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Ocean Liner History and Stories from the Sea, Past and Present. With an In Depth focus on Holland America Line

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22 Oct.2016; Half Moon Cay; Little San Salvador Island, Bahamas.

By 07.30 we arrived at the anchorage area together with the ms Nieuw Amsterdam. Half Moon Cay is large enough to handle two mega liners at the same time, we do not have mega liners in our fleet, and thus the 3400 that came ashore had ample space to enjoy themselves. We did not see any lines anywhere except at the barbeque station around 1 pm. but that had more to do with the fact that everybody tends to go for lunch at the same time. Hence my personal Golden Rule on sea days, I go at 11.30 to the Lido as it normally noon time when the wave comes rolling in and that wave keeps rolling in until 13.30 hrs. and then suddenly it is all quiet again. (Except at the ice cream parlor)

The Nieuw Amsterdam off HMC. alongside the provision cutter Half Moon Clipper and Henry Hudson guest tender.

The Nieuw Amsterdam off HMC.  Alongside the provision cutter Half Moon Clipper and Henry Hudson guest tender.

The wind was from the wrong direction for anchoring and thus both ships remained on the engines and floated. For an operational perfect Half Moon Cay day you need the wind from the north east, blowing over the island. Then the wind can make no swell, as there is no open sea to blow over, and the wind will push the ship away from the island so it can lay perfectly behind a stretched anchor chain. Today the wind was coming from the North West and then you are pushed towards the island and eventually end up on the beach. The island is rising so sharply out of the deep, that there is not enough room to swing around with the anchor down without hitting sand and rock somewhere. Thus we stayed on the engines and drifting in position. There was very little wind today and that made it very easy to stay in position and not to drift all over the place.

The Nieuw Amsterdam was on the shorter stay with a last tender scheduled for 14.30 as they had to make Ft. Lauderdale on time; it being the end of the cruise, and thus they were given the use of the large shore tenders. We were here all day and thus we provided our own transport during a very nice but very warm day.  It got warmer and warmer while the day progressed as the wind decided to almost die down completely. So it was a very tropical day, but then we are on a warm weather cruise so we are delivering according schedule.

Back to Yesterday and safe working on board.

The list of five points yesterday indicated the way the company has setup its safety philosophy. First train the crew and then review with the crew involved what the challenge of the work is. As most of us are over 25 we forget things and then we make sure we also review and complete check list so that nothing is forgotten. Then we carry out the work while the supervisor is required to check in to see if all goes well. The frequency of checking really depends on the sort of work. If a sailor is painting, the Bo ‘sun maybe checks once a day, if it is working aloft, it might be once an hour but if the work pertains to a tank entry, then there is the requirement to have constant supervision present. Sitting in an enclosed steel tank is a lot more dangerous than happily sitting on a chair painting in the outside air. When a more complicated job has been carried out, then there is a review  to see if any lessons can be learned to implement next time and then do an even better job.

Things go seldom wrong, but often there is the potential for something to go wrong and from that we can learn.

Things go seldom wrong, but often there is the potential for something to go wrong and from that we can learn.

For that review, we also check if there were any “near misses”.  You should NOT see that in the context of “the ship almost sank” but in the context of “I forgot to tie up the paint bucket and it almost tipped off the shelf”. Those things can bring up very valuable insights as the persons who carry out the work normally know better what is going on than the supervisor. To make sure that mistakes are also being reported and discussed, you have to create a no-blame culture. And that is probably the hardest part of the whole safety process, as in general the world always looks for somebody to blame when something goes wrong and then demands instant punishment; mostly without having checked the facts and details of what exactly happened. Holland America is quite far advanced with creating a very open safety culture and more about that tomorrow.

Today at 5 pm. we will start our journey to Cartagena, which will take us two days. First we sail through the Grand Bahama Bank, then into the Caribbean Sea on a south westerly course until we curve around the North West point of Columbia and then we approach Cartagena from the West.  Weather for the Caribbean Sea:  Same weather as today, with a chance of cloudiness. If you look at the weather photo you see there is a frontal system approaching but if it does not move too fast, we might be able to outrun it and then the sunshine continues all the way to Cartagena. If not we get some rain. That might not please the guests but it will please the ships Bo’sun as it will get the salt off the ship.

 

 

The frontal system is just coming over Hispaniola. We a bit of luck we might out run it.

