Showing posts with label Hurtigruten. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hurtigruten. Show all posts
01 December 2020
TUI Discovery 2, Madeira (contd.) Part 8
The ship's clocks were put back last night and maybe this was why there seemed to be few other passengers around for breakfast as we headed for the Glass House. There was time to photograph the Beach Houses in the Snack Shack which looked fun, plus other things, before disembarking from our Discovery 2 and walking along the quayside and round to the other side of the bay.
A restricted first view ashore
A local tug
Ship's pool
Beach huts
One of the beach huts.
We found a lovely place for coffee on a terrace, which gave us a good view across to the other cruise ships also in port, enjoying our coffee in the warm sunshine. The sky looked blue and clear in that direction but I noticed there were dark clouds over the mountain sides behind us. That seems normal on an island surrounded by a lot of ocean. The big cruise ships we could see were TUI DISCOVERY 2, the Hurtigruten vessel MIDNATSOL, and then astern of her was SAGA PEARL II, so we looked forward to a closer look on the walk back again.
Looking across to TUI Discovery 2.
Three ships in today
The two ships astern of us
Black clouds
Along a bit further
Porto Marinho model in a shop window
Meanwhile in the central area of Funchal, we could walk along the wide pavements and enjoy looking at various attractive buildings or cafes and I noticed The Ritz hotel in particular. It seems this is a favourite venue for certain maritime authors and others with a huge interest in ships, when visiting Madeira.
The Ritz.
Nearby was another interesting looking establishment: the Golden Gate Grand Cafe, built in 1841, with the usual outside seating and good menu. This seemed the ideal place for lunch and food was soon ordered.
I went to wash my hands in the upstairs facilities and was pleased that I did, as the first floor dining room looked beautiful with its chandeliers, silver and linen. Lunch soon arrived and was enjoyed, as the world strolled past, musicians played in the big square and street traders sold luscious-looking fruit.
Upstairs in Grand Cafe (built in 1841)
An outside table
Nearby fruit stall
Menu, plate with logo
Some of the food
Musicians across the square
Grand Cafe from the other side
After lunch it was time to stroll back to the port and our ship, passing a long queue of yellow parked taxis. They were an eye-catching colour but my eye was caught by the delicate pink of the blossom on a tree in the nearby park.
Colourful taxis in a line, with delicate blossom nearby
Moments later my eye was also caught by Blandy's Wine Lodge building, which was a nostalgic moment as the Union-Castle Line Mailships carried vast quantities of Blandy products back to the UK from here. I seem to remember that a parental request to buy and bring some home meant that on one voyage home I had to sleep on my bunk bed, knowing that several bottles were safely stored in a drawer underneath me. I suppose that made a change from the occasional bottle of KWV Brandy from the Cape...
Aha, Blandy's Wine Lodge
Back on the stroll home we could look up towards the pink building that is Reid's Hotel, another Union-Castle Line connection from way back, and then get back into the restricted area along the quayside for ship passengers. I looked at the ship names painted on the rock and brick wall, and recognised several, including CREOULA. It was interesting to see the bow of SAGA PEARL II, and then the very smart-looking MIDNATSOL from Hurtigruten. I spoke to one of the ship's officers on the quayside, admiring his 2003-built vessel, and cheekily asked if it might be possible to visit the ship please, as is usual for their vessels around the Norwegian coast. He regretted that a visit would not be possible, but told me the ship would be going next to the Azores, then to Lisbon, and then she was off to Antarctica. I thanked him and wished him and the ship well.
Walking back to the ship
Saga Pearl II
Midnatsol of Hurtigruten
Eye-catching poster
Rock tunnel
Looking up towards Reid's Hotel
Local artwork
Bow of Saga Pearl II
Bow of Midnatsol
Madeira island
Stern of TUI Discovery 2.
A while later we realised that SAGA PEARL II was about to sail, and we enjoyed watching her leave this bay in Funchal. Dark clouds were overhead as we watched and embarked on our ship.
Saga Pearl II sailing away.
There she goes.
Back on board I took the opportunity to photograph the lower levels of the Restaurant, which I find very attractive.
In the Restaurant.
The Restaurant lower level
The Grand Staircase
Then it was time for our departure from Funchal at 5 p.m. and as we pulled away from the quay we could see many of the MIDNATSOL passengers watching us; we could also see SAGA PEARL II much further out to sea as we passed the port entrance.
Watching Midnatsol passengers watching us.
Goodbye Saga Pearl II.
Watching our departure.
In my mind's eye I could still see local traders coming on board onto an open passenger deck after we had tied up here in Funchal all those years ago, all of them carrying vast amounts of wonderful goods which might tempt us to buy. The little trading boats also came alongside and heaved more baskets of goods up on ropes onto the same open deck, all with full permission of course, and they were fascinating. I remember buying a beautifully made wicker chair once, and its heavy metal frame. Thank goodness my parents came to meet me in Southampton when we docked. I also bought tablecloths with local embroidery and several of these are still in use to this day. Ah, memories...
Back to the here and now, and we realised we had missed Tea Time on board this afternoon but a forlorn look around the top buffet at least gave us a view of a huge apple pie that had been prepared for Buffet passengers this evening. The cheese platter also looked appealing.
