Southampton to Madeira

Saturday, December 09, 2006

Southampton to Madeira

Well here we are a week into our journey, and what a journey.

We packed 4 cases and two holdalls. A forty day cruise, though less formal than in days past, still contains a dozen or so formal evenings, therefore evening clothes alone fill a case. A couple of dozen books fill a holdall, so accruing luggage is not a problem.

We sail from Southampton, but return by air from Singapore into Heathrow, for collection and transportation home. So a friend Mick is travelling to Southampton with us and will bring the car home for me.

8.30AM. 2nd Dec. With the cases, Mick, Anne and I set out on a Saturday morning ride to Southampton a doddle of a journey, I had made many times in the past. Perhaps as a warning of things to come my 4x4 started to play up, missing and juddering on every incline, we ignored this and headed for the M40 only to find it blocked and closed. I had left the satellite navigator and maps at home, didn’t need them. “Wrong” Luckily my son was at home when Anne phoned, knew the area and sorted us out. Best part of 5 hours for a normal 3 hour journey, how poor Mick got home, if indeed he did, we still don’t know.

Getting aboard was easy, cases delivered to our cabin and packed away, then off to meet old friends from previous voyages, over a coffee in the restaurant. Last year we had completed a 110 day trip on the same ship so not only were many of the crew familiar to us, but also about 150 of last years passengers like us were at it again

Artemis sailed to the sound of a military band and clinking Champaign glasses as passengers toasted to good luck, little did they know, how we would need it

Our sitting for Dinner is at 6.30 PM, so by the time we sat down, the ship had cleared harbour and was punching her way in the dark, down Southampton water through the Solent, and out into the English Channel. Many passengers had already succumbed to the motion of the ship. Empty chairs in the dinning room reflected this. Shame really the steaks were very good

. Unbeknown to us, we were to be the last vessel out of Southampton, the authorities closing the port behind us and cancelling all the ferries. Storm force winds, that’s about 50 Knots, were lashing the ship and building the seas, with according to our captain, the occasional gust reaching hurricane force
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Artemis weighing in at 45,000 tons and 230 metres long is capable of 21 knots and a steady average of 18 knots, today however this is reduced by the conditions to a crawl. Steaming into the teeth of the storm, she manages just 350 miles in the first 36 hours.

Clawing her way down the channel, riding the huge 9 Metre swell, that provokes an incessant end to end pitching motion, turning stomachs and liberating dinners, assigning the sufferers to there cabins and beds.

Occasionally she falls off the crest, crashing violently down, and burying her nose deep in the following wave. Her foredeck now drowned in a seething mass of water, sends great plumes of spray down the length of the ship. Then Artimas holds and hesitates for a moment, before lifting herself high and clear to ride the next swell, everything shuddering as the noise reverberates loudly throughout the ship.

Doors are locked with decks off limits to those passengers like us, who are still able to function, many are not. Although Anne with her crutches, is grateful for the hand rails around the ships corridors. Sleep becomes interesting as we slide up and down our beds in concert with the rhythm of the swells, so steep is the pitching. Finally we clear the channel and enter the Bay of Biscay here the water deepens and widens as the bottom falls away, but the seas have travelled thousands of miles to get here and do like to leave there mark, as many an unfortunate sailor has discovered..

Sitting and watching another ship braving these enormous seas, from the safety of a comfortable lounge. I was mindful of a friend, who had once commented, that sailing a small 10 metre yacht, was like caravanning on water, and couldn’t help wondering if his caravans, had ever behaved, as the ship I could see through the window was doing. My admiration for the Helen McCarthy’s of this world grows the more I observe first hand the dangers they face.

Artemis altered course to the west, now the seas were on her beam, she stopped pitching as her stabilisers endeavoured to hold her upright,. The captain who had kept us informed throughout, advised the passengers to go to bed or at least be very careful as the seas were very confused, the swell coming from more than one direction.

