The weather front was creating quite some swell in the West Caribbean but as we sailed close to the coast we did not notice it very much. Wind needs a free surface on the water to whip up the waves and when you stay close to land that free surface is not there. Thus we had the wind but very little of the associated swell and that made for a nice ride to Santo Tomas. It was a bright and early arrival as well as I had to be docked by 05.30 to get the 06.00 tour on the way. The weather front did cool things down and noon temperature was at least 10oF less than normal. Also it drizzled in the morning and in the afternoon the sun had a very hard time to peak through the clouds. Still most guests were happy with the cooler temperatures. Continue reading

It turned to be a very choppy and a mostly overcast day. The temperature did not go down to what the locals had predicted but still for Belize standards it was on the cool side. For some onboard that was just pleasant for others not really what they had hoped for. It is amazing to see how far the weather influence from the North Gulf can reach into the Caribbean. The second cold front came over Belize during the day; in the mid afternoon and thus the weather of the morning persisted throughout the rest of the day. Continue reading

The one good thing about Cold fronts from the North West is, is that they produce following winds when you are southbound and that makes for a pleasant situation on deck. With the ship traveling at 18 knots and the wind blowing at 25 knots, the relative wind of 7 knots created a gentle breeze on the ship. As long as that wind has changed directions by the time we leave Costa Maya, I am happy with it. Going back to Tampa bucking against 25 knots, can create an uncomfortable ride as the sustained wind creates quite a bit of swell. But that is still three days away. Continue reading

The cold front kept confusing the meteorologists as their wind prediction was off again. With a wind supposed to be around 16 knots, we had around 25 to 30 knots blowing, while entering the Key West entrance channel. Thus docking was a windy affair again. This time we had the Fascination behind us and that ship is a little bit shorter than the Disney Magic or the Westerdam from previous visits and thus I had a bit more room to play with when docking. I should say the Carnival Fascination as all ships now all carry the Carnival prefix as part of a company rebranding operation. It remained a relatively cold day for Key West standards and on departure there was a distinctive absence of shorts and T-shirts on Mallory square and a lot of windbreakers present. Continue reading

With a predicted wind of 25 knots from the North West on my mind we sailed towards the Tampa Sea buoy. That would have meant about 10 to 15 knots at the dock and thus an easy docking. Coming closer and closer to the sea buoy we observed ever increasing winds until it was gusting up to 50 knots; that is heavy storm. Entering the narrow fairway with so much wind fully on the beam is very unpleasant so I opted to go north of the channel; make lee for the pilot outside the buoys and while he was boarding drift on the wind into the channel. Continue reading

The cold weather front coming from prairie country was in slow mode and we had a beautiful sunny day at sea. The edge of the frontal system passed over the ship around 3 pm. and then the (cold) wind started to pick up but it was only in the mid evening when the wind had whipped up the waves enough that the guests were starting to notice the changing weather. In the end it was a much nastier cold front than the weather men had predicted but more about that tomorrow. Continue reading

It is always nice to be the only ship in port. You do not have to arrive too early to fit in the schedule or to try to get the best berth and when you are the only ship you can pick which berth you prefer. Thus so it was today and with a low easterly swell and south easterly wind I could dock at my favorite dock, berth nbr. 3, nose out. Keeping the nose in the wind and the swell on the bow makes the ship sit much more quietly than when the swell is on the beam. As a result the gangway moves less due to a riding ship and there is also a much smaller chance of breaking mooring ropes due to the ships movement. Continue reading

By 4 am we passed the sea buoy and 5 minutes later the pilot stepped on board for the sailing through the fairway to the dock. This is one straight course of 187o but sometimes we have to steer 188 or 186 to counteract a small current or a little wind. With a cruise ship coming in, playing pilot here is a piece of cake as our ships steer extremely well. Still the pilot has to earn his money so for the next 20 minutes he kept himself occupied with keeping the ship on a course of 187o. By the time we came to the turning basin in front of the pier, it was time to take over and park the ship on its designated spot. By 05.15 we had the gangway out and just before 6 am. the first tours left to the airport for a trip to the Maya ruins of Tikal and Copan. They returned just before the ship was sailing. Continue reading

Our Barn owl had been active during the night, which is I suppose normal for an owl and was reported flying around the ship. Occasionally he/she settled on the mast on the bow which is the best look out place of the whole ship. By 5 am. he/she had found a place on the staircase balcony behind the portside bridge wing and was watching the approach to Belize with great interest. The moment the sun rose the owl took off for land and was not seen again. It all worked out in this case for the bird and hopefully he will find the Belizean mice as tasty as those in Cuba. Continue reading

With a moderate breeze blowing with us we sailed towards the Caribbean Sea. The ship was making about 17 knots and with a wind strength of about the same, it was almost wind still on deck but due to the cold front of yesterday it was not too warm. Thus it was a perfect day to relax and enjoy shipboard life on board the ms Veendam. The weather forecast for the coming next days predict little change. That means that we should have a very nice cruise and not too warm as long as the North Easterly breeze keeps blowing and keeps feeding a bit of cold air from the North. Continue reading