The frontal system is just coming over Hispaniola. We a bit of luck we might out run it if it moves slowly. (Photo courtesy, 22 Oct. 2016 The Weather Channel)

 

21 Oct. 2016; Fort Lauderdale, USA.

We had a warm day today and we did arrive as we wished, just before 07.00 at the regular Holland America dock, Pier 26. So everything worked out as planned. Always nice as a turn over port creates a very hectic day, with stores and provisions being loaded for the whole trans canal, contractors and service people, bunkering of fuel and a myriad of other items which can only take place in a end of cruise port. Mainly because there are no guests in the way and all service is reduced to a bare minimum. At least from 08.00 until noon time after which the ship gears up again with embarkation.  So this morning I saw technicians crawling under coffee machines, others looking concerned with blue boxes which are supposed to measure something and did not, and service people bringing on board spare parts where in some cases brought a big smile to an engineer’s face. Plus a whole conga line of others, of which nobody really knows what they do, but of whom you soon find out that they were not in attendance, when something does not work, or something was not brought on board.

I had my regular end of cruise visit with my friends of the Customs and Border Protection again. I am not a complete crew member and I am not a guest either; and to solve this vague position the deep thinkers in the immigration business have come up with the beautiful designation of the “Non-Revenue- Passenger”.  What that exactly it means is anybody’s guess but the end result is that at the end of each cruise I have to march off with the In Transit Guests, show my face to receive a friendly nod and then march back on board again, as soon as the CBP is convinced everybody except the real crew is off the ship. That has the magical name of “the zero count”. This cruise we had 254 in transit guests on board (that is including me) so there was quite a bit of marching (or in some cases scootering and rollating) going on before the supervisor of the CBP was satisfied and officially cleared the ship.

Very creative but not exactly safe.

Very creative but not exactly safe.

As mentioned in an earlier blog, part of what I am doing this time is going through all the work practices on board to see if we all comply with the Company Rules (which includes all the legal stuff of course) and if all safe working practices are being followed – at all times -. We have roughly 50 different nationalities on board and each group has a different understanding of what “safe” is and what precautions should be taken. A crewmember can  have a moral culture shock going around in his/her head if a company practice of safe operations is considered silly or stupid or over the top back at home. So there is a constant push from ships management to engrain everybody with the mantra: You arrive with 10 fingers and you go home with 10 fingers.

The challenge is that if you see the same ship, do the same work, have the same procedures to follow and deal with the same crew every day, then in the end you do not see the Tree’s for the Forest anymore. (And the other way around as well I suppose) thus a pair of fresh eyes, with the experience of where crew tries to slack off, bypass or ignore procedures (yes crew are human as well, just like everybody on the shore side)and then raise the spotlight on those items.

Safety Meeting before every job, however small the job might be,

Safety Meeting before every job, however small the job might be,

Apart from law enforced required safety training, we also have a lot of company safety rules and they get hammered into a crew member by several methods.

  1. The 15 minute safety trainer. Each supervisor has to conduct those and discuss, in a cycle, issues as hard hats, safety googles, bending, lifting, and chemicals etc.etc.
  2. The Risk management procedure. Before each work challenge is carried out, there is a (brief) meeting about the way the work will be carried out, what the dangers are and what is needed to mitigate these dangers. Including what PPE is needed.
  3. Checklists to fill out, commonly known as PTW’s or Permit to Work
  4. Supervision and correction on the job
  5. Reporting of missed chances, from which we all can learn again.

 

To be continued tomorrow.

We sailed just after 16.00 hrs. and shot straight across the Straits of Florida towards the Great Isaac Lighthouse where we will enter the Bahamian Islands. As tomorrow we will be at Half Moon Cay, our private island. We are to be ready to commence tender service at 08.00 hrs. and we will be joined by the Nieuw Amsterdam for the day.  Weather for tomorrow:  84oF / 29oC, with very little wind. It is going to be a very tropical day.

20 Oct. 2016 ; At Sea.

Today we have our final day at sea and are sailing along the East coast of Florida towards Fort Lauderdale, and once again we are battling the Gulf Stream.  I can even feel it. The wind is from the North East and thus partly against the general flow of the water and that gives a strange movement to the ship.  On the waves caused by the wind, it should either move or not, but now it moves on occasion and that is caused by  the wind moving against the swell at times. Sometimes damping them out, sometimes enhancing them, then you get this moment of will she roll or will she not and you cannot really predict it. In the course of the evening we should get a bit of wave left over from Hurricane Nicole who created havoc near Bermuda a few days ago and whose wave field is not completely gone yet. It won’t be bad weather but some clever guests were already packing in the early afternoon.

To get as little opposite Gulf Stream as possible we on a SSW heading trying to get under the coast as soon as we can. At noon time we passed Jacksonville and now we are roughly abeam of Orlando passing a village called Palm Bay which brings us in sight of the shore line. Not much to see and not very easy to see what might be there, as Florida is fairly flat. By tomorrow we are in Fort Lauderdale and that will be the end of the cruise. To send everybody home with at least a bit of education, the Cruise Director had me scheduled for my Holland America History talk and now all who attended know where the Veendam came from.  And thus I have done my good deed for the day.

