30 April 2012; Oranjestad, Aruba.

Life would be boring if everything always went as predicted. This morning we found out that what was predicted does not always happen.  The Island Princess kept up the speed and stayed ahead of us and arrived at 06:00 at the pilot station. Whatever happened to their 10 am we will never know.  Not much of an issue as the port authorities changed the docks around and now put the IP on cruise terminal B and us behind her on C., as she was already sailing at 12.30 while we were staying the whole day. So I could keep my planned pilot time for 07:00 hrs and be docked at 08:00 as required. It worked out even better for us this way as now we were at the terminal closest to the town and that saved the guests another half a mile of walking. The 3^rd ship on the schedule never showed up and when the IP left at 1 pm (having to wait for late guests) we had the town to ourselves.  Most of the larger shops were open until 1 pm and there several activities going on in the city that could be watched by our guests.  Our pilot was involved in kite fighting on the beach and was not very happy that he had all day duty and would have to sail us out at 18:00 hrs. It was a great day for the Queens Birthday celebrations as there was no rain and the wind was not too strong.

Here on board the Hotel department had decorated the dining room and the Half Moon Room which we were going to use for the Queens Birthday party. The ship was dressed overall and for a touch of orange there was an orange pennant over the flag on the stern. Not exactly according to protocol but the official flag protocol is from way back in the 50’s when the ships still had regular flag masts. Nowadays even the central radar mast looks like an oil rig (in lay out,…we have not found yet oil in the cabins but we are trying…….) so it is impossible anyway to comply with it.   

We sailed on time and as we were the only ship in port, there was nothing in the way to bother us. With the wind blowing over the dock it is in one way very easy to leave, the wind pushes you off. On the other hand it is difficult as the wind keeps pushing you towards the reefs, while you are trying to speed up the ship so you can steer. Shortly after there is a very sharp turn to starboard and all the time you have to find a balance on the wind, which influence changes all the time as the ships angle to wind changes due to the turn. But it is a very fast departure, between casting off the lines and the pilot disembarking outside the port there is less than 10 minutes. Our main concern are the airplanes coming in as the airport approach is straight through the exit fairway of the port. About 20 minutes before a ship leaves, the pilot calls the control tower and advises the height of the ship that is going out. The control tower passes that on to the incoming planes and than it is up to the pilot to decide if he/she is comfortable to come in on a higher angle or wait for the ship to be clear.  The decision varies and I have had some spectacular “fly overs” while sailing out.  

Then we had our Queens Birthday party in the Half Moon Room. We managed to find 35 real Dutch guests on board and we also invited a number of First or Second generation emigrants who were on board. Plus the 15 Dutch officers that we have here. Those who still understood the Dutch invite, showed up. For the party we had the classical strings present who could not play a single Dutch tune……….but they could play the National Anthem so they redeemed themselves.  Dutch cheese, Dutch herring, Dutch chocolate, Loempia’s, Bitterballen, Frikandellen, Nasibal and Bamibal completed the snacks. 

I had found a number of years ago in the Dutch Archives an official Holland America line toast as spoken by the Commodore of the Statendam in 1929 in honor of the Birthday of Queen Wilhelmina.  Most appropriate to read out and then to raise a toast with a shot of Oranjebitter. (*)

All photos courtesy of Hotelmanager Bert van Mackelenbergh 

Tomorrow we will be at sea, sailing north of Columbia. Then the next day I expect to be at the Cristobal pilot station at 05.00 for the final transit of the season.  The wind and the sea will be behind us and that will create a very gentle following breeze on the ship. The ship moves a little bit as it does every cruise when we pass this area as the swell will hit us on the sb quarter and we will get this cork screw movement that the stabilizers can only partly deal with.  

(*) The origin of the drink is unknown. It first appears in history in the 18th century when people who supported stadtholder Willem V (also known as “Willem van Oranje”) dressed themselves with orange scarves and drank ‘Oranjebitter’ in taverns. The royal family of the Netherlands is related to Willem V. This is the reason why Dutch people still drink “Oranjebitter” on Queens’ day. It is a sweet liquor based on orange peels. As per Hotelmanager.