It was blowing hard when we approached the island of Aruba from the West but not as hard as the weather forecast had indicated. By the time we were 12 miles away it blew 25-30 knots and that meant that by the time we would enter the port, it would be 15 to 25 knots. The obstructions on the island always break the wind somewhat. Still enough wind to make sure that I had a plan B up my sleeve and that was a tugboat. If the wind would breeze up about 26 knots, which is the max I can handle with the thrusters and rudders, then the only option would have been to sail out of the port again, wait for tugboats and try again. That would have meant delays for the guests and I am not so keen on that. So a tugboat on standby to keep the stern in while docking (that area catches the most wind due to the funnel) and I knew we would stand a better chance to come alongside if the wind would suddenly gain strength.
With that plan in mind we approached the pilot station around 05.30 with the pilot boat coming towards us, bobbing on the waves. Aruba lies East – West and the port is located at the south side. Basically it is just the edge of the island, protected by a natural reef. The regular trade wind blows over it normally under a 45 to 60 degree angle. The routine is to enter via the Western entrance and to leave via the Eastern opening in the reef. Unless you dock at the container terminal, then it is the other way around. The main reason for this is that you have more time to slow down after having entered the port. That slowing down is the main issue of this approach. You have to slow down to stop in time, you have to keep up speed so that the ship steers, and you have to get close to the dock, so you have time to get the mooring ropes ashore before the wind starts pushing you away. That means that you have to juggle a number of equations at the same time and it takes a bit of experience and feel for the ship, to figure out the best way of doing it. The Statendam has Beck Rudders; these are rudders with an extra flap at the end, which gives a rudder angle of nearly 90o. (Normal ships go to 35 to 45o maximum) The problem is that the moment you stop/reduce the propeller output, e.g. reducing the flow/pressure of the water against the rudder blades, you lose your steering much faster than with a conventional ship. Thus the trick is to reduce speed but keep flow for steering. That works the best, by stopping one propeller while keeping the other one going. You can alternate it in conjunction with which way the helmsman has to steer and so you reduce speed while keeping steerage.
The port of Aruba is located inside and protected by a reef. Visible on this map as a long thin island running along the south coast.
Docking in Aruba means that you really have to steer close to the berth. You do not have the option to stop 10 meters off and thruster sideways as the strong trade wind will not allow you to. Thus the approach is; trying to hit the dock about 300 feet from where you want to stop. Then watch the drift, caused by the wind pushing on the portside and at the last moment steer a little bit away from it. It looks a bit scary but it is not, as you know that the strong wind will always push you away the moment it catches you fully broadside.
Thus it worked out this morning as well, we aimed for the corner of our dock, pushed the nose away at the last moment and ended up about 5 meters off the dock when in position and then had the tugboat lean on the stern and so we came happily alongside the cruise terminal. We were the only ship in today and thus we were at the main terminal. It turned out to be a warm sunny day with a strong breeze that brought some relieve from the warmth, but also made it treacherous for those without sun-block.
Departure at 5 pm was very easy. I just executed the “blow away maneuver”. Let go the lines, let the wind push you clear of the dock, give a kick ahead and steer out of the bay. That only took about 10 minutes to do and then we were on our way to Ft. Lauderdale. The next two sea days we will have some mixed weather as there are a number of small frontal systems moving through the Caribbean basin. It should not affect us too much.
October 11, 2012 at 12:34 am
Captain Albert:
Well, at least in the Oranjestad harbor if you can’t get to the dock, you just keep going out the other side. The “passaat wind seems to be always there.
Since you are a ship/cruise line history buff, when I lived there in the “fiftees” there was one cruise line calling at Aruba. That was the Grace Line, the two combination passenger/cargo ships calling on Oranjestad were the Santa Maria and the Santa Monica. As a young boy, I would eagerly await their arrival. There were also the cargo ships from the KNSM (Willemstad, Oranjestad etc)
Also peculiar to those carefree times, the passengers usually went ashore to dine, and the locals came aboard the ship to dine. Can’t do that any more. Pity…….
Safe sailings………………..Ruud hartog
October 11, 2012 at 9:15 am
I remember the Oranjestad and Willemstad as the largest ships of KNSM – Royal Netherlands Steamship Co. They were smaller versions of our combination passenger/cargo ships Noordam and Westerdam of those days.
Happy sailing, Captain!
October 11, 2012 at 10:20 am
Dear Captain,
On monday my wife and I will be sailing on MS Ryndam from Barcelona to the Canary Islands. What would from your experience be the most challenging port to sail in and out of? I plan to be watching on deck often after reading all your observations and try to figure out what is going on to get the ship safely alongside.
Upon return I look forward to read your two weeks of travelling west through the Canal again. Once again many thanks for taking time out of your schedule to write your blogs!
Behouden Vaart weer toegewenst!
BJ
October 11, 2012 at 7:10 pm
Good morning,
I hope that you enjoy your cruise. For the most challenging port on that cruise, the answer is simple: the one with the MOST wind. Drift is always the issue when getting in or out.
Best regards
Capt. Albert