Kochi

We were greeted this morning with a brass band playing on the pier. A lot of     local people have come to the port to see the ship. They like to wave to you so that when you wave back they can take a photo. You rarely see a Japanese person without a camera or phone.

Kochi wasn't one of our intended stops as we should have been sailing through the Inland Sea of Japan after an overnight stay in Hiroshima. The itinerary had to be changed due to the Japanese fishing fleet taking priority there today.

There isn't a lot to see here so we took the shuttle bus into town to a shopping arcade. Didn't buy anything but went in to a little restaurant for a drink. Surprised that smoking is still allowed in restaurants here.  It's a very clean place and the locals were really friendly.

Obviously the majority of cars on the road are Japanese but so many of them look like little square boxes on wheels!

Had a lovely farewell from the people of Kochi with a band and dancers.


Captain's Anecdotes

Toe the line:
The ship's decks were comprised of wooden boards approximately 6" wide with a sealed gap in between. The sailors had to stand with their toes against this line to be read their contracts of duty. Anyone whose toes weren't in exactly the right position were punished.

Starboard and Port:
Older ships were steered by a 'steer board' which protruded from the right hand side. To prevent this being damaged when arriving at a port it was usual to dock on the left thus becoming the port and steerboard (now starboard) side.