Captain's blog Feb 2009

Feb started with works related to our commercial certification and then on 1st Feb Boss came for a short visit and he probably would have liked to stay longer but unfortunately the small boat curfew was still valid so there was no landing possibility after dark. Soon enough we got orders to sail for Goa on 3rd Feb.

River Princess wreck at Candolim Beach that has eroded the beach by several meters

The trip was uneventful, when we came closer to Goa we saw the anchorage full of cargo vessels waiting to load ore at Mormugao port. At night it looked like a small town in the horizon with all the decklights visible.

Kalizma in Goa

Once in Goa on the 4th we made our clearance, met Augustine, our Company contact in Goa and Kenneth Pereira, our Agent. Funny enough the officials did not want bottles and I soon discovered the state of Goa has cheaper liquor so they can buy it themselves compared to the officials in Maharashtra. Later on I also met with Govind Tiwari, GM for the local Kingfisher brewery in Ponda and we discussed some arrangements to cover for any possible eventuality.

Anyway, Goans favor their own local liquor, fenny, that is either made of coconut or cashew. Depending on the skill and equipment of the distiller it can be a pleasant drink or a one that feels like you are swallowing a cheese grater.

Following days went cleaning and polishing the ship up as well as getting stocked and decked out on flowers in anticipation of the Boss. He came 7th late PM and stayed until 8th. On the 9th we shifted in front of Baga beach and prepared jet skis with Augustine but eventually nobody came.

On the 10th crew continued routine maintenance and I went out with Richard to Panaji (capital of Goa) for some shopping and we had a terrific lunch at the Zest, there were not many customers and the service was impeccable and the food delicious.

Crew at Ponda spice garden

On 12th We visited the brewery in Ponda and also the Spice Garden close to it. Poor Raja Ram was elected to stay onboard and look after the ship.

Our spice guide

15th-16th Boss came again and we had party at anchorage. Our sailing plan to Mumbai was cancelled and left open. We carried on.

Richard in front of Ponda brewery

17th I was invited to attend Abroe’s sisters wedding in Goa. Abroe used to work as deckhand on Kalizma before but is now a part of the ground crew in Goa looking after Bosses boats and jet skis. We were me, Vivek, Raja Ram and Sunil that was attending from the ship.

The vows had already been exchanged and we arrived to the reception party. A band was playing old classics and people was dancing in the superheated hall, the atmosphere was really captivating. Due to the heat the canteen was ferrying out glass after glass of Kingfisher and RC. I know, I had a few.
After the dinner we all paid our respects to our hosts and gave them an envelope for the future and wished them long happiness together. It was time to get back to the ship.

On 18th I went with Richard and Martula to Anjuna Beach for some shopping (Wednesday is only day). The back of the beach is lined with millions of stalls selling stuff all over from India. One could see pashmina shawls from Kashmir, copy CD’s, hippie clothing, spices, coffee beans, silver ware, paintings, carpets and antiques among many things. Many vendors were addressing me in Russian as they seem to have taken a liking towards Goa and are nowadays a main tourist here. I just browsed on a lot of things and prices appeared inflated but in India you are expected to haggle for your purchase. Eventually I settled for a tin set of Hindu God figurines of their whole God pantheon (or the most of it) for a measly sum of 1000Rs. I’d say it was good deal. I got almost same set 200Rs cheaper in Mumbai’s Chor Bazaar two weeks later.
After our shopping spree we finally entered the beach and found our way to the “Loodhi Café”, it is perched on a cliff a bit up from the beach and gives you a good view. Best of all they got a live band. We managed to secure ourselves chairs at the bar as it was jam packed. At first there was a band playing blues and then they changed into rock, very good stuff. They called themselves “The Essence”, when the sun started to set the band was changed into another outfit whose leader was a Frenchman called “Paco” and he had a Rajastahani on tablas, a Keralaite on drums and an Israeli and Japanese on didgeridoos while Paco himself played an electric sitar. The group performed a most interesting fusion chill out music that really fitted into the atmosphere that was by now consisting of the sweet burning smell of charas. We just relied on Kingfisher and enjoyed the music and atmosphere, by 10pm it was time again to head back to the ship.



On 21st Boss arrived at 1am onboard and I was told of the Grandi Island cruise. We did the needful and made things happen. Luckily Saini joined us this day back from UK from his OOW studies, the extra pair of hands was very welcome.

22nd Boss left and gave me sailing instructions for Mumbai.

