Le Havre, France, North Sea to Hamburg City, Germany

Friday 15th February 2013

Day 21

I wake at nearly midnight and Roy is dressed. He has gone down for a cup of tea. We are docking. He goes outside and I take pictures from the porthole. It is freezing. 

Moon rises with dawn in English Channel.

Nothing seems to be happening and we go back to bed. I wake at 3:30am and check outside. Ginette is also taking a quick peep out the door, but we just smile. We have arrived. We must be sensitive to the changes of the beat of the ship.

Roy checks our arrival at Le Havre.

The huge cranes have removed all the outside layer of containers that were blocking our stern porthole. I can see down to the level of the hold cover. I take pictures as the cranes move the containers and dump them directly onto the wharf. This is different to Singapore and Port Kelang where each container was loaded onto the back of trucks. Here at Le Havre they have individual mobile container lifters, hoists, that maneuver over the container on the ground, lock and lift it then trundle off with it to the designated storage space on the wharf and lift it into position. It seems that every thing here moves much faster. A lift takes a minute per container. 

Straddle cranes are used instead of trucks.

I watch as the hold cover is removed and then the deep hold is emptied layer by layer, first on the port side and then on the starboard. 

Hold cover is removed.

Every few minutes I take a progress image until the hold is empty. 

Best view from the warmth of our cabin.

We are both fascinated and Roy goes down to get another tea. He then goes back to sleep until 7am. I also need to lie down, so catch up on my diary entry. At about 6am the activity of unloading stops. 

Pretty sight over the Le Havre port.

We both fall asleep until we suddenly wake, dress and head down to breakfast. Ginette is just coming back up. She just talks about not eating. We have no idea if she has been organised at all. As we enter the mess, Vido is talking to a newcomer. We greet but are not introduced. They talk in Croatian. He must be a regular because from his seat he calls, peremptorily, to Gary who is in the kitchen "More cheese!" It is surprisingly rude as we have usually seen good manners with the crew. Gary asks if we are going ashore but we think not. He also asks if we have an ID pass. Yes that has been arranged. I eat and Roy waits for me.  As the Captain comes to the mess, in his uniform, we get up to return to our room. He says that a journalist had arrived on board this morning to take pictures for French TV. He says we are in the news but doesn't explain further. He seems pleased. Ginette stands at her door and is packed. There is little to say, except goodbye and Bon Voyage. She is ready. Roy sits at the porthole to watch and I have taken lots of images of the successive layers as the hold is emptied. Roy is very tired and he lies down to sleep. It has been a very disturbed night. I let him sleep.  I put on my warm cashmere coat, thick socks, find the gloves and my hat (in my green coat pocket) and go outside. Now the crane starts up again and I watch a very small container being delivered to the wharf. 

20 foot container delivered by straddle crane. 

Then another beside it, repositioning and finally the monstrous quay crane lifts it in to the open, empty hold. The crane driver bangs it against the side of the hold as he lowers this tiny box. If there was any glass improperly wrapped it would be smashed. It is tucked into the very forward corner. The crane then returns for the other tiny (from my height) 20 ft container and fluffs the pickup. Maybe he has seen me taking lots of images, as I am standing right where his control cabin comes past, and it has made him nervous. I cross to the port side to image the non-active side of the ship. Instead of a busy bustling town with the river and roads full of traffic, it is a quiet, peaceful waterway with just birds and water stretching away into the distance. We are contained in a long breakwater that stretches to the distance forward and we are up against the end of the waterway to the stern. A cul-de-sac. As I head back to our room, Ginette thinks I might be going ashore but we won't be able to get permission. I have to lie down as I have been upright for too long. At 9:15am I hear voices and presume Ginette is leaving. Though there is nothing more to say, I get up. Gary is now in Milos' room and he sees me as I go outside again. Aren’t you going ashore? I don't think there's time. What time do we sail? I don't know. He tells me Ginette has just left and the taxi has gone. I hope all goes well for her and she returns home safely. I look outside and another small car parks by the ship's hull. I notice that the stern hold covers are being replaced. A man ascends the gangway. Maybe this is the business man or agent who arrives to sell phones to the Filipino crew. Victor explained late last night, on the bridge, that these phones enable the crew to make phone calls home. A range of phones are displayed and they pay. It is cheaper this way and they can call while they are in port. I wonder why they don't just buy a sim card for their own mobiles but perhaps these are throw away, single use items. It is fascinating to learn these things. I lie down again. When Roy wakes, we sit and watch the activity on the quay. I rug up warm to go outside. I get better pictures than through the window. 

