21 May 2009 At Sea.

On this cruise we will be sailing through the straits of Messina twice as the cruise is a loop cruise to and from Civitavecchia. As the stretch to Katakolon is not a very high speed run, I set the speed in such a way that we would be passing through the Straits around coffee time. That meant Stromboli at 8 am. so those who went for breakfast around that time could see the volcano cone on the port side. It was a bit hazy when we passed by with the smoke being absorbed by the clouds so we did not see any plume at all.

Pilotage for Messina is compulsory for big ships but it only takes about 20 minutes and it all goes very fast. Sometimes I wish that I could send the pilot boat drivers from other ports in the world for a course to Messina as it is amazing what they are able to here with their boats. Most places you have to slow down to 6 -8 knots, make a lee, change course again etc etc. Here the pilot boat comes alongside with 16 to 18 knots of ships speed and only request is that we keep the swell away from the pilot ladder area. Basically you can just continue your journey while doing a pilot transfer. For these Messina pilots it must be an unusual life; they run to the bridge and 20 minutes later they are gone again. According to the law the captain and the pilot are supposed to have a Master – pilot exchange about the characteristics of the ship, the passage plan of the strait, communication channels, etc etc. Well forget about that here, the pilot runs onto the bridge, starts giving orders straight away, grabs a VHF to warn the ferries that are crossing and there we go.

Overview of the Strait, looking from South to North.

There are three things that can make the strait of Messina an “interesting” happening. One are the fishing boats that float with the current and do not move; second the current itself which can be up to 4 knots and causes tidal rips and eddies all over the place and third the ferries that constantly cross the strait. The latter is the main reason for having a pilot onboard. Most of the ferry captains speak very little or no English and if they do it is with a very thick accent and thus the only way to really communicate with them is via a local pilot. Communication is about organizing passing distances so that the ship can continue at the same speed and also the ferry is not in-convinienced. It always works well but the average passing distance between ships here in the strait is a lot less than what it normally is in open waters.

The fishing boats simply drift on the current. So if the current is to the North they tend to be near the NW point of the strait and if the current is to the South they sit more in the middle of the strait. And they do not move; they are fishing, what ever goes on around them is immaterial, they are fishing. Regulatory not correct but in reality it is the best solution. If there are 25 fishermen who do not do anything, then it is much easier for the ship that approaches. The ship KNOWS it has to do something. If the fishermen would decide to do something there might be 25 solutions to the same issue and that would create a lot of confusion and a dangerous situation for the ship as it would not know what to do safely or where to go. So the fishermen stay put and we move around them.

This is a photo from an ESA sattelite. The no-current area’s are blue and strongest current area’s and eddies and rips are red. As you can see the whole of the strait is affected by the strong currents pushing through. I found this photo on the internet and without a credit, so my apologies to whoever owns the rights of it for using the photo.

The current is a different issue. The more speed you have the less you are affected by steering problems or drift. So the pilots prefer the best speed possible that the ship can make, as the pilots know that then a ship will certainly steer. For cruise ships that best speed is at least 16 to18 knots. The helms man will still feel the current tugging at the ship when he changes course but the ships speed will create so much flow around the rudders that the current’s influence is easily negated. This all happens in about 20 minutes and then you are through the strait. I managed today to exactly do it on schedule. 09.45 the pilot was onboard; at 09.55 we were in the middle with a scenic cruising narration made by the onboard travel guide and by 10 am. those who wanted to could go to the Enrichment lecture in the show lounge. By 10.15 the pilot was off and we were happily on our way to Katakolon in Greece.

A sunny day, smooth seas, a little breeze, made it a perfect day to enjoy life on board.