23rd was Martulas birthday and Richard arranged a farewell party for the ground crew and Martula. In the morning we went with Richard to Calingute in search of a birthday present for Martula and also to pick up her birthday cake. There was so much stuff available and e.g. the silver being sold I have no idea if it is fake or not. I all got stamps but it seemed fake, who knows, I did not buy anything. Finally we settled on a small “Happy Buddha” figurine. Once onboard we do up a small birthday card and prepare some beverages for the ground crew. We go ashore at 5.30pm and meet Augustine and we set up some tables and music. Unfortunately the Ashena crew couldn’t join us as they have guests onboard. We sit down and have a few and soon enough it is time to get Martula’s birthday party on a roll. We all load into cares and go off to the Flambee restaurant at Aguada. They already know us and we start ordering drinks and food. Martula is given presents, we all are having a ball. Once the dinner is eaten it is time to get out the cake, it tastes marvelous. After this we have some more music and dancing and closer to midnight we start heading back to the boat.

24th morning we say goodbye to Kenny, our agent and Augustine. I get paperwork done and we start heaving up anchors so off we go.

25th morning were approaching the hustle and bustle of Mumbai and we get our pilot on time at Middle Ground and sail straight into Victoria Docks where we tie up at berth #15.

Following days are hectic preparation for the pending surveyor visit from MCA. I will let you know about that next month.

Cruise to Grandi Island

Boss gave orders same day early morning that he wants to cruise Grandi Is. Next morning we scrambled up all agents and navy personnel as the area is controlled by navy. Sailing took us only a couple of hours and we anchored at SE tip of Grandi Is.
We were followed by Augustine and his small fleet of jetskis out of Sinquerim and I had to go around all approach channels and pilot stations so I approached the Grandi Is from the NW.

Grandi Island

Once securely anchored I jetskied around it with Abroe and saw all small beaches (3 of them) and tourists that abound at the only really worthwhile spot in Goa in respect of diving and snorkeling. I also checked out the Navy controlled Hansa beach at the mainland, a long desolate beach with nothing on it. Perfect for a BBQ. The only really good looking beach on Grandi Is is on the NW side where the jetty is. As the Navy has not been that active (it seems) the jetty has partly collapsed and there is no activity on the Island.

Orders were to arrange full dinner BBQ at Grandi Is jetty. Whole afternoon was spent ferrying stuff over and setting up tables, BBQ, cutlery, lights, candles and whatnot. Boss went for lunch at Gautam Singhanis yacht, the “Ashena” and came back at about sunset. The party was ongoing and at about 11pm a decision was made to move out to the beach. I was thinking of staying onboard and Boss asked “aren’t you coming?” so I just hopped onboard the tenderboat and off we went.

Sunset with m/y Ashena in front of us

Once we arrived the jetty we anchored the bigger tenderboat at the head of the jetty and used the smaller Kalizma tender (which is a RIB) to ferry people to the beach.
The highwater was close so the beach had almost receded totally under water. All chairs were pulled up to the extreme end of the beach, the slowly rolling waves kept wetting the guests feet, the barbecue was half in water, tables had to be righted once in awhile to prevent from falling over. The guests was loving it, the wine and drinks flowed and all were in high spirits.

While all was going well, my deckhand Dubey, who had been stationed on this Island during his Navy time, took me up on the Island slope, a concrete pathway leading up to the old barracks. We walked along the pathway in the light of a torch and I saw the old well that had been used, it was huge with about 5m diameter and maybe 10m deep. Now there was hardly any water on the bottom and big trees was growing out of it. We continued up the path and came to the old generator building, only the seat of the generator was evidence there now. All buildings that I saw had only the walls left, roofs had been removed or blown away. Dubey told me that when he was stationed here he would every morning get himself a tender coconut for breakfast in the groves that had been growing there.

At same beach there was also 2 other boats with some local people overnighting there and they had their own party ongoing at the remains of the partly collapsed jetty. After some time they also became curious of our party and approached us and was very excited of seeing our Boss. Eventually they wanted to join the party and Bosses bodyguard needed some serious persuading to do before the youngsters believed him. In the end Boss posed for a photo together with the guys.

Having done all this, the beach had receded quite a bit and was now getting a few meters of legroom to swing, but the clock was ticking and Boss decided to retire. All our guests were ferried back to the Bagpiper tender and left back to Kalizma. Crew started packing up stuff and we waited for the small tender to return.

We packed all our stuff and ferried it back to Kalizma and once all was onboard I sent Augustine with the bagpiper tender, our tender and the accompanying 3 jetskis back to Sinquerim. Our tender had to go as they were the only ones with a GPS chart plotter.

Following orders were to return to Sinquerim as well and that we did. I anchored off Aguada at 5am. All crew still awake went and threw themselves in for a few hours of shuteye, including me.

