My normal pilot time here is 0400 hrs as that brings me to the dock just before 0800 our official arrival time. However the entrance that we use to gain access to the Stockholm Archipelago is a day light restricted one, at least for the Prinsendam. This is the South entrance which is called Sandhamn after a little town nearby. The problem here is a narrow entrance, followed by a 90 degree turn and ending with a narrow thoroughfare again. So very large cruise ships such as our Eurodam are not allowed at all and have to take the North entrance. Smaller ships as the Prinsendam with a length of up to 200 meters are only allowed during daylight hours and only small ships are allowed through at anytime. Taking the North entrance, means making a lot more miles to get there, as it is a fair distance above the south entrance. I have only used that entrance once, when we came from Vaasa in Finland last year. Our normal routine when coming from Helsinki is to use the south entrance.
In high season that is not an issue and the sun rises very early. But near the end of the summer season, the pilots set the earliest time that they are allowed to take the ship in and that can affect our arrival time. Thus time we had to adjust to a time of 04.30 at the earliest. That meant that we would not be docked at 0800. On top of that we were we allocated a berth down town, which added another 20 minutes to the voyage. Also departure had to be brought forward to ensure that we were back in open waters before it was getting too dark. Thus we arrived at dawn at the pilot station with the sun rising about 40 minutes later. The whole passage is made with an average speed of about 13 knots and therefore it takes about four hours to get to the dock. Going faster is not allowed due to the danger of wake damage to small boats moored along the route.
The electronic chart showing the turn of the ship off the dock before coming alongside. I take photos of the docks and the pier layout whenever I can, for future reference. The loop of the ship while moving around helps me to remember for next time where I initiated the turn.
Docking downtown is of course much better than docking in the cargo port where you need a shuttle bus (or local bus) to get anywhere. From our dock to the old town is about a 20 minute walk but it is a scenic walk and you can enjoy the sights of the city at the same time. For the less walking inclined there are taxis outside the terminal and it is only a short ride. However it takes a little bit longer to get there and it is always advisable to swing on arrival and dock nose out to be ready for departure. Apart from not knowing what the weather will be, there is also the issue of the ferries leaving at the same time and then you have to wait with your swing until they are gone. So the standard routine is to swing around and get ready for the outward bound trip. Ahead of us was the Alexander von Humboldt who did exactly the same thing, only she was able to dock even closer to town as she has less draft. It all meant that we were docked just before 9 am. but I had that time printed in the daily program and the tours scheduled accordingly. Nothing was suffering from it all.
I had been worried about the weather before our arrival, as there were constant gale warnings given over the radio. It is quite spooky around the British Isles at the moment and it is only a matter of time for that bad weather to come east. However the frontal system only moved very slowly towards the Scandinavian Peninsula and thus we had a good day with even the sun peaking out. I thought we were really in luck but 10 minutes before the departure, when the last tours were walking back to the ship, we had a short but very intense downpour. The way out was dry again, so it was a good scenic event sailing through the little islands.
As a result of this weather system coming over we will get the windy weather tomorrow but then on arrival Warnemunde the day after it should be quiet again. After that things do not look that great, but we will see.
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