I received my wake up call at 23.30 and by 00.30 we had the pilot onboard at the sea buoy in the Firth of Forth. With the following tide we sailed towards the lock chamber that gives access to the Leith docks. The pilot explained what the idea was to arrive with the flood tide. Apart from having more water under the keel it would also be easier to line up for the chamber as with the ebb flowing there are some adverse currents just outside the lock. Well I am all against adverse currents and thus full in favor of this approach. It was wind still on the water but we had overcast skies as rain was predicted later on. Supposedly less than in Newcastle but “less rain” is a relative observation here. As with a lot of rain being the norm, less rain can still be a substantial amount.
The lock chamber is 31.5 meters wide and the Prinsendam has a width of 29 meters at sea level which gave us just over a meter clearance on each side. With the rising tide the level between inside and outside was not that much so we only spent 15 minutes in the lock chamber. However we did dock the ship alongside with a few ropes because when the lock door opens, the mixing of fresh and salt water (difference in density) causes a brief current eddy that can push the ship astern towards the aft lock doors. The salt water (weighing 1.025) goes under the fresh water (weighing 1.000) and this pushing up of the fresh water creates a sort of wave effect. Hence the ropes.
The Prinsendam entering the lock chamber on the way out to the Firth of Forth
Inside the actual dock area there is not much room for the ship to move around as only the centre of the basin and the passenger berth are dredged deep enough for our ship. The boundaries are marked with buoys and we have to go around them. Just inside the red buoy is docked the Royal Yacht Britannia, which is now a museum and open to visitors. They have recently built a corporate function box on the top and now it just looks as if the yacht has a big Green House behind the funnel. Never knew that the Queen was into gardening……… To avoid the buoys we basically came sideways away from the lock exit, then swung a 90o to head towards the passenger terminal and then swung another 90o to come alongside. A very slow process as you cannot overshoot anywhere and in the final turn the ship is pivoted around the boundary buoy at a distance of about 10 feet. I basically brought the bridge wing above the buoy and kept it there, while the stern swung towards the dock. A good thing that it was in the middle of the night, as it is a bit unsettling for a guest to see that your ship is sitting right on top of a Red buoy. We were docked by 03.30 and I was back in bed by 04.00, to catch some sleep as I would not get much more until very late in the evening, due to our mid afternoon sailing time.
The Royal Yacht Britannia, now a permanent museum at the Ocean Terminal in Leith
Most of our guests were off the ship by 8 am. Either on tour or by own arrangement via taxi, train or bus. There is a bus service that takes you all the way from Leith Ocean terminal to Princess Street in Edinburgh and from there to the airport for the princely sum of one pound 25 pence, so the prices are good in Scotland. I know about this 1.25 as that was what my wife paid coming from the airport to the ship when she rejoined me today. For the crew; Leith was good as well, as…….there was a big shopping center and super market nearby for all the essentials for life onboard.
I did not get that much sleep at all in the end as by 07.30 a bag piper started to play on the dock to welcome the guests to Scotland. I normally love bagpipes and I love the national anthem, Flower of Scotland, but at 07.30 it was a bit early for me.
We had a short call today as by 1500 hrs. we had to be off the dock in order to get out of the locks before the ebb tide would set in again. Now all the guests could observe our zig zag maneuver again and how tight the lock chamber was. As I was now making a backing out maneuver, I could keep the distance to the red buoy a little bit wider and so it did not look too dramatic. By 1600 I had the pilot off, and we were on our way to Scrabster at the top of Scotland. The weather calls for a fresh NNW breeze but according to the harbormaster the cliffs to the North of the town should shelter the ship from that “wee bit of wind”.
July 8, 2009 at 9:31 pm
Today I received my first weblog posting by email. Keep up your outstanding blogging, captain!
July 9, 2009 at 3:58 pm
Hi Captain Albert,
I grew up in Edinburgh and my family still live there though I live in LA. Looks like you had the typical weather.
Back in 2004 Mom and I went on a cruise out of Leith on Fred Olsen’s Black Prince. That’s a much smaller and older ship and it seemed a pretty tight fit in the lock. I think the Prinsendam must be one of the biggest ships to use this port instead of tendering at South Queensferry.
I believe they are creating a cruise ship terminal which avoids the lock at Leith. Do you know anything about this?
Enjoy your travels around Scotland. If you pass between Orkney and Shetland I hope you get smoother seas than we had.
Jill
July 9, 2009 at 10:14 pm
When trotting around as a landlubber on concrete sidewalks this fact of different densities in different waters is a refreshing reminder, Captain. Many thanks 🙂
Although my town doesn’t have ‘corporate function boxes’ it does have roof top greeneries. So much so that they have made it in the National Geographic [May 09?]
That wasn’t much of a break assuming that your wife jumped ship when she heard ‘The Voice from the Bridge’ saying something about Cromer? – grapje –
With regard to wake-up calls by bagpipes; what about earplugs, Captain, and eye shields? I’m putting the brakes on on my electronic pen, right here!