CANDOER Retirement Group

Thursday, February 24

At 0900 we docked, a bit later than expected. There were no pirates last night. The day was partially cloudy, hot and humid. But, that is Singapore.

Singapore is the crossroads of the world, whether by air, land or sea. It is THE place for international travellers. No matter how often we visit here, it is always a pleasure and beautiful sight. Our last sojourn was six years ago, but here nothing changes. Not even the weather because it is on the equator with a stable climate the year round.

The port of Singapore is the busiest in the world, whether you measure it by the number of tons handled or ships calling. The approaches through the Straits of Singapore on the east and Malacca on the northwest are incredibly busy thoroughfares. On any given day there have to be about 200 vessels here or passing through.

Only a fraction of vessels can obtain a berth. Others remain anchored off shore to exchange their cargo, refuel and also replenish foodstuffs for the crew's onward journey. Water taxis criss-cross the strait like water bugs.

For shipping companies, this is one of the least expensive fuel locations in the world. While the Dagmar MAERSK was processing containers on one side, two large fuel barges on the opposite side discharged their contents of heavy oil (known as bunker) into our fuel tanks. The Chief Engineer calculated we will have sufficient fuel to reach Algeciras, Spain where more relatively inexpensive fuel can be obtained. With the fuel obtained in Algeciras and Singapore, that is sufficient to carry the vessel on its around the world voyage.

Here the ship also took on a lot more fresh groceries for the galley. We hope there is plenty of fruit to last until the next grocery call. Things were getting a bit thin the last couple days. Not to worry, no one is starving by any means.

Shortly after breakfast, customs and immigration officials had cleared the ship for anyone to go ashore. The Chief Mate advised we would be here all day and sail sometime early in the morning. We three passengers made our way down the gangway, hopped the terminal shuttle bus to the main gate, and from there flagged a taxi for the 30-minute ride to the city center. We had planned a full day of personal errands, shopping, sightseeing, with meals in a couple of the oriental restaurants for which the city is so famous.

We've heard people say they are bored with Singapore's extreme cleanliness and order. To them we reply, "Let's have more boredom!"

The best and easiest way to move about here is in a taxi. They are readily available, surprisingly reliable and inexpensive. We were in them several times throughout the day. It's the only way to move about on your own during a brief stay.

It rained slightly in the afternoon, but that did not deter Mary, who with single-minded purposefulness charged full speed into her long-planned shopping list. Fellow passenger Sheldon and Jim usually hung out nearby in an open air cafe and stayed out of her way. We thought she would have given up exhausted after an hour or two of this, but her rugged determination won out.

For lunch we went to an Indonesian restaurant and had a memorable meal just ordering the menu of the day.

We did most of our sightseeing in the fascinating districts of "Little India", "Chinatown", plus the SunTec Mall in the city center.

Along about 5 o'clock all of us were really ready for some liquid replenishment. Hopping a taxi, we went down to the famous Clarke Quay on the river. There we located a lovely pub, sat outside on the river walk and consumed a couple large Tiger beers apiece (except Mary, of course). Watching the world pass by either on the walk or the river boats was an eye-filling experience, and it was Mary who pointed out the tight, short skirts!

Adjacent to the pub, we ate at a Chinese seafood restaurant also on the river. It was quite a unique place, for it was "all you can eat" buffet style, where you cooked your food at the table. Sheldon really liked that idea! Watching the sunset with a lovely breeze blowing, it was a delightful dining experience.

We then caught a taxi back to the ship. You never saw three more exhausted tourists with parcels climb the gangway up the side of the ship (about fifty feet high). We went directly to our respective cabins and collapsed in bed for the night.

A few words are overdue about the gangway. Notwithstanding this being a giant freighter, there are no elevators, ramps, escalators, etc. to help one get on and off the ship. The traditional gangway is lowered from the main deck along side the vessel to the quay a long way down at quite an angle. A safety net is always fixed beneath the gangway to prevent anyone from falling into the water between the ship and the quay. If Mary with two artificial knees can handle a gangway, just about anyone can.

Getting on and off the gangway at the bottom can be quite a challenge. Remember, as the ship loads and unloads, the tides rise and fall, the bottom step of the gangway also rises and falls. It should be periodically adjusted by a seaman, but in real life often is not. Sometimes there is a four-foot space from the step to the quay. Jim jumps off first, then Mary falls on his back and slides down. We haven't been dunked yet!

