Shipping News, Part 2

Shipping Sockdolager (and ourselves) to San Francisco Bay on a container ship.

Our container ship, the M/V Hugo Schulte, leaving a straight wake in the tropics

View from wheelhouse 

Trucking the Boat to the Ship:  Our last few days in New Zealand were very pleasant.  After enjoying a nice brunch with our dear friends Alison and Stuart at the beach in Mount Manganui, we had dinner back at the boatyard with fellow yachties Robbie and Bev aboard Mersoleil.

A beachside farewell brunch with Stuart and Alison

Then it was time to get cracking.  Brian arrived with his travelift, ready to lift all ten tons of Sockdolager and her cradle and flat rack.  Our truck driver, also named Brian, arrived.  He looked at the height of our solar panel and said hmm, better measure that.  He measured it twice, then made a phone call to double-check height clearances.  Then he measured it again.  A very careful fellow, that Brian.  We liked him.

Brian the Trucking Genius

Brian concluded that the boat would be too tall, or too close by mere millimeters, to fit under some road signs and bridges if we put the boat on his rig, so he called a mate named Ian, who had a lower truckbed, and Ian said he’d be right over.  Meanwhile Brian the Travelift Genius (now you see why we had to add the titles) moved Sockdolager to the center of the Hardstand yard.

Brian the Travelift Genius

The owner of the Bridge Marina Hardstand is Bruce Goodchap, and he lived up to his  name by making sure we had everything we needed.

Bruce, a Goodchap

We noticed that Brian’s knees were far dirtier than Bruce’s, and pointed this observation out.  Jim asked Bruce, “Look at those knees, man.  Does Brian work harder than you?”  It was the perfect intro for a chivvying session over who works harder.  Bruce and Brian decided on the spot to have a dirty knees contest.  The winner is obvious, no? 

The Dirty Knees Contest

This was a great way to keep our minds off the worry that the boat would be too tall for the road, and when Ian arrived and backed his huge truck under Sockdolager with the ease that you and I only wish we could even drive forward in, we were amazed.  Brian the Trucking Genius measured the boat’s height again, and said, hmm.  He told us it’d be closer than he normally likes to see, but he planned to drive his own truck behind Ian’s to make certain we would clear each obstacle.  A last resort would be letting air out of the tires, but he was pretty sure we didn’t need to do that, and he was right. 

Precision backing was a treat to watch. 

Time for the run.  Because of a series of low overpasses, we would have to take a roundabout route, getting off the highway and then back on, then off again.  Brian invited Jim to ride with him, and he asked Ian if I could ride in the other truck.  Amazed and pleased that we were both allowed to do this, Jim and I climbed into separate cabs.  Each time Ian needed to move to the center of the road to avoid something, Brian, driving behind, moved his truck to center position first, to clear the way and keep cars from interfering with Ian’s turns. 

We got us a convoy!

As we approached the ramp taking us to a roundabout, Brian radioed Ian:  “Better stop, we need to have a closer look.”   From where I sat with thumping heart, it was impossible to tell if we were going to hit or not, and I tried to hide my nervousness.  Then we heard Brian on the radio:  “Sweet as, keep going.”  Whew.

Sockdolager squeezes under a highway sign.

 Next obstacle was a foot bridge, but we cleared it with plenty to spare. 

Sockdolager goes under the foot bridge.

 Sockdolager sailed neatly through the roundabout, got back on the highway, and headed for the next obstacle: low road signs at the exit ramp. 

"Gybing" through the roundabout

Brian cleared the way for Ian to get to the center of the road in order to make a wide left turn onto the exit ramp.  Again, we held our breaths.

Wide turn under signs to Port of Tauranga exit ramp 

We were through!  With huge relief, we drove into the Port of Tauranga, and Brian and Ian dropped us off at the gate.  Security precautions allow only authorized people on the wharf.  We waved goodbye and walked back to our hotel room.

One option could have been to cut off the stainless arch and solar panel, but what a headache it would be putting all that back together again.  When we learned that we could do a “water discharge” by crane directly from the ship into the sea at the Oakland terminal, it eliminated the need to truck the boat by road to Svenson’s Shipyard and risk even lower clearances, so we opted for that. More on the water discharge later (it was exciting.)