That evening we were hit by a big wave that rolled the ship, damaging her stabilisers, crockery, people, the grand piano in the theatre all falling or moving, unassisted and involuntarily across the ship, bars were cleared of optics, booze and glasses. Televisions bounced across cabins, doors slammed and as the motion continued crockery in the kitchen and countless bottles in the wine cellar continued to fall and smash. No one could enter the wine cellar because of the danger and it was left to its own devises while others tasks were undertaken. In those few moments £10,000 pounds worth of booze and crockery was lost.

We returned from the theatre to our cabin to find all shelves and surfaces cleared, broken glasses in the bathroom and our belongings strewn across the beds and floor. Luckily I had left my cameras and the computer on the floor, so no damage. The cabin staff were roused from there beds and within hours all was cleared. The motion continued unabated as the engineers worked to repair the stabilisers, with sudden big lurches catching everyone out and increasing the danger, we decided discretion was the better part of valour and went to bed.

The medical staff however were up working on the casualties until 4 in the morning, on finishing they retired to the mess room, to find the hot buffet laid out for them spread all over the floor, the stewards worked miracles and twenty minutes later had cleared up and provided a new buffet, only to see this too consigned to the floor as the ship lurched again. The Doctors to gave up and went to bed.

We were now into our fourth day and the weather showed no signs of improving, Anne and I were in the restaurant having breakfast sitting at a table for four. Anne on the inside next to the window with another lady sat beside her. I had just returned to the table with two cups of boiling water for coffees, which I placed on the table, immediately they begun to slide as the table tilted, I grabbed them again trying to prevent an accident. We had however been hit by another big sea and as I leaned into the lurch trying to stay upright, still holding the cups on the table, I saw Anne and the woman next to her catapulted, complete with seats across the restaurant, the woman on the outside was nimble enough to get to her feet and hold onto a supporting pillar. Anne however with her arthritis and limited mobility had no chance, and landed on her back across the vacated ladies chair which now lay on its side, whilst at the same time hitting her shoulder on the stone tiled floor, she was in great pain and could not move. Luckily there was an officer present who took charge, organised a doctor and stretcher party and had Anne carried off to the hospital.

The hospital was like a scene from Mash, with injured and bleeding people in every available space, stretchers and walking wounded arriving at regular intervals. Anne was examined given morphine, x-rayed and diagnosed, whist at the same time people were being stitched up alongside her. Luckily she was just severely bruised and her arthritic spine shaken up, they kept her for four hours and then put her to bed in our cabin, now three days later she is almost back to her old self and looking for the sunshine as the seas drop.

Needless to say something had to suffer for all these delays and we arrived 12 hours late at Madeira stayed over night and all the next day whilst they fixed the stabilisers and are now on our way to St Vincent having missed out on a day in Tenerife.

So all in all quite a start to our trip, Artemis is now cruising at 17 knots, we have travelled 700 miles in the last two days and are 70 miles off the most southerly point of the canary islands, the wind is now force 6 and sea have calmed down but are still classified as rough, the sun is attempting to find its way through broken cloud, we have a formal dinner tonight and maybe we can return to normal.


Due to Anne’s injuries we were unable to do much ashore in Madeira apart from purchase some liquid supplies for the cabin but hopefully future postings will be more of the travel kind I had envisaged

posted by Dandan | 6:20 AM | 1 comments

Friday, December 01, 2006
Our Compass
Click on images
Originally uploaded by 6dandan3.

what a week we have had, cases packed, Christmas presents distributed, cards posted, eyes and glasses tested and approved, hair cut, house sorted. Problems with Blogger that were only rectified with the the generous help of Sheila who drove over at the 11th hour . Car checked and loaded and ready for the 170 mile journey to Southampton tomorrow morning.

Kids spoken to, Christmas greetings exchanged, phone calls made, Fridge emptied, had an Indian meal for supper and now at last settled at the keyboard, to post and email as required, before watching an hour or two of the second ashes test from Australia, don't know if we will catch any more on the ship, lets hope so.

The price of the Dollar just about two for one today, makes me wonder how that will affect the African and asian currencies as we travel, could be some bargains to be had when we get to Singapore in the new year.

So thats us, ready for a holiday we hadnt planned or expected, lets just hope it goes well,


posted by Dandan | 1:30 PM | 1 comments