Day 37 - North Elbe Skyline

I’m cheating here a little as I’m actually writing this on Jan. 30th which is technically not Day #37 yet. Originally we had been told ‘perhaps’ noon on Wed. as a departure date. This is the first date we get when we clear customs. It’s an estimate of the earliest we could leave and would be most important if we were planning any longer trips (ie. off the ship overnight). Generally it changes to a little later as we get closer. We were discussing it today and couldn’t decide if we wanted more time, or would be happy to leave in the early afternoon. I just overheard, and will confirm later, that we’re not leaving until at least 8pm. It means we have time (without rushing) to go out tomorrow and I can update the blog again. It also means that we won’t sail out during the daylight, which is a shame. Oh well, next stop Antwerp!

Day 36 - Alster Lake

The weather turned grey today but we decided to go out anyway. It wasn’t really the type of weather that encourages you to wander the streets, however, you have little control when you’re only in port for a few days. We went to the Alster Lakes this morning (artificial lakes created by damming a river in the 18th century). Even with the slight mist/rain this morning it was still a lovely view. To get out of the wet weather we went over to the botanical gardens where they have 5 greenhouses with tropical and subtropical plants. We also visited the Rathaus (town hall), which is an impressive looking building. Then later we negotiated our way back home – again, with almost no waiting time between U-bahn (city train), S-bahn (suburban trains) and the local bus. Although for the bus we actually stopped in a shopping centre near the train station first.

Day 35 - Container Operations

035-Container Operations
Originally uploaded by realcdn.

This morning we went into Hamburg starting off at Landungsbrucken. We took a double-decker bus tour of the city (wasn’t bad, however, partway through the English language track cut out so although we saw the city we weren’t always sure what we were seeing). After that we took a tour… of the container port. That sounds insane, however, we’re actually in the south Elbe and the more modern container-only ships are loaded and unloaded in the north. It’s amazing to see up to 5 cranes loading containers quickly and efficiently. That’s actually one reason why I’m glad our vessel takes general cargo as it means we’re in port longer. We also got a 3-day transit pass so we don’t have to worry about fares / tickets, etc. The transit system seems wonderful as the longest wait, which we haven’t had, would be 20 minutes for a bus on the last leg of the journey out to the ship.

Day 34 - Port of Hamburg

The sail into Hamburg went smoothly today, even ending up with us docking earlier than expected. The port looks so different than the US ports we were in. As expected, the buildings are older and they look like they’ve been shipping goods for a very long time. There are modern parts as well, however, the older areas have a certain charm to them. The picture today is a little dull as it was raining a bit when I took it. It’s not a day that encourages you to go sightseeing. We have a tentative plan for tomorrow when we’ll start off earlier in the day and head for downtown Hamburg. I know from the maps we have that there is a train station about 2km from where we are – perhaps the tourist office tomorrow can help us determine if there is a bus that will bring us just a little closer. I’m hoping that they’ll be able to point me to internet access as well. I could take the computer in (I know there are many wireless access points), however, I prefer just to take the USB drive instead. There was one weak signal earlier but I figured out that it’s from a nearby business (and too weak to find out if it’s secure or not).

Day 33 - Ropes on Stern

We came into the English Channel last night and were opposite the white cliffs of Dover today at noon (although we’re actually on the opposite side and did not see them). Today’s picture was actually taken another day. To some extent the ropes used to tie up the ship seem huge, until you realise that there are only a few of them used (perhaps a dozen in total, I haven’t counted). We should be picking up the pilot sometime during the night, with a 6 or 7-hour transit into Hamburg. That should mean that we come into the final approach during daylight hours, which is nice. The captain heard the other day that they’ve had some snow in Hamburg (yuck) and today it was only 7C outside. Oh well, we did know at this time of year we would likely get cold weather in Europe. I’m not sure by the time we get in tomorrow (and clear customs / immigration) if we’ll venture into the city or not. As we’ll be here more than a few days we might leave it until the next day and start earlier. Looking at the number of entries I have to upload perhaps I might be better off looking for a seaman’s mission in the port instead!

Day 32 - More Ships

I spent some time on the bridge today both during the day and later in the evening. During the day the Captain showed me some of the instruments and his daily weather update that he gets via email. It’s pretty impressive as it covers a lot of meteorological data. I got to see the storm front that we were avoiding as well as another one brewing off the coast of the USA. I also learned enough to see that we’re currently due at #23 Pilot Station on the Elbe River on Sunday morning at 3am (well, roughly). During the evening we saw some lights to starboard and I went back up to the bridge. It was another freighter not unlike ours (lots of lights on the stern with a low, black profile). The duty officer gave me his binoculars so I could have a closer look.