Too late for tea, but we saw an apple pie for this evening.
The cheese platter.
Drinks and nibbles before dinner soon made up for missing Afternoon Tea, as did an enjoyable farewell dinner on the Deck 5 upper level Restaurant that evening. My notes tell me that napkin waving went on towards the end of the meal, which usually makes for a cheerful occasion.
I have enjoyed a good day in Funchal, but the return journey home has to be made and it sounds very organised for tomorrow.
Tonight we all have to pack and leave our suitcases outside the cabins if we want them taken ashore tomorrow morning when the ship arrives in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. I usually travel with a carry-on bag too, so I'm glad to have my suitcase taken ashore without effort on my part.
Ships seen: a red local tug, Saga Pearl II, Midnatsol, the model of Lobo Marinho in a shop window, Tui Discovery 2
To be concluded...
06 December 2019
HYBRID HOP 6th September 2019 (Part 3)
We arrived back in Sweden later than scheduled - we were due in at 11.00 and drove off the ship at 11.30 but that was not a problem as it gave us time to join a nearby traffic lane in the port for our next sailing. We could then watch the good ship OSLOFJORD depart on her next sailing, leaving probably just half an hour after we disembarked.
Twenty minutes later the COLOR HYBRID came into view, turned and presented her stern for a photograph. This port is rather strange in that the two shipping lines are not allowed to share the same facilities, and must use separate parking and check in areas. It would seem that local priorities and perhaps finance is involved somewhere here in Stromstad.
We soon drove on board and enjoyed looking around at this new ship. She seems very spacious and well-planned. Color Line's own website (colorline.com) gives these technical facts about COLOR HYBRID:
Type of ship: Plug-in hybrid
Shipyard: Built at Ulstein Shipyard
Number of passengers: 2,000
Total crew: 100
Number of cars: 500
Overall dimensions: Length 160 m, beam 27.1 m, draught 6.0 m
Battery pack: About 5 MWh (megawatt hours) giving up to 60 minutes manoeuvring and sailing at speeds of 0-12 knots. Good WHR (waste heat recovery) using a hot reservoir system. Extremely low noise emissions during both battery operation and when moored at night.
They add that it is "The world's largest plug-in hybrid that sets the global standard for environmentally friendly ships and represents a significant upgrade of the shopping and adventure offerings for travellers between Norway and Sweden.
The new ship will provide a better travel experience and set a new standard for comfort. Shopping and service offerings on board will be expanded and improved, with large stores and three great eateries with a rich variety of food and drink.
On deck there will be a greenhouse powered by residual heat. Here, among other things, herbs and vegetables will be grown and served on board. Guests with a love of the sea will probably seek out the additional “bridge” wing at the stern, built for passengers. A glass floor will allow guests to follow the waves and the ship's rhythm with a direct view to the open sea".
During the voyage we could indeed see many of the features mentioned on the website; we didn't expect to be able to get inside a large model whale up on the sun deck, even though it was still raining slightly up on the windy deck. The shops were interesting although I bought nothing.
I admired the Lego construction in one area and thought of two small people at home who would love to have seen it or even had the box kit given to them. Sorry boys, it's not going to happen at that size and price but I did think of you.
My knowledgeable friend told me that the main purpose of the Hybrid part of COLOR HYBRID is to enable her to sail emissions-free up and down Sandefjord (the stretch of water leading from the sea up to the port of Sandefjord in Norway). She will use her batteries for that and the batteries are powered when the ship plugs in. If for any reason the batteries didn't work, she can still use normal engines.
He also said that the technology is similar to that used in the new Hurtigruten expedition ship ROALD AMUNDSEN, which has a battery pack to enable emissions-free sailing in particularly sensitive Polar areas.
Norway has some all-electric ferries - for short crossings; it has some LNG ferries; it is also developing the technology for Hydrogen ferries.
He added that the Norwegian Government specifies ever-cleaner ferries for the domestic routes each time they are re-tendered."
We really enjoyed looking around this very new Hybrid ship. We saw the Restaurant, the whale up on the top deck, the greenhouse, our position at sea, the Koster Buffet, the glass floor on the 'Bridge' wing at the stern, various pieces of artwork, a playroom model for children, the vast double-height shop on board, a huge piece of what looked like a Lego construction, and then the sight of OSLOFJORD in the sunshine at sea nearby.
I went to talk to the lady at the Reception desk because we had not been able to find out the gross tonnage of this brand-new Hybrid ship. This didn't appear on any publicity or websites that my friend and I had seen, and it wasn't shown on the Marine Traffic website either. My little plan paid off because the kind lady agreed with me that maybe one of the Deck Officers on the Bridge would know and be able to tell us. She telephoned the Bridge and moments later I was told that the gross tonnage of this lovely ship was approximately 27,000.
We soon arrived at Sandefjord and disembarked from COLOR HYBRID; we watched her leave the port again and I noticed a commercial vehicle with a colourful advertisement for the ship we could still see out there on the water.
We had one more sight of her as she set off back to Sweden.
Ships seen: Color Hybrid, Color Viking, Oslofjord, Stena Saga
To be continued...
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