To get to Bilbao we had to go back East again, from where we came yesterday, the direction of Bordeaux. Only this time we hugged the coast line of Basque country at about 10 miles off shore, instead of being fully in the open. We had following winds and following seas and with the Prinsendam on full sea speed we had a nice and quiet ride. In the area where Bilbao is located, the coast dents in a little bit, so by early morning we had to change to a southeasterly course. Now the wind started to fall away and the swells subsided to about 12 feet. Hence we could slow down a little bit, while still keeping the ship steady and we did not have to enter the port too early. In the end we started the approach about an hour early and were docked at 09.15 instead of 10 am.

big wall Not the most exciting photo for a blog but the port of Bilbao depends on this wall for protection from the elements. no wall, no thriving port.

The most problematic part of the whole approach was to get the pilot onboard as there was a high swell running in the harbour as well. They are used to those swells here and the port is protected by two heavy breakwaters, that overlap each other, so you pass them zigzagging. Behind there is an inner breakwater that looks as if it belonged to the old port. The first breakwater reduces the swell, so you can make a safe approach and embark the pilot and then the 2nd breakwater blocks off the remainder of the swell. Thus the pilot waited until I was passed the first breakwater and had turned towards the 2nd one. All the time giving “good advice” on the VHF in how to turn around the breakwater. It normally confuses the issue more than it helps, so I normally assign an officer to say “yes” at the appropriate moments into the VHF, and in the mean time do my own thing. The pilot was highly delighted that he could board in the shelter of the breakwater and was then mystified that the ship did not roll on the long swell coming into the port. He had not thought about the fact that I had kept the stabilizers going and was going to do so until safely behind the 2nd breakwater.

balboa industry Another not so exciting photo. This one was taken from the best spot in the harbour, our dock, towards the rest of the port.

Thus we zigzagged into port and docked safely behind the 3rd breakwater. The sun came out and it was a great day. Bilbao port is not very exciting. It is an industrial port that acts as import and export harbour for most of Northern Spain. However the tours that are going inland are very nice and since the opening of the Guggenheim museum of modern art, it has a thriving tourist industry. An item that becomes more and more normal, is that after arrival a ‘recycling” boat arrives. There is an initiative guided by the European Common Market, to reduce dumping waste at sea. As there are still ships out there that do so, it is not a bad idea. The way it works is, that within the port fees, there is a compulsory charge for off loading, garbage (e.g. non-recyclables) and or sludge. (Un-burnable heavy fuel oil residual). As you have to pay for it anyway now, why dump it overboard and have the chance to get caught ? The barge then shows up and takes it all away. If you want to have more taken away than the compulsory minimum amount that you pay for, you simply pay the difference. You can get exemption from this rule, if you can prove that you have discharged it all in the last port, or have made arrangements for the next port. As we are a cruise ship, we always have something to discharge and so the sludge barge came alongside today. We had already landed recyclables in Amsterdam and we will do general waste in Zeebrugge. All per the latest directives and regulations.

In the meantime the swell outside was not getting less and that meant that we were going to have a bumpy ride to our next port St. Peter Port Guernsey. However, the chance of bad Bay of Biscay weather was foreseen in the cruise plan and with spending the day at sea tomorrow, we will be going slowly so the bow will not smash into the waves but nicely ride over them. Still it will be wobbly and the ship will move until at least late tomorrow afternoon, when we will change course to the North East.

The pilot was not looking forward to sailing out of the harbour, so when I offered him to leave early he accepted with alacrity. This time he had the good grace not to tell me what to do. The Prinsendam was left to is own devices to get out of port and we did so. Although we were escorted by a boat of the Guardia Civil and Customs, just to make sure that we were really leaving the port and not doing naughty things in the outer harbour.

Tomorrow we will be at sea and we will have a bumpy ride. However the sun will be shining so it should be a good day for those who have got their sea legs.