Sapphire to face heavy seas

[LawDog61]

I am onboard Sapphire and we are heading  Kona.   The captain just announced that when we leave Kona tomorrow afternoon, we will cancel our call at Hilo and start our return.  Apparently there is a major pacific storm and we are facing 6 meter waves. He said people might want to ride it out in their cabins.   Well this should be interesting!  BTW- great ship, great crew and great cruise (so far LOL)

[nini]

Oh no! Be brave and buckle down. I am sorry you are missing Hilo!

[Outerdog]

[LawDog61]

This was different.   During the sail-a-way deck party, the big screen scrolled continuous marine weather reports, to the sounds of “YMCA”

[PacnGoNow]

1 hour ago, LawDog61 said:

I am onboard Sapphire and we are heading  Kona.   The captain just announced that when we leave Kona tomorrow afternoon, we will cancel our call at Hilo and start our return.  Apparently there is a major pacific storm and we are facing 6 meter waves. He said people might want to ride it out in their cabins.   Well this should be interesting!  BTW- great ship, great crew and great cruise (so far LOL)

Wow!  I’d store breakable or lose objects in your drawers and get food from the lido for your refrigerator in case you don’t feel like trying to get out of the cabin.

 

Get 7up, crackers or ginger ale for your tummy.  

How far South if this system?

Let us know how it goes.  Best of luck!

 

[LawDog61]

14 minutes ago, PacnGoNow said:

Wow!  I’d store breakable or lose objects in your drawers and get food from the lido for your refrigerator in case you don’t feel like trying to get out of the cabin.

 

Get 7up, crackers or ginger ale for your tummy.  

How far South if this system?

Let us know how it goes.  Best of luck!

 

Some good ideas for heavy weather.   From the satellite picture Outerdog posted a few minutes ago. It looks like the storm is North of us.   The captain said something about altering our course ( more to the south I assume).  As I understand what captain said ( and it was a little hard to hear as I was on deck) we are still on for Kona, but the weather report that was showing on the big screen  seems iffy for tender operations

[Thrak]

Had a cruise on Coral Princess where the captain announced we could either "skirt the edge" of a tropical storm or skip the next port. He said he had chosen to skirt the edge of the storm. All outside doors were locked so nobody could get to the outer decks. A huge number of people retreated to their cabins to lie down and wait it out. I get seasick on a minor swell and carsick on winding roads if I'm not the driver and aren't quite careful about where I watch as we drive. With my patch behind my ear I had Filet Mignon and Lobster for dinner and had zero issues with the rocking and rolling ship. It was actually pretty cool to have the ship plow through the edge of the storm.

[VibeGuy]

Sapphire rides the best of the Gem/Grand Class, IMHO, with a slightly wider beam and a lower CG.  
 

if you’re onboard and are prone to motion discomfort, try sleeping/laying with your head and feet perpendicular to  the slower-changing moment.  So if the ship rolls side to side every second and pitches nose-up and down every three seconds, you want to be port-starboard.   Don’t ask me what to do in a yaw situation. 

[HaveDogWillTravel]

Captain McBain took command on the sailing just before yours that I was on. He’s certified for sailing around Cape Horn (where the Sapphire is going soon). We had some rough seas but not like the ones you’re facing. He and his bridge team are impressive for their skill, for their transparency and for their visibility to passengers.  
You’re in good hands. I hope everyone stays healthy and you steer clear of the worst of it. 
‘Jhonatan and Shailesh (Crooners bartenders)are simply wonderful people. Tell them Jacqueline says Hi! If you think of it and get a chance. 
 

I was also quite impressed by the quality of service on Sapphire. 

Edited November 24, 2022 by HaveDogWillTravel

[cr8tiv1]

Front is moving from West to East.

Diamond is heading for Ensenada (a day early/cancelled Hilo).

Ship needs to sail northeast.

...WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM HST FRIDAY...

WHAT...Northeast winds 25 to 35 mph with localized gusts up to 50 mph.

 

Hope to hear from the folks on board.  Stay safe.  I think the Captain made a wise executive decision to skip Hilo.  Looks like the system will dissipate in the next few days.

 

https://www.passageweather.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

[chengkp75]

On 11/24/2022 at 1:58 AM, HaveDogWillTravel said:

He’s certified for sailing around Cape Horn (where the Sapphire is going soon).

Sorry, but this is not correct.  Every single ship's Captain has a license that says "any oceans".  There is no certification for rounding Cape Horn.  Now, for Beagle Channel and the Straits of Magellan, pilotage is required.  Whether the Captain has studied and passed an exam to obtain pilotage there, I couldn't say, but it would be very unusual, especially for Chile to give pilotage to a foreigner.

[Esprit]

I'd happily miss a port to experience 6 metre waves.

 

I still have fond memories of when I was a kid riding the waves aboard a 5,000 ton cruise ship. People being sick everywhere but me and my brother were loving it!

[EDVM96]

30 minutes ago, Esprit said:

I'd happily miss a port to experience 6 metre waves.

 

Diamond Princess meets ex cyclone Fehi, February 1st 2018, New Zealand, South Island near Akaroa. Wind speed up to 51 knots (95 km/h).

[RiverCrossing]

We sailed this time of year around the Hawaii islands on ncl (2007?)and hit a storm when heading to Kauai. Elevators were turn off and only stairs could be used. The crew had vomit bags on every stairwell flat post.  Our cabin was toward the front of the ship I don't think I got seasick but I do remember waking up to the banging/echo of the waves hitting. 

