unforgettable holidays for those who had time and no restraints. The development of air travel led to a gradual end of passenger liners and transformed them into cruise vessels. Most cargo ships, with irregular timetables and too inaccurate itineraries, no longer offered cabins to passengers.
The technological improvements of the last twenty-five years have brought great changes to the merchant navy and its vessels. These ships are always getting bigger and they can seem less attractive at first glance. However, not only do they allow us to travel by sea nearly everywhere in the world, but they also represent a very special means of travel on which only a few passengers can be admitted.
Comfortably accomodated in a spacious cabin (they are often more spacious than those on cruise ships), meals are served at the officer’s mess, sometimes at the captain’s table, a good way to start discovering their world.
The most important thing is that one will not be getting on board « to spend time » but on the contrary, « to have plenty of time ». Travelling on a cargo ship is an amazing way to leave our restless modern life for a while, getting in touch again with true values.
Taking a cargo ship can also help to renew oneself, with one's dreams, one's
imagination, one's past and future life. At sea, there is no notion of time
left, and time can finally be yours ! You would be able to read all those
books you never had time to read, to write, to paint, to draw, to study a
foreign language, to day-dream, to think, to cogitate, to get closer to nature,
to look at the sky, to discover the stars, the colours, the different tones
and sceneries of the changing sea, to listen to the wind, the waves, the dolphins
or the sea-gulls crying, the horn of a ship and even the sailor’s tales…
Once you leave the cargo ship, you will not be exactly the same…
You can now choose your destination according to your dreams and take an unforgettable
voyage to the wide open sea !
Warmest regards, Catalina
The rendez vous of cargo ship lovers .... at the Cargo Club
The first Wednesday of each month, "The Day of Sirens", from 6.30 p.m., at the Librairie Ulysse, created by Catherine Domain (26, rue Saint-Louis-en-l'Ile - 75004 Paris - phone: 33 ( 0) 1 43 25 17 35 - ulysse@ulysse.fr - www.ulysse.fr). Sole admittance: to bring something as an appetizer. This rendez vous is canceled in case of very bad weather. The Cargo Club is not open in January.