MCA yachts - medical certificates

Many foreigners who work on yachts always get confused when they are asked about their ENG1 medical cert.

This is the medical certificate that states that you are fit for work or not. All commercial ships in the world have the same ILO standards and MCA has their own (following ILO) format that is called the ENG1. In case you live abroad you need to find a Doctor that is MCA (Maritime Coastguard Agency (UK)) qualified.

Examining the MCA site one can find listed all MCA qualified Doctors in the world that are entitled to issue MCA ENG1 medical certificates. Any other Doctor not listed but saying he can issue said document is fake.

MCA approved Physicians

However, yachts that are flying other red ensigns, e.g. Cayman Islands also approve the national seamans medical certificate, but it has to be in English and state whether fit for work or not as well as being as per the ILO standards for Seaman's medical examinations.

More can be read at the Merchant shipping notice no 1797,

MSN 1797 (A)

Furthermore, as per MCA following countries seamens medical certificates are considered equivalent to ENG1:

COUNTRIES WHOSE MEDICAL CERTIFICATES ARE ACCEPTED AS EQUIVALENT TO THE UK MEDICAL CERTIFICATE

1 February 2009

This list updates Annex A of Merchant Shipping Notice MSN 1765. To obtain an equivalent medical certificate you must approach the respective maritime authority to be advised of the location of their approved doctors.

This list reflects new Regulations, which came into effect on the 1 September 2002. Medical certificates issued by countries previously recognised as equivalent (listed in MSN 1746 (M+F)) will be acceptable until the date of expiry.

Further countries will be added to this list as and when medical standards and systems have been assessed for equivalency.

Australia
Austria*
Belgium*
Bulgaria
Canada
Croatia
Cyprus*
Czech Republic*
Denmark*
Estonia*
Finland*
France*
Germany*
Greece*
Hong Kong
Hungary*
Iceland**
India
Italy*
Jamaica
Latvia*
Lithuania*
Luxembourg*
Malta*
Mauritius
Netherlands*
New Zealand
Norway**
Pakistan
Poland*
Portugal*
Republic of Ireland*
Romania
Slovakia*
Slovenia*
South Africa
Spain*
Sri Lanka
Sweden*
Ukraine

* EU Member States
** EU (European Economic Area) States

Link to MCA website

Code of Safe Working Practices for Merchant Seamen: Amendment 04

Merchant Shipping Notices, Marine Guidance Notes and Marine Information Notes: Consolidated to April 2001

Visit to brewery

We arrived the brewery at noon and was met by the various smells of fermenting grains and hops that is associated with a brewery as we were guided to Govind Tiwari’s office where we were greeted with some lunch and cold fresh glasses of Kingfisher. After a short chat we discovered that the brewery was currently churning out abt 100.000 btls a day in 2 shifts, but if demand would rise the production could be increased too.

Richard in front of the brewery

Finally we were introduced to lab assistant Shilpa to show us around the brewery. We started at the big vats and tanks where the mash was fermented and the hops were added and various other ingredients leading to beer. All was connected by different filters, heat exchangers etc, all piping was stainless steel and I could see C/E Vivek eyeing the plant enviously.

Then we visited the laboratory where we sampled beer samples from the line after pasteurizing and before, very delicious. The Master brewer also gave us a short chat. We were also explained the rigorous testing methods and cleanliness requirements by Shilpa and her colleagues.

Quality pledge

After that we went to the bottling plant where we could see the fully automated process where returned empty beer bottles was inserted mechanically into the washing machine, emerging clean, being filled with beer, then sealed, labeled, pasteurized, boxed, box was glued up and finally arrived in store house for delivery vans. The line was at all critical stages monitored by people and one could hear the crash of discarded bottles when guys were throwing them into waste bins. All the hectic activity was punctuated by at time exploding beer bottles while they were happily clinking away along the line.

Exiting the brewery we also took a walk around the distillery and saw the huge ageing sheds where casks upon casks was piled up top the rafters, all with the date of filling painted on the lid. We were explained that alcohol put into used casks would require longer ageing than in new casks. Finally we were offered a small glass of un-aged rum that tasted really good as per all crew.

At the end we went back to Mr. Tiwari’s office and thanked him for this opportunity at the same time I handed over some Kalizma polo neck shirts to him and his family.

All said and done we packed ourselves in the car and drove off to Calingute beach where we started to walk towards the wreck. Unfortunately after a couple of beers and hundred meters down the beach nightfall came and we had to revert to the local outlets inside of the beach shacks. Some phonecalls later found us at the “Flambee” restaurant at Aguada and soon enough food was ordered and we enjoyed and chatted about the day.

