Based on three good forecasts for very good weather we approached the port of Stornoway. Indeed it was wind still and the sun rose in a clear sky. Stornoway has a very sheltered harbor from most wind directions as it is shaped like a boomerang. (Not a Scottish instrument though) Small and bigger cruise ships the size of the Prinsendam do not fit in and so they are directed to an anchorage outside. However that is almost 2 miles tender distance to the dock. Although it is too small to swing around in, on the anchor it was possible to drift inside as there was no wind. Thus I moved inside and lowered the tenders. It would mean that I would have to maneuver all day, staying on the engines but I now could reduce the tender distance to roughly half, so I found it worth while to do so. My guests were entitled to a extra treat after all the past days of inclement weather.
Stornoway is the capital of the administrative centre of the Western Isles of which the Isle of Lewis is the most important. Fishing and agriculture form the most important industries here. The island has been inhabited for 1000’s of years and many traces, especially of the language from the Viking days, can be found until today. Connection with the outside world is being maintained by a ferry, the Isle of Lewis, that twice daily sails to the main land. While I was floating in the harbour the ferry came in and I moved over a little bit to make some room. By 10.30 am I had to start moving again as the wind started to pick up and it clouded over. The wind was full on the beam so I could not check the drift towards the shallows any longer. By bringing the wind on the bow I slowly moved out of the port, so slowly that we could continue the tender service. It took me two hours to cover the tender distance, a distance that is usually done in 20 minutes.
The wind came from the South, not the direction that the coast provides shelter from but with the anchor down and the bow thrusters going, I could maintain enough lee to make a tender service possible. However all the guests who went ashore in perfect weather had a bumpy ride back to the ship. They were all back, just after 5 pm and then we picked up the anchor. Surprise, surprise, we had a repeat of yesterday but now with four steel wires wrapped around the flukes of the anchor. That started the tedious process of clearing those wires. Deck and engine department combined all their ingenuity and devised hooks, chains and ropes, which picked up each wire, winched it onto the deck and then cut it. That process was repeated four times and took more than 2 hours to accomplish. By now the arrival time for Peterhead was getting tight. So we made a flying start out of the anchorage area. My main luck was that the currents in the Pentland Firth were not so strong tonight. It is currently neap tide and that means that all is fairly decent.
In the Pentland Firth currents have been measured of up to 12 and 14 knots in certain areas and if you have that against you then you do not make much progress. I have to be at Peterhead tomorrow by 05.45 to go into the port at slack tide. There is a strong ocean current running in front of the harbour entrance and to avoid being set against the breakwaters we are going in at slack tide when the current is zero. The weather forecast for tomorrow is little wind and some showers in the afternoon. However as I do not believe any weather forecast any longer, I ordered a tugboat, even if it was only just for my own peace of mind. Today was certainly not a dull day, so I am wondering what tomorrow will bring.
September 4, 2009 at 1:35 am
Hello Captain,
Thank you so much for taking the time to write this blog. May I add my voice to those who look forward to every installment. I am a long time HAL passenger with well over 100 days, but have never had the honor of sailing with you.
My question is this: so often we now hear stories of passenger mutinies over things such as cancelled ports. Demands of excessive compensation, threats of lawsuits, the involvment of the media all usually accompany these stories. Given your spate of bad weather, combined with the number of tender ports on this itinerary, are your passengers begining to grumble or are they rising to the occasion, understanding the situations and behaving properly? I would hope that HAL passengers would not resort to such ill-mannered things. Thank you.
September 4, 2009 at 3:00 pm
Captain Albert, Thank you! My husband and I were onboard the Prinsendam for the recent Kiel Canal/Baltic adventure. It was our 18th cruise in 20 years, but the first on Prinsendam. We now know why your ship has the highest percentage of repeat cruisers in the industry. Onboard we felt that the captain, the cruise director and the hotel manager really cared that we should have a great vacation experience – good value, good service, a good time, and your blog reinforces that. Of course no one can do anything about the weather, but those things that you could control, were well done. In recent years there have been many things “cut” from cruises (remember the lavish nightly buffets? free excursions? trays in the Lido?) But on Prinsendam we felt your care and we thank you.
Please tell Thom how much we appreciate his “Every day is a gift…” I’m certain that the reminder has much to do with the fact that there seemed to be very little whining or complaining among your guests – much less than we’ve seen in many a year!
I’m not sure you want to post this long heart-felt comment, (if you find it in your spam) but I appreciate being able to thank you for the great experience.
Onboard we learned about your blog during the Kiel Canal transit, and are now following it daily, like many others. It makes our vacation memories last longer. 🙂 We will also be saving our pennies so we can rejoin the Prinsendam sometime again.
In comment to your last 2 days’ adventures with clearing out hazards in the channels you were anchored – that happened to the Mercury when we anchored in Gatun Lake – only, they could not raise the anchor at all. They tried to maneuver for several hours and finally had to send down divers to cut us free. (At least that’s what we were told. I’m sure you can verify it) So I guess this happens more often than we thought. Thanks to the Prinsendam marine travel will be safer for others!
Thank you for a great holiday. Irene S
September 4, 2009 at 7:34 pm
O no! This time it’s not funny anymore. The consequences of war time? Imagine what the ocean bottom looks like if we could see it all. Too bad you don’t have the gravel patches you knew
the exact locations of on the Alaska runs. Time and unforeseen occurences befall us all, no?