Friday 12th November, 1971

I go down to the port and check in with the captain of the freighter. He’ll have me onboard, but I must get myself and the bike to the ship by 11:30 a.m. The company is Norwegian, so no union rules—great for me. I will be a “workaway.” You can’t do this on a British, American, or any Union ship.

The ship will sail into Sept-Îles in Quebec, load with iron ore, and sail the North Sea around the top of Scotland to Newcastle, England. This will leave me with only 100 miles to my ultimate destination: Selkirk, Scotland. Anywhere in Europe would have done; I just had to get across the Atlantic Ocean. Having less than a two hour ride left after disembarking is perfect.

The bike is loaded on board and I meet up with Sharron. We inspect the cabin, meet the captain, and have a look around the ship. It’s big. We return to the cabin, then bid farewell. What a bummer; we do get on well together. I might have to come back.

At 8:00 p.m., we sail for Quebec.