# Return to Debut.



## Cpt Dick Brooks (May 13, 2013)

At the beginning of April this year my ex-missus, Mariana and I talked about revisiting our ship, M/V Début, on Emily Reef in the Coral Sea. We'd seen her on television earlier in the year on a David Attenborough programme, where he was researching the outer edge of The Great Barrier Reef in a research vessel based in Cairns, in Far North Queensland, Australia. When the camera showed the chart table on the research vessel my heart skipped a beat, for there was the Admiralty chart Aus 831 that had been on my chart table on Début when I was shipwrecked back in 1987, and castaway for the next three years... the chart that is now on my living room wall in front of me. This film was made at the end of 2015. 
After talking this through with our youngest daughter, Jasmine, she agreed to help us set up the best plane journey out to Brisbane, and booked everything for us, including our hotel accommodation in Cairns, then an onward flight to Apia, in Western Samoa, to visit Mariana's 88 year old mother and some of the family in her village of Lotofaga Safata, on the south coast of Upolu Island. Mariana got in touch with our good friend and old crewmember, Murray Bishop, in Brisbane to collect us from the airport in Brisbane, then we would spend a few days working our way down a couple of bottles of whisky chewing the fat at his house in Thagoona, just outside of Ipswich in Queensland.
With our visas arranged by our son Robbie's girlfriend, Vikki, who works for a travel agency in Ipswich, England, me and Mariana set off on the start of a wonderful adventure on the National Express coach to Heathrow Airport. This would be a major tick on our Bucket List of our lives. After booking in our main luggage at Arrivals, we checked in to the boarding lounge and made ourselves comfortable ready for our departure.
We were first flying out to Dubai on the world's largest passenger plane, the A380 of Emirates Airways, then changing to another A380 for our onward flight to Brisbane, in Far North Queensland. The A380 is the most quiet and comfortable aeroplane that I have ever flown on, and her size was one of the reasons we chose to fly with Emirates. It is some five times larger than the Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet, and ten times larger than the Boeing 737 that we had the remaining eight flights on after the four flights on the A380. All our meals and beverages plus alcoholic drinks were supplied freely on our outward journey to Brisbane.
Murray met us just as we cleared Arrivals at the airport, and took us the forty odd miles to his house at Thagoona. But the time slipped by so fast that we were soon on our way back to Brisbane Airport to catch our flight to Cairns. After dropping us off at the airport, Murray drove the 140 miles to the large open cut mine that he worked, doing twelve hours on and twelve off shifts for the next week driving the heavy plant of the mine.
I phoned T-sell from Murray's house to try and arranged a meeting as agreed, but with both our and his tight schedules, it was going to be a close call. I arranged to try and arrange a get together on our return from the South Seas. It was bad timing for both of us, but Roy, we'll try again on another day of adventures.
Once we arrived at Cairns International Airport, the taxi swiftly took us to Hides Hotel for a spot of rest and relaxation. With our thirst to explore our old memories of Cairns from our stay in the 1980's satisfied, Mariana and I set off by coach for Cooktown and our stay at the Seaview Hotel. This was a very comfortable hotel, overlooking the Endeavour Harbour Estuary... and with the heat of the tropics upon us after a European winter, we were very grateful for the very efficient air-conditioning of the resort.
But the weather was against us. We met up with plenty of the local fishermen in the Top Pub and the Sovereign Hotel, but no one was prepared to go out to sea in the screaming gale and driving rain that stood in the way of our final destination of visiting Debut, 25 miles out to sea of Cooktown on Emily Reef. The last day of our stay arrived, but there were no takers for a voyage out to see our old ship. We even tried to get a flight, but all the planes at Cooktown Airport are privately owned. We were even given a phone number, but no one was at home.
As a last resort, me and Mariana climbed Mount Cook to see if it was possible to catch a glimpse of our old ship, Début, from its summit... but no such luck. The visibility had risen to 15 miles, but was still ten miles short of being able to see our beloved Début. With a sinking heart, we returned to Cooktown to work our way through the Top Pub, the Sovereign Hotel and finally the R.S.L. to drown our sorrows. Mariana excused herself after a couple of drinks to return to the hotel to sleep, with a promise from me to join her after finishing off my pint... but word had got around of my arrival, and it was going on for ten at night when I made my way in my cups back to the Seaview Hotel.
We had made a valiant effort to see our old ship, but once more the weather had stood in our way. With a sinking heart... but of somewhat an inner elation at our effort, we once more set off on our coach journey back to Cairns, then onto Brisbane for our flight to Samoa via Auckland. For the good ship, Début, and all those who have sailed on her... the very best. Cpt Dick Brooks.


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## tsell (Apr 29, 2008)

Hi Dick, bad luck we didn't get to meet up, but more disappointing for both of you was not being able to visit Debut. Still, you came close to her and that must have brought back many memories.
If you are talking to Kimberley, please give her my regards - I haven't heard from her for some time. Regards to Mariana.

