BA chart 3323, inset
Blue seagrass
Sleeping stingray
Stingray
Dhiraj & stingray
Clam
Lionfish
Monday, February 20, 2012
Diving Hulhumale' North
This time went again to the Kudakalhu Channel but on the South side of it on the Hulhumale' Island reef. Went down about in the middle and drifted with the slight current into the atoll. Once inside the visibility turned quite poor but there was some caves, a few of them remarkably big, and lobsters hiding in their holes.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Diving Banana reef
Banana reef is named after the shape it presents up from the air. It is totally submerged and a designated nature reserve so the fish life there is quite plentiful. We went down on the NE corner and ventured west.
BA chart 3323, inset
Midnight snapper
Fish hiding
Titan triggerfish
Sabre squirrelfish
Lionfish
Banded shrimp
Clarks anemonefish
Turtle
Moray eel
Clam
Surgeonfish
Surgeonfish
Lionfish
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Diving Kudakalhu channel
Here we went on the S side of the Furanafushi Island and swam into the atoll along the Kudakalhu Channel.
BA chart 3323, inset
Schooling bannerfish
Moray eel
Kashmir snapper school
Kashmir snapper
Peacock rock cod
Schooling sleek unicornfish
Sleek unicornfish
Oriental sweetlips on top of rock table coral
Camouflage grouper
Camouflage grouper
My divebuddy Pardeep
Yellowfin surgeonfish
Sleek unicornfish
Friday, February 17, 2012
Diving Furana South
Chartlet from BA chart 3323, inset
Lionfish
Hiding Orange-striped triggerfish
Sleek unicornfish
Napoleon Maori wrasse
Napoleon Maori wrasse
Sleek unicornfish
Sleek unicornfish
Blue triggerfish
Bannerfish
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Diving S of Banana reef
As an opening dive we decided to do the easy reef south of Banana reef in order to ascertain the equipment is working well as well as we are up to par after a long time on the dry. As agreed we left Kalizma at 0730hrs with all gear onboard.
Unfortunately everything did not go as planned, my dive watch ran out of battery and I forgot my camera on the surface support boat. On the other hand all dive gear was working perfectly.
But the dive was good, I saw Moray Eels, Oriental sweetlips, Batfish big like frying pans, Lionfish, Parrotfish and at the end of the dive I think it was a big tuna or jackfish.
Unfortunately everything did not go as planned, my dive watch ran out of battery and I forgot my camera on the surface support boat. On the other hand all dive gear was working perfectly.
BA chart 3323, inset
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Sojourn on Kalizma
So 14th my vacation was up and I was ordered to fly to Male', Maldives to relieve the Officiating Master from Kalizma for his vacation too. I did not mind going to Kalizma as sitting on Indian Empress for two months in Abu Dhabi can't be better than going to Maldives.
The trip didi not start out very well as I was driving towards Phuket I got a call from office that I had missed my flight. It had been changed from evening to morning flight and I had totally missed the information. What a mess. Anyhow, I got a flight again the same evening and caught it to Kuala Lumpur, there I spent a few hours and flew to Colombo. The KL airport is huge but very quiet, maybe the reason was the late timing, I had a nice Caesar's salad at a restaurant while waiting.
I arrived Colombo in the early morning hours and spent there about 6hrs waiting for the morning flight. I half slept on a row of benches but was always woken up by clattering footsteps when a batch of passengers arrived from who knows where. Thats what you get for missing your flight. When the sun got up soon enough I was in the plane for Male' and a bit later we landed in good order.
The immigration was a breeze and I met Saini on the airport and we sat on the tenderboat to Kalizma in minutes. Kalizma looks the same as before, a bit worn out but that's why she is going in for a face lift in April. She is sitting at anchor north of Hulhule Island next to the Hulhumale' jetty. Then we started the handing over, accounts, current issues, maintenance, local contacts etc.
