14 October 2012; At Sea.

By 06.00 we came around the corner near the SW point of Haiti and went onto a South Easterly heading into the Caribbean Sea. The wind had now fully died down and we were observing a completely smooth sea surface that only had some movement due to a long languid swell coming from the South East. That meant that the ship was very lightly pitching and that was something we just had to live with. Although it was not noticeable on the lower decks and in the public rooms, on the bridge we could see the top of the bow-flag-post gently dipping, so we knew it was there. With no wind, there were also no birds, apart from the casual passerby, but none of them had any interest to swerve around the bow. I suppose the uplifting wind was not to their liking. Cannot please everybody every day.

This chartlet shows the regular currents in the area. This time the northwest current above Cuba was going the otherway and the westerly current under Jamaica was gone completely.

The lack of wind had a direct influence on the current in this area and for the remainder of the day; we did not have any adverse current at all. Normally it is about 0.75 to a knot against us here but as there was no trade wind to sustain it, the surface current was completely gone. With my blessing of course as it gave me the chance to recoup some of the fuel costs from our northbound journey, when everything was against us in the Old Bahama Channel. Now I could switch an engine off as we could maintain our schedule easily.

It is also meant a quiet day on the bridge, although the phone seldom stops. But a quiet sea day gives the navigators the chance to impart some knowledge to our cadets. The Statendam looks like a real training ship at the moment, as we have five of them milling around. Last contract, when I was on board, there were two British Ladies, now we have five gents and they are all Dutch for a change. They alternate in six weeks periods with the engine room, as they all have a dual education, which is the standard in the Netherlands at the moment. There is a plan to offer separate training again, same as the standard is and always has been in England, but currently they have to do both. For Holland America that is of less interest, as eventually they will have to choose for upstairs or downstairs. The disciplines are too far apart on a cruise ship to make an effective integration possible. Still it gives them the option to see both worlds before they have to choose, in case they do not know yet what they want.

All three are part of a navigational watch and then they spend a few hours during the day with an officer doing safety chores. They are normally on board for 3 to 5 months, then get 14 days off and then go to another ship, most of the time another class of ship but within the company. Some of them study on a company grant and will then sail for us after their examination for a number of years until their contractual obligations are fulfilled. Then some disappear but some stay for the whole nine yards, or until the time that the girlfriend starts making noises about house, dog, gardens, car and eventually babies. After that only a few remain, which is understandable. Even if everybody would be capable of becoming a captain or wanted to become a captain, there would not be enough positions available, as promotion is a pyramidal thing. Six navigators on the bridge but only one captain. So sometime during their career 5 will have to find another position. Cadets are here to learn and it does not matter if they make mistakes as they are always under supervision of a licensed officer. What I look for in a cadet, is interest. A good cadet is always in the way, as he/she wants to see what is going on. If something unusual is happening and there is no cadet milling around, then I start making questions marks. So I am closely watching. Thus far a cadet made off with my personal binoculars twice, so I know they were looking at something.

Tomorrow morning we will arrive at the decent time of 08.45 at the Oranjestad pilot station. For once there is no early morning arrival. The cruise brochure dictates a 10.00 docking but I will probably have the gangway out by 09.30 for all to go ashore. Due to the weather situation there will be no wind in Aruba either, which is very unusual and it will make for a hot and muggy day. Sun block and head coverings will be advisable.