Copper10-8

Yes, we have so far, ma'am, knock on wood! You two take care in your beautiful country!

Kia Ora / Hello Phil! Always good to hear from you! 🙂 Kia tupato kia noho haumaru! / Take care and be safe!

Not pour moi! 😉 Apparently you can get these monsters in a burger joint somewhere east

Thanx for the kind words! Captain "Appie" is a walking HAL History encyclopedia! His lectures about HAL are legendary! I was able to work a short contract for him back in 2014 when he was still in command of Statendam, and then have seen him and his "safety class students" numerous times after on different dam ships. They can always be seen during crew drills

Rich, if you need a break/some relief during your GWV next year, get a hold of me 😉

Love that organ, Roy! Can't wait to hear it play in August during our anniversary cruise. A little Jonny Cash' Ghost Riders in the Sky! 😉

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you on your question! Yes, in the past, the staff captain has had the ship's Bo'sun (via one of his sailors 'cause the chain of command runs downhill😉) paint a marking at the "final position" of the ship (read the final gangway location) on the dock. Like you are referring, that has to be done with the permission of the local authorities. In the past, those markings could be quite elaborate with the ship's profile and abbreviation of the ship's name, for instance. Bear in mind that the captain/staff captain standing on the bridge wing (the one that overhangs the dock) are unable to see the break door (from where the gangway is landed) from their position due to the lifeboats that obscure their view of same. So, because of that, they rely on the SECO (security officer) standing half in/half out in that same break door opening, to "count off" the distance to the final position (in meters, mind ya 😉) via portable radio to the bridge. In certain ports (Juneau and Seattle come to mind) the port agent and/or a local port authority individual, do that "count down" instead of the SECO. So, a marking on that dock will make for three happy campers, actually four, if you count Drew and his people. Drew, nice guy, is the primary ship's agent for HAL in Juneau. Been doing it for a while there! He and the other HAL ship's agents in Alaska are employed by CLAA (Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska) Another CLAA port agent who would also do the countdown in Ketchikan is "Coach," a really good dude who is prob. retired by now! Port agents are the HAL ships' "lifelines" who arrange all kinds of requests, from having paramedics standing by on the dock in case of a medical disembarkation, to mail for the crew, to special requests from the local Home Depot/Costco, to arranging transportation to the local dentist, you name it! Some of them have been doing it for eons....the gent in Willemstad, Curacao comes to mind