[HaveDogWillTravel]

3 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

Sorry, but this is not correct.  Every single ship's Captain has a license that says "any oceans".  There is no certification for rounding Cape Horn.  Now, for Beagle Channel and the Straits of Magellan, pilotage is required.  Whether the Captain has studied and passed an exam to obtain pilotage there, I couldn't say, but it would be very unusual, especially for Chile to give pilotage to a foreigner.

Thanks for that correction. The officers were incredibly chatty on my sailing last week. They were out and about like I’ve never seen before and stopping to have actual conversations.  One of the senior officers at the elite lounge one night said Capt McBain was brought on specifically for taking the ship on her South American sailings. I thought they mentioned him having special certification but clearly I must have misunderstood the message. I mean there was a glass or two wine involved (by me not the officers obviously )😊

 

As always thank you keeping the information on these boards accurate!  

Edited November 25, 2022 by HaveDogWillTravel

[chengkp75]

5 minutes ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

I thought they mentioned him having special certification but clearly I must have misunderstood the message. I mean there was a glass or two wine involved (by me not the officers obviously )

No worries.  The officers always seem to want to embellish things.  But, I would say that the Captain may have more experience in Southern waters, and was brought aboard for that reason.

[NownZen]

1 hour ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

Thanks for that correction. The officers were incredibly chatty on my sailing last week. They were out and about like I’ve never seen before and stopping to have actual conversations.  One of the senior officers at the elite lounge one night said Capt McBain was brought on specifically for taking the ship on her South American sailings. I thought they mentioned him having special certification but clearly I must have misunderstood the message. I mean there was a glass or two wine involved (by me not the officers obviously )😊

 

As always thank you keeping the information on these boards accurate!  

The Sapphire is going to do a cruise around in Antarctica next. When we did this on the Star years ago, they had a second captain on board (referred to an an Ice Captain who had been a captain on an icebreaker). The Drake passage crossing was interesting as there were hurricane force winds and huge swells. These came from the side as the flow is around Antarctica. You had to hold onto the bed to not fall off. The shelves were emptied in our room and places like the gift shops. The kitchens were apparently a huge mess. Lots of chair cushions missing and the glass doors that open for the pools were damaged.  The Captain came on in the morning and said something like "we had an interesting night but we are out of the worst of it". The weather after that was perfect and it was an enjoyable cruise. Looking forward to leaving on the Sapphire next week.

[PacnGoNow]

22 minutes ago, NownZen said:

The Sapphire is going to do a cruise around in Antarctica next. When we did this on the Star years ago, they had a second captain on board (referred to an an Ice Captain who had been a captain on an icebreaker). The Drake passage crossing was interesting as there were hurricane force winds and huge swells. These came from the side as the flow is around Antarctica. You had to hold onto the bed to not fall off. The shelves were emptied in our room and places like the gift shops. The kitchens were apparently a huge mess. Lots of chair cushions missing and the glass doors that open for the pools were damaged.  The Captain came on in the morning and said something like "we had an interesting night but we are out of the worst of it". The weather after that was perfect and it was an enjoyable cruise. Looking forward to leaving on the Sapphire next week.

Wow!  Sounds like a movie.  

We sailed around the horn March 2020 on the Coral Princess and had smooth, beautiful seas.  

Well, until we got past the Falklands…

the seas were smooth still…but the Covid put a pause on us.  😮

 

Have a great trip!

[donaldsc]

I love heavy seas and big waves.  Wish that I was on board. 

 

DON

[Bobbiegentry]

We’ve enjoyed Drake Lake and the Drake Shake. 
Both memorable experiences. 

[srpilo]

2 hours ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

Thanks for that correction. The officers were incredibly chatty on my sailing last week. They were out and about like I’ve never seen before and stopping to have actual conversations.  One of the senior officers at the elite lounge one night said Capt McBain was brought on specifically for taking the ship on her South American sailings. I thought they mentioned him having special certification but clearly I must have misunderstood the message. I mean there was a glass or two wine involved (by me not the officers obviously )😊

 

As always thank you keeping the information on these boards accurate!  

 

I spoke to the Staff Captain last week onboard, and just to clarify Capt McBain is Princess's current Antarctica Captain with previous Antarctic experience, but this does not imply any official certification's, only Princess Corp's preference

[NownZen]

34 minutes ago, srpilo said:

 

I spoke to the Staff Captain last week onboard, and just to clarify Capt McBain is Princess's current Antarctica Captain with previous Antarctic experience, but this does not imply any official certification's, only Princess Corp's preference

I do remember that on the last trip even with the Ice Captain, our limits and path were set by the insurance company. There are lots of passengers but those ships are expensive.

[MVMom&Dad]

I have a sister on this cruise, I will be following this post. Thank you for any updates

[LawDog61]

As we approach 6 P.M. here on board, it has been a day with lots of rolling, but not really any pitching motion.  Not as bad (or as good for my heavy weather friends) as I expected after hearing the captains initial report.  
All activities still ongoing ,  although there are definitely fewer people around.   Captain says seas will moderate tomorrow.

[Arizona Wildcat]

9 hours ago, NownZen said:

I do remember that on the last trip even with the Ice Captain, our limits and path were set by the insurance company. There are lots of passengers but those ships are expensive.

A Captain is responsible for the ship and all on board.  Before commanding a ship they will have acted as 1st Officer in every port and ocean.  They obviously err on the side of caution.  A pilots license is for three things.  The type of vessel.   The maximum size permitted and last the waters they are certified.  The Captain is limited in where they can go far northern and southern waters by international treaties- not insurance company rules.  Captains obviously are experienced and qualified to sail in all scheduled waters and make deviations from planned courses often for various reasons - usually weather; such as Summit circumnavigation of Iceland instead of along the west coast to avoid a storm.