20 August 2009, Oslo, Norway.

The nice thing about Oslo is, that it is located all the way at the end of the Oslofjord and that means that while it can be very nasty weather in the Skagerak/North Sea, it is still very nice and wind free inside. That is what also the weather forecast given for today. Increasing inclement weather outside but nice and sunny in the port. To get the pilot onboard I had to bring the Prinsendam bodily onto the wind and waves and even then it was a wobbly affair for the pilot boat. However the pilot made it onboard safely and without getting wet. It turned out that it was the same pilot as during our previous visit. What was more special was that he had selected the Prinsendam for his final voyage before his retirement. There were two other cruise ships coming in and obviously those did not qualify as being “a nice ship”. His words, not mine. The Prinsendam IS a nice ship and I am glad we qualified also in his eyes.

Happy Retirement Captain Haugen.

So while we sailed into the Oslofjord we suddenly came across the Christian Radich. A old square rigger, partly under sail on the way to Oslo as well. This used to be the national Norwegian training ship in the past and that is where our pilot started his sea going career. Nowadays it offers “square rigger cruises” where you can work and sail as in the old days when the square riggers went around Cape Horn. As we were overtaking the ship it gave us the opportunity to take a picture with him. A picture which bridged his whole career. From his very first ship to his very last one. With modern day technology, I was able to make a print out before we reached Oslo and he received that as a present together with one of the ships plaques. Suitably inscribed with an appropriate message.

It is a three hour run from the pilot station through the fjord to the dock and as there was no traffic that required us to slow down so we where alongside by 0850 with the gangway out. We did not have the best berth in the port, as we had last time, but still is was not that bad as we were only 300 meters further away. The Celebrity Constellation was assigned to the best dock. It brings 2200 guests onboard so more people per foot of pier length into the town and thus it gets the better berth. We docked at Vippentangen which is the dock with the Harbormasters’ office. A nice turn of the century building (I think they call it Biedemaier style) with a white superstructure and a red roof.

I had promised the guests a sunny day but it took until lunch time until the dark clouds blew away and the sun came out. With more sunshine promised for the last sea day and London, it looks like that this cruise is going to have a nice ending. As our arrival was early, we did the scenic cruising on the way out and passed the village of Drobak again,home to the Norwegian Santa Claus. His Danish counter part lives in Nuuk, Greenland, his Dutch counter part lives in Lapland (Finland) and for some other countries he is residing at the North Pole. Must be a night mare for Toys-R-Us I suppose.

The weather forecast had predicted some very windy weather during the night when sailing away from Norway but the frontal system moved in faster then expected and thus we got the full brunt of it while still in the Oslofjord. 50 knots of wind whistling around us but as we were still sheltered by the fjord the guests did not notice much as the ship did not move and all were in the show or at dinner. By the time we came outside the wind already started to die down and we only had some swell to contend with for a few hours.

Tomorrow is our last day and a sea day, while we transverse the North Sea all the way down to the Thames estuary.