10 November 2010; Naples, almost.

With the delay of going through the Strait of Messina, my arrival on time in Naples for 8 am at the pilot station was going to be nearly impossible. I had to hope for following winds, the stronger the better, while going that way and then hope for very little wind while docking in Naples. Wishful thinking to say the least. The Messina pilot advised that the port of Naples was shut due to strong winds so things did not look good. At least he was working in the shelter of the Italian mainland and of Sicily and did not have to deal with a stronger wind than wind force 5 for getting off and on the ships. Messina pilots are the only pilots that I know of that want ships to speed up instead of slow down for the pilot transfer. In every port of the world you have to slow down to a speed of anywhere between 4 and 10 knots and make a lee. Except in Messina; here they want you to go as fast as possible and keep your course. So I have taken over the pilots here while at full maneuvering speed, e.g. 16 to 17 knots. In principle it is not a bad idea, as the faster you go the easier it is for the pilot boat operator to bring and keep his boat alongside for the transfer. This time it was not different. We brought the ship back up to 16 knots and the pilot hopped onboard.

45 minutes later he hopped off again and we could return to sea speed trying to make up some of our lost time and go for the best arrival time. The wind was with us and almost in the back. However the waves had become so high here in the past 24 hours that the Prinsendam even pitched a bit while surfing with the wind and the waves. That meant that we could make good speed but the gentle pitching took off the extra speed that following winds would otherwise have given us as an extra. The ships movement turned into a most unusual one of moving forward and then sideways and then back again. A combination of light rolling and pitching that is not that bad but very difficult for your body to predict. Then it is best to be in bed; and all guests were as it was 2 am in the morning by now.

By 8 am we came flying by Capri, with its sheer cliffs clearly visible as the gale force winds had blown any haziness away. By 09.00 we started approaching Naples and we were late but it did not make any difference at all, as the Port was only just trying to reopen and was facing major congestion. All the overnight ferries were waiting outside. They had preference and would go in first as soon as the pilots deemed the situation safe. I was advised that I would have to wait at least 2 hours before a pilot would even be available. If at all; as the wind was still too strong for a regular operation and the ferries were going in between wind gusts. By 09.30 the pilot estimated that it would not be before 11.30 and that meant no gangway out and ships clearance before 1300 hrs. Then came the message that torrential rains were expected around that time with 40 knots winds inside it. So it was very uncertain that I would be able to go in at all.

This is a situation were a captain has to simply count his arguments and weigh one against the other. The chance to make it inside was going to be small. So was I going to wait for that another 2 to 3 hours? And if I would make it inside were the guests going to be soaking wet while in port? I could see the dark clouds gathering in the hills above Naples, thus there was definitely something coming. Going into the small port entrance with 25 to 40 knots winds on the beam was absolutely not going to be a safe exercise and the tugboats were only available once inside. The chance of the Prinsendam drifting onto the rocks was not an idea I was going to entertain at all.

By the time I would be docked all the tours would have been cancelled and who wants to go into Naples in a downpour with blistering winds?? I have been docked in Naples under those conditions and apart from the fact that it is not a happy place to be with the ship, when it rains like that, it is also very unpleasant for the guests who are out and about. My next concern was for departure, if I would have made it inside for those few hours. I would have to go full speed against the South Westerly swell out of Naples Bay, in order to make the schedule. That would result in a heavy pitching and a slamming ship until about midnight and with the fact that all the guests would have been shaken about again for most of the night. Also it would have caused me to loose speed and time again resulting in a late arrival in Civitavecchia and thus endangering the tours to Rome.

So in the end the decision made sense; for the safety and well being of the guests I turned the ship around and headed for Rome. In the meantime it kept blowing wind force 8 from the South West.

We arrived at the pilot station of Civitavecchia by 20.30 and the wind was starting to abate slowly down from wind force 8 to 6 and so the port was open. With two tugboats in attendance we moved through the port and to our assigned dock. By 21.30 we were all fast with as many ropes as we could bring out and the ship settled down for a quiet night. By tomorrow morning the winds are supposed to have died down completely and with sunshine expected, we should have a great day for sightseeing in Rome.