In the evening I made "spicy chicken" curry Thai style for Saini as I had brought the ingredients from Thailand. Usually it is made in pork but unfortunately pork is illegal in Maldives. Later on I sent Saini to the airport for his flight to Colombo as he was going to meet with drydock people in Colombo before going home and so I had taken over Kalizma for a month.
The crew I knew from before: Richard now as Chief Steward and Umesh from Indian Empress as Chef, Dubey as my Bosun and Ruman as Engineer, as deckhands were Pardeep and Dhiraj and Steward was Parvinder. Rajaram and Sunil were on vacation. No girls worked on her anymore as they had resigned from service. I think an all male crew is easier to manage as well, less hassle and no envy.
The trip didi not start out very well as I was driving towards Phuket I got a call from office that I had missed my flight. It had been changed from evening to morning flight and I had totally missed the information. What a mess. Anyhow, I got a flight again the same evening and caught it to Kuala Lumpur, there I spent a few hours and flew to Colombo. The KL airport is huge but very quiet, maybe the reason was the late timing, I had a nice Caesar's salad at a restaurant while waiting.
I arrived Colombo in the early morning hours and spent there about 6hrs waiting for the morning flight. I half slept on a row of benches but was always woken up by clattering footsteps when a batch of passengers arrived from who knows where. Thats what you get for missing your flight. When the sun got up soon enough I was in the plane for Male' and a bit later we landed in good order.
The immigration was a breeze and I met Saini on the airport and we sat on the tenderboat to Kalizma in minutes. Kalizma looks the same as before, a bit worn out but that's why she is going in for a face lift in April. She is sitting at anchor north of Hulhule Island next to the Hulhumale' jetty. Then we started the handing over, accounts, current issues, maintenance, local contacts etc.
Colombo airport
The crew I knew from before: Richard now as Chief Steward and Umesh from Indian Empress as Chef, Dubey as my Bosun and Ruman as Engineer, as deckhands were Pardeep and Dhiraj and Steward was Parvinder. Rajaram and Sunil were on vacation. No girls worked on her anymore as they had resigned from service. I think an all male crew is easier to manage as well, less hassle and no envy.
Sunday, January 01, 2012
Happy New Year 2012
So it was the last day of the year and people were making lots of plans. Some went to night clubs, some for dinner. Our Interior Manager Mike managed to pull some strings and arranged a table for us at the Allure night club for a fraction of the price they were charging as we were being "permanent" residents in the marina. I was staying put onboard as I wanted to blow the horn at midnight so Mike had brought a tub of cold champagne for me to enjoy, eventually I corked it with my Deck Officers as all other crew was ashore except the watch crew.
Our stay here had gone from one week to indeterminate length due to unforeseen changes in the Owner's itinerary so we still continue to wait for orders and make the best of our stay in the UAE. So far it has been pleasant except for the poor service rendered by our agent, but more of that later.
Well, I had a quiet evening waiting for midnight and after hooting the horn I went over to Allure to see how the crew was faring. The house was rocking to the rafters and it was jampacked. I sat at the table which soon became apparent as people were so drunk they just came crashing over the table and wiped it clean. After the 3rd time I stood up (my pants being soaked in booze up to the knees by then) and held my glass in my hand. Later on I went out on the terrace to see whats happening there but the music was better inside so I decided to go back. Suddenly the door was blocked and some local boys seemed to have some squabble going on. Then I saw someone coming from the inside and the slogging started, I took a 3m safety margin to the fighters lest I'd be drawn into the fisticuffs. Finally the security guards came along and took the guys off and I went inside and decided that it is better to retire for the night when the crowd got so rowdy and unruly. Luckily none of our boys got mixed into anything. Later I heard there were scores of undercover CID Officers about the premises so I'm sure the "contestants" got what they deserved in the end.
Without any further ado I wish all of you who have had the patience to wait for my updates and actually bothered reading my scribblings a Prosperous and a Happy New Year 2012, may it be a good one for you too. I wish the Universe would in 2012 keep my wallet fat and my body thin as opposed to 2011 when the wish was misunderstood and it went the other way around....
