As with all ships departing from port, well-wishers, family and friends gathered on the quay and gestured farewell to loved ones. Women waved flimsy handkerchiefs and occasionally dabbed at their eyes. Husbands remained stoic, if not a little envious at the possibilities of adventure and fortune in far-off lands. Children, already bored and restless, tugged at their parents' arms, impatient to return home to receive the treats they were promised. Passengers lined the deck and waved frantically, emotional at the thought of leaving behind the familiarity of an orderly life they knew so well, and anxious at the uncertain dangers of a long sea voyage and a destination they knew so little about.
Officers barked commands, and sailors, under the watchful eye of the captain, cast off shorelines.
