I would not claim to be a good photographer, but the pics illustrate what was an unusual Sunday afternoon.
It was a nice sunny Sunday afternoon in Coatzacoalcos, Mexico, in the early 1980s. We were sitting at an outside table at the La Perla Bar by the side of the river enjoying a local beverage. The river traffic was busy as tankers and cargo ships navigated up and down the river. As the LPG tanker Reynosa came up the river she suddenly veered off to port, and the air was filled with the loud shrieking of the metal hull scraping over and up the rocky embankment.
People at tables on the other side of the river scattered in all directions as it looked like the gas carrier was going to join them. She came to an abrupt halt and settled over to starboard, stuck fast on the rocks.
Even with the engines going full astern the ship refused to budge.
Amazingly the river was kept open and other ships sailed past unperturbed.
Tugs arrived, and one started pushing on the bow without much effect.
With tugs either side of the ship, pulling and pushing, they got the stern moving round to the middle of the river and she broke loose.
Quite enough excitement for a lazy Sunday afternoon.