One man operator in t-shirt despite cold. 

. . . much more manageable than trucks.

Roy joins me and we watch a team of men and machines working on a blocked off section of road between the the stacked waiting containers. Two containers have been positioned at either end as barricades, just like toy building blocks. We realise that this is the road repair crew, for tarmac replacement on damaged sections. Water is put over a damaged, dented area. Then a green covered, tilt truck lifts its back section and two men with wheel barrows have them filled with black heaps of granulated tar. This is deposited onto the damage and then a mini streamroller flattens it over in a puff of hot stream. They move on to a new section and work progresses surprisingly fast. 

Cranes working all in a row.

Tarmac repair crew.

I watch as one of the dinky toy cranes, tries to enter the road way, realises it is blocked and slams to a halt. It rocks back and forth on its double sets of six wheels. It backs up and finds another way to cross. We decided to check the bridge and go up the outside stairs. There is a chain across the wing bridge top section. It is obviously out-of-bounds and we don't cross. After a short period looking forward over the bow we decided to visit the bridge internally. I need a cabin visit and discard the coat, hat and gloves. Inside it is too warm with the air-conditioning keeping a constant temperature. We walk up the stairs and enter the bridge. We are surprised to find the bridge is completely deserted. This is the first time this has happened to us. We were always welcomed on entry and so we are not prepared to find it deserted. There is no-one on watch. Maybe this is normal when in port. Perhaps everyone is sleeping, or gone ashore? There is no map on the chart table, the radar screen shows just our position at berth. 

Our berth at Le Havre.

We stand and watch the continuing activity, the departure of another huge container ship and the concurrent arrival of a smaller coastal barge. There are no tugs. We notice that the sinuous curve of the breakwater is to accommodate the turning circle of any large ships. 

A ship departs without using tugs.

To our stern in the misty distance, over the river flats on the southern bank of this river, there is a very elegant bridge. There is hardly any traffic. Just an occasional container truck crossing either north or south. We see there is also a train servicing this port, each container lodged in its own cradle bed. I notice that the alarm system has been set for the pilot entry doors. Luckily Roy did not trigger this when he attempted to go outside. It must be a security measure when in port. We decided to go back down. A Port Operation Report for Port Kelang gives logistics details.

Container off, on and empty at Port Kelang.

I see on the wall as we exit a laminated sheet with a gallery of passport photos; a copy of all the crew members. This will enable me to name each crew correctly when I eventually write up my blog. 

All crew are imaged
named and identified.

. . . both officers and crew.

It is important to get this right if I am to share the link with the Maris Freighter Cruise website. I am certain these men will want me to be accurate. I am thrilled to get this on my camera. A picture tells so much more than words. We both rest waiting for our noon dinner hour. :::: I watch more of the outside activity because everything is new and interesting. The carelessness of the workers on the hold cover as a container is positioned, misses its place and jolts is frightening to watch. They work with this danger every day. It seems stupid to use one's hand to guide a loaded container when a crane driver is so rough and crashes so often, as these I've seen. 

A form of manual handling.