We are coming today from the north, which is a more unusual route for a cruise ship. Most ships that go to Fort Lauderdale are coming from the East out of the North Providence channel (under Freeport and above Nassau) or out of the Straits of Florida from the south. Cruise ships tend to all converge at nearly the same time at the pilot station of Port Everglades as we all want to be docked by 07.00 when the regular work day starts in the port. Especially around Christmas is can be very congested at the pilot station as a lot of cruise lines change their regular cruise schedule to offer a Christmas or holiday cruise, with the happy day at least falling after departure.  8 to 10 ships in port together have happened.

One of those busy days in port, sometime in the past.

One of those busy days in port, sometime in the past. Eight large ships alongside and one small one sailing down the intracoastal. (Photo courtesy: www.airliners.net.)

 

On such an occasion the Harbor Master creates a very tight schedule for pilotage and docking, normally 15 minutes between each ship and simply orders a ship to be there at the given time. If not, then it can wait until the rest has gone in. Tomorrow we will not have that challenge as we are supposed to be the only one in port, at least according to the schedule published by the port. Which means we can arrive when we want and dock at the most opportune time. As long as work can start at exactly 07.00 hrs.

Sailing into Port Everglades is almost right on the 270o. but ofcourse they had to make it a little bit harder and thus we have to steer 267o

Sailing into Port Everglades is almost right on the 270o. But of course they had to make it a little bit harder and thus we have to steer 267o

For the captain the challenge will be to line up into the leading lights before going in. Normally what we do, when coming from the East of South, is to steer a bit to the south of the lights and then let the Gulf Stream push us into it. That makes it very easy to adjust the course little by little until we have found the perfect balance. Now coming from the north we have to “push” into the Gulf Stream and find the perfect angle or steer south and let us be pushed back again. The maneuver of the day will really depend on what other ships or small craft are in the area. The drift angle we need can be quite considerable, depending on how close the Gulf Stream is flowing near the sea buoy. I have been coming in on a course of 242o while the Leading lights want 267o and it was only getting slowly less by the time we passed the sea buoy. I do not think it will be that extreme tomorrow, but it is going to be an interesting arrival as always.

Weather for tomorrow: A hot and sunny day with no clouds predicted and noon temperatures of around 86oF or 30oC.  Not that great for travelling or for sightseeing.

 

19 Oct. 2016; Charleston, South Carolina, USA.

Charleston is a port that captains really like; main reason the cruise ship terminal is very close to open sea so you do not have to get out of bed so early. Get to the bridge by 07.00 hrs. and you are docked at 07.45 hrs. Charleston is a port which the crew likes very much as you almost dock into downtown. Once you have walked past the Customs house you are there. I think a lot of captains in the past must have liked Charleston because looking at the size of the Customs house there must have been a lot of trade here.  And thus a lot of import fees and it looks like that a Customs officer in the mists of time invested some of those fees in a Tax – Temple which would have made the old Greeks very jealous.

Now this is a Customs house to make any bank manager really jealous.

Now this is a Customs house to make any bank manager really jealous.

I know Charleston fairly well as I once spent 8 weeks here  with the Nieuw Amsterdam in lay-up. In 2000 we sold the Nieuw Amsterdam (III) to the freshly resurrected United States Lines and it became the Patriot. The ship was meant for Hawaii cruises and was to serve as the “training & test ship” for two new builds which were under construction at Pascagoula. Normally this would not have been possible as the American law requires for coastal trade ships built in the USA, but an exemption was given as there were no home-built modern cruise ships available, and this was the way to kick start an American Flag cruise ship company.  We handed the ship over in autumn 2000 and I stayed for a while to train the American Officers who had no experience with the modern technique of a cruise ship. After six weeks my little team of Deck, Engine and Hotel went home and the Patriot started cruising around the Hawaiian Islands.

This is what happens after 9 months of un-attended teak wood decks.

This is what happens after 9 months of un-attended teak wood decks.

After nine months I was sent back to the ship as the company had gone bankrupt. I think that the management of the USL had not correctly calculated how difficult it would be to start a modern cruise venture from nothing.   It is not so easy to run a cruise company and it is even more complicated if it is with a new concept and with several new builds on the way at the same time. So the Nieuw Amsterdam came back from Hawaii and ended up in Charleston. While the office was thinking about what to do with the ship, I had a group of about 80 crew to keep the ship going, try to get it back to working order again and spruce it up. A few months in layup in a humid climate without air-conditioning are not good for a ship.

A nice organisational muddle. Dutch name, Nassau Flag and the American eagle still on the funnel.

A nice organisational muddle. Dutch name, Nassau Flag and the American eagle still on the funnel.