Jesse & me trying on our tailor made local suits on the eve (we did not wear them outside the ship)
Our stay here had gone from one week to indeterminate length due to unforeseen changes in the Owner's itinerary so we still continue to wait for orders and make the best of our stay in the UAE. So far it has been pleasant except for the poor service rendered by our agent, but more of that later.
Well, I had a quiet evening waiting for midnight and after hooting the horn I went over to Allure to see how the crew was faring. The house was rocking to the rafters and it was jampacked. I sat at the table which soon became apparent as people were so drunk they just came crashing over the table and wiped it clean. After the 3rd time I stood up (my pants being soaked in booze up to the knees by then) and held my glass in my hand. Later on I went out on the terrace to see whats happening there but the music was better inside so I decided to go back. Suddenly the door was blocked and some local boys seemed to have some squabble going on. Then I saw someone coming from the inside and the slogging started, I took a 3m safety margin to the fighters lest I'd be drawn into the fisticuffs. Finally the security guards came along and took the guys off and I went inside and decided that it is better to retire for the night when the crowd got so rowdy and unruly. Luckily none of our boys got mixed into anything. Later I heard there were scores of undercover CID Officers about the premises so I'm sure the "contestants" got what they deserved in the end.
Without any further ado I wish all of you who have had the patience to wait for my updates and actually bothered reading my scribblings a Prosperous and a Happy New Year 2012, may it be a good one for you too. I wish the Universe would in 2012 keep my wallet fat and my body thin as opposed to 2011 when the wish was misunderstood and it went the other way around....
Video from the NY transition, taken by my 2nd Mate Jesse, in the background you can hear the horn blasts
Saturday, October 01, 2011
Cruising Croatia
29th departed Tivat for a drift in Kotor Bay, then anchor off Budva.
Kotor Bay is the next fiord inlands from Tivat. There are strict regulations of not allowing washing on ships and also not any other discharges. Most likely due to pollution prevention as the water circulation I suspect is not that fast. In addition they have exorbitant charges for anchoring in place, hence we were drifting as per the advice from our pilot (which also was compulsory).
The scenery was very beautiful and we first passed the "Lady of the Rock" monastery and they rang the bell after we gave them 3 long blasts on the horn. After this we went slowly south towards Kotor Town where one could see stairs going up the hill towards another church or monastery. Once done we set course for Budva and arrived there in the evening. There was dinner at Bruno's restaurant.We also checked out another restaurant at Sveta Stefan Bay with a very nice landing jetty but they were full and said a reservation was required. The anchorage in Budva was otherwise ok except for the treacherous string of shallow rocks that crosses the anchorage (it is marked on the chart). It could be a disaster for the uninformed tender driver.
30th Departed Budva & arrived Dubrovnik
At 6am we heave up anchor and proceed to Zelenika for outward clearance from Montenegro. We drift there for abt half an hour and we get the documents back from the agent all stamped and signed and I set the course for Dubrovnik. We take pilot and berth inside the harbor at the cruise ship jetty.
We depart the port in the evening to go and anchor in front of the Dubrovnik old town. The scenery there is beautiful with the old castle and bastions. Tendering is a must to drop off guests and crew.
31st Departed Dubrovnik & arrived Korcula Island
Again it was an early departure and we headed for the Croatian archipelago, first stop Korcula Island. At forst we anchor for the day near Badija Island and do some sightseeing there before going stern to at the Korcula. It is very historical as it is the native town of Marco Polo. The holding at the jetty is not very good as we experienced some dragging and had to heave up on our anchor chains to prevent the stern from eventually hitting the jetty. Luckily nothing of that sort happened.
