Hero seaman recalls risky boat cruise

Mar 30, 2014 News

…urges stronger oversight

By Zena Henry
Veteran international seaman, Hugh Brian ‘Magic’ October, is an accomplished sailor having spent several decades at sea working on general purpose cargo vessels as an England-trained nautical chef. However, an experience he had on one of the local state-owned ferries during a boat cruise in the Essequibo a few years ago has made him very reluctant to undertake such a venture again.
Magic’s elder sister and other relatives from North America were visiting him for a mini family reunion when they decided to join the boat cruise from Parika to Supenaam on a bright sunny Easter Sunday in 2009. All nearly went wrong.
The cruise could have ended tragically for the hundreds who were partying to a racy one-man band on the overcrowded Transport and Harbour vessel.

Hugh ‘Magic’ October decked out in chef attire

As he tells it, while sitting near the dance floor of the October family’s downtown Regent Street disco, restaurant and bar, the rusty riverboat was due to return to Parika at nightfall after a day of sailing and wild partying on the Essequibo.
But as the high seas grew darker and waves became bigger in size, Rose, his New York-based sister, sensed that something was very wrong as the waters were becoming increasingly rough and the boat occasionally swayed from side to side; apparently, unnoticed by the still “bubbling” party crew.
Magic was not enthusiastic about the outing in the first place. He was however convinced to go on the cruise, not wanting to be the “sour grape” of the event. Many of those on the cruise were intoxicated after a full day of dancing, drinking and intense gossip. He imbibed very little.
It had long passed the scheduled return docking time, yet still it seemed as if the party would never end. Added to that, the experienced seaman also noticed the continued increase in the bumpiness of the ride. He was also worried about balancing the boat since the moving revelers contributed immensely to the swaying of the vessel by over-congregating on one side or the other.
He was now very concerned about what was happening “because from the feel of it,” the boat appeared to be heading out to sea rather than coming back to port.
Still in the company of his sister, Rose, Magic started to look around for the boat’s work crew, but they were nowhere to be seen. “She said to me Magic, go to the wheelhouse and see what is going on.”
The discovery in the wheelhouse was chilling and Magic’s nervousness intensified when he discovered that there was no captain manning the boat; only a semi-intoxicated young man that sat on a corner stool reading what appeared to be a map.
Any question Magic asked the youngster was answered with a grunt or, “Big man, leave me alone right, leave me alone.” Magic, who is also the holder of a ship’s steering licence had to alert the right people of what was happening and the race was now on to steer and navigate the ferryboat back to port before it ended up in the treacherous open Atlantic.
He was determined not to cause a panic on the vessel. Magic returned to the lower deck, stunned to “see de big dutty wining wha going on and nobody in know wha going on.” The idea he said, was to try to locate the captain, but after that attempt failed, he realized that something had to be done, “or it could have ended disastrous for everybody.”
He went back to the wheelhouse and was able to convince the youngster, who was later recognized as a young crew member to help him get the vessel back on course. The two turned the boat around and steered it back to Parika.
However, the ordeal was not over; getting the boat to Parika was one thing, mooring it at the wharf was another. “I have a steering licence, but we did experience difficulty in mooring it,” Magic said with sporadic chuckles.
It took at least 20 minutes to get the boat alongside the wharf, he explained. “Every time we came in, bang! It slammed into the wharf.” After several hits, Magic and the young crew member finally brought the vessel to its final destination, saving many lives in the process.
It was not until persons started to disembark the vessel that questions were being asked. Some became conscious that something unusual had happened and word slowly spread. Magic could not forget when some ladies had expressed shock after learning about what had taken place and a drunk cleaner asked, “Wha ayo frighten fuh? Ya’ll never hear bout de Titanic?”
The women not amused by the statement, pelted the cleaner with ice in a wild frenzy.
Those who know the story, refer to Magic as a hero, but he said, “I aint no hero man, I think is the work of God, because I could have been high too. Glory be to the Big man!”
The veteran seaman is however very concerned about safety during these boating events, especially since the annual Easter boat cruise season is here again. After his memorable cruise, it was noticed that two captains are now being placed on the boats.
Magic is also convinced that better regulations need to be put in place since there is no strict rule on the number of passengers on the cruise. He added that there needs to be an adequate number of life jackets onboard the cruises.
Magic explained that sometimes when the boat leaves one port and stops at another more people join the cruise; some even hire small fishing vessels and head out to sea to join the party. The issue of overcrowded boats then becomes a serious issue.
Another concern he continued, should be balancing the boat. He said that some persons do not understand the danger that accompanies these boat cruises if things get out of hand; hence an overcrowded, unbalanced boat is a recipe for disaster, he urged.
After that eye-opening 2009 experience, Magic is still in doubt about going back on a cruise. He said it is not impossible, but he is in no rush to do so.