As a captain you do not have much to do when a ship does not sail, when it has no guests, when it really is not a ship as such. Our official safety routine was…………. “Run off the ship” if something goes wrong, as we did not have enough manpower to raise complete fire teams. We were only a skeleton crew and the ship was considered to be in unmanned lay-up. So my volunteered job was to drive the shuttle bus. Going shopping for the Bo ‘sun and Carpenters (The manager of Home Depot declared me a Saint after a few visits at $ 1000 a call) take crew to hospital and do all sorts of other things needed to keep our little enterprise going. Plan A was to get docking rights in Hamilton Bermuda and start New York, Bermuda cruises. That was a good idea as the N ships of 1983/84 had especially been designed for that purpose but never used as such because Alaska cruising really took off around that time.

Then came the option to charter (and later sell) the ship off to a Greek company who sub- chartered the ship out to Thomson Cruises which is a package holiday operator in England. They must have liked what they got as later the Noordam and the Westerdam went that way as well (Thomson Spirit, Thomson Celebration and Thomson Dream).

Today was the first time that I have been back to Charleston since 2001 and luckily it was not as warm as 15 years ago when it was the deep of summer. Today the guests had a beautiful day and it looks for tomorrow, a sea day, our luck will be holding as well.

 

18 October 2016; Sailing South.

The small heatwave caused by the balance of high and low pressure areas is creating beautiful weather today. There are only some clouds in the sky, there is a gentle breeze which makes it pleasant on deck and the temperatures  reached a balmy 20oC / 68oF at noon time and that is not bad at all for this time of the year.  We have no hurricane to worry about yet and thus we can happily sail towards Charleston South Carolina where we will arrive tomorrow morning.

As I mentioned an upset Chief engineer yesterday, it is now time to explain what we do to keep him as happy as possible. When we go up the coast from anywhere north of Cabo San Antonio on the West side of Cuba, we try to find the center of the Gulf Stream and then let it push us forward. If we can find the exact center or Axis then we can get up to four knots of current. Especially in the section between Key West and Fort Lauderdale. Before and after that area the Gulf Stream is not so concentrated. If a ship has 16 knots to maintain and it gets 4 knots of bonus speed from the current, then the engines only have to produce 12 knots, which saves a lot of fuel and that makes a Chief engineer very happy.

The is the average direction of the Gulf Stream. Coming down from New York you have to sail through at least part of it.

This is the average direction of the Gulf Stream. Coming down from New York you have to sail through at least part of it.

When going south towards Fort Lauderdale or into the Straits of Florida we try to avoid this center of the Gulf Stream by either sailing on the Grand Bahama Banks side when going to the East Caribbean when coming north of Cuba, or staying close to the Florida coast when going to Florida ports or down to the Gulf of Mexico or the West Caribbean.

That is what we are doing today; creeping closer and closer towards the East Coast of the Carolinas and later of Florida. In that way we hope to reduce the opposing current to less than 2 knots and if we are lucky we might even get a counter current. I use the word “lucky” as it is not all science here. We get chartlets made by NOAA which indicate the average location of the current and we have chartlets with the general pattern of the current. But one good hurricane coming through and the Gulf Stream can be completely different or even gone. Hurricanes can push water in a different direction or “suck” water away from a location somewhere else and then the current will go that way to restore the balance.

I sailed once from Norfolk to Half Moon Cay, right after a Hurricane had come through, and there was no Gulf Stream at all; instead I had two knots of current with me all the way down until I sailed between the Bahamian islands. It took two full days before the Gulf Stream came back to its regular flow.  As you can understand I had a very happy Chief Engineer at that moment.

Even when the Gulf Stream is flowing normally, we still do not always know the correct location as the Axis of the Gulf Stream can vary quite quickly from being close to Florida to moving all the way over to the East and being close to the Grand Bahama Bank. To get it exactly right is sometimes as much as throwing a dart at the chart, as conducting a deep study of all the information available. What still works the best is to make a plan and then when there, to let the ship “feel” where the current is by going a bit off track to starboard or to port and observe what happens.

This is the Gulf Stream as indicated by its temperature. The more we can stay in the green part or on the edge of the orange part, the less adverse current we have.

This is the Gulf Stream as indicated by its temperature. The more we can stay in the green part or on the edge of the orange part, the less adverse current we have.

When we are coming closer to Charlestown it is not so much of an issue as the Gulf Stream is still very wide and thus close to the coast we will feel not much more than 0.5 of a knot. But at lunch time we were in the middle of it with two knots and that gave the navigators a good idea of where the Axis should be when we sail back into open waters tomorrow evening. Then the trick will be to stay out of the thick of it.

Weather for tomorrow: Nice and warm but not too warm. Clear skies with noon temperatures of 24oC / 75oF and a gentle breeze.