The picture today was taken in a rush before dinner – the first ship we had seen in 3 days. It seemed a silly thing to be taking pictures of, but why not. Radar tonight showed 3 ships within 12 nautical miles and at dinner the captain said there were more than 20 within 24 nautical miles. It feels like we’re finally out of the great expanse that the Atlantic Ocean feels like.

Day 31 - There Are Still Chores

The GPS at noon places us off the coast of Spain, although about 600 miles to the west. As we’ll be in Hamburg in a few days (I believe Sunday morning) it’s time to turn to the more mundane tasks – laundry. We have use of the officer’s laundry, which is only down one deck. It’s pretty convenient although we’ve learned to check before dragging the stuff down the stairs. The folding hamper (thanks Kim) seen here in the picture makes the chore just a little bit easier. We’ll probably do another load tomorrow so everything is clean coming into Hamburg. Alberto (our steward) does the sheets and towels – hey, better him than us!

Day 30 - Progress to Date

Rough seas again today although I think by now we’re actually getting used to them. It’s not the side-to-side rolling, but every now and then the ship drops into a trough of water at the bow and it pitches back to front. These are the ones you can’t get used to. I decided today that I would update the general progress of the trip. The map likely needs to be viewed full-size to be legible. Each day at sea my mother gets the GPS co-ordinates and we track day to day (that’s why turns look sharper). Coming in and out of ports I estimate the track – the same with the drive on the way down. It’s also 30 days since we left Canada so it seemed like a good point to do this.

Day 29 - Passing Ship

There’s been plenty of stormy weather today. The seas aren’t as rough, however, our chairs are chained down in the dining room again. By dinnertime it had actually eased up a bit although it’s still raining outside. We’re still four days away from Hamburg and I’m not sure if that includes today or not. The captain told us that we should be passing between two islands about 10pm tonight although with the rain and the darkness I suspect we’ll see little. We had an event of note this morning – we passed another ship (heading the opposite direction than us). It sounds funny to say that as when we were around the US it was common, however, since we’ve left for Europe this is the first ship we’ve seen other than on radar. Had an enjoyable time tonight after dinner chatting with the captain (Goran Vidak if I haven’t mentioned it before) and his wife – Iva. Although it’s forward another hour tonight so we’ll try and turn in earlier.

Day 28 - Always Working

The weather is definitely getting better today with even the outside weather being nice. While mother was up getting the noon position the crew on the bridge told her it was 17C outside. While still a little leery of going down to the main deck (this was one I saw waves crashing over the other night) we both went up onto the upper pilot deck today. Of course the first thing I see is the crew performing maintenance down on one of the cargo holds. Tomorrow should bring us south of the Azores although I’m not sure if within sight of land or not. I suppose we’ll see what the next day brings. From keeping track of our location (from the GPS co-ordinates every day at noon) we’re more than halfway across the Atlantic, which is a good thing.

Day 27 - Staying in Cabin

As we move further south the weather has improved although it’s probably still a little too rough for our tastes. Being a bit of a chicken the picture I took today was actually taken through the porthole/window. It is much calmer though and the movement is more side to side (and generally predictable). A couple of days back it was the sudden movements that caught you more by surprise. I still think that soup with lunch is a bad idea. We’ve also been moving the clock ahead, which seems to mess with your internal clock a bit. I’m not sure why it does as the routine while at sea (for passengers) is only really bound by meal times.

Day 26 - Unloading Zinc (Day 16)

Today’s weather included lots of rain and more rough seas. The captain mentioned at dinner that the plan is to head further south as there is a storm coming down from Canada (big surprise) that is about 2000 km long and 500 km wide. This is partly to make the passengers feel more comfortable. Tonight the chairs are attached to the floor in the dining room and the condiments have all been lifted away. Even the water glasses were put in a tray to keep them in place until we sat down. I asked for only half a cup of coffee at the end of the meal, as I wasn’t sure I really wanted to be lifting a full cup to my lips.

The picture from today was taken on day #16. They are unloading zinc bars that have come from somewhere in China. It was really taken to show the size of some of the cranes used in the loading / unloading process. The largest one we've seen so far was in New Jersey, however, cameras were not allowed in the port so I didn't get a picture of it.