Boarding Day:  With tickets in hand, we were driven to the Port’s security gate by our friends Robbie and Bev, and then got into an escort van which took us to the wharf.  On foot we threaded our way along a narrow yellow pathway that avoided the work area, and walked past two long, shrink-wrapped forms.  Glancing back I was surprised to see a small group of men with America’s Cup logos on their jackets, and guessed that these white shapes were the twin hulls of another AC 74, bound for the Cup races in San Francisco Bay. 

Here’s our container ship, the M/V Hugo Schulte, home for the next 19 days.  We initially thought it was an 18-day voyage, but because there were two Wednesdays when we crossed the International Date Line, the time at sea was actually 19 days in spite of the fact that we arrived 18 days after we left New Zealand. 

Our ship at the Port of Tauranga docks 

We boarded the ship via its narrow aluminum gangway that’s designed for footsteps at all sorts of angles, and a crewmember who helped us with our bags led us to the stairwell on A deck, which is the main deck.  We climbed an internal staircase way up to G deck, which is located  just under the “Nav deck” and wheelhouse at the top.

Our cabin had the two center portholes.  

After unpacking, we were called down to the Ship’s Office, where a pleasant NZ Customs agent cleared us to leave the country.

Loading the cargo:  We settled in to watch the busy cargo loading scene from our two large portholes, located front and center to the action. 

Jim peeks from one of our cabin portholes.

We each had our own porthole!

Our own portholes!  How cool is that!

We enjoyed a last misty evening’s view through the cranes, of Tauranga and Mt Manganui, an old volcano. 

 Suddenly Bruce Goodchap and his crew sailed past on Squealer, the boat he’s racing to Fiji.  Squealer can do 17 knots.  We waved, but couldn’t tell if he saw us.

The 17-knot, hard-core ocean racer, Squealer

We were endlessly fascinated by the hustle and bustle on the wharf.  Look how high the driver is in this container transporter.  Wouldn’t you just love to drive one of these around in a Best Buy parking lot, heh, heh.

Container transporter.  White containers are refrigerated units.

And check out this guy, a hundred feet up, doing precision crane work.

Here comes the first hull of the America’s Cup catamaran.  That hold looked canyon-esque from our vantage point. 

Shrink-wrapped America's Cup AC74 hull

Workmen guide the hull in, leaving space for the next hull.

We kept watching for Sockdolager, and suddenly there she was!  Look between the wheels of that container transporter.

Sockdolager in container transporter

The transporter left, and she was ready for the crane.  Here it is lowering toward her.  There’s a yellow “spreader bar” atop the flat rack that will be used to lift her.

Ready to lift aboard!

 It locks on…

Crane locks on for lifting Sockdolager

And lifted her like a feather.  They placed her inside a hold atop some other containers.

Sockdolager is hoisted aboard.

Then, out came the spreader bar, and after a few more minutes the hold was sealed with a gigantic hatch cover that covers only 1/3 the width of the deck.  

Giant hatch cover over hold

Meanwhile, back at the America’s Cup, the second hull was coming aboard.

2nd America's Cup hull lifted aboard

The stevedores carefully stowed her next to the other hull, and those two hulls were the sole contents in a hold that can normally take about 33 containers.  What looked like the mast and foil were later hoisted aboard to be stowed amidships just forward of this hold.  Doesn't this photo look like a cubist painting?

Stowing and securing an AC74 in the hold

While all this was happening, another ship came in.  I counted at least eight ships on both sides of the river. 

Another container ship arrives at the Port of Tauranga

The tugs slid this ship into the wharf right in front of the Hugo Schulte. 

Tight fit ahead of the Hugo Schulte

Containers were stacked and then tie-rodded down.

Containers secured with tie rods and corner locks.

It rained and got dark, but operations continue 24/7 in shipping ports.  Suddenly the cargo loading was finished.  Cranes began to fold up, out of the way of the Hugo’s own cranes. 

Giant crane folds up.

Here they are, folded and out of the way.  The operators can get up and down in little 1-man elevators, and there are stairwells, too.

Cranes folded, ready for departure

Getting underway:  The wheelhouse was brightly lit until the ship was ready, then all but red night lights were turned off to ensure good visibility.  This is Captain Zoran Mufa preparing his ship for departure, with Jim and me quietly watching.

