Wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen pretty old girl of a town, as the song goes. And so it was. When we started to approach the city from the South around 5 am in the morning, the wind was gone and the sun was shining. This was going to be the best day of the cruise, since Warnemunde in the beginning. The bridge was full with happy faces when we sailed into Copenhagen and we saw the sun brightly shining over the city. Although the navigators are not as closely connected to delivering a good product to the guests as the Hotel department; none of them likes the idea that the guests will have a bad day ashore. Not today, it was great. On top of that we were the only cruise ship in the port and that gave me the whole length of the Lange Linje to park the Prinsendam. The Lange Linje is the pier that runs for nearly a mile along the edge of the down town area. It is about 5 to 10 minutes to walk to the Royal Palace, depending on how fast you walk. This used to be the main pier of the city in the old days. Now more docks and quays are located to the North, including two new passenger terminals for ships that have change over day in Copenhagen. But for regular calls the Lange Linje is still the best.
The blog that I am now writing has a bit of special significance for me as it is number 500, since I started blogging back in 2007. 500, not counting the other entries you find on the blog site. Which means it took from April 2007, when I received permission to do so, until today to get to this number. I do not blog during my leave so I can only average about 180 blogs a year. But 500 is a nice number to call a mile stone and now we head for the number 1000, which should happen around the beginning of 2012. I hope that all of you reading this will stay around. I find it great fun to do.
A few blogs ago I mentioned that I was already planning for the next cruise. With this on my mind an un-expected snag popped up for our change over port Greenwich. We were scheduled to be there from 1630 hrs. on the 22nd until 24th of august 0400 hrs. Then the agent advised that the water barge had broken down. This barge delivers fresh potable water to the ship while we are moored on the buoys. Not being alongside a dock means that we cannot nook up a potable water hose for supply. While sailing we can make our own water from clean sea water. While being on the river Thames, we cannot do that as we have no idea what the quality of the river water is. Thus we have to rely on our own onboard stock but that is not enough to get us back to sea without running out.
So the hunt was on for another barge. To our utter amazement there is not a single other water barge in the whole metropolis of London. London is a world city but they only have one single 100 ton potable water barge there. Hence it was decided today 20 Aug. (the date I am writing this yesterday’s blog) to deviate to Tilbury. Before I upload this evening, I will insert my speech to the guests, as I know that some of my readers are either onboard, or are planning to join in Greenwich.
Tilbury is away from London but has a good train connection with London and two whopping big shopping centres nearby. It is the town where the London international cruise terminal is located where all the cruise ships docked that have London as a turn over port. Bit of a sleepy village, with some industry where very little happens. Have a look at their website: http://www.londoncruiseterminal.com/
Tomorrow we are in Oslo and the weather should be good again. Picking up the pilot at 0500 and docking at 0900 after transiting the Oslofjord.
Captain’s speech to Guests.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
May I have your attention please for a VERY important announcement?
As you know we have been scheduled to dock in Greenwich from 22nd august from 1630 in the afternoon until 24 august 0400 in the morning. At Greenwich we are not berthed alongside a dock, as we do here today, but we are moored on six big mooring buoys in the bend of the river Thames. Therefore all communication with the shore is by boat. Guests, luggage, stores, supplies, garbage, water, everything. The latter is now turning out to be an issue.
While in Greenwich we load potable water by bunker barge to ensure that we are not running dry during our stay. At sea we make our own water, which we top up in each port where we dock. Same as you saw us today here in Oslo. We have sufficient storage to last for about 2 days without any rationing being needed. We are in Greenwich for almost three days. Also during our turn over call we have to wash our onboard towels and all the linen, so as it is a turn over day that costs a lot of extra water. Therefore there is the grave danger that we will get very low in the evening of the 2nd day or early in the 3rd morning.
To avoid running out, we use the services of a water barge, which shuttles between the ship and the shore to keep us topped up. That barge has broken down and in the whole of London there is not a secondary barge in existence. That is a bit incredible, but it is the case. Only one water barge in the whole metropolis of London. That creates a problem, a big problem. A problem we can only solve by docking alongside a berth that has potable water connections.
Therefore it has been decided to deviate from Greenwich to the International Cruise Terminal of London located at Tilbury. Which is not as far up the river as Greenwich but is a docking facility.
