Summer 2011 Part 11 Heligoland to Hamburg

Part 11

Heligoland to Hamburg



Friday 15th July

So we three reluctantly made our way back to the HALUNDER JET. We boarded and this time our seats were on the upper deck in Comfort Class, with free tea, coffee or juices available. I noticed that one small area had a covered rail and coat hangers for Comfort Class passengers. I also noticed that the front rows of seats had seat belts fitted to them, presumably to be used in certain conditions. I imagine they were worn this morning. Again, food was available to order with table service. The sun was still shining and at 4.30 p.m. the crowded vessel pulled away from Heligoland, after an unforgettable visit!



Ships and route



Halunder Jet ready for boarding



After a few minutes we realised that the First Officer had been right about the weather and sea conditions for the part of our journey to Cuxhaven, and we all felt a lot happier.



Calmer seas



This time the journey took the scheduled 1 hour and 15 minutes, and the disembarking passengers were soon off the ship and the new ones on, under sunny and breezy conditions.



Weather signs at Cuxhaven



We stayed on board of course as we were to continue to Hamburg for the two and a half hours journey. Cuxhaven is on the south side of the River Elbe so we went out on the stern deck this time to watch us enter the wide River.



Unknown ship



Tug Vogelsand



Ark Futura



We could also see VISTAMAR at her berth and then watch her leave to sail north again. At last I was able to get a good photograph of her in sunshine.



Vistamar



As we left Cuxhaven we were able to move to the empty front row seats which we had booked originally, so that was lucky.



As the river narrowed very slightly we had to keep within the marked buoys, and of course slow down when nearing other vessels, whatever their size. On the port side we soon approached the western end of the Kiel Canal, at Brunsbuttel, and could see the start of the locks. Goodness, some of Father’s photos were taken eighty years ago when he came through the Canal to here, on the ARANDORA STAR. One of his photos is of him and some others sitting inside the edge of the ship’s funnel, going through the Kiel Canal, so it must have been the dummy funnel! One day I hope to do that journey myself – one day.



The River Elbe wound its way round a slim island in the middle, and then we approached and stopped at Wedel Point – the Welcome Point.



Welcome Point



Coming alongside at Wedel



It was a daily stop for the HALUNDER JET (three hours from Heligoland) and exciting for us: every time a ship passed the Point in daylight a piece of music was played over the loudspeakers, appropriate to the nationality of the ship. We dropped our passengers off, picked up the new ones, and as we left we heard a stirring piece of German music, which lasted for several minutes. Apparently the man who owns the Restaurant and Café there has a CD collection of about 300 national anthems or similar and tries to play the appropriate one for each vessel that passes. Some ships acknowledge this with a whistle, some just ignore it, but the rest of us are perfectly happy and amused. There is a list of expected vessels and their passing times on a notice board in the grounds.



Soon we came to the A380 Airbus factories on the south side of the river. Planes fly in to be fitted out here, and in fact we could see an AIRBUS SKYLINK plane beside the factory, with several others being completed. That reminded me that I saw a RORO vessel in Palermo recently which had the AIRBUS sign on the side of it, and was carrying parts for the aircraft. We also saw the Blohm & Voss ship repair yards as we neared Hamburg. All along the riverside we could see secluded homes tucked into the hillside woods, and frequent sandy beaches on the north side which were being enjoyed by many people.



We finally came in sight of Hamburg city and this reminded me of a couple of Father’s photographs as he approached it on the ARANDORA STAR in 1931. He could see some docks on one side, (and now I’m home I have scanned the photo in case anyone can recognise the funnel markings of the ship in the picture).



Hamburg docks 1931



and railway lines and railway wagons on the other side,



Approaching Hamburg 1931



as well as several church spires. This was the end of our trip, as the sun was sinking in the west.



Halunder Jet



The sky was finally clear and the light golden as we approached the quayside. Just ahead of us was our final destination of the day: the CAP SAN DIEGO.



Cap San Diego



We had booked to stay on board her, as yet another ship experience, and it took us only a few minutes to walk along the quayside, across an old bridge that had obviously been updated at some point, and onto the pontoon leading to our hotel ship.



Welcome on Board



We checked in, paid for our cabins, and enjoyed the thought that we were on board our third ship of the day.



My cabin 206



My bunk



My cabin 206 was spacious, with a view over the starboard side to the water, city spires, buildings and ships moored along the other pontoons. It was disappointing to discover that no food or drink was available on board, other than breakfast in the morning, so we had to leave our cabins and go ashore for a light meal. The public rooms on the ship are available for hire, and we could see people in those rooms, which were then locked up when they left. Why does this sound familiar? Ah well, I was in Hamburg for the very first time and staying on an hotel ship and looking forward to my weekend in the city.



