All posts by Jonathan

Captain, Master Mariner, retired . At sea for 50 years. Employers include British & Commonwealth Shipping, Townsend Thoresen Ferries and Holland America Line. I enjoy golf and fly-fishing.

8th January

This small port nestles in a bay, it has only 2 jetties and a container wharf.  Swell can be a challenge here, although today is was more northerly and the breakwater offered some lee from the worst of it.  Nevertheless, I backed in, so that the swell, or what there was of it, came onto the bow, rather than the stern.

We managed the remainder of the voyage on 2 diesel generators, a good start to the voyage; we only have 1 running when alongside, this provides the ‘hotel’ load.

A Bridge resource Management meeting this afternoon, to discuss our forthcoming Panama Canal transit.  We do this for every ‘leg’ and port of the cruise, discussing manoeuvres, courses, speeds, rates of turn, any dangers to be aware of, to name but a few.

Friso, our Staff Captain took her out, I like being able to offer the opportunity, as I was, when brave Masters let me ‘drive’ during my learning years whilst on cross-channel ferries.  One realises how fortunate I was, having someone who allowed a junior officer to ‘drive’, it takes nerve on their part.

I popped ashore briefly, to take some photos from the harbour and just outside the dock gates.  Most guests did something ‘ecological’ be it zip-line or rain forest, Costa Rica is, of course, famous for it all.

My day starts at 4 a.m. tomorrow and, all being well, I’ll be putting my feet up at around 6 p.m., once the canal is behind us and we are in the Pacific; bear with me if there isn’t a post tomorrow and I’ll be waving to the Canal cameras though 😎