Day 25 - Mississippi Manufacturing (Day 15)

We started more into the Atlantic today and you can suddenly understand why people don’t like to cross it during the winter months. The seas were only marginally rough during the day; however, there was a lot of movement during the night. This is when you learn how well closed all the drawers are and which ones you have to use the latches on. The suitcases sliding out of the cupboard beneath the TV was the first sign of trouble. Then finding a way to sleep in the bed so you don’t roll out… well, I’m not sure we got much sleep. I also noticed that I hadn’t taken any pictures for 2 days, so I’m going to take a few around the ship to fill in the blanks.

The picture for today was taken on day #15. When trying to decide on a picture for that day I kept going between this shot and the one I eventually chose. It was only taken a few minutes before the sunrise and is on the opposite shore.

Day 24 - Heading across the Atlantic

Today we started moving away from the US, although at noon today we were only about 225 miles off the coast. As we put the clocks forward an hour tonight we’re obviously moving further east as I write this. It is the start of 7 or 8 slow days with nothing to do but read (or listen to books as most I brought are audio), listen to music, sleep, walk the decks, and tonight we’ll watch some DVDs that I brought with me. Strangely enough this sounds like a good way to pass the week. Perhaps by the end of the week the opinion will have changed.

I took some pictures of the cargo we loaded in Houston today even though the more interesting pieces are below deck in the holds. Of all things – Project #0602 is comprised to two massive heat exchangers bound for Guangzhou University in China.

Day 23 - Last Day in New Jersey

Well, we attempted today to update the blog before heading across the Atlantic. It was a comedy of errors (and since this isn't going to be up until at least Hamburg you know it didn't work). We set out this morning and headed into Camden. The plan was to connect to PATCO and then the Atlantic Rail line. I had the schedule in my hand a few days ago but put it down when we took the bus - big mistake. We ended up at the Atlantic Rail line station about 30 minutes after the train left - with the next one leaving in about... 2 hours.

So, we had a nice brunch in a local diner and took the train into Atlantic City later on. However, as we were supposed to be back by 6pm, we decided that we really didn't have time to do much more than walk to the boardwalk for a bit and come back to the train station. It was a good choice as we ended up back at the ship about 4:40pm. Taking the later train would have brought us back pretty close to 6pm. It's now 8pm and we're well on our way. I even managed to get a picture of the Walt Whitman Bridge before we left. I was hoping to perhaps pick up a wi-fi signal on the way past the airport, but I think we're well past it now so the next updates will be somewhere in Europe.

Day 22 - Independence Hall

Today we did make it in to Philadelphia. We spent a little time walking around the city and then went to see the Liberty Bell. Security is pretty tight, with metal detectors and x-ray machines. I don’t know what I was expecting (I’ve seen pictures of it) – it just seemed smaller than I thought. I’m not sure why, but it just was. I put together a couple of shots for today’s picture, since I figured I almost had to put in a picture of the bell. Independence Hall is a beautiful old building – that’s the main part of the shot. As it was a little colder today we skipped a walk down to Philly’s waterfront, even though the views looked promising crossing over the Benjamin Franklin Bridge.

With time to kill we hopped on another NJ state bus and headed to Moorestown Mall. There was no specific reason other than the return trip wasn’t going to require a transfer of buses to get back to the ship. There were closer malls although this one gave us about an hour of passing through a number of little towns in New Jersey. We did very little actual shopping at the mall, mainly just taking a late lunch in the food court. We were back on the ship just before dinner and afterwards enjoyed some good conversation with the captain, his wife, and the chief engineer. That’s the one thing we’ve found on the ship – that the captain and the crew are so welcoming. We found out that we should be in port for most of the day tomorrow (6pm being our call for shore leave)… and just in case, the captain has my cell phone number!

Day 21 - Atlantic City Boardwalk

Well, we started the day off with the idea of going into Philadelphia and ended up going to Atlantic City instead. The buses seemed to be running with a decent frequency (it was a holiday here today) and we would have been in Philadelphia if we’d been on the right side of the street. The next bus was going into the main bus station (Walter Rand Centre) so we changed our plans. The New Jersey transit system is pretty impressive, at least from our point of view. Less than 30 minutes later we were taking a trip to the Jersey shore.

The sun came out as we were on the bus and it turned out to be a lovely day. The boardwalk is larger than I expected and we spent a fair amount of time just walking up and down. I lost the obligatory dollar at one of the casinos and we grabbed a quick lunch at one of the boardwalk restaurants. Getting back into the port went well (even got a ride back to the ship – not a bad thing as it’s a very busy port). We’re looking forward to a trip to Philadelphia tomorrow.