17 Oct. 2017; New York, USA.

Well the weather forecast of a sunny but chilly day did not exactly happen. It was sunny but New York experienced a small heat wave today and the temperature rose to 79oF, hardly cold autumn weather. But it was all to the advantage of the guests and that is the only thing which really matters.

I stayed on the ship as I am doing a complete sweep of the Veendam for the captain. Deck by deck, locker by locker, space by space, and that takes up a lot of time. Looking at maintenance status, safety routines and compliance and anything that might need attention and which has not received the focus as the crew as they are busy with other priorities. A fresh pair of eyes can be very valuable, especially as I know this ship inside out, having been captain on it from 2004 to 2008. So I did today the outside decks from the top all the way down to the lower promenade deck. Taking advantage of the sunny weather and being able to walk around in a T shirt instead of a winter coat.

New York Skyline with the Empire State Building and the ventilation towers of the Holland Tunnel in the foreground

New York Skyline with the Empire State Building and the ventilation towers of the Holland Tunnel in the foreground

The nice sunny weather also created one of the best sail – aways from New York I have ever seen. With only a gentle breeze blowing it was very pleasant outside and with the setting sun shining on Manhattan, the scenery was nothing short of spectacular.

This is what 2 knots of current does. Barely out of the pier and instead of being in the middle we have already drifted south and are half way past our dock.

This is what 2 knots of current does. Barely out of the pier and instead of being in the middle we have already drifted south and are half way past our dock.

This morning the Veendam docked with slack tide which means there was no current running in front of the piers. So the ship could just shoot in without any danger of bumping into pier 90 on the portside or pier 88 on the starboard side. On departure we had a few knots of ebb running and that made it a bit more complicated to get out. The moment the stern comes outside the pier, it will push the stern back against the dock as we were starboard side alongside. Thus the trick was to angle the stern almost against the opposite pier, then go astern, and use the current to bring the ship back in line up with the pier and then just keep going astern until clear.

The old Holland America Line Pier. In 1964 the most modern passenger and cargo terminal in the world.

The old Holland America Line Pier. In 1964 the most modern passenger and cargo terminal in the world.

And then we sailed down the river. Apart from seeing the Empire State building from several angles, I was mostly interested in seeing the old Holland America Line Pier, Pier 40 at middle Manhattan. The pier is now is in use for various activities which have nothing to do with the sea anymore. A quick look at Wikipedia told me, that it is now being used as a parking garage and a sports facility. It is home to the New York Knights of the American National Rugby League but has a lot of other sports going as well.

Ellis Island until 1954 the main entry for emigrants by sea into the New World.

Ellis Island until 1954 the main entry for emigrants by sea into the New World.

On the other side is of course Ellis Island where Holland America landed thousands of emigrants. The ships would stop off the island, the emigrants would go off and the ships would continue with the First and Second or Tourist class passengers to Hoboken docks where the company piers were situated until it finally moved over to Pier 40 at the Manhattan side. By that time Ellis Island was long closed.  Next to it is Liberty Island with the Statue of Liberty which was the main attraction for our crew on the forward deck. They all knew about it but as Holland America seldom calls at New York anymore, very few of the newer crew had ever seen it.

We have for New York, two pilots on board. One is the docking pilot, who does only the docking/undocking of the ship and is especially on board in case tugboats are needed. Today he had an easy day as they ship did it by itself with the thrusters. As soon as the ship was safely lined up, this pilot left and the River pilot of Sandy Hook pilot took over to guide the ship to open sea. That will take approximately three hours and thus we should be near Ambrose Lighthouse around 19.30 hrs.

A lot of excited crew on board and as usual our entertainers are the most excitable among them. These three could not resist to stage a photo shoot.

A lot of excited crew on deck and as usual our entertainers are the most excitable among them. These three could not resist to stage a photo shoot with Manhattan in the background.

From there we go south and today the chief engineer was lamenting the fact that the ship will go against the Gulf Stream. First there will only be a weak influence but the closer we come to Fort Lauderdale the stronger the resistance will get. And thus he ran to run an extra engine to maintain the average speed needed and that costs fuel and that makes a Chief Engineer very unhappy. Tomorrow we are at sea for the whole day and then we visit Charleston, South Carolina.  Weather is supposed to be very good again and that should bring a very nice day on board.

 

16 October 2016; At Sea.

Today we spent a quiet day at sea, with very nice weather although it felt a bit windy at times. But that is more or less caused by the relative wind on deck. The ship is only making about 10 knots of speed and the wind is only blowing at about 10 knots of wind velocity but they are at times opposite to each other and then the combined relative wind on deck is 20 knots. That is considered a Fresh Breeze in sailors jargon and it feels real ”fresh”  as it is a cold and nippy wind, winter is definitely on its way. Hence we are getting away from the area.