We rest some, with Roy taking a glass of red wine, "as an appetizer" and then head to B deck for lunch. We met Milos showing the new guy around, in our corridor; lockers, equipment, etc. Roy guesses this is the chief officer to replace Milos in Hamburg. So it appears that Milos will not be leaving us yet. We arrive first in the mess. We have no fellow passenger joining us after Ginette went ashore. Milos brings his new man to the officers’ table. We are not introduced. I hear this man rudely tell Gary, "I already told you, no red meat." Perhaps he is vegetarian. I see he piles his plate with carrots, mashed potatoes and coleslaw. This will be a challenge for the chef. It must be necessary to establish the hierarchy of authority on board and the chief officer is second to the Captain. We don't say much and just listen quietly. Men have a different way of communicating. I again go out to watch the happenings. It is a never-ending stream of interesting stuff. I watch a blue plastic covered, non-container package on a base being prepared and loaded; it is huge. This interesting anomaly takes me up the stairs to the next deck level for a better view. I watch it being lowered into the port hold. 

A container holds special attachments.

. . . and the pallet is slung aboard.

A rocky landing.

Discharge of our onboard rubbish.

Overhead cranes rise for departure. 

Descending by lift, driver exits.

It is freezing outside. Once again I also rest and do puzzles. Obviously we are not running on schedule and the idea that this ship was leaving at noon is incorrect. It now seems that Joey's estimate of the total berth time was accurate. We are sorry that we didn't get the chance to go ashore. Sometimes it feels as if the information we receive is filtered. I progress to extreme killer Sudoku. Roy sleeps until almost 4pm then reads again. He doesn't want to play a game or do anything but he is 'a bit bored'. It is truly remiss that we were not notified of the loading delay. We definitely would have gone into town for a few hours. :::: He pours himself a gin and tonic. I decided that as the ship is steady, I can do a TaiChi practice. It goes very well. We both go out on the outside deck to see how close we are to departing. We rug up with our jackets, it feels good though very fresh. The two bow cranes are still working and are being fed more containers and the hold covers are still off. There are some containers still placed on the quay as if waiting to be loaded. It is almost dinner time and we head inside. We discard our coats, and we head to the lift. At the last minute I remember the thermos and return to collect it for refill. We are a few minutes early and first at the table. All the officers come in with the usual, Bon Appetit greeting. Milos is not in the group. The new man takes Milos' usual seat. There is a certain tension between this newly created set of males. Again the food issue surfaces with Gary. We cannot understand their words. When Milos does join them he seems ill at ease at the head of the table. I notice the three officers are wearing their uniforms and I note the different epaulettes. The Captain has his golden stripes with a circle closest to the collar. Milos has the three bars. The new man has a different overlaying swirl which might mean he has a different ranking, higher or lower, is not obvious. Roy asks Gary for lemons to put in his gin and tonic. We leave and return to our room. I lie down and Roy puts on the Shantaram recording. I help him find the right episode. :::: We enjoy one episode but by the second I am dozing off. We both get up at 8pm when we notice we have just left the harbour, there are lights along the coast with a tower but it is difficult to image. We settle down to sleep. It was a disturbed night and uncertain day. Despite not being active we both sleep well.