Wheelhouse of M/V Hugo Schulte

After the lights were extinguished, a curtain was drawn around the chart table so as not to interfere with night vision.  Here’s Jim in the chart area.

Chart and nav area in wheelhouse

The harbor pilot came aboard at 1:15 am, and a pair of tugs began to work us away from the wharf.

Tugs pull ship away from wharf. 

We looked astern for a last goodbye.

View aft from bridge

We’re underway, very slowly but picking up speed.

Leaving the wharf

Two tugs escorted us down the channel in the darkness.

Tug escort down the channel

The channel twisted and turned, and we listened raptly as the pilot gave helm orders that were repeated by the helmsman.  Buoys passed close by, and Mount Manganui slid past.  When we reached the open sea at outside the harbor, the pilot boat came alongside the partially lowered boarding ladder.

Pilot boat approaches in darkness.

Around 3:00 am the pilot climbed down the rope ladder hanging off the metal one, and leaped aboard the pilot boat.  It sped off to guide the next waiting ship into the harbor. 

Pilot climbs down gangway to jacob's ladder and waiting boat. 

Good weather followed us to sea, and we enjoyed the view from our cabin.

At sea.  View from our porthole. 

How about a little tour of our cabin?  Here’s the main area.

Owner's cabin.  We brought charts to do our own navigation, for fun. 

And here’s the same space seen from another angle.

And here is a view of the head and the bedroom.  Simple but comfortable accommodations.  Single cabins are studio-style.

Head and bedroom

To get to the galley and officer’s mess where we take our meals, you descend 5 decks.  There aren’t any elevators.  Our legs got lots of exercise. 

We immediately set up our handheld GPS and laptop with Open CPN charting software, and began plotting the course both electronically and on paper.  It’s fun, and for a couple of sailors, necessary to know where we are.

Plotting each day's run. 

That’ll do it for this post because there are so many photos to share that it would be much too long for one blog post.  More on life aboard a container ship coming very shortly in Part 3, and on our adventures with the water discharge in Oakland in Part 4.  Stay tuned!

Safe in San Francisco Bay

What an adventure!  Can't wait to share it!  We are docked in Alameda at Svensons and will post more info with photos shortly.  Thanks everyone for the comments and emails.
Best,
Karen and Jim

New Zealand to San Francisco, Day 16-19

Day 16 Sunday, June 2, 2013
1025 Position: Latitude 24 00.6 N, Longitude 126 27.5 W
Speed 15.7, Course 049,
Barometer 1012, Weather: Overcast, big swell
Total miles run: 4517

Our longitude this morning is even with Nootka Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island! The seas are much bigger today—at least 3-4 meters—and the ship sways noticeably, especially at the top of this inverse pendulum, the superstructure where our cabins are. It's also cloudy and cool. There has been a weather system off San Francisco with winds in the 35-knot range, according to the weather forecast. What we're seeing here, 690 miles off Ensenada, Mexico, is probably swell that's been traveling down from the north.

We're plotting our course each day on the same chart we used for our first crossing. How straight and fast it is compared to that course we sailed a little over a year ago! The differences are huge in modes of travel; in our first crossing, starting in March 2012, we zigzagged under sail across the Pacific according to the big wind belts of the Northeast and Southeast Trades. We sat becalmed for days, and crawled through doldrums. Though we made great time in the first two weeks, we averaged only two knots of speed in our last three weeks, and called 50 miles a good day's run. Sometimes we went only ten miles in 24 hours. Once we went 16 miles backwards on an adverse current. The sea tossed and rolled us at will.

In this crossing, we are on an immense behemoth of a ship that can largely (but not completely) ignore the wind belts, and we're passengers rather than participants. We have 340-mile days. The sleep is plentiful, and the navigation (for us) is voluntary. Although it feels necessary for us to know exactly where we are on the planet so we can track our voyage, the two crossings can be compared only superficially. In the first, we crossed the Pacific under sail, in a little bobbing cork of a boat. In the second, we are riding across the Pacific under power, on a schedule in which our arrival times are coordinated exactly to the hour. We feel the rumble of the great propeller turning, and when seas crash into the bow, we feel it shrug them off as the ship shudders.