NOAA information with plotted sightings until 2003. Not much has changed since then. Diagram courtesy NOAA

Information with plotted sightings until 2003. Not much has changed since then. The green angled line to the lower right hand side is the vessel traffic separation scheme, which all ships have to follow when going south from Boston. Diagram courtesy NOAA

Making only 10 knots of speed has two reasons, first if we go full speed, we arrive in New York in the middle of the night and then we are alongside until dawn with hardly anybody going ashore. (Except some crew of course) The 2nd and much more important reason are the Right Whales. All the way from Boston, to Nantucket Island and then partly towards New York, we are sailing through their habitat. With a fair chance of hitting one of them if we go too fast.

The Right whale is one of the more peculiar ones among all the whale species out there. They tend to be completely oblivious of what is going on around them. The Humpback whale, which we encounter very frequently, reacts to engine sounds and vibration and will dive. So as long as we keep a good look out and change course on time, we do not have any issues with them and they not with us.

The Right whale does not do that, it just sits, floats and plays around regardless what happens around it. According to scientists, the mating rituals are different to other whales as well as they seem to engage in group sex; and people (with experience) say that when you are involved with that nobody seems to pay any attention to anything else anymore.  Because they do not take any notice of the outside world, they were a very easy prey for the Whalers in the old days and as a result there are only about 400 left. And with all the protection in place the population is not growing very much.

Apart from that we do not want to lose any of them, we cannot afford to lose any of them as they are very close to extinction, whatever their mating rituals might be. So the ships have to keep a very good look out and go slow to have time to see them when they are floating around, as they are far less active than a Humpback which tends to put up a show whenever they can. To see the Right Whales you need time and thus we go slow.

To help with this we all have speed rules in the conservation area’s and the USCG maintains a listening, reporting and advise station outside the Boston area where they collect all the data and make announcements of where the last sightings have been. And there is a Vessel Traffic Separation scheme which insures that all ships follow the same “highway at sea” and thus reduce the chances of an close encounter.

If you see them, then they are easily recognizable with the white callo on the nose.

If you see them, then they are easily recognizable with the white callosities on the head area. Photo by Brian Skerry. Courtesy of www.whaleman.org

Because they move so little and there are so few we seldom see them and thus each sighting is important. We keep the ship on hand steering where needed so we can change course without delay and at all times one officer and one quartermaster keep a sharp lookout while the 2nd quartermaster is behind the wheel and the other officer looks after the navigation. When sightings come in we even bump up the number of officers by adding a Sr. Officer to the team for oversight.

We do not have to go slow everywhere but it is of course much easier to schedule the ship for a slow run between two ports instead of putting the Captain under pressure of having to make up speed as soon as the ship is outside whale waters.

With that speed of 10 knots we will arrive at 04.00 hrs. tomorrow morning at the Sandy Hook pilot station and from there sail up the Hudson. At 05.30 we will pass under the Verrazano Bridge and will dock around 06.30 at Pier 88 in New York. There we will stay until 16.00 hrs. Weather is looking good, with partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the high fifties. We will be in port with the Carnival Sunshine which has New York as a turn over port for making her last Canada & New England cruise.

15 October 2016; Boston, USA.

Today I returned to the high seas and this time it was the Veendam. The Lords of Change had decided that no change was needed to my schedule and I could stick to my planned schedule. So Veendam it is.  If the schedule will remain unchanged is anybody’s question.   The port of Boston was full today with the Veendam, the Zuiderdam and the Grandeur of the Seas in port together. These three took up the whole of the long berth of the Falcon Cruise terminal and gave my taxi driver a headache because of trying to find out which Gate was the right one to drop me off. The building of the Terminal is so high that from the street you cannot see what ship is on the other side, let alone where the stern stops and the bow starts.  But with the help of a friendly policeman, the ships agent was found and I was taken behind the security gates.

It was good to see my old ship back again; I was captain on her from 2004 to 2008 and had since then only visited sporadically. So now we are back for three weeks, for training, auditing, creating a bit of mayhem with drills and offering words of wisdom (when asked………………). As the winter is coming to the East Coast, the Veendam is on a cruise from Montreal down to Fort Lauderdale and will then start a Tran’s canal cruise to San Diego. When we arrive there on November 5th. it will also be the end of my period on board, unless things change.  It is a short of snowbird migration that is going on, as the Zuiderdam, on a 12 day cruise from Quebec is doing the same thing. She also will end up in Fort Lauderdale to commence her winter season.

After Boston, we will visit New York on the 17th. Charleston on the 19th. and then Fort Lauderdale on the 21st. As Boston is a handy port for flights, we had a small crew change over today and that will take some of the pressure away in Fort Lauderdale when the regular crew large change over takes place. The more we can spread out those crew changes the better it is for the continuity on board and the least the guests will notice the change.