Day 20 - Reflections on the Delaware

I’m not quite sure if this picture is of Delaware Bay or the Delaware River. We’re somewhere about halfway between open water and our port at Camden, New Jersey. Last night the captain told us that we should be here three days. I suppose we’ll know more tomorrow morning. It’s been another fairly quiet day at sea; with the weather staying nice enough that a light jacket was all that you needed on the lower decks. There always seems to be a quiet, sheltered place where you can catch the warming sun. It may have rained a bit last night, however, neither of us heard a thing. The only evidence this morning was some water draining off the upper decks.

Day 19 - Lifeboat Drill

Today was a pretty slow day, interrupted only by a lifeboat drill. We dutifully put on our life jackets and reported to the muster station. The chief officer, after taking attendance, went through the procedures of what to do if (god forbid) we had to take to the lifeboat. It’s interesting actually as the main lifeboat holds more people than are on the ship. As well there is another small boat aft, four life rafts, and another boat forward. I suppose this is a good thing, however, I hope we never have to use any of them. The main boat launches at about a 45-degree angle down a ramp. I hear that when we’re in Germany the crew will actually launch it (hopefully I’ll get some pictures).

At noon today we were just about even with the Florida / Georgia border. It’s likely we’ll be in Camden, NJ sometime tomorrow afternoon. That should give us some time to explore Philadelphia or even Atlantic City if we’re in port for a couple of days.

Day 18 - Clouds off the Bow

Saw a number of clouds today although the weather stayed clear. At noon we were in the Straights of Florida about 75 miles east of Key West. We’re far enough away from land that you feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere. As we got further away from New Orleans we’ve seen fewer and fewer ships on the horizon. Of course it may just be that we’re not looking at the right times. The time goes forward by an hour tonight so we’ll lose an hour’s sleep. That’s okay though as we can make it up during the afternoon. We haven’t given in to the urge to skip breakfast yet. The ship’s routine has breakfast at 8am, lunch at noon, and dinner at 6pm. There’s only been a morning or two that we’ve been tempted to just sleep in, but we’ve fought it.

Today is… Friday. Sometimes it’s hard to keep track. I didn’t ask the captain, however, I think we’re probably not due into Camden until Sunday. Sadly we’re probably leaving our warm weather behind as we head north. So tomorrow’s turn around the deck will almost certainly need warmer clothing.

Day 17 - Morning Walks

We’re sailing along the northern edge of the Gulf of Mexico today. Although we started with heavy clothing for the morning walk you really didn’t need them. These are done on the main deck, which is actually under the cargo that isn’t in the holds. Towards the end we found a sunny spot in the bow of the ship and just enjoyed the weather. Tomorrow we’ll be heading down the coast of Florida and into the Atlantic. Tonight was one of the crew’s birthday so we joined them in the crew mess for a few drinks and a lot of karaoke. It seems to be a favourite of the guys – some of them are very good at it. The captain said he’s looking forward to having a barbecue on the back deck, although it will have to wait probably until we’re in the Red Sea.

Day 16 - Jackson Square

Yesterday we wandered about the French Quarter in New Orleans and had a lovely dinner before heading back to the ship. Getting into the port was easy, however, getting into the wharf was an adventure. Having the cell phone with me made it seem like I was doing something. In the end, although the port agent was working on it, the woman at the gate took pity on us and let us in.

Today we went back into the French Quarter for more sightseeing and a jazz brunch at the Court of the Two Sisters (a restaurant we’ve been to during previous visits to New Orleans. The picture today is from Jackson Square – one of the places we were today. Tonight we’ve come back to the ship for dinner as our shore leave call was for 7pm (although I think since they’re still loading it may be longer). We’re glad we took time to visit the city both days as the residents are welcoming (from the first few stevedores that welcomed us and directed us to the gate) and the parts of the city we visited are still lovely. It is sad though to see stores, bars and restaurants far less busy than we remember.

At the last minute I checked wireless access today and found that I actually have it here from the ship. If we’re in port for a while after dinner tonight I plan to log on, update today’s information, check mail, and perhaps check the weather forecast in Camden, NJ – our next port of call.

Day 15 - Sunrise over the Mississippi

This morning we sailed up the Mississippi delta into New Orleans. Since I was up to see part of it today’s picture is of the sunrise over the delta. It’s just after 10am and I hear that we should be cleared to leave in about half an hour. So it’s likely we’ll pack up our tourist stuff (camera, map, and currency) and head into the city. The one thing that will be tough to decide is what clothing to wear in today. Up on the pilot deck it was biting cold this morning although it’s warming up. I suspect it’s going to turn out to be a beautiful afternoon.