This has the following consequences;
First of all, I will be arriving earlier. I am now not beholden to the tide as I do not have to travel so far up river. I expect to be docked at 1300 hrs. instead of late afternoon. Secondly, important for the in transit passengers, I will be staying longer. Instead of leaving on the high tide of 4 am in the morning of the 24th, there will now be an all onboard time of 1400 hrs, in the afternoon. Hence you will have almost an extra full day in port.
For those of you who are leaving, instead of having to go by tender ashore and reclaim you luggage on the shore side, you can just roll off the gangway as this is a normal terminal as used in other cruise ports. On the 23rd, there will be a shuttle service running to Greenwich. Also the train station of Tilbury with direct trains to London is very nearby the terminal. You will receive further details and information about all the arrangements this evening and tomorrow while we are at sea.
I apologise for any inconvenience this might cause but this is one operational issue I cannot solve in any other way.
August 20, 2009 at 9:14 pm
Congratulations on reaching 500 daily notes. I’ve been reading them daily for a couple of years and have found them to be very enjoyable, interesting, informative and at times when you are visiting ports that I know I can relive my visits and compare experiences. I look forward to reading the next 500 over the coming years.
August 20, 2009 at 9:43 pm
Captain, congratulations on reaching 500. Once again, I thank you for your time in writing your blog. I read everyday but only post occasionally. Please keep up the good work and I look forward to number 1000.
Michael
August 20, 2009 at 11:04 pm
Congratulations on your 500 blog milestone. I’ve been following along for quite awhile and always enjoy the comments and information.
August 20, 2009 at 11:31 pm
Congratulations, and Thank You. I usually begin my day with your blog and a cup of tea. I’ve learned so much and enjoyed every moment.
Since you became Master of Prinsendam, you have taken us to many new and interesting places.
Great fun!
August 21, 2009 at 3:37 am
Thank you for all the information regarding the changes taking place for your stay in London August 22-24. It has cleared up a lot of my questions. I look forward to meeting you on board.
August 21, 2009 at 7:44 am
Congratulations on your 500 blog milestone. I discovered your blogs on Avid Cruiser and have been reading them ever since. I even took a few of them to Alaska with me so that I could read them in the ports we visited. When we went to the Caribbean in December, I read all your blogs as we were also visiting the same ports albeit on the Statendam. I am hoping that I will be able to cruise with you one day.
Thanks again for taking the time to write your interesting blog.
August 21, 2009 at 9:14 am
Thank you for including your message to the people on board explaining the reason for Tilbury instead of Greenwich. Diaappointing but understandable. We are however, sad that we are missing one of only two days at sea and the opportunity to sail most of the channel in daylight.
Look forward to meeting you aboard.
August 21, 2009 at 9:16 am
Goedendag Captain Albert
Hartelijk gefeliciteerd van twee loyale lezer uit Maastricht en Aken.
Wir haben nicht nur 2 Mal mit Ihnen gefahren, sondern lesen mit Freuden Ihren so sehr informativen Blog. Keinen Tag haben wir verpasst und werden wohl mit Ihnen die nächsten 500 Einträge erleben – toi toi toi bis dahin.
Weiter so, und Allzeit eine “Handbreit Wasser unter dem Kiel”….
August 21, 2009 at 12:46 pm
Geachte Kapitein,
Van harte gefeliciteerd met de 500e blog. U weet op een perfecte wijze de lezer een inkijkje te geven in de belevenissen van een kapitein op een cruise-schip.
Bij mij – ik ben ex-HAL stuurman en gepensioneerd loods in Rotterdam – roepen uw blogs gevoelens op van herkenning en nostalgie.
Ik wens u heel veel inspiratie voor de volgende 500 blogs toe.
Vriendelijke groet en behouden vaart,
Elbert L.J.Bosma, MA, MM.
August 23, 2009 at 6:56 pm
Captain Albert Congratulations on the 500 blog milestone. As avid cruisers we look for ward to the daily look you give us behind the “crew only” sign.
Thx
Roger T
August 24, 2009 at 9:30 pm
My apologies for being late in jumping on board with the rest of your readers, Captain. Obviously, I cannot keep up with you as you keep tallying up blog after blog. Bravo again, and “may you not tire out”. (I’ve finally seen it confirmed in writing that your job is a 24/7 job in nature!)