Staff Captain Andrew Barker briefing the team for departure. The Captain is the 2nd one on the left, the local pilot is on the far right.

Staff Captain Andrew Barker briefing the team for departure. The Captain is the 2nd one on the left, the local pilot is on the far right, leaning on the radar console.

The good ship Veendam is under the command of Capt. Noel Driscoll who has been around since 1999 and his first ship was the Veendam as well, so he has come full circle so to speak. He originates from Ireland and he is one of a few of the Irish Officers we took on in the mists of time who stayed the course and settled down at Holland America.

The rest of the Deck officers are roughly of the 50 – 50 percent mix between British and Dutch. Through the years the company has figured out that the two groups together enhance each other and push the mutual quality of the whole group up to a higher level. As one of my colleagues once said, we teach the Dutch how to speak proper English and they teach us common sense. (Or was it the other way around???)

The Zuiderdam going astern with a container ship on the portside and the Grandeur of the Seas on the starboard side.

The Zuiderdam going astern with a container ship on the portside and the Grandeur of the Seas on the starboard side.

The Falcon cruise terminal has an excellent location, being close to downtown and not too far away from the Airport; but has one set back and that its fairway to get in and out is rather small. If there are three cruise ships in line and a container ship at the berth at the other side, then there is not much room left, especially if it blows from the wrong direction. Today we had very little wind but still the Veendam had to wait for 30 minutes until the Zuiderdam had pulled out and gone astern before she could follow.  We needed a little bit of the Zuiderdams docking space before we also could go sideways and into the middle of the channel. Boston has approval for a $300 million port dredging plan and the money has been allocated on federal and state level but they have to wait until the person has been found who will really write the cheque. Last night I heard a Lady on the local TV saying that this might be within the next two years.  So until that time, the mud will decide other departure sequence.

Tomorrow we are at sea, sailing at a slow speed to the Port of New York where we will arrive on the 17th. The weather is getting chillier but is supposed to remain good, and a bit of a chill in the air will reduce the chance of “very low hanging clouds” and that is a definite bonus.

 

 

 

 

27 Aug. 2016; At Sea.

The good ship Koningsdam is weaving its way southbound again back to Amsterdam after a 14 day “flat circle” cruise curving around Scotland to Iceland and then back via Norway.  Today the word “weaving” is correct as we are on far from a straight course. Going between the various Oil Rigs you can easily do on a safe and straight course but what you meet on the way can make a difference. Between the Oil Rigs you can come across Fishermen as they are convinced that fish will hide as close to a rig as is possible and you also come across watch ships which are there to protect the oil rigs. Fishermen will claim that we are going where they need to be, that the uncomprehending outside world build Oil Rigs, windmill parks and other structures on their exclusive fishing grounds and that the rest of the floating world (including us) is just a nuisance in principle. They are not always wrong nor are they always right but the rules which cause these structures to be there come out of a democratic consulting system where every stakeholder had the chance to give input somewhere during the decision process. And the final decision making policies resulted in what we have now.

The space between oil rigs is free to everybody as long as you do not endanger the rigs or its working capacity. And this means that fishermen are in between. Nothing against that, probably very good fishing, but when they move towards you from out of the rig area and they are still fishing then the navigational situation can become a bit complicated. We have the Rules of the Road which clearly define how to deal with fishing boats when fishing. However the rules have no allowances for: if a whole slew of oil rigs make it impossible to change course. What do you do then? Such a situation is then covered under a general rule, stop the ship or at least slow down. And slowing down if you really do not have to is some- thing we try to avoid as it costs time and fuel. So we always hope that the fisherman recognizes its own and the others situation timely, so a small action from one or both sides can prevent a major course or speed change.

A Supply boat keeps watch over an oil rig. In this case a drilling platform, making a new well.

A Supply boat keeps watch over an oil rig. In this case a drilling platform, making a new well. (Photo Courtesy, somewhere off the Internet)

Then there are the watch ships around the oil rigs. A number of years ago it was decided to put watch ships on station near the oil rigs after a calamity during which a cargo ship ploughed into a Rig. And thus we see everywhere converted Fisherman Trawlers, Supply Vessels or other craft sitting a short distance from a rig with the duty to call & challenge anybody who comes too close; and if it is because of a power failure to tow the vessel to safety and away from the oil rig. Many an ignorant sailing boat has had the scare of its life when suddenly one of these station ships bore down on them. We have normally little dealing with them as they know we stick to the steamer tracks but sometimes we get a call with the advice about something or the other which might be going on or near our route.