Taff


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## Cpt Dick Brooks (May 13, 2013)

*For Tsell.*

Hi, Taff, it was good to hear from you since our return to England. Our luck was against us to meet up and chew the fat of our life-long sea adventures together. Me and Mariana were so close to our goal, but the sea stood in our way... again. As is life! I do have a souvenir of our adventure in climbing Mount Cook in the form of a large lump on my right elbow, when I slipped and went down like a sack of spuds onto the hard gravel. They were in the process of relaying gravel over the path to the summit, and Mariana and I had climbed over not one but two No Entry signs in our ascent of the mountain. We weren't going to be put off from our goal by some minor bureaucracy! 
There was no one left in Cooktown from our earlier visit in the late eighties... they had all either left and gone on their way, or lay under the ground. The same applied to Cairns... even my favourite beer, Cairns Draft, wasn't made any more, and my favourite pubs that I drank in... Rustie's Pub by the market, or the Marlin Bar... were gone.
I've just started writing my ninth book, which will be about the trip... 'Return to Début'... in conjunction with my ex-wife, Mariana. I'll give you a mention, Roy, as we'd planned to meet up and had spoken on the phone, then you'll be immortal. All the best, Cpt Dick Brooks.


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## tsell (Apr 29, 2008)

Hi Dick, glad you made it home safely - didn't fall out of the plane pissed, or anything. Sorry to hear about your injuries. Maybe you should find out which Authority erected the 'No Entry' signs and sue the bastards, saying you injured yourself climbing over them!
Haven't been up to Cairns for some years, so sorry to hear of the demise of the old haunts.
The East Coast has been devastated by a huge storm cell which came down from the north, causing flooding in it's wake, particularly over Tasmania as it headed south.
Good luck with your ninth - and regards to Mariana.

Taff


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## Cpt Dick Brooks (May 13, 2013)

*For tsell.*

Good to hear from you, Taff, and hope all is well with you and your missus. I'm sure my good ship, Début, will survive this new storm, as she did that really bad cyclone that struck F.N.Q. some years ago, stacking the yachts up in Cairns marina like cars in a scrap yard. They built ships well back in those days, and Début is a tribute to the shipwrights who built her back in 1948, the first deep-water trawler built in the U.K. after The Second World War as the Renovia. All the best, Cpt Dick Brooks.


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## Cpt Dick Brooks (May 13, 2013)

*Re Return to Debut : The Last Resort.*

I've just been notified this evening by my literary agent that my ninth book... 'Return to Début : has just been published by Amazon. The Kindle code for the book is B01MRX2ZGF. Please go to the Books forum for further details of the adventure. Enjoy the read. All the best, Cpt Dick Brooks.


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## Cpt Dick Brooks (May 13, 2013)

*Post script.*

Mariana Tuuga returned to Samoa with our grandchildren for Christmas, 2016, to be with her family. She was awarded the position of head matai of the whole extended family by her mother, Pauna Tuuga, throughout the world.
Samoa is a democratic country, but only the matais of each family can vote in the parliamentary elections. As Mariana is the head matai of the whole extended family, she has considerable influence within the Samoan Government.
Mariana is to return to Samoa at Easter in 2017, for the inaugural ceremony of receiving the complete control of her family worldwide.
Happy New Year to you our readers. All the best, Cpt Dick Brooks.


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## tsell (Apr 29, 2008)

Happy New Year to you, Mariana and the family, Dick. That's great news from Samoa. I guess you'll be there for the inauguration matey?

All the very best from us,

Taff


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## Cpt Dick Brooks (May 13, 2013)

*For tsell.*

Good to hear from you, Roy. I hope you had a salubrious New Year. I had my share, I can assure you! I'm not yet sure what Mariana has in mind, as she only arrived back home in Ipswich 24 hours ago. If I do head out that way, I'll be sure to give you a ring. Next year looks to be really important for Mariana, and I'd like to support her in her promotion in Samoan society. I'll keep you posted. All the best, Roy, Cpt Dick Brooks.


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## tsell (Apr 29, 2008)

Hope you can make it, Dick. Mariana must be tired after her long journey, so give her my best regards, when she wakes up.

Coincidentally, I was reading about the Gaualofo recently, in a particularly interesting article about rebuilding the interest of the Samoan people in their ancient culture and particularly early navigation skills. A Passage:

"Standing in the middle of a circle made up of scraps of paper, Fealofani Brunn used both, her hands and feet to describe how navigation was done before the times of G.P.S. or even compasses.
The skipper of the Gaualofa, a va’atele, or traditional sailing double hulled canoe, spent the morning together with her crew at the Museum of Samoa to share her knowledge about the art of navigation and traditional sailing with visiting students of the Martin Hautus Institute of Learning."

In case you haven't seen it, the article is here: 

http://www.samoaobserver.ws/en/23_06_2016/local/7741/Preserving-Samoa’s-culture.htm

Cheers

Taff


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## Cpt Dick Brooks (May 13, 2013)

*For tsell.*

Thanks, Taff, a really fascinating article. I have forwarded it to our son, Robbie, so he can show it to Mariana. I also forwarded it to our daughter, Jasmine, in Samoa... and my literary agent, Colin Timms, who was very impressed with the content. All the best, Taff, Cpt Dick Brooks.


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## tsell (Apr 29, 2008)

That's great, Dick. Wouldn't it be good if this small band of Samoan people managed to revive the ancient navigation skills by spreading their message throughout Polynesia. I think it will happen some time in the not too distant future.

Cheers

Taff


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