Roundabout 11pm found us at the dessert and we got the bill, packed us into the car and got ourselves to the UB jetty to get onboard. Needless to say we added insult to injury and brought Rajaram a doggie bag. Next time is his turn for the outing…

Spice Garden visit

As we entered the garden on a footpath from the ticket booth we heard group of ladies walking in a circle, clapping their hands while singing local songs and as we passed under the entrance fragrant flowers was thrown on us and everyone got a “lei” around their neck.

Crew and Augustine at reception

After this we were seated at a table and we got some lemongrass tea and cashew nuts to snack on while our guide was assigned to us.

Once finished our snack it was time to get on the tour and we started walking after our guide, the spices were multiple, among many plants I can recall: bayleaves, lemongrass, vanilla, pepper, super hot chillies, nutmeg, banana (world’s tallest grass), cardamon, cloves, cocoa, turmeric (cheap mans , cashew, areca nut, coffee bean, curry leaves, garam masala (5 spices in one tree). While passing every herb or spice the guide was churning out ayurvedic remedies for various ailments the plant could be utilised for. E.g nutmeg is result for the large Indian population being a natural “viagra”…

Our spice guide

Cashew is a 2-part fruit that consists of the fruit and the nut, the nuts are the cashews that we eat roasted and the fruit is fermented into “ourak” and then distilled into “fenny”.

During the tour we also saw some camels and elephants that tourists could take rides on after the tour. As last number we were demonstrated how areca palms are harvested by climbing up the trunk with the aid of a sling around your ankles and then just swinging from tree to tree.

At the end of the tour we were poured ice cold herbal water down our necks to relax us or whatever, at least it was cooling. Then we were offered locally made cashew fenny and lunch. We tasted the fenny but declined the lunch as we had another engagement at the brewery. The fenny was quite a rough experience burning all the way down the throat and leaving a warm feeling in the bottom of your stomach.

We all left happy after the very educational experience.

Cruise ship soap opera

A few weeks back I was related a true story from a cruise ship of how a personal drama evolved to remarkable proportions:

This cruise ship was plying between two countries on a regular trade and she was appointed a new Captain (that I have the dubious honor to know of personally) onboard. The ship was manned by two nationalities and the Captain started telling his countrymen how he is going to replace them all with the other cheaper nationality. True to his nature he immediately won the "most likable person onboard" award as he always manages to do.

As with his simpletons mind he started to "command and conquer" and he promised the Security Officer a 3rd Officer's position as he was qualified for it. Naturally this was just lip service to get him on his "side" and also vital gossip and information of what is going on onboard. This was discovered pretty soon too and did not win any sympathies on the would be 3rd Officer's side.

Next the Captain bedded the Chief Purser (from the other nationality) and fell in love with her and they started a relationship. All looked good for the Captain, he ruled as a dictator and the antipathy grew by the day.

Until the day comes when another new Captain (from the other nationality) comes to relieve him for vacation. As it happens this Captain (lets call him Y) had also had a relationship with the Chief Purser a few years back on another ship. Then during a crew party old feelings flamed up and the Chief Purser forgot her new beau and went back for the old salt.

As it happens the Captain (lets call him X) received at 3am from an unknown number a MMS message with Captain Y and the Chief Purser on a photo in a nightclub sucking each others faces in a manner that don't leave much for interpretation. Being the cuckolded party he jumped out of bed and in his car and started a 600+km drive to where the ship was in port.

Next morning at abt 9am Captain X arrives to the ship and storms onboard and demands to see the security log. He checks the times when Captain Y and Chief Purser has come back onboard. Security Officer that had no sympathy for the Captain X knows immediately what is going on and he sees the agitated state he is in so he calls the Chief Officer to report what is going on. Chief Officer tells him to call the Coast Guard, which he does.

Meanwhile Captain X dashes into the Captains cabin only to find Captain Y and Chief Purser snoozing in each others arms. Captain X is speechless, can't get a coherent word out of his mouth. Soon enough Coast Guard arrives and collects him off the ship.

After Captain X gather his wits he comes up with the million dollar idea to ask the Company to sack Captain Y. The letter from the Captain is taken seriously and the DPA calls the Coast Guard, the Officer who made the arrest gives a slightly exaggerated vision of the incident as he happens to be a friend of the wronged Security Officer.

The Company decides it is safer to kick Captain X off board instead. Was not the first nor the last time it happened to him.

What do we learn from this?
Women onboard are always inviting trouble,
Leadership skills are asked for when big crews are in question,
If you treat people badly - don't expect anything less in return,
Never ever bring your private life onboard and especially not to the management.

Some food for thought...

