Sound doesn't move as fast as light--only 1100 kilometers per hour--and we were thirty-seven kilometers from the explosion. Which meant we had about two minutes before the sound of the explosion reached us. The best we could do was stuff our ears with Australian wool that was in the hold and hope for the best. Fortunately, it was, but that concussive force shook us so much I thought that the ship's hull would splinter.

And after the shockwave was the gases. We had a two-minute gap for those, too. Most of the crew went below deck to escape them. Those of us still on deck hid under some wet sail material. Thankfully that was enough.