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Enjoy all the tips, news, insight, and advice on luxury family travel that highlights fun, active, and healthy vacations. Explore how to make the most out of your family vacation without sacrificing luxury.

FreshCruiser.com opens readers’ eyes to new adventures and calms any fears of traveling with children. With a special focus on family cruising, the website includes tips to staying active, eating well, and taking advantage of all the opportunities while on a family vacation.

Entries in cruise safety (3)

Monday
Jul082013

Experts of the Port: The Maritime Pilot

Ever wonder about that little speed boat that pulls along your ship as you enter and depart the port?  Most of us who have been on a number of cruises know that this is the Pilot Boat which delivers and retrieves the pilot from the ship.  But, who needs a pilot anyways?

It wasn’t until I was on a cruise ship which called on Flam, Norway when my curiosity sparked surrounding the pilot.  There we were, slowly gliding through the mirrored waters between the massive and impressive fjords leading into Flam as suddenly, out of the tranquil landscape, approached the small pilot boat as if it were out of a movie.  As is normally the case, all the passengers on deck leaned over the railings to watch the pilot jump on-board.

Celebrity Century cruising into the port of Flam, Norway

Sometimes, the sea is like glass, as was the case in Flam, other times it is a far riskier boarding maneuver as the seas don’t always seem to cooperate.  One exciting time was while we were departing the beautiful and picturesque port of Cartagena, Colombia.  As we exited the port flanked by impressive forts on either side, we noticed the wind and waves really kick up. 

Exiting the port of Cartagena, Colombia

Sure enough, at that same time, we saw the pilot boat approaching to retrieve the pilot.  It’s amazing how much a little boat like that can bounce around in the swell.  Our enormous ship then took a wide turn towards port to shield the smaller pilot boat from the weather.  In doing so, the sea flattened and the pilot was then able to hop right off and head home.  Even though many of us have seen it a number of times, it’s always amazing to see the process unfold.  As conditions are never constant, it’s always fascinating to see how the two ships work in harmony.

Pilot boarding the cruise ship

Each time a ship enters and departs port, the pilot plays a vital role in the success of the journey.  While the ship’s captain has tremendous abilities and training pertaining to navigation and the function of their ship, their knowledge of specific ports cannot be compared to the port’s pilot.  The pilot is truly an expert of their home port.  They must know and memorize in great detail all of the unique features of their particular port such as water depths, tides, currents, and hazards just to name a few.  In fact, a pilot can essentially re-create an entire navigational chart for their port all from memory!  Many characteristics of an individual port must be learned over time by experience as they cannot be properly communicated by chart or book.   A ship’s staff cannot possibly acquire the enormous wealth of knowledge that a pilot has on any particular port making the role of the pilot essential.  Since pilots have so much responsibility over the lives of so many people along the enormous sum of money these vessels and their goods represent, becoming a pilot is a highly competitive process.  As a result, pilots are generally very handsomely compensated as salaries are generally well into the six figures.

Celebrity Century leaving Alesund, Norway

When I first pictured the role of a ship pilot, I imagined they boarded the ship and immediately took over the controls as an airline pilot would do.  However, in most cases, the pilot functions as an advisory role leaving the Captain of the ship with full command and responsibility over their vessel.  The crew of the ship and the pilot work in tandem to successfully navigate through the narrow, congested, and sometimes hazardous conditions that often exist at port.  On a side note, I later found out during my Panama Canal cruise that the only time that pilot actually takes control over a vessel is during the crossing of the Panama Canal.

Pilot boat leaving after picking up the pilot from the cruise ship

As in most business ventures, the primary goal is to make a profit.  Unfortunately, this profit goal is not always in harmony with safety.  Cruise and commercial shipping companies are often in a race against the clock as there is incentive to get in and out of port as quickly as possible.  By utilizing a pilot, this potential conflict of interest is immediately eliminated as the pilot, unlike the ship’s captain, is a public employee who does not report to the ship’s owner.  Safety becomes the one and only priority.  With countless ships entering and exiting ports on a daily basis around the world, it is not by luck that we rarely hear of incidents at port.

Freshcruiser Tip: Each time you leave a port, I hope you do what I do now and take a second to think about all the great and competent individuals who have dedicated their lives to ensure your safety each port at a time.

Wednesday
Jan182012

Interview with Local Skipper on the sinking of the Costa Concordia

Nautical charts of the area (depth in meters)
I recently was fortunate enough to interview Luigi Cota, Yepa Sailing Team Skipper  Managing director of Cantieri Navali del Mediterraneo (CNM) spa, who has sailed the isles of the Tuscan Archipelago countless times, which is the area where the Costa Concordia capsized on Friday night on the rocks by the island, Giglio. Cota lives in Rome, and describes the Isola del Giglio (Giglio island) as “really beautiful and has many nice coves where we go for a swim or to spend the night at anchor.” 

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Tuesday
Jan172012

The Haunting Image of the Costa Concordia

 

 

The image of the Costa Concordia on its side is one that cruisers and non-cruises alike will not forget.  This weekend, I heard so many times, did you see the ship?

Normally, whenever I see a cruise ship floating by I love to picture cruisers enjoying dinner in total relaxation and their probable excitement about the next port of call. The image of the Costa Concordia, looking distressed and unresponsive just makes me think of all the guests who were enjoying dinner on the ship and in a few minutes their vacation took a very different path. 

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