In the early morning of 14 December 1998 we were riding in a taxi to the port of Petrola, an industrial enclave filled with oil refineries at the northern end of the Bay of Eleusis. Once there, we boarded a private launch that took us out to Margarita L, the former Union-Castle liner RMS Windsor Castle, and my dream of gaining access to this historic vessel was finally coming true.
The ship, laid up in the anchorage since 1991, had just been placed on the sales list after the health of her nearly 90-year-old owner, Greek billionaire John S. Latsis, had begun to decline. Through the offices of a shipbroker, I was granted permission to document the ship in the hope of helping to get her sold for preservation in a static role.
As we headed out to the ship, on our port side the Latsis-owned Marianna VI (ex-Aureol) and Europe (ex-DFDS England) comprised a small but fascinating raft. I asked the captain if we could circle the former Union-Castle liner before boarding. Margarita L was tied up with Marianna 9, the former Portuguese liner Principe Perfeito.