Both modes are equally valid, though some crew think what we did on our little Sockdolager was "dangerous." We point out in turn, that when you follow the wind belts and seasons to stay out of certain areas during tropical revolving storm season, or stay out of higher latitudes in winter, that it is perhaps not so dangerous as keeping to a schedule that puts you in those iffy areas in the wrong season.

This is much the same weather as we had leaving Mexico, only better. We recall lots of rain and 30+ knot winds and 3-4 meter seas. We recall endless hard rolling and wet sailing, but never once did we feel that the boat couldn't take it. And although we got tired and frustrated, we're glad we did it.

After dinner last night I (K) taught Oleksandr, the Second Officer, how to tie a turk's head mat using the golden cord we were given by the First Officer to make Neptune's epaulets. He had requested a lesson, and was a fast learner.

Afternoon: Seas are getting bigger. 4 meter waves are common, with some higher. Lots of ship shuddering and a surprising amount of pitching at the bow. Big crashes of foam hurtle off the sides as the bow comes down, but they still aren't big enough to sweep over the bow.


Day 17 Monday, June 3, 2013
1025 Position: Latitude 28 34.7 N, Longitude 121 24.2 W
Speed 18, Course 047,
Barometer 1011, Weather: Overcast, cool
Total miles run: 5234

Yesterday evening we 3 passengers enjoyed pre-dinner cocktails in the Captain's cabin, along with some sparkling conversation. We were having such a good time and laughing so much that we almost missed dinner! Later after dinner, Jim and I walked up to the bow to watch and film the foaming maelstrom created by the ship's passage through the seas.

Seas are much improved this morning, and by 1300 we are doing 16 knots in relative calm of a well-spaced 2-meter swell. I can feel Mexico on the horizon, and hope we'll be able to go ashore in search of tacos and to fracture some more Spanish. This morning we saw our first ship, off the starboard bow, headed south, probably for the Panama Canal. We plan to post photos of this voyage as soon as we can after arriving in Oakland.

We will be in Bahia Ensenada around daybreak tomorrow to meet the pilot, tied up at the docks by 0730, and underway again by 1300, for San Francisco Bay. The ship will quickly unload and load some cargo.

Arrival in the pilot area outside the Golden Gate Bridge is scheduled for Thursday morning around 0515, and Jim and I wouldn't miss it for the world. Being high up on the ship's bridge as we go under the Golden Gate Bridge will be a thrill.



Day 18 Tuesday, June 4, 2013
0730 to 1200 Position: Ensenada, Mexico
Weather: Cool, cloudy

What a treat to awaken at 0515 to see the lights of land after 18 days at sea! The dry brown mountains of Ensenada Mexico welcomed us as the dawn revealed their contours, and the ship slowed down to receive the two pilots, who guided us through the narrow channel to the harbor, where our two tugs waited.

Customs boarded and cleared us by 0800 (I recognized the Banjercito lady from when we first cleared in November 2011,) and, because the time in port was compressed to an earlier departure than previously scheduled, we had two and a half hours to roam the town. After stocking up at the Mercado with our favorite Mexican foods, we wandered around looking at all the closed shops, until we came to the marina at Baja Naval. We looked for any cruising boats we might know, but saw none. It must be a slow time. We had asked the First, Second and Third Officers if they wanted anything from ashore (no crew were able to get ashore due to the short time in port) and all three asked for Mexican-themed refrigerator magnets for their wives, who evidently collect them. After a short search we found some decent ones. It's nice to know that these three souvenirs will be enjoyed on refrigerators in the Ukraine and Russia.

A fine breakfast of tacos and burritos at a friendly local cantina, and soon it was time to get back to the ship. We met Barbara in town at a prearranged time, and piled into a taxi, which dropped us at the Port's main gate. Our identities were verified and we piled into a van, which dropped us at a second gate, where our identities were again verified. A golf cart arrived, and we piled in like a football team stuffing a phone booth, which caused much merriment among the work crews we passed. A pleasant chat with a serene Mexican security guard at the gangway who said, "God bless you!" and we re-boarded the ship. We love Mexico and its people. The Hugo Schulte got underway shortly after noon, and we are now at sea again, steaming north toward San Francisco Bay.

This evening we invited the Captain and Chief Engineer to our cabin for some real Mexican tortilla chips, salsa and dark beer. If they couldn't get ashore, we could at least bring a bit of Old Mexico back to them. One more full day at sea, and we will arrive at the pilot station off San Francisco Bay around 0400 Thursday morning. The time has been moved up, so we may be going under the Golden Gate Bridge in early morning darkness.