Saturday 16th February 2013

Day 22

I wake at 3am and there is a sign of distant coast. It may even be just ships’ lights. It is foggy and difficult to discern even with binoculars. I snuggle in bed and read Les Mis. I doze again until 6am. I have a shower and Roy follows me. While Roy is showering, I attempt to connect to onshore reception as we are so close. I had no luck when we were docked at Le Havre. This time I reboot the phone and register with the only reception offered, BASE. It takes too long, so we go down for breakfast. When we return I connect to the Dutch reception and there are three choices. We have crossed the invisible boundary. I get two bars and quickly send an sms to the children in Australia. Just a quick note with a promise of an email. I gather together the washing load, as Roy is down to his last clean shirt. I set this off. Our son sends an immediate reply message which is great! I am thrilled to get his sms. The reception drops out. It will be hit and miss I expect along the coast. Roy and I head up to the bridge to find out where we are. Joey and Raul are on duty. I ask Raul the name of one of the men. It is an able seaman, Edilberto, who also stays on bridge. This way I learn of the make-up of the officers on duty. Milos and Ereneo (whom I misnamed Ariola) have the 12 midnight to 4am, Joey and Raul have the 8am to 12 noon, while Rico and Captain have 12 noon to 4pm.  The other men are able seaman. They are available to fetch and carry, perform backup duties so that the officers never leave the bridge during their shift. So even at this late stage of our journey I am still sorting out the crew. They are very knowledgeable and have extensive experience. We are just level with the entrance to the Europort, Maas River exit which is also the Hoek of Holland. We were not aware of this before. The sandbars around the Netherlands coast are all marked in Dutch, on the chart. I am surprised that neither Joey, not even the Captain, seem to actually recognise the Rotterdam entry on the chart, when I asked. This is one of the major ports which, admittedly we are only passing now to reach Hamburg, but I would have expected the officers to know its configuration on sight. Perhaps they are too busy with more important duties than to satisfy one curious passenger. We make a hot drink and watch the many ships in sight. It is overcast, wet and cold. Captain comes on the bridge and I ask about our intention to go ashore in Hamburg. We were disappointed about yesterday but he explains they are very much behind schedule now. It is the travel that delays, not the port loading. I thought maybe it was related to cargo changes. I note on the ships ETA monitor that Hamburg arrival might be 1:30am, but Captain thinks maybe even later. Joey is chatty today. He tells about his 19yo son, at university but thinking of changing his degree from hospitality to lawyer. This conversation is a way of him discussing his concerns. He bought investment property 8 years ago now sold at inflation profit to pay for son's education. Roy asks about retirement for him. In Philippines recommended age is 60yo but only US$200 per month. We explain changes in Aus, with pension being phased out. 67.5 years for me but by our children's retriement age, it'll be gone, no government pension. Now we must manage our own private superannuation. This is also so in Philippines but invested by government not private. They go bankrupt on paper. I tell Joey how the young do not appreciate the lengths we go to, to support them. He says, they expect this, and more, as a right. So true when they don't see how impossible it is for so many less fortunate. We are not so different. I go downstairs from the bridge to prepare to write an email. Roy returns to our cabin to read and rest. I talk to Captain Darko, in the office, about going ashore tomorrow at Hamburg. The port agent will maybe arrange a shuttle bus to the seaman's club. From there we can easily take a taxi to town. I ask when he will be leaving the ship; probably on the 18th. He, his Chief Officer, Milos, his Chief Engineer, Zoran, and Reefer, Dario, will all be leaving. We will have a whole new bridge crew except for the Filipinos. These are never allowed to disembark at European ports. I go onto the computer and begin composing an email from the North Sea. On the desk is the ETA paperwork for FAL. This shows yesterday's departure from Le Havre which is accurate. I note that the expected time to reach berth at Hamburg isn't until 9am tomorrow morning. This ties in with Captain Darko's veiled prediction that, "it might be even later." This is a tidal river and entrance can only be managed at high water. I take an image with my camera of this schedule. This probably means a delay for Southampton also. I check the schedule and now our expected arrival at Southampton is at 2am on 23rd February. 

ETA schedule for upcoming ports.

I write a very long, long descriptive email about the port activities, Ginette's leaving, our disappointment at not going ashore, and other minutiae about our trip on the freighter. It is not your normal viewing of the ocean or a port and we are truly grateful for this opportunity. It takes a long time to compose the email. I return to our cabin after an hour of writing. The Captain has been in with Ereneo to discuss paperwork. He says, as I pass, a long email. I had to write news since Gibraltar. I check the washing on the way down and set off another low temperature drying. It takes longer but the other settings are too hot and also one must wait for the barrel to cool before the door can be opened. Roy is sitting at the window. He brought down packets of crackers from the bridge, as a snack. The pear, mandarin, cantaloupe are also gone. He informs me that he also ate the white chocolate. It is almost lunchtime and he may spoil his appetite. Our daughter sends an sms and she has people to dinner. I reply quickly to explain we're off to lunch. Roy is very impatient. I tell her I've sent an email so that they'll check their inbox and share our news. We head down to the mess. I take the stairs. I arrive first and chat to Vido. This is his first time on this line so he doesn't know any of the crew from before, nor this new crew coming on, at Hamburg. I have fish soup, which is a new offering. I wonder if this is in keeping with the new chief officer's demand for no red meat. I take the stairs again. It is slower but good exercise. I lie down and catch up on my diary. Writing this as well as sharing news in emails can be very repetitive. I've had no chance to do any puzzles today. I'm off to check the washing first.  :::: Washing needs a longer time then I fold and stow. We both rest during the afternoon. Roy falls asleep. We travel the North Sea and approach Hamburg through thick, thick fog. I watch as a Maersk container ship slips behind us. She is the Estelle Maersk and I try to capture her on our porthole frame, with the oily, flat and still ocean surface. Suddenly she is swallowed up in the fog and disappears from sight. Our ship's foghorn sounds over and over, so it is a precaution. I watch as she reappears once but then we are in thick, impenetrable fog all afternoon. 

