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"Adventure" on board Prinsendam last night

chanteur

By chanteur,
in Holland America Line

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Cruisin Suzin

Cruisin Suzin

Posted
Posted
Here's a random related question. There seems to be a website for everything these days, so it made me wonder, are there any websites that tell you the worst weather a cruise vessel hit during any given sail? I became curious because last year on Seabourn, we hit some crazy rough seas (i was unable to walk without being thrown into the walls LOL) and I was wondering what we encountered in specifc.

 

So, anyone know of any sites that track it?

 

You might find this site interesting...the CC'ers report is on it..

 

http://www.cruisejunkie.com/events.html

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Storylady

Storylady

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I think he may post the incident in tomorrow's blog. Today's blog post was for the 5th and 6th.

 

Joanie

 

Actually, Joanie, Captain Albert is all caught up with his blog. He blogged the 6th--Oban, 7th--Portree, almost, 8th--Invergordon (the substitute port), 9th---Rosyth (Edinburgh) and the 10th---Tilbury.

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hotzej

hotzej

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Yes, everything you are hearing is true, we lost 50 windows, 1 foot of sea water in the showroom when windows broke behond the stage. The comedian tried to continue the show but finally had to give up. several windows broken in the dining rooms, safety glass did help, but a few blew out due to the twisting motion as the winds and seas were very stormy but crew and captain kept us safe. There were two very minor injuries reported by the Captain, and a lot of broken dishes, etc. I have been in rough seas before but nothing like this....as one passenger put it ... a Wild ride was had by all! I can not report the gale winds, did not hear the actual number, but they were very strong. someone said we were hit by a 45 foot wave, not confirmed, the storm did last for over an hour maybe even more, but the worst part was only about a 1/2 hour long. I can only tell you we all did fine, the captain and crew were professional and handled the emergency quite well. Our waiter tried to keep serving but once the chefs ran out to the kitchen, all serving came to a halt! It was scary but in the dining area where we were everone remained calm, I know I was too busy trying to keep our glasses and dishes on the table, only to loose the battle to save the china when the big one hit! We did rescue the stemware but lost the wine! Anyway just wanted you all to know we made it home safely.

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RuthC

RuthC

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Hotzej, thank you so much for your first-hand account. It must have been terrifying for a while.

Glad you made it through safe and sound. Oh! What fun you will have telling the story over and over again. You can dine out on this for years!

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Tamaracboy

Tamaracboy

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Hotzej, thank you so much for your first-hand account. It must have been terrifying for a while.

Glad you made it through safe and sound. Oh! What fun you will have telling the story over and over again. You can dine out on this for years!

 

Ruth,

 

There you go again with that perspective of yours :cool: :cool: :cool: :cool:

 

r.

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Storylady

Storylady

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Yes, everything you are hearing is true, we lost 50 windows, 1 foot of sea water in the showroom when windows broke behond the stage. The comedian tried to continue the show but finally had to give up. several windows broken in the dining rooms, safety glass did help, but a few blew out due to the twisting motion as the winds and seas were very stormy but crew and captain kept us safe. There were two very minor injuries reported by the Captain, and a lot of broken dishes, etc. I have been in rough seas before but nothing like this....as one passenger put it ... a Wild ride was had by all! I can not report the gale winds, did not hear the actual number, but they were very strong. someone said we were hit by a 45 foot wave, not confirmed, the storm did last for over an hour maybe even more, but the worst part was only about a 1/2 hour long. I can only tell you we all did fine, the captain and crew were professional and handled the emergency quite well. Our waiter tried to keep serving but once the chefs ran out to the kitchen, all serving came to a halt! It was scary but in the dining area where we were everone remained calm, I know I was too busy trying to keep our glasses and dishes on the table, only to loose the battle to save the china when the big one hit! We did rescue the stemware but lost the wine! Anyway just wanted you all to know we made it home safely.

 

 

Do you remember what day it was and where you were when the major storm hit? Where you rounding Northern Scotland going to Invergordon or where you rounding Scotland going to the port of Edinburgh? We are taking this cruise next year.

 

Now you can look back on it as being an exciting adventure. I'm so glad that everybody is basically okay. And like Ruth said, you can dine on this story for years---although at the time it must have been very scary.

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hotzej

hotzej

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We were rounding the tip of Scotland towards Inverness....it occurred in the small area, a straight, which the Captain said was only a mile across from the mainland. We missed two ports and it occured on the evening we should have been going to Scrabster, which cancelled for Inverness....I don't have my agenda hee so I can't be sure of the date, will check for you though and write back with the date.

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Storylady

Storylady

Posted
Posted
We were rounding the tip of Scotland towards Inverness....it occurred in the small area, a straight, which the Captain said was only a mile across from the mainland. We missed two ports and it occured on the evening we should have been going to Scrabster, which cancelled for Inverness....I don't have my agenda hee so I can't be sure of the date, will check for you though and write back with the date.

 

Thanks for the information. This is the second time Captain Albert has had to cancel Scrabster. Maybe that is the reason that they aren't offering next year on the late August cruise. But I will definitely take precautions as we round that northern part of Scotland. I definitely don't want to come back to a room with broken glass.

