From Dover to Copenhagen it is almost 700 miles as we have to take the long route. There is short cut through the Kieler Kanal, (see also one of my other pages, A Gentlemen’s cruise to the openeing of the Kieler Kanal) but there is a bridge over this canal and the Veendam is too… read more of “22 June, at…”
I knew this was going to be a long day for me and I was not disappointed. Approach started at 3 am in the morning. The whole Strait of Dover has been divided into North to South Shipping lanes to keep the traffic separate. It is together with the Strait of Malacca the busiest water… read more of “21 June, White…”
Passenger ships have been calling at Le Havre since the start of Trans Atlantic Travel. It was the home port of the French Line and every major liner has called there. Since the demise of the regular liner service, cruise ships call here using Le Havre as a gateway to Paris. It is a very… read more of “20 June, Le…”
The weather system did what the experts had predicted; it remained offshore, West of Cape Finisterre. We were crossing the Gulf of Biscay on a North Easterly course and so steering away from it. By midnight the wind and the swell started to die down and the guests could enjoy a peaceful night. A wind… read more of “19 June, Gulf of…”
Vigo is located in the North Western part of Spain, just south of Cape Finisterre which marks the border with the Gulf of Biscay. We were just going to make the schedule for Vigo when I was called at 4.30 by the navigator on duty that there were Tuna fishers in the way. Their method… read more of “18 June,…”
Upon leaving Gibraltar we had to deal with a new navigational challenge. Whale waters. Around this time of the year, there is a (voluntary) slow speed system in place in the most narrow part of the Strait of Gibraltar. Over the years the sightings of whales have increased and collisions are now occurring. The participation… read more of “17 June,…”
Thus we arrived bright and early at the Gibraltar pilot station. The weather was quite miserable with rain squalls all over the place. The pilot was nicely on time and from the pilot station it was only two miles to the dock. By 6 am, the ship was safely docked and the gangway out, awaiting… read more of “16 June,…”
After hopping from one port to the other for the last four days, we had another sea day. The guests could catch their breath and relax a little bit from all the sightseeing. Although we did keep them busy today as well, if they wanted to of course. This being a longer cruise means that… read more of “15 June, At…”