1st Departed Korcula, visited Bisevo Island and arrived Hvar Island
The trip continues in same fashion and we left Korcula at daybreak for Bisevo Island where the point of interest was the Blue Grotto. As the bay in front of the grotto is fully occupied by smaller sailing boats we decide to drop on the other side of the grotto in the next Bay. The water is pretty deep and we have to do a second attempt to get good holding. The view is spectacular with the jagged rocky shoreline. Visitors to the grotto have to purchase tickets to enter the grotto with local rowing dinghies that seat up to 8-10 persons. The entrance is pretty low and people have to duck so as not to hit their head. Inside is totally dark to start with until the grotto widens up and shows daylight that is shimmering through the bottom as the cavern is open under water. The blue color inside is very beautiful. It is recommended to visit the grotto in the morning when the sun is shining into the underwater hole as the day goes on the sun moves on the other side of the cavern and the light gets weaker and weaker. At the shoreside where one buys tickets I bought some locally made wine from the woman selling the tickets. The wine has a very strong taste that would go well together with a red steak. We also did a roundtrip of the Island and found a small village on the other side called Porat that had some delicious seafood available in local tavern's.
2nd Hvar
We heaved up anchor early in Bisevo and set course for Hvar and arrived there under hours of darkness. At Hvar we manage to find good anchorage on the opposite side of the town. Here yachts have to pay for anchorage based on their LOA, our dues went up to 982€ and the port said it was half price as the season was almost at its end.
3rd Hvar
Stay the whole day in Hvar. As I had to make a run early morning to town with our Purser to meet the agent I take some breakfast at the plaza that is next to the marina while we conduct our business with the agent. The place looks really nice but I can imagine how deserted it is during the winter months.
4th Departed Hvar, visited Brac Island and arrived Split from where we departed a few hours later for Malta.
In the morning we heave up anchor and sail for Brac Island with destination to anchor in front of Bol village. The town is not very big and we scout out the marinas and landing places. We also check out the Dugi Rat beach (moving beach) that is also famous here. It consists of round pebbles rather than sand and I can well imagine it moves with the prevailing weather. Later I send our Purser to Stari Grad on the next Island as he is signing off and taking the ferry to Split. It was a nice tenderboat ride as the weather was fine. Later in the afternoon we weigh anchor again and head for Split. In Split we take pilot and are greeted on the wavebreaker by our 3rd Engineer Alen who is waving there at us. We make fast amid the hoot and hollering of gays that are on the deck of m/y orient Queen, a cruise ship opposite us and making ready to leave. We make clearance, discharge rubbish and make ready to sail again. Meanwhile Zeljan and Alen have brought some Croatian food for the crew to enjoy. We receive a pilot and depart for Malta at 2230hrs.
6th Arrived Malta.
We arrive in front of Valletta at noon and embark MTU technicians for seatrials and we drive the crap out of our main engines with 1200 rpm for a couple of hours and after that we proceed inside to make fast at Manoel Island. My reliever is also embarking once alongside and I handover to Tsvetan as I am scheduled for vacation the next day. This trip also finished the summer season for Indian Empress as she enters a service period for her main engines.
Kotor Bay is the next fiord inlands from Tivat. There are strict regulations of not allowing washing on ships and also not any other discharges. Most likely due to pollution prevention as the water circulation I suspect is not that fast. In addition they have exorbitant charges for anchoring in place, hence we were drifting as per the advice from our pilot (which also was compulsory).
Sea entrance to Tivat and Kotor, old guard tower
The scenery was very beautiful and we first passed the "Lady of the Rock" monastery and they rang the bell after we gave them 3 long blasts on the horn. After this we went slowly south towards Kotor Town where one could see stairs going up the hill towards another church or monastery. Once done we set course for Budva and arrived there in the evening. There was dinner at Bruno's restaurant.We also checked out another restaurant at Sveta Stefan Bay with a very nice landing jetty but they were full and said a reservation was required. The anchorage in Budva was otherwise ok except for the treacherous string of shallow rocks that crosses the anchorage (it is marked on the chart). It could be a disaster for the uninformed tender driver.