 

The reason I asked the day was because I was wondering if the storm happened before Invergordon or after Invergordon. But now looking at a map I can see that the worst area to be in a storm would be between Scotland and the Orkneys. The land is more of a buffer for the rest of the trip after leaving Invergordon.

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Tybeequeen2010

Tybeequeen2010

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We have been home a week from the stormy Prinsendam. It was a fabulous cruise with a bit of excitement around the northeast corner of Scotland. We had an excellent aft balcony cabin on deck 8 and all things not stowed ended up in the middle of the floor (glasses/broken, wine bottle/broken, clothing came out of the closet, even the mini bar unloaded on the floor). After the second 45 ft wave hit (we knew there were two, but not their size until advised by the cruise director) and being thrown from our seats, we decided to RUN toward the middle of the ship and waited the storm out in the Explorers Lounge. The staff was wonderful, checking on us as they made their rounds. Our cabin steward stayed for hours with an elderly couple around the corner from us as they were terrified. Never did I feel that HAL didn't have it under control... just something we had to weather till it ended. 50 broken windows and many of those were repaired by the end of the next day. The remainder to be accomplished upon arrival in Tilbury where more windows would be waiting. The bow was crumpled... amazing to see what wind and the water can accomplish given enough force. It was a trip of a lifetime for us and can't wait to sail on the Prinsendam again... an extraordinary ship with extraordinary staff. Thank you, Holland America.

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DrFUN

DrFUN

Posted
Posted

Thanks so much for this detailed report, Tybeequeen2010!

 

So glad everyone was safe -- and what a tribute to Captain and crew! Bless them all. (You comment about your steward was truly touching.)

 

Does anyone know how/when they're going to fix the bow? (We're on the P-dam for the 24-day May-June 2011 TA & Europe -- and praying she stays in service!!)

 

Appreciatively,

Mary-Lou

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mechcc

mechcc

Posted
Posted
We Our cabin steward stayed for hours with an elderly couple around the corner from us as they were terrified.

 

WOW! Now that is caring service. What an amazing story of someone going above and beyond.

 

Certainly glad that no one was seriously hurt on their "wild ride" and all can look at it as and adventire.

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hotzej

hotzej

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We did not even have time to think when these rogue waves hit! We just grabbed the stemware. Our wine was in the wine bucket, who knows where....never did find it but we did not care, we left the dining room with all our limbs still attached and no scratches, so we were thankful. I can only say how wonderful the crew was, calm and professional throughout. Yes, the cabin stewards remained on duty, they kept checking on us for quite awhile after we were released from the dining room and could return to our rooms. My husband was asleep after the worse part of the atorm, but I could not sleep so I walked around the ship to see all the damage. Watched the crew mop the stage and floors in the showroom and try to check on the electrical issues around the stage. I could also see where the floor was damaged and where spots would be difficult fo the dancers in upcoming shows. All in all, the damage was minor for the type of storm we hit, so we were all thankful.

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jgw321

jgw321

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Posted
now looking at a map I can see that the worst area to be in a storm would be between Scotland and the Orkneys.

 

When we were there on the TOTW cruise end of July (we got in to Scrabster OK that time) we were told that the channel there is extremely dangerous in bad weather because of the currents. As it was so calm at the time, this seemed hard to believe. It looks as though one could swim across from John O'Groats to the Orkneys but obviuosly this is deceptive.

 

Glad that all seems to be OK now.

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  • 4 weeks later...
Grumpy1

Grumpy1

Posted
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Grumpy might as well put his observations in here also. He and Slinkie were at dinner (8PM fixed seating) when the bad weather really got nasty.

 

The ship was supposed to anchor and tender at Portree, Isle of Skye on the 7th. The concern was that if the anchor did not get a good hold and started to drag, Prinsendam would be on the rocks very quickly. The information available indicated that Scrabster would likely not not be accessible on the 8th. The shore excursion team was able to set up tours for Invergordon, which was not on the original schedule, for the 8th, so the decision was made to skip Portree and Scrabster and sail on to Invergordon.

 

The rough seas started in late afternoon as Prinsendam was rounding the northwest corner of Scotland. The Isle of Skye to the west had sheltered the west side of Scotland during the day and the seas were not bad. Once around the NW tip there was nothing but open seas to the east and west, and as someone else suggested, hurricane Earl was making his presence in the area known. The narrow strait between the north end of Scotland and South Orkney is notorious for really rough seas as it serves as a funnel between the North Sea and the Atlantic. Winds and waves tend to create a "confused sea" as Captain Albert described it.

 

The dining room was fairly empty. There were probably a lot of passengers feeling a bit of the mal de mer by that time and stayed in their cabin or grabed a quick bowl of soup in the Lido. At our table, one couple was in the Pinnacle and the other couple came to the dining room with us. Ouir table was #33, in the side dining room. That table is fairly well aft in that room, but is still a mid-ship location. There is a table for two between table 33 and the windows. That table was occupied by Captain Joe and his wife Miriam. Capt Joe is a seasoned sea captain of everything from submarines in WWII to oil drilling rigs in the North Sea. He and Miriam were the senior Mariners on board with 1101 days each on HAL.

