Crossing the Indian Ocean

Crossing the Indian Ocean

1. Barbecue in Gulf of Aden, 2. Rafting in the Red Sea, 3. Cargo on deck, 4 and 5. Emergency drill, UNABLE TO POST PHOTOS. WILL POST LATER.



The following are Doug’s reflections while sailing in the Indian Ocean.

At the completion of the Canal, our pilots departed ship at 2200 and we began our three day sail down the Red Sea, a not totally interesting passage that has given rise to the composition of the Red Sea Blues and a comparison to driving across the Great Plains of North America. During this period, I reflected on the condition of the ship as I walked a daily mile or so on the main deck, fo’c’sle and poop deck and I couldn’t help but compare it to my Navy days. We no sooner had our heads shaved in boot camp when we began to be disciplined for “gear adrift”, i.e. anything not stowed properly and “Irish pennants”, loose lines or something frayed. This was not just petty discipline but meaningful training as items not properly stowed or maintained on a ship at sea can be dangerous. This apparently is not part of the training for merchant seaman as I see many items improperly stowed as well as just casual carelessness with hoisting harnesses, clothing articles, packaging from drinks or food and other items loose on deck as well as unmade lines.

While the deck discipline may not be as tight as a Navy vessel, the engine room and bridge are very professionally manned. The ship’s officers have all completed a four year university education and are very knowledgeable and responsible. I visit the bridge at least once a day to check our position and notice, in addition to conning the ship, training is also being conducted by the officers for the lower ratings. Using sun lines to correct the compass, reducing celestial sights, updating the paper chart every hour with present position and correcting charts with Notice to Mariners are daily activities. The engine spaces are immaculate, as they should be and proper watches and logs are maintained. To the credit of the deck crew, they are working constantly at sea to maintain the ship with chipping and painting and, in port, work long hours in loading and unloading cargo. With the current Master, emergency drills are conducted once each week involving both crew and passengers.

Cruising out of the Gulf of Aden, across the Arabian Sea and then the Indian Ocean past the Maldives Islands and Sri Lanka, I am amazed at the amount of traffic. On the pilot deck for an early morning walk, I count 12 ships in view! We are seldom anywhere without a ship on the radar screen if not in view of the eye. Especially as we passed fairly close to Sri Lanka and for hours were surrounded by hundreds of small fishing boats. Reflecting back on our sailboat cruising days, I recall that one of the major deterrents for me to complete a circumnavigation was the vast expanse of the Indian Ocean, which I expected to be very lonely. Of course, this route is not as expansive as our route across the Pacific Ocean but that was interrupted by many pleasant island stops. I now realize that stops in Sri Lanka, India and Oman between Singapore or Kuala Lumpur and Suez would likewise have broken up the long passage, although my prior experiences in India and Arab countries still make me think they would not have been as enjoyable as Polynesia.

Back to me:

At lunch one day, Gani was grinning from ear to ear and couldn’t wait to tell us that he’d just learned that he, and the rest of the crew members, would be going home on November 17th, when we get to Shanghai. It turns out they never know exactly how long they’ll be aboard when they’re assigned to a particular ship. They sign a nine-month contract to work and are sent out for any where from three months to nine months. This crew had been aboard since July, so mid November would be four months and they were all hoping they would be home for Christmas. After they’re home for a month, they can get reassigned to another ship but if they aren’t assigned after a month, they get paid anyway until they are assigned. Of course we’re happy for them being able to be with their families, but we’ve come to know and love each of them - especially Jonhi our great cook, and Gani who takes such good care of us. The following week, we learned that the Captain (and wife) plus all of the officers are also leaving in mid-November from Shanghai. It seems the company that hires the ship’s crew and officers is changing from Columbia to Global. They have assured us that nothing will change for the passengers but of course it will. We’ll have to get to know another new group (I sure hope they’re as much fun and like to sing and dance). We’ve decided we’ll just take over running the ship after Shanghai.

We’ve also received an updated schedule (subject to change of course) for the rest of the cruise. Two more stops have been added - San Diego and Costa Rica. Doug and I are particularly excited about stopping in San Diego even though it will be just one day, we hope to see some of our friends there.

10/14 Arrive Singapore. 10/16 Depart Singapore
10/17 Arrive Jakarta, Indonesia. 10/19 Depart Jakarta
10/19 Arrive Ciwandan, Indonesia. 10/21 Depart Ciwandan
10/23 Arrive Laem Chabang, Thailand. 10/25 Depart Laem Chabang
10/27 Arrive Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam. 10/28 Depart Ho Chi Minh City
10/30 Arrive Labuan, Malaysia. 11/1 Depart Labuan
11/6 Arrive Dalian, China 11/8 Depart Dalian, China
11/8 Arrive Xingang, China 11/12 Depart Xingang
11/14 Arrive Shanghai, China 11/17 Depart Shanghai
11/17 Arrive Qingdao, China 11/ 21Depart Qingdao
11/22 Arrive Masan, Korea 11/24 Depart Masan
11/25 Arrive Kobe, Japan 11/27 Depart Kobe
11/28 Arrive Yokohama, Japan 11/29 Depart Yokohama
12/10 Arrive San Diego, CA 12/11 Depart San Diego
12/19 Arrive Puerto Moin, Costa Rica 12/19 Depart Puerto Moin
12/23 Arrive Houston

We continue to have an emergency drill each Saturday afternoon at 1600. So far we’ve been instructed, and the crew has demonstrated, what to do in case of: a fire aboard the ship, a fire in the engine room, a collision at sea, the need to abandon ship in the life rafts and in the large life boat, an explosion in the cargo section, a fire in the engine room, and a breach of security (unauthorized person aboard or terrorist threat). While going through the Andaman Sea and the Straits of Malacca, the captain ordered a “pirate watch” which means we had crew stationed all around the perimeter of the ship, all during the night. A ship such as ours is not as likely to be boarded by pirates as a tanker would be since the fuel they carry is very valuable. We sleep better at night knowing they are so safety and security conscious.