The real danger is once you are on the ground, for invariably you are on or near the track of the adjacent gantry crane wheels, which are as large as a human. From there, with extreme caution, you must work your way through semi-trucks whizzing about, and 30-ton container boxes being processed overhead, just to get to a safe spot to obtain transportation out of the container terminal.

Friday, February 25

The ship sailed at 0430 for Colombo, Sri Lanka, a journey of almost three days. We originally were scheduled to call at Port Kelang, Malaysia, but when we became delayed by almost three days due to rough weather crossing the north Pacific, MAERSK Lines had the Port Kelang containers brought to Singapore by train for us to pick up there.

Sleeping so soundly last night after yesterday's exhausting adventures, we almost missed breakfast. This was a beautiful day with a flat sea.

We took on a lot of heavy cargo in Singapore, for the ship is riding about 10 feet lower in the water than before. Part of it was a shipment of 170 40-foot refrigerated containers of oriental foodstuffs for discharging in Italy. Now we know there are a lot of Chinese restaurants in Italy, but these shipments must be for much of southern Europe.

We were now in the Strait of Malacca, the worst (best?) place for pirate encounters. However, this being bright daylight, we sailed at full speed without any problem. The sea was flat, again.

While there was no pirate problem for us, we heard on the shortwave news this morning the tale of a small Japanese freighter in the Bay of Bengal, to where we are heading. They reported they were being hijacked two days ago. Neither the ship nor the crew have been seen or heard from since. The worst is feared.

{Begin Post Script - (On April 18, we received an E-mail from a man who had read this journal, coincidentally while he was travelling in Singapore! He copied it off the INTERNET where it is posted in a travel forum. He recommended I obtain a copy of the Singapore The Straits Times, April 16 issue, for the full report on this specific pirate attack. I did.

(All's well that ends well, at least for the 20 Japanese sailors.) End Post Script.}

We believe the ship traffic between the North Sea, Straits of Dover and English Channel is greater, but this has to be the second busiest ship traffic place on earth. The strait is marked by beacons for 200 miles with the center line dividing traffic for northwest bound traffic on the north side of the line, and southwest bound traffic on the south side of the line. It works well.

We never attempted to count or estimate the number of ships we saw today. Suffice it to say, there were a lot. At one time we did count 22 vessels around us, horizon to horizon. They were of all types, from small fishing and pleasure craft, to giant super tankers, and one passenger cruise ship (which we did not see).

Passing about 60 miles off shore of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, sometimes visible in the distance, we were nevertheless able to detect the smell of burning wood. This is the continuation of an impending environmental catastrophe. Loggers are clear-cutting the forests of Sumatra, then burning the leftover brush.

Just over a year ago, the burning was so bad the people 100 miles across the Strait of Malacca in Malaysia and Singapore were suffering the effects of smoke inhalation and burning eyes for an extended period of time. Passing ships navigated as if in fog.

Indonesians are moving on to the vacated land to attempt farming. But it is a well known fact the forest soil there cannot sustain farming but for a very short period. At the end of which, the people have to move away because nothing will grow anymore. The rains will then cause major floods and ruin whatever chance there might be to get the forest reestablished. The Indonesian government's short-sighted attitude is going to be the cause of some very severe long-term problems.

Until now, we did not see too much flotsam across the Pacific and through the East and South China Seas. We thought people at sea were starting to be concerned about how they got rid of their garbage. Of course, there are all sorts of international laws and treaties covering the subject, but observance and enforcement are something else. Here in the Strait of Malacca and out into the Indian Ocean, we seem to be sailing through one very large sea of garbage. It is terrible.

We observed sunset from the bow after supper. It was a very active evening for the officer on the bridge navigating because there appeared to be an armada of fishing vessels all over this part of the Indian Ocean. The wise ones have bright lights showing. The captain told us there are also those who unwisely do not have lights, or else are sound asleep and get smashed by the many cargo vessels moving through the area.

Tonight was one of those rare occasions where being almost on the equator we were able to view the "Southern Cross" completely, as well as part of the "Big Dipper", but not Polaris.

Saturday, February 26

The sunrise this morning was truly spectacular. The first rays hit the tops of a string of thunderhead clouds across the northern horizon and turned them into bright orange. What color! Peter Paul Rubens painted skies such as these.

On an almost glassy sea, the morning on the bow was occupied by observing more ships, dolphins, flying fish, and sharks. There were some biggies here. It seemed that whenever we saw dolphins very active, we noticed a shark or two lurking around or beneath them. With such clear water and looking down from such a height, it was easy to see fairly deep into the ocean.

