Pirates from beyond the Cape

Curfews and crews

Last night we were out on the balcony playing Scrabble well after we were under curfew around 23:00 hours and looking towards the Cape Town Stadium on the Bay Road footpath there were three people involved in a racket before they moved on. Whether they might have been members of the public involved in essential services and exempt from the restrictions.

Meanwhile, the wind was boisterous, almost blowing the Scrabble board away, the clothes horse leaning on the wall fell on my foot and we had to close the doors to limit the effects of the wind.

Then out at sea was a well-lit ship, more like a galleon by its shape or promisingly a pirate ship apparently moving at speeds you will not expect at that time of the night close to the legendary shipwreck coasts of Cape Town. I did not think twice before I suggested it had to be a ghost ship.

Floating a ghost

From the comfort and safety of my balcony, I was not ready to scream in terror, but it soon disappeared from sight, obviously behind an obscuring building to be seen by others who could be more predisposed to fright.

However, maybe we were just a bit excited, the wind gusts from the historic weather charts of yesterday suggest it was just 29 km/h which on the Beaufort Scale just passes for a Fresh Breeze, any mariner and even Long John Silver will not have had any problems with a breeze. To the uninitiated, at the best of times, we had our own story of a ghost ship, any other logical explanation is curmudgeonly and boring.

Cunard Queen Elizabeth in Amsterdam

One look out of my window

A wonderful child-like excitement engulfs my being as I look out of my living-room window towards the left towards the Amsterdam Passenger Terminal.

The late spring and summer months present a spectacle of visitations on the waters that form the harbours of the old Amsterdam port from the sailing school just below my window through the open waters that host the sailing regattas and the then further on where it is deep enough to float ocean going cruise liners.

Satisfying my curiosity

Yesterday, in fact, the day before, there was a huge cruise liner docked at the terminal, I had to see it up close so I cycled up the embankment with my camera to take a few pictures.

That was not enough to observe the cruise liner in all its splendour, I needed to know when it was setting sail again so I for the first time stepped into the terminal and asked at the information desk when it was leaving.

The scheduled time was in another 24 hours at about 17:00 hours, so when I returned home I went online to the check the Cruise Calendar [1] and found out it would be an hour later.

Setting sail

So, yesterday evening, I rode out to see the cruise liner leave and it quite a ceremony weighing anchor that took about 15 minutes and then another 30 minutes to turn the bow astern to sail out of Amsterdam.

It was quite windy and there was a chill in the air as I took pictures from many vantage points and even planned to race the liner to the point where it finally sailed out of Amsterdam and the chain on my bicycle broke just as got behind the central train station which fortunately had a bicycle repair shop in the front.

It was worth it

My pursuit ended with the wheeling of my bicycle to the shop with the hope that I will see the cruise liner when next it docks in Amsterdam.

It was the Cunard Queen Elizabeth [2] with 12 decks that measured the height of 9 storey building, it has a length of 964.5 feet (294m), a width of 106 feet (32.3m) and a draft of 25.9 feet (7.9m) – the draft is the ship’s depth below the water.

We should expect at least 20 cruise liner dockings every month until September with Queen Elizabeth returning later this month and then in October, meanwhile there will be a lot to see until then.

This is my slideshow of pictures taken.

Sources

[1] Passenger Terminal Amsterdam – Cruise Calendar

[2] Queen Elizabeth Cruise Liner Facts : Luxury Cruise Ships : Cunard Cruise Line

The Quinquennial Amsterdam Sail Event Arrives Outside

Change we cannot avoid

My neighbourhood is changing and it would be changed for a little longer than 5 days in just about a week.

The signs are appearing and the signs are there, crowd control barricades, towering structures for big signs and more, roads to be closed, pontoons to be erected, a bridge to be removed and houseboats to dock elsewhere.

It happens quinquennially and in 2005 we had 2.5 million footfalls in this vicinity, it could well be more this year and I wonder if we are prepared for the crowds and the inconveniences.

To the force of the wind

I live at the Amsterdam Eastern Docklands, it used to be part of the old Amsterdam sea port but it has been gentrified with architectural edifices that draw crowds of tourists and most especially students of design and architecture.

The waters outside my apartment block would host Sail Amsterdam 2010 [1] from the 19^th of August to the 23^rdinclusive.

Tall ships, naval ships, replicas and yachts from all around the world would on the first day sail in formation like a great regatta through the North Sea Canal and berth on the IJ River and the IJ harbour in what would be the biggest free event in Holland.

Advantage small shop

The takeaway shops have been shoving junk mail in my letterbox informing of their amazing junk food deals and anyone who has as much as a button to pawn would probably deign to take advantage of the situation.

It is one special event that we might well savour and enjoy with the amazing views that would be offered from my 7^th floor apartment.

Ahoy! Seadogs - Anchors aweigh!

Source

[1] Sail Amsterdam 2010