Day Five

Rotterdam to English Channel

Around quarter to six in the morning, the engines are finally started and a short while later we are off. Despite that, I crawl back into my warm and cosy bed. We sail down the Maas river. As soon as we reach the North Sea the engine is cranked up to 580 revs which translates into a speed of 14 knots. It will stay at that constantly for the next four and a half days.

The first stretch close to shore is a bit rough. Showering is difficult as everything needs to be done single-handedly. If you don't hold on to something with the other hand, some unexpected roll makes you loose your balance. Drying one's feet is quite impossible.

Spend the morning on the bridge which unsurprisingly is a rather high tech affair these days. The main navigational tool for the officer on watch is a radar screen that also shows the planned route and allows to track other vessels. Another device provides additional information on other vessels such as name, tonnage, draught and destination port. Steering is normally done indirectly. A little dial is used to set a course which the ship is then holding on to all by itself. The only thing not yet computerized is the map. It is still printed on paper with the route drawn on by hand. Some corrections are added by hand, too, as new maps come not exactly cheap and things change all the time.

The other striking thing (not just now but for the rest of the journey as well) is the amount of traffic. A short while out of Rotterdam several shipping lanes cross and there is well over a dozen ships ahead. The captain has to constantly correct the course to avoid unpleasenties. Even later, after this ‘intersection’ is passed there is always at least three other ships on the radar. Actually, this shouldn't be too surprising as we are following the main route route from Northern Europe to the Mediterranean and on to Asia.

I spend the rest of the day reading, dozing, and writing. In other words, not doing much. This is what I came for, after all.