The ship traffic definitely slackened quite a bit, with no more than four or five in view at any moment. They were all on the same east-west course as we, coming and going across the Bay of Bengal between the tips of northern Sumatra and southern Sri Lanka. Here there seemed to be more oil tankers than any other type freighter heading to and from the Arabian Sea. Our ship, enormous as it is, compared to some tankers we've seen, is just a medium size. Some of these behemoth tankers are in the 500,000 ton range when fully loaded. In comparison, our ship is an imposing 77,000 tons fully loaded.

The swimming pool, freshly scraped and painted, was reopened today. With the equatorial sun shining directly down on it this morning, it was too hot and bright to use. From mid-afternoon on, it was perfect being in the shade. But the ocean temperature was an almost uncomfortable 82F. The air was 90F.

Normally, the swimming pool is located towards the rear of a ship, and on a lower or middle deck. Picture this. The swimming pool on the Dagmar MAERSK is on "F" deck of the superstructure, just behind and below the bridge. That is 100 feet above the water, making it the equivalent of swimming in a pool on top of a ten-story building moving at 24 knots through the ocean! What a view! You can see forever. What a breeze! What a long drop, too!

This evening the Kiribati crew members made a barbecue on the "B" deck, port side. We started at 1900 with a really lovely sunset. Fortunately, there was no sea breeze at all, so the ship's 24-knot speed provided all the fresh air necessary to make it a nice event. It was the first time in the voyage the entire crew was gathered socially, except for the poor 2nd Mate, Mark Shiryayev, who had the control of the bridge the entire time. Someone had to maintain watch to stay clear of all the ships we were continually passing on both sides.

This was not your usual back yard barbecue. In typical seaman's fashion, a 55-gallon drum was cut in half vertically, covered with a large homemade grill. In Singapore, the cook obtained a jute sack full of charcoal. With a 24-knot breeze blowing over the grill, it didn't take long to get the coals going real good. Large platters of steaks, beef ribs, chicken, and Munchener weisswurst (of course) were put out. It was "cook your own" and garnish it with potato salad or coleslaw, washed down with Beck's Bier or wine. A great time was had by all, except for the 2nd Mate on duty on the bridge.

Sunday, February 27

There's nothing like a sunrise swim 100 feet above the Indian Ocean before breakfast to get the day started. The sea was absolutely calm all day. This was to be expected when sailing in "The Doldrums". That's the area at sea near the equator where there rarely is any significant movement of air. Before the age of steamships, sailors avoided them whenever possible, because they could be becalmed for days or weeks at a time, left praying for wind and rain.

Just before lunch we launched our Indian Ocean bottle message. While the ship was not too distant from the southeast coast of Sri Lanka, the northeast trade winds and north equatorial current marked on our National Geographic map indicated the bottle should be carried in a southwesterly direction for a long distance before catching the south equatorial countercurrent and start heading back towards Australia. Only a response will let us know where it eventually ends up.

Today definitely was dolphin day. Large numbers were sighted close to the ship at various times. Also, one giant sea turtle (about three feet in diameter) was on the surface less than fifty yards from the ship when we passed. Viewed from the bow, he looked up at this massive wonder passing by, but otherwise seemed to be pretty nonplused by it all.

At midnight, we reached the pilot station for Colombo where tomorrow morning, we hope to disembark to do some sightseeing and take care of errands.

Monday, February 28

The captain advised us yesterday that for the ports of Colombo, Salalah and the Suez Canal, the two Prossers would no longer be carried on the ship's manifest as passengers, but as supernumerary crew members. If questioned by any authorities, we are to say, "We are friends of the owners." The reason for this subterfuge is for MAERSK Lines to avoid paying the very high port charges for carrying passengers.

Spending so much time outdoors, Jim should be appointed boatswain in charge of the swimming pool with dual responsibility of maintaining peace and tranquility up on the bow, where there has been a lot of racket lately chipping and painting! It's the best place to read and observe sea life when no work is being performed. Mary should be put in charge of the ship's pantry, but that idea would be quickly thrown out for fear she would have had all the onions and garlic tossed overboard!

The ship docked at 0300. We awoke considerably later to find the sun rising over the city of Colombo with a marvelous view of the downtown section which, surprisingly, was quite close.

This was where fellow passenger Sheldon Wallbrown got off with all his belongings, to eventually fly over to India for his new job. He was a great companion to have with us for these four weeks.

