15 May 2008, At Sea.

Today we were in transit to Naxos. Not the Greek island Naxos but the little town of Naxos/Gardina which gives access to Taormina with the Volcano Etna. This port is not much more than a Marina hidden behind a small breakwater in a wide curved bay. The bay is basically a dent in the coast line and fully open to the Ionian Sea. It is located about 40 miles south of the Messina Straits. This is a port that has only recently appeared on the Holland America Calendar and was a new port for the Prinsendam. In order to get there we had a fast run from Ibiza across the middle part of the Mediterranean to the Strait of Messina. The course line took us about 12 miles south of the island Sardegna and by late evening it ran north of Sicily for the approach to the Strait of Messina.

However during the day alarming emails started to arrive from the Naxos agent about very inclement weather expected in the Ionian Sea. That is the part of the Mediterranean directly south and east of the lower part of Italy and also to the east of Sicily. South Easterly wind was expected wind force 8 and that meant that waves would be rolling directly over the anchorage area and into Naxos bay. So I called the pilot and he estimated that the waves would reach a height of approximately 8 feet and that is much too much for a tender service.

However there was a dock available in Messina so we had the option to deviate. As Messina is basically located at the other side of the mountain range, it would be possible to divert not only the ship but also the tour busses to Messina and in that way minimize the impact of the decision. So by 1700, I decided that we would go to Messina. As we were going to pass this port anyway while sailing through the Strait of Messina, we could keep the same route and courses and that made the life of the navigator a lot easier.
Also as we now had about 40 miles less distance to travel, I could slow the ship down and that would make for an easier ride when these winds would start to blow. Although most of the wind was expected in the Ionian Sea, a wind force six was expected north of Sicily which could whip up the waves opposite to our travelling direction. With the reduced speed, the Prinsendam could ride the waves very steadily and was hardly moving during the evening and night.

Apart from being involved with this, the rest of the day was also full with social activities. Two Mariners lunches with a medal party in between. Renewal of the Wedding vows in my cabin for one couple and that was followed with a captains table in the dining room. To top the day off we had a black and white ball in the main show lounge. Who says the life of a cruise ship captain is dull????

Also the Celebrity Solstice is expected in Messina so we will have to dock at a berth normally used for stand by ferries. According to the agent the old Noordam, now the Thomson Celebration, had docked there is as well thus we should fit in also as we are 30 feet shorter. Hopefully we will be able to return to Naxos in the future but for the time being this was the best option, at least going somewhere instead of having to spend the day at sea as Naxos would not have worked at all. For Messina the weather forecast is overcast with winds of about 20 knots during the day, so we should not have any problems getting in there.