Day 19 Wednesday, June 5, 2013
0830 Position: Latitude 33 56.6 N, Longitude 120 59.6 W
Speed 20.5, Course 328,
Barometer 1014, Weather: Overcast, cool
Total miles run: 5829

It's our last full day at sea for now; we arrive in Oakland tomorrow morning. We're finally in US waters, off the Southern California coast. It's the first time in 18 months, and it feels good to be nearing our home. I (K) am reminded, after a long stretch of open blue water with its endless opportunities for reading, reflection, contemplation and quiet strolls, of how normal it has come to feel being out here at sea. I'm also reminded, after yesterday's pleasant 2 ½ hour jaunt into Ensenada, of how much psychic adjustment is needed to rearrange oneself to the jarring contrasts of land. But we are land creatures, no matter how much we admire the whale. We have roots in our community, no matter how much we admire the migratory bird. And we are happy about our decision to come home, no matter how much we've enjoyed the adventure. There will be more adventures to come; the maze of islands and inlets from Puget Sound to Alaska awaits us, as do salmon, crabs and halibut!

We think often about our friends who've continued on, to Fiji, Australia, and back to French Polynesia, and we're happy for them to be sailing in warm tropical seas. I'm sure that in the coming journey north, when the wind howls and it's foggy and cold, that there will be times when we miss the tropics, especially our favorite places: Fakarava; Bora Bora; Aitutaki. And New Zealand. And Mexico's Sea of Cortez. What fabulous places. But homecomings are sweet because everything becomes new again. As G.K. Chesterton once said, "The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one's own country as a foreign land."

We look forward to reunions with friends in the San Francisco Bay area, and then to setting off again, to sail north. To round Cape Mendocino, to work our way up the California, Oregon and Washington coasts while seeing what we missed on the way down. To round the corner at Neah Bay, and sail past Seal Rock and the Pillars, down the Strait of Juan de Fuca, with Canada's Vancouver Island in sight to our north. To sight the Olympic Mountains at last, and then the snow-capped volcanoes of Mt Baker and Mt Adams, then Discovery Bay, and round Point Wilson to see Port Townsend. And later, to continue our peripatetic perambulation under sail, being reminded of that wonderful saying by Anatole France: Wandering re­establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe.

We will write more (and respond to email) after we arrive and have the boat safely unloaded and at the dock.

New Zealand to San Francisco, Day 13-15

Day 13Thursday, May 30, 2013
1010 Position: Latitude 11 40.4 N, Longitude 138 00.9 W
Speed 13.4, Course 048,
Barometer 1010, Weather: Cloudy, hazy sunshine, warm
Total miles run: 3850

A squally afternoon and evening yesterday with lots of headwind causing bigger swells and whitecaps. This morning is brighter but still hazy. It was too cloudy at the horizon to see the constellation Southern Cross last night; only a few stars high up were visible. It was noticeably cooler today, though still warm.

We have learned so much about how container ships operate; it's been fascinating. When we arrive in Oakland, a Planning Agent will board immediately, to discuss the offloading of cargo. Since we are owners of one of the cargo aboard, we will find out then what time they plan to fetch Sockdolager from her hold. We are hoping to finalize the arrangements soon, but the plan is that our friends and fellow Dana 24 owners Chris Humann (correct spelling, no relation) and Laurence Boag will meet us with Laurence's boat and deliver us to Sockdolager as she is lowered into the water. They will also bring fuel as we had to run the tank very close to empty in preparation for shipping. Both have been working on the details of getting all the paperwork and arranging done, and we are very grateful to them.

Passengers on container ships are responsible for finding their own entertainment. Being cruising sailors, we have had no difficulty with that, and in fact still have things we haven't done yet. It is helpful that we have a dvd player in our room and have been able to watch some movies as well as the HBO series Deadwood (for the second time). We've been going for walks around the ship to photograph all sorts of cool shapes, sizes and colors of mechanical equipment, pulleys, wheels, winches and hatches, and it's amazing how artsy and fun some of the photos are! I call it "Industrial Chic."