Ships seen: Dublin Express, MSC Joy, Atlantis, 2 DFS freighters, Funny Girl, Lady von Busum, Amaranth, Grandi Napoli, Vistamar,Pilot ship and Mother Pilot Ship, Delta Hamburg, Juyul tanker with an Arabic name too, Anne Ehler (small feeder container), Euro Snow, Finn Breeze, Emma, PAL Line Trans Odin, Ever Eagle, D S Agility from Monrovia), Marie Fresno (Dutch sailing vessel), harbour ferries, Marstan, Ragna, Kristin Schepers, Cap George, City of Beirut in the floating dry dock, MSC Charleston, several other ships in the docks, Cap San Diego hotel ship.



To be continued…

Summer 2011 Part 10

Cuxhaven and Heligoland



Friday 15th July



Forties, Dogger, Humber, Thames and Dover should sound familiar to anyone who ever listens to the British Shipping Forecast. I’ve just been travelling through North Utsire, South Utsire and Fisher, and today I’m in the German Bight shipping weather forecast area. I remember when there used to be a separate name on the list - of Heligoland - and this is the island where we are planning to go today.



VISTAMAR arrived two hours later than we expected, so our day’s plans had to be altered. Cuxhaven was shrouded in damp mist as we arrived in our berth, and were allowed off the ship. Although we rushed through the empty terminal to the Taxi rank, there were none to be seen, so we had to walk a long way to the Heligoland ferry terminal.



Heligoland Ferries



The vessels



We had tickets to catch the delightful looking ATLANTIS, the little ferry that sails from Cuxhaven to Heligoland island, out in the German Bight shipping area. Unfortunately as we approached the quay we could see the ship already on her way, on what looked like rather rough water.



Plan B swung into action, after we were advised to go to another terminal to try and get seats on the Company’s fast ferry (catamaran) on the same route. It was raining quite hard, the wind was blowing, the woman in the ticket office for the HALUNDER JET was obviously unused to smiling or being helpful to passengers, or even transferring tickets from one of their vessels to another. We had to pay for new tickets out to the island. We had also previously arranged to return from Heligoland on the HALUNDER JET anyway, this time for the complete journey back along the River Elbe to Hamburg. The office woman ignored our return tickets, the seats were summarily cancelled and new ones allocated so we no longer had the front row viewing seats we had booked and paid for many months ago. Ah well, we must make the best of it but what a shame.



So we boarded the vessel with almost 300 others and took our newly reserved seats on the lower Jet Deck of this catamaran. The seats were comfortable, screens around the lounge showed outside views, speed, and position on the route, and menus in the seat pockets showed food or drinks to order for delivery to one’s seat. All this was fine until we sailed and left the shelter of the coast. The journey was supposed to take one and a quarter hours, doing about 29 knots.



The journey to Heligoland was, well, the first syllable is about right – hell. It was very very rough, and the speed frequently dropped to 10 knots because of the sea conditions. Most people were sea-sick (I wasn’t) and staff walked around continuously collecting sick bags. I think it was the noise of people being ill, groaning, children crying, and some people screaming, and the discomfort that made it worse. I think we must have been on the limit of sailing conditions for that sort of vessel, and it was absolutely horrifying when we saw and felt us going underwater. Now we knew what a ‘green water’ experience was, as it happened several times during that dreadful journey.



One of my friends wanted some fresh air and managed to get on deck for a moment. Being the keen photographer that he is, he also managed to get pictures of the ATLANTIS ferry in the seas as we overtook her – we had caught her up on the journey, although she had left an hour ahead of us.



Atlantis up



Atlantis down



Nearly two hours later we arrived in Heligoland, to be met on the quayside by 3 ambulances. We disembarked with great relief and managed to walk away from the sight of the sea and an unforgettable experience.



The island seemed an interesting little place in the pale sunshine, with its painted shop fronts along the quayside. There were summer places to rent and lots of people around, obviously here on holiday. It looks very picturesque, with its nature reserves, sea life, beaches and summer social calendar. If this is July summer weather and sea conditions, we wondered what it might be like in the winter. I shall have to listen to the Shipping Forecast in December!



Helgoland



Helgoland



We sat with our backs to the sea for some time, and then realised that ATLANTIS had arrived. For some reason she does not come alongside, but anchors off. Those poor people on the ship then had the final indignity of having to descend into local craft to come ashore. After a voyage in those seas, I really didn’t envy them the final part of the journey, which must have seemed endless.



Coming ashore from Atlantis



Nearing the quayside



We recovered enough to have a snack in an upstairs restaurant which reminded me slightly of the de la Warr Pavilion at Bexhill in East Sussex.



Funny Girl



Lady von Busum



One friend had spoken to the First Officer on the HALUNDER JET about the weather and sea conditions for our return journey later, back to Hamburg via Cuxhaven. He was told that the weather front had almost cleared and the journey should be much better than this morning, which was such a relief. I think we three had mentally wondered about alternative means of getting back, rather than enduring another journey like the one coming here. In fact there is no other way of getting to this island, which has an interesting history.



The route



Halunder Jet



Ships seen: Dublin Express, MSC Joy, Atlantis, 2 DFS Freighters, Funny Girl, Lady von Busum (which was obviously translated as Lady of the Bosom), Amarinth, Nippon Maru (not really, just a model), Grandi Napoli, Halunder Jet



To be continued…