Watching traffic on the North Sea.

When Roy wakes we make a lukewarm coffee, from the thermos, which is not very good. Roy pours himself a gin and tonic. We put on our warm jackets, gloves and hats to watch the foggy scenery. There are many oil rig platforms. We go to dinner and are definitely going ashore tomorrow morning. After dinner we do go up to the bridge to check our position and expected arrival time. It is dark and there is nothing to see. Joey is on duty. We will arrive in the night. We go to bed quite early and listen to Shantaram. This is relaxing and we can share this with eyes closed. I must have missed hearing some when it stops we are both ready to sleep. I check outside and there are close coastal lights. Maybe we are entering the river leading to the port. We don't even know its name. We sleep until 11:30pm. Roy has been up. Every so often I get up to check the view. It varies, from lights from a huge city, to distant lights on a far off shore. I don't understand our position. We both believe the river entry is a long one. We periodically get up during the night getting very little deep sleep. We are both somewhat nervous about tomorrow's onshore visit to Hamburg.

Sunday 17th February 2013

Day 23

We get up at 3am and still the lights are visible but the river bank continues to fade into the far distance so this river is huge in places. At 6am I finally decide to get ready for breakfast. We hope to sort emigration and go ashore at about 9am. Milos was very positive about the value of visiting the Hamburg market, which he called the fish market. He is certain it is on Sunday. This is the Hamburg flea market, which he believes opens at 10am. We are excited about this. We both dress appropriately for the boat for now. We have our usual breakfast and Gary is enthusiastic about our shore visit also. It is a beautiful city.  He has worked in the past for passenger cruises and was allowed shore leave then. This company has a policy of no European shore leave for its Filipino and Indian crew. This must be hard for them. After breakfast we go up to the bridge. First I put on my woollen trousers and the leggings underneath. We will be walking more than usual today. On the bridge there are numerous new men. These are the local pilot crew. It is freezing outside. We are just about to enter the docking area. I take many photos of the shore architecture. 

A fork in the River Elbe, Hamburg.

It is misty and beautiful. We are so privileged to see it from this vantage point without being in a 'job'. This port of Hamburg is absolutely huge. We are fortunate to watch the precision of the command pilot as he issues the command necessary to spin this gigantic vessel, Thalassa. In the turning circle we are spun on the ship's own centre point with gobsmacking exactitude. Both Roy and I just watch in amazement. Our Captain is there, on the bridge, as well as Joey, and three other German 'pilots'. The new Chief Officer is also present. Milos comes up too, in his civilian clothes. He is very relaxed and ready to fly home. He tells us his flight is at 1700 hours, so he will go ashore at 1400.  I take images all the while. When Joey does not seem too busy, I ask him to point on the chart where we are actually docking. He shows me precisely using the coordinates on the depth sounder. Milos also tells us about this town, pointing in the direction of the central Hamburg stadt. He is very helpful, explaining that once we are taken by port shuttle bus from the ship to the port gate we can easily walk to the Seaman's Club, just 10 minutes towards the right. He points it out to us. He talks about crossing the river by a tunnel. He advises us to remember this terminal's name as there are many. The return will be to this Burchardkai Terminal. I see it marked on all the cranes. And do we listen well, but it is all just words without meaning. 

