The run to Key West is a tight one so the hour back last night, as the USA went to winter time, was handy to ensure a timely arrival at the pilot station. I had to be right on time, as one hour later the Disney Magic was arriving and she was to dock behind the Veendam. The pilots require the ships to arrive at least 30 minutes apart so that each ship can be docked without being hampered by the other. Also the linesmen cannot handle two ships at the same time. So a timely arrival was of the essence.
I had set the pilot time for 10 am. and at 09.59 the pilot stepped on board. As we all know in most ports pilots are compulsory and this is also the case in Key West. Because they have the local knowledge, they know the latest changes and of course can communicate with everybody in the port when needed for the safe arrival of the ship. In Tampa, which is a big port, there are about 25 pilots who are stationed in pilot town when out on call for inbound traffic. Pilot town is a group of little chalets near Egmont lighthouse where they each have a chalet to wait and live in while awaiting the next job. The pilot boat ferries them from Pilot town to the ship. When the ship docks in Tampa, they then go to their regular home until they sail the next ship out again.
Key West is a much smaller place of course and the main jobs are the cruise ships. Thus there are only two senior pilots who come on board and take us in and out. They are a franchise and run their own operation, including the pilot boat. They are licensed by the USCG and the State of Florida but for the rest they are independent. In the past the pilots, all now retired or passed away, reflected the eccentric life of the Key West people but nowadays with everything being streamlined, the current pilots are regular professionals who do an every day job as in any other port in the world. In Key West the run to the dock is only 30 minutes, so it is a short pilotage. In Tampa it takes four hours but in both cases, the pilot boards the ship near the seabuoy which is the outermost buoy that marks the entrance to the port.
Key West has three cruise ship berths, Mallory Pier, B or Bravo Pier and the Navy dock. The coveted place is Mallory but it cannot take the biggest ships. For them either B or navy pier is the best. Veendam docked today at Mallory but it was quite an operation, as we had to move far, far, forward to make sure that the Disney Magic behind us could dock at the Bravo pier. In order to make that possible, we had to tie the Veendam up to itself. That might sound strange but the Veendam has Dutch bollards in the side. By running mooring lines over the dock and then via a cleat on the dock, run them back to the ship, you can create breast lines that keep the ship in position. A necessity as we were docking so far forward that there is no bollard on the shore to put head lines on.
The lines come from the bow and go around a cleat on the dock
From the cleat on the shore, it is pulled over to be hooked up to a bollard in the side of the hull. We lower a tender to transfer the ropes from shore to ship.
Our official arrival time was 11.30, but having to fit in the arrival sequence meant that I could already send the guests ashore by 11 am. This time the gangway was located in our Provision area and landed just at the far end of the small docking pier. It just fitted safely and the guests had the best place in town. At the same time, the best dock in town, gives me a problem in the evening. That problem is to get everybody back on board on time. In the course of the afternoon Mallory square is taken over by buskers, fire eaters, trinket sellers, Cat tamers and other colorful folk who earn their daily wages this way and of course the guests are attracted to their performances. Thus I have to blow the whistle repeatedly to get everybody back on board as I like to sail on schedule. This time the last guest hopped onto the gangway 3 minutes before six and by six we were letting go lines.
Tonight is another hour back, to get onto Belize time and tomorrow we have a relaxing day at sea, while we sail past Cuba into the Caribbean Sea.
November 3, 2008 at 6:37 pm
Also traveling on Veendom next week. Can you suggest a tour or a way to visit a school in St. Thomas de castilla. Can we bring school supplies – not a lot of room, but like pencils?
November 7, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Simply amazing, Captain. Many thanks for the pictures most likely taken from the bridge? I checked on my little snap shots where those built-in Dutch bollards might be on the ship. But, nada. Wishing you a safe sailing in the next little bit, what with hurricanes forming and such.