Today we had something like this, where an Oceanic Survey Vessel (most likely looking for more oil) asked us to give it a wide berth. A wide berth of several miles around itself. It was accompanied by 4 watch ships sitting in quadrant around the ship and moving in formation, while going very slow. Sometimes they ask for a wide berth because they are towing a sonar probe but often it is that coming closer will affect the readings they are taking. We always try to comply but going 3 to 4 miles out of the way might bring you close to an oil rig and that upsets the watch ships again. Today the Navigation Team could solve the issue by veering off the course and by crossing at a large distance in front of this little convoy.

Tomorrow we will be back in our home port Amsterdam and getting ready for the next cruise. The weather will be a bit uncertain; warm 75oF /24oC but with a chance of showers and drizzle in the early morning and maybe during the day.

I will be going home as my time on the Koningsdam has come to an end. Now I will have a short leave and then will return to sea for the next series of ship visits.  I will keep my plans updated on: http://www.hollandamerica.com/blog/my-sailing-schedule/

As it is never certain where I will end up next. If nothing changes my next ship will be the Veendam starting on 15 October.  Thank you for reading my blog and I will continue with updating my history part of the blog. I managed a number of captain’s bio’s last time and that will now continue.

 

26 Aug. 2016; Bergen, Norway.

In Norway people say, “There is Norway and then There is Bergen”. As the people from Bergen seem to consider themselves sort of outside Norway or think that Norway is part of Bergen and not the other way around. The real deep meaning behind it was once explained to be by a Norwegian in a pub in Amsterdam and after several beers it made great sense but the next morning it was hard to remember the exact context. So I cannot explain why Bergen is different it just seems to be so. But I wonder if the weather in Bergen is also different than the rest of Norway. And with that I mean, the way it rains here.

Bergen is nestled nicely in a protective valley but rain clouds get caugth in the Horse shoeshape. (Courtesy of Favi Images on Flickr)

Bergen is nestled nicely in a protective valley but rain clouds get caught in the Horse shoe shape. The bridge in the photo is high enough for all ships to pass under. But around the corner to the right is an older and much lower bridge. (Courtesy of Favi Images on Flickr)

It rains of course everywhere in Norway but Bergen sits in a valley surrounded on three sides by mountains. When the rain clouds roll in from the sea and bounce against the mountain ridge on the East side, there is a fair chance that it will rain here. But this morning I seem to observe that the clouds bounced from one side of the town & mountain ridge to the other side and it just kept raining. The cloud swirl looked very peculiar when seen from the ship. It moved towards the East and then it moved towards the North. It kept raining for most of the day with intermittent spells (I think the clouds were on their way to bounce to the other side) of dryness. We had the Aida Luna in as well and thus approx. 6000 guests had to enjoy a rainy day in Bergen. Luckily the town has a lot of offer even on a rainy day and thus “the damage done was limited”.

We were docked at the smallest dock in the town, the Bontelabo dock which I mentioned last time as well. The AidaLuna was at the other dock which is longer and also closer to town. Bergen’s port management does what most ports do: assign the best dock to the most frequent caller. If there is no seniority issue then the dock normally goes to the largest ship (in guest capacity) and if there is no difference there then it is normally the ship that stays the longest in port. We have a regular call today from 08.00 hrs. in the morning to 17.00 hrs. and thus there is nothing for Bergen Port to consider us special and hence we were at the smallest dock.

As most Norwegain towns Bergen is tucked away in a Fjord which means sailing in for a considerable difference.

As most Norwegian towns Bergen is tucked away in a Fjord which means sailing in for a considerable difference.

Bergen has two major ways of getting in and getting out. A north Entrance/Exit and a South Entrance/Exit. Smaller ships such as the Prinsendam can use both routes. Both routes require going under a bridge and the bridge of the southern route is lower and that blocks the Koningsdam from going this way. We are coming from Aalesund to the North so coming in from the north makes sense. Our final port is Amsterdam, down south and thus the Bergen south entrance would make more sense. But because of this bridge we have to go north again to open waters and then sail south. A deviation of a few hours and nothing we can do about it. Even lowering the Radar mast or flipping over the funnel as some ships can do would not make a difference in this case. We are looking at a considerable height difference here. A pity but the Koningsdam will have to make the extra miles.

We will be in the light blue area tomorrow morning. the nasty stuff is all the way to the south.

We will be in the light blue area tomorrow morning. the nasty stuff is all the way to the south.

After departure we will sail North West again until we are back in open sea. That should take us about 2 hours counted from departure. And then it is due south until we will come to Amsterdam pilot station on Sunday morning. When going south the issue of low visibility will pop up again. Thus far there seems to be very little chance. The Shipping forecast indicates a moderate breeze off the Danish coast and good visibility. At the moment it is better to be here than West of the Gulf of Biscay as there is a nice storm blowing of the Portuguese Coast. Our guests have one more day to enjoy on the ship and then most of them will go home, unless they are adding the seven day Norway cruise to this cruise, making it a three week cruise in total.

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