Published September 29, 2009
in Pilot, Sport, Radio, Container, photos, Pilotage, From the ship, Germany, Maritime, photo and On the ship.
Night moves, a container feeder ship approaches us and passes within a few metres before moving on west towards Kiel. Ships passing in the night, you can’t see anybody on the bridge, during the day it is customary to greet the other ships with a wave, but at night there is silence in the darkness.
This particular night there wasn’t total silence as the German pilots and helmsmen were listening to the Bundesliga football on the radio all in German of course but the shouting and cheering has the same sound! I was going to ask who was winning, but not knowing who was playing made me decide against joining in on the sports.
And the ship steamed on through the canal into the night.
A trio of reefers laid up at Riga, their funnels all covered up in plastic, a sure sign of a long term cold lay up. Further inside the port there was four more waiting for better times. There were also a load of Russian river boats lying idle. Hard times for shipowners and crews, and anybody who is dependent on the shipping industry. Agents, pilots, chandlers, service companies, you name it.Everyone is feeling the pinch
Green Autumn
Every port you visit these days it’s the same story, ships laid up, business down. All along the coastal anchorages of Europe are ships waiting for orders, off the English east coast a few weeks back there were dozens of tankers anchored, we passed through at night it was like a scene from some kind of Armageddon themed movie. And that’s just Northern Europe…..it’s happening the world over without an end in near sight.
Published September 21, 2009
in Germans, naval heroes, sailing ships, Cruise Ships, Europe, photos, Admirals, Russia, From the ship, Maritime, photo, History and On the ship.
The white ship to the left is an Oceanographic research survey vessel “Akademik Sergey Vavilov” named after a Russian/Soviet physicist, the ship has in more recent times been employed as a luxury cruiser to the Antarctic at USD $5000 a pop. On the right is the sailing vessel “Kruzenshtern ” minus half of the foremast which apparently came undone on a recent cruise near the US coast in a violent storm, I don’t think anyone was hurt fortunately.
Our informative pilot gave us a little history lesson about the sailing ship, and how she came to be a Russian ship as war reparation from the Germans after WW2.
She was called “Padua” from 1926 to 1946 and then named “Kruzenshtern” after Adam Johann von Krusenshtern who completed the first Russian sponsored circumnavigation of the world between 1802 and 1806. He was a Baltic German of Swedish descent who worked for the Tsar and the Soviets named a ship after him.
The gangways of Zybb, Geyzer, Passat and Leven, four Russian Navy missile
patrol boats. The lads were getting ready for an exercise judging by the
quantity of ammo that was on the quay wall. There was great activity all
around sailors marching here and there, arms gesticulating, tabs being
smoked, mobiles being spoken into.
These young sailors probably have no personal memory of the old days and
getting this close with a camera then would have out of the question. But
we are all friends now right?
Karl Marx with pigeon on head. For ever to be the bird dung collector. He can stare out over his avenue through his bronze eye sockets and wonder when the next high pressure washer will come and clean all the bird shite from his hair and beard.
A Prussian born German philosopher and communist has his own street and bust in a Russian city, that used to be the Prussian capital. Ironic.
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