Day 14 - At Sea

I learned an important lesson today – download the pictures from the camera every night. This morning, while taking pictures, the camera wouldn’t recognise that there were pictures on the card so I had to format it. Yesterday’s picture was uploaded at the seaman’s mission, however, I’d taken some interesting pictures of a ship loading beside us that are now lost.

Anyway, as you can tell by today’s picture we’re at sea. The ship runs well, with little movement. Of course the sea is calm as we’re currently in the Gulf of Mexico between Houston and New Orleans. At noon our position was 28°19’8”N by 93°04’1”W. I’ve started putting these coordinates into a mapping program, so occasionally the daily picture will be a map of the route. We should be in New Orleans for a few days, starting tomorrow, so I’ll likely do some uploads at that point as well.

Day 13 - Last day in Houston.jpg

Well, it's official - the captain told us today that we need to be back on board before 5pm as we sail at 6pm. The weather in Houston is beautiful today so we've walked back to the Seaman's Center again so I can update one more time. Next stop - New Orleans.

Day 12 - Bound for China

Well, I don’t know what today’s picture is, however, I know it’s bound for China. More loading went on today – a few containers, and lots of boxes, steel pipe and a few pieces of unidentified equipment. The Captain tells us that we should be sailing tomorrow, maybe the afternoon. I know we’re hoping it’s in daylight as there will be more for us to see. Then it’s a short run to New Orleans where we should be for a couple of days. I think we’re both looking forward to the ship actually moving!

Day 11 - Sunset at Port of Houston

Today we took a 15-minute walk back from the International Seaman’s Mission. Of course we took almost a 2-hour walk to get to it! The port here has both an upper and lower road system. After following the sign that pointed left from our ship we walked 15 or 20 minutes (the distance someone told us it was). Deciding at that point that perhaps we were walking slower – we kept walking. Eventually (perhaps 45 minutes) we decided that we were not going to find it and turned around. When we were almost back to the ship we decided to try a group of buildings on the upper road. They still weren’t the right ones, however, someone did point us in the right direction – back where we came from but on the upper road.

Anyway, it did give me a chance to upload the pictures from the last few days. We also saw a lot of other ships loading and unloading. The port is very busy with trucks moving in and out constantly. Tonight I passed the camera over to my mother and today’s shot is one of the sunset over the channel. If we’re still here Sunday (not sure yet) I’ll probably go back to update again before we leave.

Day 10 - Home Away From Home

Even with rainy weather we still spent a lot of time on the upper deck watching the cargo operations today. Heavy rain has slowed everything down so we will likely be in Houston a few more days. Tomorrow we’re going to take a walk down the wharf and visit the seaman’s mission. I should be able to upload the pictures and text from the last few days.

Today on board I had a nice surprise – a bottle of champagne and a birthday cake and card from the captain and crew. It was a good end to the day that included some after dinner conversation with the captain, his wife, the chief engineer and a fellow passenger.

Day 9 - Unloading in Houston

We spent the day today watching the cargo operations and walking circles on the upper pilot deck. After pacing it out we decided that 17 laps equalled a kilometre. It can make you a little dizzy so I think we’re both looking forward to walking the main deck when at sea. While in port the main deck is off limits, for safety reasons. The pilot deck offers a great view of the unloading and loading of cargo. The work goes on late into the night – possibly even all night. Today they are still unloading. We watched this piece of equipment, assuming it was to be loaded. It turned out that it had been unloaded and was just waiting to be hauled away.

Day 8 - Port of Houston

Well, we’re finally aboard. It couldn’t have been a smoother transition. We made a quick trip to the port this morning and dropped off the luggage. The crew swiftly hauled it up to the cabin (yikes – that’s a gangway and 5 flights of stairs with some very heavy bags). We dropped the car off at the parking place and grabbed a cab back to the port. The cabin is wonderful with lots of storage for all the luggage. We’re unpacked with room to spare. The crew is friendly, the captain very outgoing, although tonight I think we’re a little tired from all the unpacking so we’re both just resting in the cabin. I took a few shots of the ship and the docks, so I chose one of them for today.

Day 7 - Galveston Island

This should be our last full day on dry land so we visited the beach! Galveston is so close to where we are in Houston and it’s a beautiful spot. The north end of the beach is built up with the typical holiday places (hotels, restaurant, shops). This picture is from near the south end of the island, where on a day like today it’s almost deserted. Of course this is winter for Houston – it may be mobbed during the summer.

This is likely the last daily update, at least with any specific frequency. We should be boarding the Rickmers Antwerp tomorrow and after that the updates will likely have to be done from internet cafes when I find them. I’ll still be picking a picture each day, just not uploading them one at a time. Hope everyone had a good new year and the best for the coming one.