Day 370 - Puerto Cortez

Our ship was headed for Honduras. We docked in Puerto Cortez to take on additional cargo. Harbor officials came on board to check the papers and instruments.

Our vessel mainly transported frozen goods (orange juice, fish, and shrimp). The officials checked all temperature gauges of the hull's cooling chambers. It didn't take long before we saw them leave with a bottle of Rum and a carton of cigarettes under their arms. The captain's generosity was, of course, calculated. A thorough check may have taken longer, and docking fees were not cheap!

The ceramic toilets we were supposed to pick up arrived only after dinner, and the crew was busy loading them on deck all night. We hit the sack early, but sleep was impossible with the constant noise in the harbor.

Besides that, it was hot and humid without the slightest breeze. I had the feeling of claustrophobia and suffocation.Read more