At breakfast, we were all excited, full of anticipation to explore the wonders of Colombo in the relatively brief period we were to be here. The captain advised us to be back on board the usual two hours before sailing time of 1400, but that we still couldn't leave the vessel until Sri Lanka immigration formalities were completed. We thought they would already have been, but apparently the officials in Colombo don't start work until 0900 and weren't terribly interested in expeditious processing of the accumulated arrivals overnight.

Sadly, the vessel was not cleared to land personnel until 1030. That left us only 90 minutes for shore leave, hardly worth the effort to get off, find a taxi and be back by 1200. Not enough time for sightseeing, post cards to mail, shopping or E-mail exchange. We knew our shore time in Colombo would be relatively brief under the best of conditions, but not having any was a major disappointment for the three of us, especially due to events which were completely out of our control.

Sheldon, of course, was due to leave anyway, but he had planned on staying with us while we visited Colombo. Since he couldn't leave the ship as soon as he wanted to, he was glad to have our company, as he told us he would have gone stir crazy without us there to help him pass the time. Since we couldn't get off the ship to at least buy some post cards, we gave Sheldon money to purchase them and the stamps needed for the U.S.

A local gem merchant was allowed by MAERSK Lines to come aboard and make sales to ship personnel. Fortunately, Mary was able to fulfill a couple of her desires. But it just wasn't the same as making deals with shops on the streets.

No doubt about it, the national economy of Sri Lanka suffered greatly by not allowing us any shopping time there. But, looking at the bright side of things, our bank accounts remain solvent.

At 1400 we cast off, and Colombo slipped over the horizon as the ship headed into the Arabian Sea to our next port, Salalah in the Sheikdom of Oman, almost three days away. The ship had a lot of cargo for discharge there.

After dinner this evening, quietly watching the sunset over a serene sea from the bow, the ship came into an enormous school of dolphins. There had to be hundreds. For fully ten minutes of passing them, they cavorted for viewers. The ship was going too fast for them to keep up, so we knew the number had to be quite large. The Chief Engineer commented, "Seeing dolphins is common, but in such numbers for so long is, indeed, rare."

Tuesday, February 29 (leap day)

So Jim leapt out of bed and into the swimming pool for the usual sunrise swim, just as at home.

This afternoon we passed rather closely to just the second private sailing yacht we had seen on this journey. Poor folks! There was hardly a breath of air to stir their limp sails out here in the middle of the Arabian Sea. They were sailing in "The Doldrums" like us, but our diesel engine pushed us along nicely at 24 knots. We trust they had plenty of food and water aboard and were not in a hurry to reach their next destination.

Wednesday, March 1

The weather was still gorgeous, but with temperatures no longer in the 90F range as we sailed northwesterly to Salalah, Oman. The 80F range was just fine.

This morning we sailed through a massive, bright yellow, algae bloom. It took us 30 minutes to cross the 12 miles through it. It spread to the horizon in all directions. The wind and current was carrying it in a southwesterly direction. Look out Somalia and Kenya! We had never witnessed anything like it before in all of our travels at sea. Our first thought was it might have been an immense chemical spill, but the Chief Mate gave us the correct information.

Being at sea for an extended period like this gives one a wonderful opportunity to "get away from it all". But for us, that is not one of the reasons we do this. We do like to remain in touch with what is happening in the world about us.

Keeping in touch out here is easy. The electrician gave us a special plug which enabled us to connect our SONY shortwave receiver from our room into the ship's receiving antenna. The whole world is out there for us to pull in. Being at sea, there is zero interference. Since setting sail way back in Long Beach, we have been regular listeners to the VOA, Radio Canada, BBC World Service, Radio New Zealand, Radio Australia, Radio Japan, Deutsche Welle, as well as the local FM stations we happened to pick up when near a coastline. Listening to the Sri Lanka commercial radio station advertisements brought back nostalgia of the 1940s in the USA.

Being a former amateur (ham) radio operator, Jim enjoys listening to a lot of "DX", day and night. Once that virus is in your veins, you can't get it out, particularly when conditions out here are so good! Sitting outside at night, the stars above, the world at your fingertips, it doesn't get any better than this.

Thursday, March 2

At 1030, we docked at Salalah, Oman on the extreme southeast coast of the Arabian peninsula.

When originally signing up for this voyage, Salalah (pronounced Sa-lal-ah) was a mystery port on the itinerary. We knew nothing about it and little about Oman. From the encyclopedia and INTERNET, we found plenty on Oman, but nothing on Salalah.