Lady of the Rock
30th Departed Budva & arrived Dubrovnik
At 6am we heave up anchor and proceed to Zelenika for outward clearance from Montenegro. We drift there for abt half an hour and we get the documents back from the agent all stamped and signed and I set the course for Dubrovnik. We take pilot and berth inside the harbor at the cruise ship jetty.
We depart the port in the evening to go and anchor in front of the Dubrovnik old town. The scenery there is beautiful with the old castle and bastions. Tendering is a must to drop off guests and crew.
31st Departed Dubrovnik & arrived Korcula Island
Again it was an early departure and we headed for the Croatian archipelago, first stop Korcula Island. At forst we anchor for the day near Badija Island and do some sightseeing there before going stern to at the Korcula. It is very historical as it is the native town of Marco Polo. The holding at the jetty is not very good as we experienced some dragging and had to heave up on our anchor chains to prevent the stern from eventually hitting the jetty. Luckily nothing of that sort happened.
1st Departed Korcula, visited Bisevo Island and arrived Hvar Island
The trip continues in same fashion and we left Korcula at daybreak for Bisevo Island where the point of interest was the Blue Grotto. As the bay in front of the grotto is fully occupied by smaller sailing boats we decide to drop on the other side of the grotto in the next Bay. The water is pretty deep and we have to do a second attempt to get good holding. The view is spectacular with the jagged rocky shoreline. Visitors to the grotto have to purchase tickets to enter the grotto with local rowing dinghies that seat up to 8-10 persons. The entrance is pretty low and people have to duck so as not to hit their head. Inside is totally dark to start with until the grotto widens up and shows daylight that is shimmering through the bottom as the cavern is open under water. The blue color inside is very beautiful. It is recommended to visit the grotto in the morning when the sun is shining into the underwater hole as the day goes on the sun moves on the other side of the cavern and the light gets weaker and weaker. At the shoreside where one buys tickets I bought some locally made wine from the woman selling the tickets. The wine has a very strong taste that would go well together with a red steak. We also did a roundtrip of the Island and found a small village on the other side called Porat that had some delicious seafood available in local tavern's.
2nd Hvar
We heaved up anchor early in Bisevo and set course for Hvar and arrived there under hours of darkness. At Hvar we manage to find good anchorage on the opposite side of the town. Here yachts have to pay for anchorage based on their LOA, our dues went up to 982€ and the port said it was half price as the season was almost at its end.
3rd Hvar
Stay the whole day in Hvar. As I had to make a run early morning to town with our Purser to meet the agent I take some breakfast at the plaza that is next to the marina while we conduct our business with the agent. The place looks really nice but I can imagine how deserted it is during the winter months.
4th Departed Hvar, visited Brac Island and arrived Split from where we departed a few hours later for Malta.
In the morning we heave up anchor and sail for Brac Island with destination to anchor in front of Bol village. The town is not very big and we scout out the marinas and landing places. We also check out the Dugi Rat beach (moving beach) that is also famous here. It consists of round pebbles rather than sand and I can well imagine it moves with the prevailing weather. Later I send our Purser to Stari Grad on the next Island as he is signing off and taking the ferry to Split. It was a nice tenderboat ride as the weather was fine. Later in the afternoon we weigh anchor again and head for Split. In Split we take pilot and are greeted on the wavebreaker by our 3rd Engineer Alen who is waving there at us. We make fast amid the hoot and hollering of gays that are on the deck of m/y orient Queen, a cruise ship opposite us and making ready to leave. We make clearance, discharge rubbish and make ready to sail again. Meanwhile Zeljan and Alen have brought some Croatian food for the crew to enjoy. We receive a pilot and depart for Malta at 2230hrs.
6th Arrived Malta.
We arrive in front of Valletta at noon and embark MTU technicians for seatrials and we drive the crap out of our main engines with 1200 rpm for a couple of hours and after that we proceed inside to make fast at Manoel Island. My reliever is also embarking once alongside and I handover to Tsvetan as I am scheduled for vacation the next day. This trip also finished the summer season for Indian Empress as she enters a service period for her main engines.
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