Almost Live: Maasdam - Seattle to Sydney 2019

[Btimmer]

We had a great time in Vladivostok today.  Many people turned out for the sailaway.  More details will be in my blog which won't get posted until our sea day tomorrow.

send off party

 

Brand new church 

 

 

Missle cruisers

 

 

Sailing out under the Russkiy Bridge

[bcummin]

Really enjoyed your blog about Vladivostok and the day after.  

We all wish you the very best with another approaching typhoon and hopefully getting to visit Korsakov, Russia.

Barbara

 

[Btimmer]

We had a fabulous day in Vladivostok.  Our tour was excellent, immigration went well, loved all of the sites.  Again, details will be in my daily blog which will be posted likely tomorrow which is a sea day.

 

we just cleared the Russky Bridge outbound and are headed for Korsakov.

 

[Btimmer]

We are just leaving Otaru and the Captain announced that at our next port tomorrow (Hakadote), we have an onboard time of 3:30pm so we can be inside the breakwater in Yokohama by midnight on 13 Aug which is 6 hours early.  Per the Captain, the next typhoon is strong and the side effects of the storm are significant. It remains to be seen what effect will be on the itinerary for the 14 Aug to 28 Aug segment.  54 of us continue on that segment.  I'll update my blog with more information as it becomes available. Onward to new adventures.

[Bellair]

The Japanese meteorological agency warned the typhoon would bring strong winds and downpours, which could trigger landslides and floods as well as lightning strikes and tornados across the nation.

Violent gusts swept away roof tiles on some houses in Kochi city in western Japan.

"There was a big 'bang, bang'. That woke me up," a local elderly man in Kochi told national broadcaster NHK.

Cities in the expected path of the typhoon were already taking measures to mitigate possible danger.

East Japan Railway announced that it would gradually suspend train services in and around Tokyo and end all trains around 8pm (1100 GMT), shortly before the typhoon was to draw near the Japanese capital.

 

Keep safe guys!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Catching up.

 

Great reports and pictures.

 

Stay safe!!

[Btimmer]

Thanks Belair for posting the update.

 

For those following my blog, I will catch it up tomorrow evening as we have a dark night (no entertainment) as we quickly sail to Yokohama.

 

The upcoming days should make for some interesting travel stories. 

[erewhon]

Thank you for your updates.

Stay safe.

[Btimmer]

We left Hakodate just after 3:30pm local time and are presently sailing at a fast speed (22 knots) in order to reach our berth inside the breakwater at Yokohama by midnight the morning of 14 Aug. This is 6 hours ahead of schedule.  

 

The captain is very forthright in announcing the weather conditions including we will definitely be feeling the storm tomorrow afternoon on our sea day.  Even tonight, the ship is porpoising a bit, but not uncomfortably so.

 

My blog is updated for the past three days including a few pictures.

 

If you have any questions, post them here.

 

Tim

[Krazy Kruizers]

Got caught up on your blog.

 

That apple wine sounds delicious.  The drum people playing for 1/2 hour would be great to hear.

 

Love the pictures.

 

Stay safe in the storm.  Batten down the hatches.

[Ken the cruiser]

Thought I'd tag along as we'll be boarding her in early October for 40 days. Stay safe.

[bcummin]

You have had a busy and fascinating three days.  Thanks for sharing.

A Japanese building near Korsakov makes me want to read the history of that area in Russia.

Our Seattle news tells of terrible flooding from a typhoon in the east of China.  Online is info about Japan expecting its third typhoon within a week.  Captain Jutten is thoroughly competent. 

Hopefully your new boarding passengers will be able to get to the ship.

God be with you all.

Barbara

[erewhon]

Thanks for your updates, hope the seas are not too rough.

[Btimmer]

What we are and have been experiencing are waves emanating from the storm.  There are no whitecaps.  Just rolling waves. At our noon briefing today, the Captain indicated we would be alongside the pier in Yokohama at 11:30pm tonight.  All diesels are running and I clocked 18 knots at noon today.

[Btimmer]

13 hours ago, bcummin said:

You have had a busy and fascinating three days.  Thanks for sharing.

A Japanese building near Korsakov makes me want to read the history of that area in Russia.

Our Seattle news tells of terrible flooding from a typhoon in the east of China.  Online is info about Japan expecting its third typhoon within a week.  Captain Jutten is thoroughly competent. 

Hopefully your new boarding passengers will be able to get to the ship.

God be with you all.

Barbara

The short answer about the building being of Japanese architecture is that Japan occupied the area until 1945.  Then the Soviets destroyed most of the Japanese and other historical architecture.

[Bellair]

Here are the latest reports in at 16:47 Japan time 13th of August

The Captain will get you into shelter before Krosa passes Yokohama, but you will need a good raincoat venturing out tomorrow I recon.

 

Keep safe!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Enjoying the reports.

 

Stay safe everyone.

[Btimmer]

We're entering Tokyo harbor and will be docked by 11:30pm local time (6 hours early) after outrunning the typhoon.  There were constant swells all day from the typhoon as we sailed high speed from Hakodate.  We change cabins tomorrow and likely will don rain gear.

 

[Btimmer]

About to go under the Yokohama Bay Bridge.  It's calm and humid at 10:45

[Bellair]

Right on time as she positions for arrival & tie up!

Welcome back safe & sound!

Edited August 13, 2019 by Bellair
Added shot

[Btimmer]

We are safely here at 11:37pm.

[bcummin]

9 hours ago, Btimmer said:

The short answer about the building being of Japanese architecture is that Japan occupied the area until 1945.  Then the Soviets destroyed most of the Japanese and other historical architecture.

 

Thank you for the short answer.  The long answer was fascinating reading.  I did not realize that Korsokov and Yuzhno Sckhelinsk are on a large island between the Russian mainland and Japan.  Guaranteed conflicts.

 

Thankful that you have arrived safely in Yokohama.  Hopefully the typhoon's path will not bother you much or the itinerary.  

Sure wish that you did not have to change cabins.  HAL should do better.

 

Barbara

Edited August 13, 2019 by bcummin

[Alphen]

Hello Tim,

 

Enjoying reading your reports both here and on you blog with great interest as always, not in the least because of our upcoming cruise on Westerdam next year, visiting several of the same ports, so picking up a lot of useful information.

As I understand correctly, your shuttle drop off point in Hakodate is very central at the JR station, which looks centrally located to Goryokaku tower and park going north and the Hakodate ropeway going south, with the morning market across the street from JR station if I all understand correctly when looking all of this up in google?

 

 

[Btimmer]

4 hours ago, Alphen said:

Hello Tim,

 

Enjoying reading your reports both here and on you blog with great interest as always, not in the least because of our upcoming cruise on Westerdam next year, visiting several of the same ports, so picking up a lot of useful information.

As I understand correctly, your shuttle drop off point in Hakodate is very central at the JR station, which looks centrally located to Goryokaku tower and park going north and the Hakodate ropeway going south, with the morning market across the street from JR station if I all understand correctly when looking all of this up in google?

 

 

Yes, you correctly understand it.  The shuttle drop off point is at the JR train station.  The tram to the tower is 230Yen each way.  When (and if) we return on this leg, we may go ride the rope way up and walk down the hill.  All of that will be in my blog.

[Bellair]

Live this morning local time 08:00 from Yokohama.

Two weeks to boarding for us.