It started indeed to blow during the night and the ship moved around a bit each time it hit a wave. Waves that were pushed up by the wind, so luckily not that much long rolling ocean swell as that can make the ship really move. It made for an a rocky arrival but did not delay us getting into Sitka. But the approach was windy, very windy. Normally the Sitka anchorages are very well sheltered by from the wind but this wind had just the right angle to blow over the anchorage area. Thus while it blew close to 40 knots, gale force winds, in the open waters there was still 20 knots of it left when we came to our anchor location. To get there in the easiest way with this sort of wind, we employ the “drift in” manuveur. The ships speed (delivered by the engines) and the ships drift (caused by wind and current) are displayed on the radar and that makes it possible to see exactly in which general direction the ship is setting. The radar picture also gives an underlay of the chart of the area and in that way you see the ship moving over the banks in the harbor. As we anchor on the 7 fathom bank it was a matter of regulating speed and drift to get the ship exactly where it had to be for letting the anchor go. With 20 knots of wind full on the beam the ship can gather a drifting speed of up to three or four knots if not checked on time. The simplest way of doing that is pointing the nose into the wind. The moment the wind has nothing to blow against anymore, is the moment the ships drift will come to an end. The little effect that the wind has on the bow can be easily checked by giving a little bit ahead on the engines.

So we parked the ship on the regular spot with the anchor and chain in the gravel and not in the mud. I had a bit more chain paid out than unusual as a precaution for the strong wind, incase it would start to blow even harder. With an extra length of chain on the ocean floor, you increase the holding capacity of anchor by creating some extra grip against the dragging of the anchor. However the wind decided to die down later in the morning and by noon time it had subsided to a gentle breeze. The Silver Shadow was on anchorage three and the Infinity on anchorage one. For the latter the dying off of the wind was a piece of luck, as the inner anchorage although convenient, is not that safe with higher winds as there is no room to swing around on the anchor. The anchor holds the bow of the ship and the thrusters or Azipods have to prevent it from moving to the shallows. Had there been too much wind, the ship would have had to move to anchorage nbr 4. and that is a long, long tender distance.

Also the weather cleared gradually and that made it in the end for a nice day for Sitka. We can see that the fishing season is in full swing now. Our whole anchorage area was covered with little buoys connected to crab pots resting on the bottom. It does not affect the Veendam but we have to be careful with the tenders as they might get the ropes in the propellors. Thus the officer of the watch kept a close eye on the coming and the going of the tenders so that he could warn them in time. Some of the buoys are soo small that they can be hardly seen from the tender cockpit.

On departure we had one of these crab pot fisherman picking up his pots and doing so while the Veendam was heaving up the anchor. Although I blew the 5 shorts the danger sign on the whistle, he continued his work, totally oblivious of the danger he was in with his work and with his two young kids looking on. Even the ever closing coming bow of the ship was either not noted or ignored. In the end I had to stop picking up the anchor and sent a tour boat over to warn him, as listening out on the VHF he did not do either. When he finally moved off, we could retrieve the rest of the anchor and the chain and head for Skagway.

Weather is a bit of a question mark, it is supposed to be just blowing lightly on arrival but raining. But this weather front, that caused the bumps last night, is moving over and that might change the whole picture. We will see there is seldom a dull moment in Skagway.