A sight that is seldom seen was the Golfo de Tehantpec being completely smooth. Just a long underlying swell made the sea surface wavy but for the rest it was as calm as could be. Different from at any other time. What we would learn shortly after was that when this happens the bay of Hualtalco is also different than at other times. That is why being at sea never gives you a dull moment. But first we enjoyed the picture perfect weather and approached the Mexican coast line from the south East. About 10 miles out we were greeted by a fast patrol boat of the Mexican Navy who escorted us all the way in. I have never seen them coming out that far but maybe it had to do with the fact that the sea was so smooth. It made for a pleasant ride for a change, and then…………boys with toys………… you grab your chance. The pilot was waiting at the correct location and after he hopped on board in we went.
Then there was suddenly wind. There is hardly ever wind inside the Bay but now it curved from the South West around the cliffs into the bay. With it came a strange current that also curved into the bay. We had planned to dock stern in, for a fast departure, and by the time the ship was starting to go astern, the ship wanted to go all over the place. First to the East, then to the West. I managed to keep the ship in the centre of the bay, but with the constant push of wind and current the angle of the ship in relation to the land was constantly changing and I needed to keep adjusting the direction.
Bahia de Hualatalco de Santa Cruz.
When we reviewed our approach later on, the only conclusion we could come to, was that there was some sort of counter current, different than a tidal current, that curved in and out of the Bay. With the flow of Tehantepec missing, it had changed the regular water flow that we were used to. The predominant wind is normally from the land, and thus it is calm in the bay as there are hills all around, but now for the last few days, the wind/breeze had been from the sea so the whole picture had changed. The pilot was as puzzled as we were.
Then when coming close to our docking position while I stopped the ship to park the gangway correctly, suddenly the ship started to slide forward again. Even here the current was behaving differently than expected. It was all a very safe operation, and we even docked ahead of time, but as you normally can anticipate each movement of the ship by recognizing the wind and the current, this time I could not be pro-active and control the ship. Being reactive was the word, when it went the other way again. So we learned something new, If there is no tehantepeccer for more than 5 days, the whole situation in Hualtalco Bay goes topsy turvey.
The nice thing about this sudden ocean breeze was that the temperatures in Huatalco were very bearable today. The humidity was down and as the Breeze came in the bay in line with the ship, a sort of gentle funnel wind developed and it was really pleasant to be ashore. I did not have that luxury as I was giving training.
A very important part of the Boatdrill system are the Traffic Control people in the staircases. They are the crowd control people and guide the guests to the boat stations in an emergency. They are also trained to keep tempers under control and maintain order during the assembly. One could see how important they were during the Costa Concordia tragedy, when control from the bridge broke down and the disembarkation of the ship was left to the people on the scene. Taking that into consideration they did extremely well. So we give these people intense training. That is normally done by the deck officers, but as I have some new ones on board, it does not do any harm to have them have the benefit of my 33 years of experience in HAL safety.
By the time the training was over, it was time to leave again and at 1700 hrs. we pulled out. With the nose to sea it should have been, “full ahead” and away we were; but again wind and current were a big influence, so even with a higher speed it was not that simple to stay on the track line.
Tomorrow we are at sea. Passing Acapulco around 0800 in the morning and then heading towards Puerto Vallarta. We are scheduled for a 0700 pilot and it is going to be a busy day as there will be two other ships in port with us; The Zaandam and the Sapphire Princess and thus it will be a good day for the shopkeepers.
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