It is a while since I wrote; there don’t seem to have been enough hours in the day since leaving Luanda. We have had our “Crossing the Line” ceremony, where the uninitiated are welcomed into Neptune’s realm, complete with horrible slime and having to ‘kiss the fish’; a hilarious time was had by all.
We then completed a ‘first’ for me and, I believe for every other crew member and guest; crossing the Equator and the Prime Meridian at the same time, 0° Latitude and 0° Longitude. We all became ‘Emerald Shellbacks’ or ‘Royal Diamond shellback’ depending if you are American or British.
Our destination, Banjul is in the Gambia and to access it we had to transit some very shallow water for 20+ miles, charted depths being the same as our draft. As a consequence I had to wait for the tide to rise and, because of ‘squat’, cross the bank at a very slow speed. It was a very early morning for me as I supplemented the Bridge team. Constantly monitoring the echo-sounder depths, it is not a comfortable feeling watching depths of less than 2 meters constantly repeating on the red glow of the instrument. Having started the bank crossing at 0500, we reached the ‘deeper’ water of the river at 7:30. We had a screaming flood time up our back, 2-3 kts and were being set over 10° by it. A plodding pilot boat came out to us and although we kept the conn, his advice on this particular docking was vital; he knew the idiosyncrasies of the river. With the strong flood tide, we had to dock with the bow facing it, which meant swinging through 180° and then docking port side alongside. I started the turn a long way north of the pier, the current was going to take me south quite rapidly and I wanted to be able to judge the effect of it before I got too close to the ‘concrete’. Having swung I now let the current help me, dropping me south and slowly pushing me in towards the dock, it was just a matter of controlling the ‘ drop’ on the joystick control and at 9 a.m. we were alongside.
An overview of the transit
The route over the shallow water
Our turn into the ‘river’
The approach to the dock
and the swing and drop-down to the dock
Our berth awaits us
Banjul was one of the Slave Trade ports and it was Britain who abolished slavery in 1807, who built a fort on James Island, 6 miles up-river from Banjul. Its intended purpose was to stop the slave ships travelling up-river to ‘load’ their intended ‘cargo’. It is now a World Heritage site, however is difficult to get to. The main subject of Alex Hailey’s book, “Roots”, Kunte Kinte, was kidnapped here in Gambia in 1767 and may well have sailed down this river.
Banjul is a true ‘African experience’, the city is poor, however the inhabitants extremely friendly. An improvised market was set up on the dock, next to the ship and shuttle buses took guests into the town, the drop-off point being Albert market.
Local ferry, I’m sure they do a passenger count
Looking over the town, the fishing boat in the foreground has a slight problem
This ‘Power ship’ is a floating Power Station, supplying electricity to the town’s grid
Anything for a rest
Driving a bargain?
Some of the guests, seeing the poverty and filth didn’t even get off the bus, while the more adventurous, took it as it came, that is what we were here for, after all. An enterprising teenager, speaking excellent English offered his services as a guide and took Karen and I deep into the inner sections of the market, something I’m not sure whether we would have done otherwise. A fascinating hour was spent wandering the deepest depths, some of it in gloomy light.
Most housing is like this
Dust from the Sahara Desert coats everything
These children, in their school uniforms, were happy to pose
Glorious colours of the local ladies
The President’s palace
The abatoir
The Tailors stalls
Fascinating to read about the details of how to get into a port. The Gambia has until recently been governed by an abusive dictatorship which ran the country into the ground. It will take years to dig out from that.
Dear Captain! Wows all around – quite a navigational report – I do not think while on board the Amsterdam I was aware of all the details on bringing the Amsterdam in and out of the various ports. Super photos and report on the port.
Regards, Rosie
It amazes me how much for granted we passengers take when cruising. I have given it much thought after your postings on many of things that go into getting those ships where they are going for everyone’s safety and keeping the ship in one piece.
Nice to see parts of the world many will never see,but I agree with what Beth posted. Some times I think they are much happier then maybe we are as they just don’t know any different.
Dear Captain Jonathan,
This time I am curious about the “swinging” ship ahead when you were just moored.
She did not seem to be able to go over a shoal.
Forward, backward, forward etc.
As always enjoyed the video of the arrival.
All the best,
Hans.
Thank you for your honesty about this port. We need to humble ourselves always about how life is in so many parts of the world and how lucky we are to have what we have. Bless you for taking the offer from the high school student for a tour. It always amazes me how communities accept filth. It seems that it doesn’t take a lot to keep your community picked up by I guess it is a value thing. When tourists come and are so able to spend some money at a location you think local government and merchants would work together to improve their visual appeal not only for health and safety but to also encourage visitors to come and feel safe. Loved your photos of the Kiss the Fish and remember that celebration on the Grand Asia last fall.