Captain's Blog - January 2009

So, the year of 2009 has been ushered in and a month of it has already been used up, whew, time goes by so fast when you grow older. We arrived Mumbai 22nd Dec and started some quick repairs again to get Kalizma spick'n'span for our Boss and guests.

M/y Kalizma alongside Victoria Docks

We went alongside Victoria Dock #15 an old colonial time dock with ancient lock doors that did not hold water. I had only the centre engine to use as wing engines exhaust valves had been dismantled because they had jammed during the voyage. I had ample space and a good pilot onboard so coming alongside was not a problem. Unfortunately I could not accommodate him with a bottle as requested, all the other bureaucrats had taken it all and I was waiting for replenishment. Pilot said he would be back 2nd Jan, he never came though, which was my luck as well because I had not received any stores onboard by that time.

As the days went by I also came to know about Indian bureaucracy, I thought Greek and Chinese bureaucracy was complicated and stiff but it seems Indians has been able to surpass these countries in paperwork. I wonder if this is the legacy of the Englishmen. Basically nothing happens in India without a paper. Invoices will not be issued without an official request for the job, in the port nothing moves in or out without a paper. Even if you buy groceries ashore and pay VAT, you are not able to bring them into the port area without clearing it with the Customs and these guys needs greasing as well. Needless to say we tried to bring in/ out as little as possible or whatever we were transporting was hidden under the car seat. Even gate passes are issued only for 1 week at a time and has to be renewed with a crewlist and an Official Letter from the Master. The list goes on and on but I think you get the picture.

We discovered our other AE exhaust silencer was also totally corroded and was taken out to the workshop for repairs, they actually built a new silencer around the old one. We also did some carpentry and varnish work and brass polishing, lots of it. Our galley equipment got a go-over and was serviced. We're looking into making our freezer colder, by the time of writing this item is still pending. The carpet was changed in the saloon, Owner's suite and dining area by Ashish Gupta, an upcoming designer that has done a lot of work onboard Indian Empress. An Electrician was working for 2 weeks sorting out small troubles that was on our to-do list.

As what comes for the crew matters: Vivek went to New Delhi to migrate his family to Mumbai and sort out some personal stuff. Jyothi had her ring ceremony and is now officially reserved. Saini signed off and left for UK to further his studies to obtain his MCA certification upgrade into OOW. Jessica signed off after completion of her contract, she wanted to try something new, I wish her all the best in finding it. Sunil left for 1 week to Dehradun to visit his family and he will at some stage go to UK and do his MEOL MCA certification. Our new deckhand, Sandeep Dubey, that joined in Port Blair is doing fine and taking up duties during Saini's absence.

4th January I went out with Richard, Jyothi and Jessica, we met up with Anil, the Chef at Indian Empress on leave, and he took us to the "Indigo" behind the Taj hotel. Indigo is a very hi-so fancy restaurant and has an equally fascinating menu. Anil ordered some chicken in tamarind sauce for starters that was delicious but my meal proved different. At this time I can't anymore recall what I was eating as the only thing I remember is that it was bland and tasteless, call me a hypocrite but I've spent last 10yrs in SE Asia and I like food with some attitude in it. I met restaurant manager Vijay Prakash who is an old cruise ship hand and in ten places at the same time, his suit flaps were horizontal all he time, I swear. Once we finished dinner we left the girls to go their own places and we went to Bombay Fancy.

Bombay Fancy is a restaurant where you sit and watch girls in sari's. Some guys got excited and started throwing 10 rupee notes all around. I thought this was all play money and following the action with a small smile at my face. Soon I saw (Richard assured me) that the dough was not false money, the demimondaines and band was in on it. I had my beer and went back to the ship but can't keep myself smiling at the thought of the corrupt government officials throwing money out at girls. Easy come, Easy go.....

5th January we had a small fire in the lower crew cabin which was successfully put out and did not cause any bigger damages. All similar light fixtures has today been changed into safer ones.

After having done Kalizma all polished up after the voyage we moved to anchorage in front of Gateway of India where we still sit. It is very quiet, you can't hear the hectic traffic from Mumbai and also the birds leave us alone. At VD we got droppings enough to start a guano fertilizer factory. On the other hand we are restricted in our movements as the local constabulary has prohibited all small boat traffic to the Gateway and all other piers during hours of darkness. It is either you stay onboard or stay ashore - for me it is onboard - and off duty crew that has family here will be overnight at home unless the Boss is in town.

We were ready for use on the 9th and we shifted to anchorage in front of the Gateway of India. Brasspolishing and detailing was in full swing. Same day we had the unfortunate event with the waterbarge, luckily nothing was broken.