Oman was the only place on our around-the-world itinerary which required a visa, and it was not easy to obtain. We advised MAERSK Lines we were not terribly interested in disembarking in Salalah, preferring to remain on ship. But they would not allow us to commence the voyage without an Oman visa lest they be severely fined by the local government.

Obtaining the Oman visas was the most expensive, frustrating and difficult thing in the organization of this voyage. Several telephone calls to the Oman Embassy in Washington and a FAX message went unanswered while we were "getting down to the wire". We eventually were put in touch with a "visa facilitator". Presto! We had two Oman visas, but for a price. If any reader ever requires a difficult visa, please contact us for details. We now know there is a lively business in obtaining visas in Washington. All you need is a little money.

It was initially puzzling to us as to what industry could be in Salalah that would cause container ships to call at such a remote place. There is nothing there. The almost non-existent coastline is meagerly populated. Mountains 5,000 feet high rise abruptly out of the Arabian Sea.

Salalah now is a fairly modern city of over 200,000. Everything about it looks quite new. It turns out its raison d'etre is the new, large container port constructed on the extreme southwest part of the city, about 30 minutes away by car. It has been open for two years and is still under construction.

The strait of Hormuz connecting the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman has become a difficult transit point for shipping. It is a "pinch point" for the large number of tankers and freighters doing business in the numerous ports of the surrounding lands. As a consequence, the big, fast container ships (i.e., Dagmar MAERSK) could not spend the time and effort required to call at a large number of these medium-sized ports.

So Omani entrepreneurs had a new container terminal constructed which would be able to expeditiously handle the largest container ships. Smaller, slower ships from ports on the horn of Africa, Red Sea, Persian Gulf, Pakistan and India carry containers for long distance shipments to Salalah for transshipment on the "big boys" to Europe, North America, the Far East and Australia/New Zealand.

We made our way to the main gate of the terminal, quite some distance, with the help of a Filipino van driver. These guys were really helpful. There were no taxis hanging around at the gate. But, like in other ports, there always seems to be some guy hanging around with a car that would be willing to take you into the city, stay with you, and ultimately bring you back. We explained to him what our objectives were and that in all it would take about three hours. We agreed on a price of $45.00 in advance, and while he first seemed a little disappointed at the amount, finally said, "Okay." He was very good, spoke English and did exactly as we wanted.

Driving into the town on a broad, new super highway, we did not notice a single truck with a container going to or from the container terminal. Yet, there were thousands of containers stacked in the yard awaiting the next vessel to (name a port, near or far).

From our limited visit here, it appeared that all labor positions of supervision are occupied by Omani citizens. It is immediately obvious that there is an enormous foreign "guest worker" program in place. Somalis, Pakistanis, Indians, Sri Lankans, and Filipinos are everywhere. English is the second language and seems to be spoken by just about everyone. Communicating while ashore was no problem.

While Jim stayed at the local Hilton Hotel to send and receive his E-mails, Mary went with the driver to the city to do a little touring and shopping. There wasn't much to buy, but she did manage to buy a T-shirt and some fruit. The driver showed Mary the Sultan's local palace (he probably has quite a few around the country). What she found very interesting was how many tailor, hair dresser and fruit/vegetable shops there were. Especially the tailor shops which were lined up one after the other along most of the streets.

Oman is one of the more expensive places we have ever visited. It's right up there with Norway and Switzerland. Mailing a few letters, sending E- mails, a little sightseeing with minor purchases used $200 worth in local currency before we knew what happened. The rate of exchange is: $100.00 = 37 Omani Rials. The five post cards and three airmail letters sent cost 12 Rials, or $32.43!

Because of the above, we opted not to eat ashore, but returned to the ship for supper. That's too bad, for the Omanis told us the local fish and seafood here are excellent. But at $50 per person for a fish dinner without wine (alcohol is prohibited), is just a bit too much for our taste and pocketbook.

Back on board ship, we noted that a large number of refrigerated 40-foot containers were added to our load. Containers rarely list on the outside the contents. Our cabin on "C" deck had just had a row of 13 40-foot containers added marked with frozen shrimp, lobster, and fish from a supplier in Cochin, India destined to an importer in Tampa/St. Petersburg. Gosh, we wonder if there is a shortage of seafood in western Florida, or is it that "the price is right"?

Friday, March 3

The ship was to have sailed shortly after midnight. However, due to the heavy cargo volume exchanged (over 1,800 containers) and a couple lashing problems of stern-loaded containers, we did not sail until 0800. All crew members worked throughout the night. We definitely left with much more cargo than we brought. Business is good.