The ship is spun on her axis, using tugs and thrusters.

Our Captain has also tried to explain about the Seaman's Club. It seems they are extremely helpful there. We will just have to learn as we go. We continue to watch as our ship is expertly reversed back, up the river and gently docked in her designated berth. 

Our berth behind us, in the mist.

We watch as the fine-tuned final movements are performed out on the starboard wing. We try to identify the yellow jacketed man using the outdoor controls. The pinched face is unfamiliar. We ask each other, if this is our Captain? Yes it is, but no, it doesn't look like him at all. 

Docking in the cold, pilot and Captain.

His tour of duty is finished.

When he finally comes back inside we see it is indeed our Captain Darko. He is smiling broadly and it is his final activity as official captain, this trip. Everyone is now shaking hands and all are very relaxed. Nobody seems to mind our presence. Milos jokes that the French journalist who interviewed the Captain, in Le Havre, made him nervous and held us up, so that we are now very much delayed. This TV program will be aired in April. It is for no particular event just a money spinning exercise. 

Chief Officer, Milos has already handed over to Nenad.

We leave the bridge and return to our cabin. It is time to get ready for our trip ashore. I make sure we have everything we might need. My handbag, ship's ID cards, phone charger, euros enough for any shopping, and we are dressed warmly. It has been a year since I last wore my winter boots. There was no need for them in Perth. I feel we are both ready. We head down to upper deck to the ship's office. Joey is there with the new chief officer. He says we must wait for emigration to arrive. We strip off our warm outer clothing and wait in the office. Milos also comes down and I ask him some more about the Seaman's Club. He shows me the pamphlet sticker on the wall. I copy down the details. Its name is Duckdalben and there’s a phone number, and email address. When Joey comes back to the office I request a ship's mobile contact phone number. He brings me a laminated ship's detail sheet and points out the number. It is a +44 number so English. I put this in my phone. Later he brings me another more recent number, this seems to have the same mobile code as my English mobile number. This I also put into my phone. We will then be able to contact the ship, if necessary. Joey tells me this mobile is carried by an officer on the ship. We wait and Roy steps outside. Gary brings a particulate percolate coffee pot with small cups and Roy pours himself one. Milos is saying his goodbyes. The emigration officers are aboard but have taken Milos, Captain Darko and the others upstairs. They are all leaving tomorrow morning. Finally, and I have been lying down on a bench while waiting, two emigration officers present themselves to us. Joey places our Australian passports on the table. The officers explain that they have taken the arrival cards which I had left inside the passports when we handed them to Ereneo, on our first day aboard. If we are going ashore in Bremerhaven, we must make sure that emigration stamp our passport with an exit stamp. Otherwise this might cause problems when we arrive at the next port of call. I ask what would happen if despite our plan to visit at Bremerhaven it doesn't occur. These men both look surprised at this question. I want to be sure we do not leave Germany without an exit stamp. Awkward things do happen. They both agree, it would be best that on leaving Hamburg we should get an exit stamp then receive a new entry and exit stamp at Bremerhaven. This will then cover all possibilities. This seems to please everyone except of course it means extra emigration officers visits to the ship. Joey tells us we must return the passports to him when we leave Hamburg. Now we are free to leave. We ask Raul, who is in the office with the new chief officer if we can get a shuttle bus ordered. He is immediately on the phone and so we put our coats on. All this time, we have had no conversation with our new chief officer. I return to the office and walk up to him. I put out my hand, "My name is Anna" and ask his name. He smiles at last and finally introduces himself. "Naned, I'm sorry, it's been very busy." He spells it and holds out his hand to Roy. This breaks the ice and the awkwardness disappears. We go out the ship's door and stand ready to descend the gang way.

Click to see YouTube video of this part of our travel:
Le Havre, France to Hamburg, Germany

Ship's office on U deck.
Command centre in dock.