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transit was perhaps not as complex as might have been expected, for a pilot
explained to me that a reasonably sized vessel, once in the middle of the ‘ditch’,
would tend to stay there because of the water exerting constant equal pressure on
both sides of the hull. That seemed reasonable, if perhaps a bit simplistic.

But just as importantly, we entered a completely different world of weather.
The wind ceased, the sun came out, and the temperature rose to the mid-twenties.
Unlike most cargo companies, P&O maintained dress standards that emanated
from the passenger fleet. A basic blue uniform and whites were required in the
cold and the warm weather respectively, but within those parameters there was
variety, long white uniforms, mess (evening) dress being required on the ‘white
ships’ and white shorts and a ‘Red Sea rig’ on other vessels. Even within those
requirements, P&O had very recently merged with the snooty Orient Line (the
companies had operated cooperatively for some years) and that company (which
operated six big passenger ships) had its own dress code. (Getting properly rigged
out for the enlarged company was actually quite expensive, almost uniquely with
P&O-Orient Lines, but not quite exclusively; some of the ‘smarter’ cargo companies
– for example, Blue Funnel Line – also required standard officers’ uniforms.)

We were soon in the Red Sea, which could not be described as one of the
more enticing parts of the world. Never rough, and usually basking under the hot
sun, the only infrequent and unwelcome relief was a sandstorm. One tale arising
from this type of trip and weather is the derivation of the word ‘Posh’. Legend
has it that in past decades the most comfortable way to India on P&O was to
travel easterly on the port side of the ship and return home on the starboard side,
thus each way avoiding the direct heat of the sun. It makes for a nice neat little
aphorism and is probably apocryphal … but the myth unsurprisingly seemed a
tale much favoured by P&O.

At the foot of the Red Sea lay Aden. Then still under de facto British rule,
the port was of fading economic and geopolitical importance. It existed as a
transit port for India and the Persian Gulf and was for ships bound for easterly
or westerly ports an important refuelling (bunkering) destination, oil there being
substantially cheaper than anywhere else between North Africa and South-East
Asia. But it exhibited a sorry face to the world. Although of substantial size, the
harbour was little more than a barren roadstead anchorage with no industry or
commerce unrelated to shipping and, perhaps, the odious commerce in khat, legal
in Horn of Africa countries, illegal virtually everywhere else (it is immediately
apparent where it is commonplace – one has only to see the discoloured teeth
of the male population.) I was told that Aden’s duty-free status was significant,

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