Captain Albert Schoonderbeek
The pilots had a major shuffle with getting all the ships lined up properly. I had already seen yesterday that it was going to be a busy day, so I had brought my ETA (estimated Time of Arrival) forward to ensure that I would not be delayed because of others. The only uncertainty now were the ferries who have their own schedule and just come in when ever they arrive at the port entrance. By setting the pilot time for 05.30 I was at least ahead of all the other cruise ships except the Celebrity Solstice. That ship had come in at 3 am in the morning and in order to make that time it had to race from Naples to Civitavecchia going full out. Especially as she had left an hour after us from Naples. However for that ship it is a necessity to arrive very early. With 2850 guests onboard, it takes a while to off load the luggage. If each guest has at least 2 pieces of luggage then it means that over 5700 pieces have to be off loaded. We can do about 800 pieces in 2 hours and if they do double with two shore gangs then it still takes 3.5 hours for them to be finished on time before disembarkation starts.
Apart from the Solstice there was also a new Italian navy ship docked in the port. The Cavour, (pennant 550) an air craft carrier with one of those curved flight decks. This ship was to be officially commissioned as the flag ship of the Italian navy at the end of next week and they were drilling all day to get it right. I felt a bit sad for the boys onboard there. They were at it from 09.00 until we departed at 18.00 hrs. Especially the sailors who were ringing the flight deck and standing with their backs to the real happening they must have had a very boring time. Behind us, the Gemini, the Silver Whisper and the Ocean Village entered port and they were delayed due to ferry traffic. Later on the USCG cutter Boutwell, which we met in Santorini came in, followed by the Italian navy training ship the square rigger Amerigo Vespucci. So the port was full with all sorts of ships. It was a very windy day today with gusts of up to 35 knots and the swell of the sea occasionally splashing spray over the breakwater where we were docked. This harbour can have real local (bad) weather, very severe local weather and it is not unknown for ships to be blown off the dock. So when I see that it is going to be windy in Civitavecchia I always put out a few more ropes, just in case.
The cruise terminal that we docked at is a semi rigid tent. Thus a temporary construction, but double skinned and very strongly constructed. Easy and cost effective to build but able to withstand all sorts of weather. Only there is not much waiting space, so it works the best if the bus arrivals are timed with the time of embarkation.. Embarkation on HAL ships start fairly early at 11.30, especially at that time, to avoid the long waiting lines in the terminals. For us these sort of terminals as here in Civitavecchia normally works out quite well.
Between disembarkation and embarkation the ship is almost empty and that gives me the chance to do an extra inspection. With guests onboard it is not as easy as when chatting with all that I meet on the way, I never get anywhere. So having a look at passenger corridors, cabins and staircases works the best with nobody around. Plus with nobody blocking the view you can see many more things. Especially area’s such as the Spa and the Crows nest, where there are always people milling around, can be carefully scrutinized. With nobody around I can cover a fair area in two hours and all the observations are typed out in a report and forwarded to the Heads of Departments. In the next change over port, I then make the same round again to see if everything has been done.
All our guests were onboard early but I could not pull out early as the pilot was still on a ferry. They normally have two pilots on duty in Civitavecchia who try to schedule the departures in such a way that they can hop on and off the ships without too much delay. It normally works quite well but sometimes you have to wait about 10 minutes.
On the way out I honked the horn to greet all those crew standing outside on the flight deck of the Cavour but I did not get a reply. I really do not know if they can even answer. Navy ships are exempt for all sorts of normal rules that apply to merchant navy ships, so maybe they only have a siren to play with.
Tomorrow we are going to be in La Spezia and that is going to be an interesting happening. The anchorage area is too small and it is supposed to be windy.
To access Captain Albert’s historical writings on Holland America Line as well as photos and additional information about Prinsendam and his sailing schedule, click here.
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