10th we had a scheduled visit from the boss and a photo shoot. Boss never came but the photo shoot took place. We had the Editor Sandhya Chipalkatti accompanied by photographer Arjun Chipalkatti and Editorial assistant Priyanka Tilve onboard. Sandhya and Priyanka grilled me and Avnish of the history of the boat from every angle while Arjun was shooting away. The party was shown the entire boat and we were drained of all information we could give. Finally Arjun needed a few shots of me and I hope he got some nice portraits. Afterwards we had some snacks and soft drinks.

Sun 11th I was invited for a brunch in Alibaug, it was at a beautiful beach villa with live music and full buffet with a well equipped bar. Not so well-equipped though as one might have expected as they ran out of Kingfisher during the first 2 hrs. Buffet was delicious and the music was very good. Unfortunately I can't recall the name of the band but they were a local talent singing both covers and their own stuff. Anyway, I had to leave before sunset otherwise the boy's in brown would not let me onboard.

12th Jan I got Custom officials onboard accompanied by some spare parts they had been sitting on for a month. I signed the papers and asked "if that was all?", the Officer said yes, so I got up and walked away. His long face was priceless as I did not offer him any whisky. If he would have drunk less whisky and passed our spareparts quicker I could have considered rewarding him but in this case - no way.

Next weeks went in servicing our fire extinguisher as well as preparing for our commercial certification. Drawings has to be prepared and reports filed with classification society and flag state. More deck service was done, some varnishing, carpentry - routine stuff - she is a very high maintenance yacht. In addition the air pollution don't give much respite either, washdown has to be done every other day.

24th Jan I went out shopping with Richard and bought him a new food processor to replace his old one that died en route Mumbai. I also got him a pressure cooker, our dhaal improved considerably after that. Aftre that we went to Crawford Market and saw all sections, fruit, vegetables, chicken, mutton, general stores, beverages, fish and live animals. There were animals of all sorts - dogs, cats, racing pigeons, fighting roosters and whatnot. The fishmarket requires a strong nose, not for the people that easily get queasy by strong odors.

Same evening there was staged a concert at Gateway of India (police had stopped all boat traffic at 5pm already) and we heard it live from outer decks as well as 5minutes later than it appeared "live" on TV. The concert was named "Challenge to terrorism" and was a part of a music reality TV show and also featured some of the Bollywood's reigning jetset e.g. Deepika Padukone was there and looked like a million dollars in her white sari. The concert was finished by the Indian national anthem.

31st Jan I went to Chor Bazaar (Thieves Market) with Richard and shopped for some items required on bridge, I got an old UK Navy sextant and a clinometer for very good price. For myself I splurged out on a Plath sextant a UK Navy telescope and a handheld compass. Otherwise the whole Bazaar was a nice experience, one could find any item you could need, you name it - they go it, streets were lined with small shops and they were all specializing in their own stuff, some had old cameras, another old gramophones, Hindu God idols, shipwrecking items, old watches and clocks, old furniture and anything you can imagine. Just the place where you could expect to find an Aladdin lamp or a flying carpet sold in a shadowy backroom surrounded by odds and ends and funny smells.

Letter of protest - waterbarge

Letter of protest from 1872

When completed loading FW, we cast off the barge (M/v Vijay) that was alongside our port side. Due to us having a boat anchored astern of us she started to go forward but as the tug was on the barges port side she could not maneuver that well. When going forward the tug Captain misjudged the onset of the current and started drifting towards our shipside. 

Our crew tried to alert the crew on the tug and barge as well as took out fenders. The result was that the barge drifted on us and bumped on our port quarter, after this the barge Captain decided to increase speed and cut over our bow. As his vision was obscured by the waterbarge superstrucrure he failed to notice our bowsprit. 

Again crew tried to alert the barge crew but to no effect. The barge caught our bowsprit in its superstructure bending it severely to sb. The barge continued forward ripping its superstructure (sun roof - stanchions and corrugated metal sheets) on our bowsprit. Finally the sunroof gave away and a corrugated metal sheet was left hanging on our bowsprit. 

After investigating the bowsprit for damages we can only visually see the tip of the wood damaged. All fittings are seemingly intact from collision. I hold the barge responsible for his actions as the Captain failed to take into account the strong current, the shape of the vessel on his sb side as well as employing poor seamanship by having too small error margins that led to this incident. After all there was ample space to maneuver on our port bow. 

Whole incident was witnessed by undersigned and is entered in vessels Official logbook. 

