The mileage to make between Manta and Callao is one of those distances that do not work in 24 hour sailing periods. It is too long to do it in one proper 24 hour section and too short to race full speed and arrive at a decent time. Hence we have two leisurely days at sea while we follow the coast of Peru on the way down to Lima. With a Grand Voyage cruise it is not only about visiting ports but also about the life on board with its parties, good food and entertainment. The latter is not always about just sitting back and watching somebody sing or dance or joke but also about learning something about where the ship is, about were we are going and about things of general interest pertaining to the area. Continue reading

Approaching Manta was an interesting affair, as we could not see the port at all. Looking towards the horizon we saw a brilliantly lit up sky line full of yellow city lights interspersed with the clear white deck lights of the Tuna fishers at anchor. As the port only consists of a few very low piers, the radars did not reflect a very clear picture making it hard to pin point the harbour entrance. Thus we relied on the GPS for our initial approach and when coming closer tried to recognize the lighthouses on the coast to take bearings and to find the exact spot of the harbour entrance. The light house on the corner of the port was supposed to be visible from a distance of 6 miles but it was not until we were less than four miles away that the red light came through and we could steer for the breakwater. Suddenly the pilot called; and this was a new one for me in South America, that he wanted to come onboard earlier than was arranged. Well no objections there, so I kept the speed up. However then he could not keep his own time schedule and by the time he stepped onboard; I was already turning the Prinsendam into the harbor. Continue reading

If you look at the map of South America you will see that Panama is sticking out on the left hand top side like a branch from a large tree trunk. As a result it is one straight course from the Panama Canal sea – buoy down to Manta In Ecuador. No reason to change course; the bulge of the Western side of South America comes closer and closer to the course line and the only thing you have to do is brake on time and you are at the pilot station of Manta. It is very quiet in the Eastern Pacific at the moment and as a result we had very little wind, very low swells and mainly overcast skies. The latter kept the overall temperature down and that was appreciated as today we had the King Neptune festivities onboard. Continue reading

Fuerte Amador is just around the corner at the end of the Panama Canal and is located on Flamengo Island. The latter is very well-known to sailors going through the canal as it is also the call sign “Flamengo Signal Station” for all traffic on the Pacific side of the Canal. On the Atlantic side it is called “Cristobal Signal Station. Fuerte Amador is not really a town as such; it is a Marina with some shops but as the island is connected with the main land by a causeway it is a perfect stop to make a landfall for exploring Panama City and surroundings. None of the problems that go with calling directly at a big city and all of the conveniences to get to where you want to go. Panama has more of these hidden places. On the other side of the Canal entrance is Isla Taboga and Isla Taboguilla. These two islands have very nice but small resorts. But they have no connection to the main land and are thus a bit limited for a cruise ship call. However Fuerte Amador has the causeway and that makes it work very well. We were not the only one who thought the same way, the Seabourn Legend showed up as well for a similar call. Continue reading

We had a rather bumpy night while we sailed for the Panama Canal entrance. It puzzled me a bit as this wave field was not to be found in any weather forecasts that I had pulled off the internet. However as it was more waves than wind, it turned out that it was the remnants of the wave field generated by the bad weather we had a few days ago and whose waves now finally made it to the Middle American Eastern shores. As we were heading straight into them it caused the Prinsendam to pitch a little bit through the night. I could not slow the ship down for a more comfortable ride as I had to keep the speed at 17 knots in order to make my deadline of 5 am. at the Cristobal breakwater. Arriving too late would severely impede a timely transit of the canal. I was right on time and then started an unusual but also the best transit of my career. Continue reading

Puerto Limon is not that far away from Isla de Providencia so with a decent speed of 17 knots we sailed in that direction on a South Westerly course. During the night we met the Carnival Miracle and the Zuiderdam. The latter makes a sort of Circumnavigation of the Caribbean Sea. Starting from Fort Lauderdale going east to Half Moon Cay and then hopping through the Carib with Puerto Limon as the last port of call before it returns to Ft. Lauderdale. By 06.30 I was laying nearly stopped at the pilot station as the pilot boat wanted a boarding speed of 2 knots otherwise the old contraption could not get alongside. With the pilot onboard and sipping tea on the bridge wing, we sailed into the port and were docked 30 minutes later. Puerto Limon is notorious for the large swells running into the port, swells that can make the gangway move considerably due to the swaying ship but today it was very quiet and the ship only very gently moved along the dock. At 08.30 we were joined by the Carnival Freedom who put out two double gangways and then approx. 3000 eager shoppers pored out and stated to invade the town. The great thing about Costa Rica is that most of the ports were developed in the past with a lot of German input and as a result things are fairly well organized. Except our agent who managed to load all our Panama Canal brochures onto the Zuiderdam. So instead of delivering them tonight we have to do it tomorrow morning at 05.00 when the Panama agent brings new ones onboard. Continue reading

Although this island is much closer to Nicaragua than to Colombia, it is part of the latter and as such we sailed from Santa Marta to Isla de Providencia while staying inside the same country, at least on paper. The weather forecast for yesterday had been extremely good with hardly any wind but by the time we arrived this morning the regular trade winds had returned and it was blowing 20 to 25 knots. However as the swell of the Caribbean Sea was stopped by the island; the seas were good enough to conduct a tender service and thus we parked ourselves as close as possible to the town. It turned out a windy but sunny and warm day. Continue reading

The wind did not change direction and thus it was a following wind for this leg of the cruise. That meant that the relative wind on deck would be the ships speed minus the wind force; a lot better than what we had when leaving Key West, when the relative wind on deck was the wind force and the speed combined. Together with sunny skies it turned out to be a great day to enjoy the Caribbean Sea. We are running at a slow speed, as the distance between Santa Marta and Isla de Providencia is too long for an overnight run and thus we spent a leisurely day at sea. Continue reading

After a rather bumpy night we arrived very early this morning at the roads of Santa Marta. This city (500,000 plus inhabitants) is located on the West side of an outcropping, end of a mountain ridge; and is thus sheltered from Strong Easterly Winds. The Half Moon shaped bay gives good shelter for anchoring and here it was that I stopped the ship and floated, making slow circles, for two hours to get our compass compensated. By 06.30 we had the pilot on board and 30 minutes later we were alongside the dock. Continue reading

This morning at 2 am. we passed the South West point of Haiti and entered the Caribbean Sea, and a very wobbly sea it was. The normal trade wind which blows with a force 4 or about 16 knots was doing at least 20 with gusts of up to 25 knots. As we were on a nearly straight Southerly course, that wind was pushing full against the portside of the ship and that caused the Prinsendam to list slightly. With ballasting we could correct most of it but as the wind was gusty we could never find the complete balance. As this wind had been blowing already for a while, the swell and waves had reached average heights of 8 to 10 feet and that made the ship quite lively at times. However most of our guests are veteran cruisers and were for the most enjoying the ride. Continue reading