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SS Warrimoo   (Thanks)  A FASCINATING SHORT SEA STORY The passenger steamer SS Warrimoo was quietly knifing its way through the waters of the mid-Pacific on its way from Vancouver to Australia. The navigator had just finished working out a star fix and brought the master, Captain John Phillips, the result. The Warrimoo's position was LAT 0º 31' N and LON 179 30' W.  The date was 31 December 1899. "Know what this means?" First Mate Payton broke in, "We're only a few miles from the intersection of the Equator and the International Date Line". Captain Phillips was prankish enough to take full advantage of the opportunity for achieving the navigational freak of a lifetime.  He called his navigators to the bridge to check & double check the ships position.  He changed course slightly so as to bear directly on his mark.  Then he adjusted the engine speed. The calm weather & clear night worked in his favour. At mid-night the SS Warrimoo lay on the E...

  By Armand Rodrigues   Our family home in Goa was about half a kilometre from the ocean.   We could hear the howling winds and the waves crashing ashore incessantly.   WW II was at its peak but Goa was a neutral port in this “Province” of Portugal.   Shipping was at a standstill and foreign goods were not coming in and, so, we had no toys to play with when we were young.   We made crude toys and devised our fun and games.   Four to six of us youngsters would get together to play.   A favourite pastime was going to the beach and visiting the cashew trees on the way.   All of us had home-made catapults and a supply of pebbles in our pockets.   On our way, we passed several vegetable plots in the midst of fields.   Any errant pigs or crows raiding the sweet-potatoes, water-melons, gourds or beans, made for good target practice.   Off and on we were able to down a white egret or two and take them home for a nice soup or chilli...