Passengers are also responsible for their own time on land, the main challenge being to be back aboard ship before departure time. These ships cannot wait for passengers who are late. Since we have only a few—8 or less—hours in Mexico next week, we plan to be careful about the time, if we are allowed ashore by Mexican customs and immigration. There is a lot of paperwork in Mexico, we have to expect that its volume and time investment may preclude going ashore. But we can almost hear the plaintive call of the wild tacos… Oh, to have Margaritas with Deb and Don on Buena Vista again! We originally met them in Mexico and became friends as we crossed paths all the way across the Pacific to New Zealand. They are living and working in Australia now.

Spent a pleasant evening visiting with both Captain Zoran and Chief Engineer Lawrence in their cabins, and talking about history, politics, customs, similarities and differences between the US and Croatia, and the US and Romania.

The seas are up; probably 3 meters, and the wind is 20+ knots. Classic trade wind conditions. The sea has also changed color, from that bottomless clear tropical greenish-blue to an opaque sea-blue.



Day 14Friday, May 31, 2013
1020 Position: Latitude 15 51.2 N, Longitude 134 20.8 W
Speed 12.5, Course 042,
Barometer 1012, Weather: Squally, sunny blue sky between cloud banks; warm. Later: Sunny, windy, partly cloudy.
Total miles run: 4181 Same number of miles to go to Ensenada as to Oakland: 1316

We moved the clocks ahead one hour last night. We are now only an hour or two off the Pacific Time Zone. It's squally this morning, and cooler. Rain beats on our portholes, and our response is to yawn and make coffee. Jeez, we hope our cruising friends at sea aren't reading this, we don't want to rub it in! The email we have aboard ship does not let us access our regular gmail or winlink accounts, so if anyone has sent us a note we will read it when we get to Oakland, on June 6.

By late morning we are "beating" into a vigorous trade wind with lots of whitecaps, and it shows in our speed.

The cook, Marlon, has done an outstanding job so far, and the food is hearty and "home-cooked." Because the officers are used to European-style cuisine, lunch is never sandwiches or light fare; it's a full meal, with salad, soup, meat or fish with vegetables and potatoes, pasta or rice, sometimes with dessert. Dinner is also a full meal but rarely with dessert. The quality of the meals is even more amazing having recently found out that the budget for food is $7.50 per person per day total. You must be at each meal at the correct time or you will miss it, though snacks are available from the galley fridge. Since the main meal of the day is lunch, and since breakfast is also a cooked affair unless you opt for cereal, we tend to skip breakfast and have just the two meals. We make coffee in our cabin; I have a granola bar and Jim has his beloved Pop-tarts [note from Jim: the Pop-tarts are now gone and I am reduced to Woolworths oven baked fruit bars, a reasonable substitute, but not really coming close to the fine flavor and texture of a P-T, fresh from its foil wrapper]. I prefer to have smaller meals more spread out through the day, but we are thriving as long as we exercise, which is easy on a ship with so many stairs.

Yesterday the soup was a deep red, and RJ the Steward said, "It's Borscht, the famous Russian soup." It was delicious, though when the Russian officers tried it they said it was Filipino borscht and very different from Russian borscht. Filipino borscht? Who knew?



Day 15Saturday, June 1, 2013
1020 Position: Latitude 20 01.8 N, Longitude 134 27.5 W
Speed 14.8, Course 041,
Barometer 1013, Weather: Cloudy, cooler (it's 70 degrees) cooler, occasional showers
Total miles run: 4517

The seas are more spaced out and less wind-whipped this morning, but they aren't getting smaller. Under this cloud deck the ocean is shades of pewter and slate-blue. The Captain said the water temperature is down to 70 degrees, from 86 a few days ago.

"It is interesting that now we view distances in latitudes instead of miles, like, we're only 14 degrees from home," I said, as we crossed the 24th parallel.

Yesterday at dinner Barbara had us all in hysterics with her story of being in the swimming pool enjoying a nice quiet afternoon swim, and slowly realizing the water was disappearing: the pool was being drained. She ended up standing in ankle-deep water wondering, "What the hell just happened?" She told the amused officer's mess, "You wouldn't believe how fast that pool can drain!" A couple hours later she looked in and it was full again. The water is not filtered like a regular pool, so it has to be changed every other day.

The fire alarms were tested today, and we can report that they work extremely well.

Pizza night tonight!