Jari Lindgren 

Master m/y Kalizma 

Trip to Pune

I had been invited to meet my friend Atul Gaikwad that lives close to Mumbai (at least when you look at the map) and this Saturday I decided to go on a short excursion. I bought a "Volvo" class ticket for 250 Rs on Friday.

Then on Saturday 4 pm I went to the rendezvous point. There I was crammed into a local black and yellow Premier taxi and off we drove. The escort was a nervous young guy chewing paan or gutka and talking into to two mobile phones simultaneously. It did not take long and we arrived to the bus. It was a big Volvo. I was escorted to my seat and soon the bus left, surprisingly on time too.

It seemed to me that we trawled every street from point of departure to New Mumbai in search for passengers and cargo. Sometimes we would stop and load parcels, sometimes people. The driver apparently had only 2 positions of the aircon, it was either "off" or "on". The bus was frigid, I was tightly wrapped in my fleece blanket that was provided with every seat. At one stage the bus got quite full and I lost my privacy when an Indian sat beside me. I did not mind that at all but unfortunately my seat fellow was in a dire need of a shower or his Rexona had given up on him - badly. I was sniffing on my Thai "yaa dom" (made of camphor, eucalyptus etc) to cover the smell. I got lucky as he changed seats after awhile or a seat was vacated.

When we entered New Mumbai and started to get to the outskirts of the city we encountered huge zhopad patti's (slum dwellings). People were living like ants, the hovels extended far away into the smog that is lingering everywhere this time of year. Soon enough we crossed the river and entered the Expressway which was in excellent condition. We soon made good speed and the bus rolled past lumbering trucks. After some time we started climbing hills, it was already dark but I could see the view was nice with all lights from the city below the mountain. After the mountains we gradually came to Pune.

I was dropped off at the railway station at 9.30PM, an hour after schedule. soon enough Atul picked me up in his car. We had a local specialty as I was famished that looked like a Greek chicken kebab but was definitely better. After this we picked up a few Kingfishers and headed for Atul's pad. There we ordered some home delivery and we had a very nice veggie dinner and chatted for awhile before it was time to call it a night.

Next morning I woke up to the sunshine and Atul prepared a Maharastrian breakfast "Pooha", made of rice flakes and whatnot. It was very filling and delicious. I had thought of going to visit the Rajneesh Osho resort but it turned out it was a bit more difficult than anticipated. More info here

Osho was a controversial person who founded his own cult and did away with gurus and taught his own dogma. He was thrown out from the US for various reasons and finally ended back in Pune where he had started his mission. He has been compared to Buddha and still today his legacy lives on. More info here

Considering all options we finally headed for the Rajiv Gandhi Zoo that housed an extensive snake collection.

I entered after paying 25 Rs for entry (10 Rs for locals) and walked for the tour. There was quite a few other animals as well. Snakes are generally a boring subject to watch as they do nothing, them normally being nocturnal in their activities. In the video you can see one snake that was definitely giving value for money and was snaking around his pit.

We also saw various species of crocs, porcupines, sloth bear, various deer, iguanas, turtles, terrapins, tigers and incredibly fat leopards. As it was Sunday and it was India, people kept pouring into the Zoo and we soon found our way out of it. After that we picked up Atul's wife Snehal and went out for lunch. We drove through Pune and circled close to Osho and I could see foreigners traipsing around in red robes that they have to wear inside the resort.

Finally, we decide to have lunch in a Punjabi restaurant and we had a vegetarian fare. Dhal, rice, roti and Paneer in gravy. I have hard time remembering what dishes are called in India. All was very delicious and filling and we headed for the bus station where I got a ticket for 235 Rs to Mumbai. I thanked Atul and his wife for their hospitality and boarded the bus.

This bus filled up 100% and I got a huge fellow sitting beside me, he was big as a barndoor and round as a hippopotamus, me myself not being a small guy either felt very small beside him. I was crammed between him and the window most of the trip as he disembarked at the outskirts of Mumbai. The beginning of the trip was interesting as I had not seen the countryside in daylight.

We passed many places where they made bricks and of course farmhouses. Bricks were piled in big piles, then covered with what I presume was straw and mud. After that a fire was built inside these piles to get the bricks burned. I can only imagine how long this operation is taking, weeks I guess. I've seen similar brick ovens in Vietnam and there they had a slow fire burning from rice husks. The land looked very brown and dry as the rains had stopped some months ago.

Eventually I arrived Dadar after 3hrs journey and from there I took a taxi to Yellow Gate and came onboard, too tired to eat dinner and just collapsed into bed. Short trip and not so eventful, but at least I have an excuse to go back.

Fire onboard

Just last saturday, 3rd Jan, I had a fire onboard, it was very small and nobody was hurt, but nevertheless could have caused a total loss in case it would not have been quickly acknowledged by the crew.

The fire started from a light fixture (20cm x 20cm) in the lower crew cabin below water level. The fixture somehow short circuited itself, started smoking and finally ignited the plastic parts in it. In less than a minute the whole cabin was smoke packed and triggered a fire alarm.

While crew was investigating the cause of the fire it grew. By the time the location was found out, smoke was billowing out of the manhole that is used to enter the cabin. Chief Engineer Vivek who was first at location took closest powder extinguisher and blew 9kg of powder in the space. 2nd Engineer Sunil cutoff all power in the crew area. Vivek had seen the flames so next he shot 2.5 kg of CO2 onto the fixture in order to cool it down.

Molten plastic

Then we waited for the powder and smoke to dissipate a bit while other crew took out heavy fire fighting gear, just in case. By the time we could enter the cabin we could ascertain that the fire had been put out. The fixture had burned intensely and melted the plastic grid on top of the light tubes and so the plastic had dribbled onto the deck which was also covered by a vinyl carpet that started melting as well. The fire had not caught on the deck but given time it would have done that.

The whole cabin was entirely covered in dry powder, so needless to say the stewardesses with the help of the deckies had a long evening emptying everything out onto open deck, cleaning it and putting it back. It took 2 days to have the whole mess put behind.

Just from this incident we can see how fast "normal" turns into "disaster".

As preventative measure we're checking all similar fixtures for any defects and as a long term solution we will find another kind of light that is of a different design.

Below is a recent article about yachts being burnt side by side in a marina, not the first time it happened:

Practical Boat Owner 5 Jan 2009, Boats destroyed in marina fire

Three motorboats in a marina in Wales have been destroyed in a fire which spread to three other boats before it could be extinguished.

Four appliances were sent to tackle the fires in Pwllheli Marina in Gwynedd at 2207 GMT on Sunday. A spokesman for North Wales Fire and Rescue Service told the BBC that three motor cruisers were completely destroyed by the fire, which spread to three more motor cruisers.

The main building at the marina was also affected by heat damage. An investigation into the cause of the fire will be carried out. Link to article

As a few older warning examples one can think of the Scandinavian Star disaster, a passenger ferry that burned down on the North Sea with many fatalities. Link to article

Fire onboard Universe Explorer: Link to article

Fire onboard m/y Al Riyadh in Greece while on hardstand. I was sleeping onboard another yacht just over the harbor basin while she was burning to total loss after 2 years of refit work, luckily nobody was hurt: Link to forum

Happy New Year

So it was 31/12, the last day of the year. The day started as any other day here in Mumbai. It is sunny here now in winter time and reasonably cool. Not cold though.

Morning went meeting Avnish, Ashish and Cmde Mongia at Colaba workshop inspecting a roll of carpet that we "found" to replace the dining and saloon area as well as the Owner's suite. Our old 100% wool carpets onboard has started molding and deteriorate from accumulated moisture and a few leaks we have had during the rainy season. Luckily there was this other roll that has been lying around for some time and we get good use of it and so we'll change also a few other areas from the good pieces that are left from the saloon and dining area. After having closed this meeting it was hurry back onboard together with Avnish for lunch.

In the afternoon we received onboard our RINA surveyor Mr. Chanchal and Naval Architect Mr. Mishra. We were meeting in order to conclude the pending issue of commercial class upgrade for Kalizma. Hot topics we're tonnage certificate, load line assignment, structural fire protection plan and stability booklet with inclining report. We concluded the meeting in high spirits. Then it was already 5pm and I had a refreshing can of Kingfisher with Avnish and Vivek.

Avnish left for his family and New Year celebrations and me and Vivek decided to paint the town red on our part. At 8pm we headed out for Colaba district and walked along the streets behind the Taj. We had a delicious dinner in the "Bagdadi" restaurant (opposite Gokul bar) and having satisfied our hunger we went to Leopold's and sat down with a pitcher of Kingfisher. It was still early and people started to drop in bit by bit.

Me & Vivek just after New Year...

Closer to midnight the place got quite packed and we finished another pitcher of Kingfisher to the countdown of the passing year 2008 and we ushered in new year 2009. After the countdown people started to disappear and so did we and we headed back to Victoria Docks with a detour to the Marina Drive to see the action at "Queen's Necklace". A lot of people and cars were around but hardly any fire works were seen, anyway we were a bit late for that. We arrived back onboard in one piece and went to sleep.

So, another year has passed by, so quickly, and what have I accomplished? Not much, 11mths has been spent onboard yachts and the rest is history...

HAPPY NEW YEAR to everybody who reads this :)