 

When things started getting a little more rocky, the first courses had been served. Prinsendam did some pitching and rolling and the doors on the display cabinet for the fine wines opened up and severl shelves dumped onto the carpeted floor. Fortunately, no bottles broke and the waiters quickly removed all remaining bottles and placed them on the floor. They had already taken the stemware that wasn't being used and turned them on their sides with stems crossed to keep them from rolling around. The passengers in the dining rooms held onto the table with one hand and their wine glasses with the other waiting to see what would happen next. They didn't have to wait long...

 

Prinsendam did a pretty violent lurch and hard slam into a wall of water. Captain Albert later said that the bridge was covered with "green water" which is a sailors way of describing being in the thick part of the wave and not just in the foamy top. The combination of the hard slam and the twisting motion from not hitting the wave exactly square is what caused the hull to flex enough to shatter so many windows. Also, at the age of the ship, there is some rust buildup in the window frames... those places that can never get painted... and that rust will put pressure points on the glass, even through the heavy rubber gaskets. Although there were more than 50 broken windows throughout the ship, none broke in the small dining room, so we didn't realize the extent of the damage until later.

 

One of our table mates was terrified, but the rest of us were not too concerned. I glanced over at Captain Joe and saw that he was grinning ear to ear. I imagine he was thinking "Yeah, Baby, this is sailing like I remember from the good old days!" I figured if Capt Joe wasn't worried then I wasn't going to worry. If He had shown any sign of concern, yours truly would probably have gone from calm to terrified in about two nanoseconds. About that time we were jarred by one ring of the alarm bells (there is one about 10 feet from our table and it definitely got our attention!) Capt Albert announced that the alarm bell was only to get our attention and then asked that people remain seated and not move about the ship if at all possible. He assured us that the ship was not in danger. Well... we're at our table, we still have what remains of our first course and some bread, water and wine... no need to go anywhere. Our water said there would be no further courses served. I can imagine what the kitchen looked like at that point.

 

We stayed for another 20 minutes or so and then our waiter came over and told us our entrees were ready if we still wanted to eat. We all accepted the offer and were able to finish our meal without further incident. All I can say is that Prinsendam has a fantastic crew and they just took all of the turmoil in stride and went about their business.

 

When we left the dining room, we went up the aft stairs and walked forward through the explorers lounge and photo gallery. There we saw many shattered windows. I noted that it was usually the forward pane in the groups of three panes that make a window that shattered.

 

We went on up to our cabin which was on deck 11, a little forward of the forward elevators. The cabin steward must have somewhat prepared the cabin before the big waves as the stemware was on its side and interlocked and a bottle of wine was placed on its side behind a shelf rail and padded with a linen napkin. The champagne bucket was off of the stand on on the floor and the small ice bucket had fallen off the desk and was on the floor. My stack of papers was scattered across the floor, several drawers were partially open and a few of the shelves in the closet had dumped their contents on the floor. Surprisingly, there was not one item in the bathroom that was not in its place.

 

There was one bottle of wine that had been sitting on the desk that could not be found, but it showed up the next day. It had rolled across the room, under a chair and was nestled behind the balcony door curtain. All in all, no damages. There was a laptop sitting on each desk and they had not moved.

 

The next day the deck crew was busy replacing glass. They keep several panes in the hold for emergency replacement but not nearly the quantity needed for this repair. Engineering was all over the ship, checking each cabin, taking picture, measuring and documenting everything. By the time we got around to Tilbury, after our port days in Invergordon and Rosyth, the glass available onboard had been used up and preparations had been made to do the remainder of the work at the dock in Tilbury. Tilbury was scheduled as an overnight port, so it worked out very well. There were inspector's from the insurance companies on board inspecting the bow area, marking off areas with black markers and taking lots of pictures. I'm sure they were ascertaining that there was no structural damage that would make the ship unseaworthy.

 

The remainder of the glass was on the dock in Tilbury along with crews to do the installation. By the time we sailed, the dented bow was about the only visable evidence that anything had happened. There was at least one window that shattered later in the cruise, probably some residual pressure in the frame. It was the window right next to the table where Capt Joe and Miriam had been.

 

Work continued on the rails and structural members around the bow pulpit and there was a lot of hammering, grinding, cutting, welding and painting going on in almost every port. When we left on Oct. 10, there were still some large dented areas that will probably remain until the next drydock. Structurally, all of the ribs that were bent or cracked loose have been straightened, welded and reinforced.

 

There has been some discussion around the ship by some of the old salts aboard as to whether the stabilizers being in use can increase the twisting damage. The theory is that the stabilizers try to hold the mid ship area in an upright position but a quartering wave on the bow is trying to roll the ship and the result is a twisting action. Although there may have been fewer broken windows if the ship rolled evenly, there likely would have been more loose items in the ship that would have crashed and broken and more passengers thrown about because the roll would have been more severe had the stabilizers been retracted. I think Capt Albert handled the situation extremely well considering what he was faced with. I do wonder if there was sufficient information available to make a decision to go through that channel. Staying in the more protected area on the west side might have been an option, but it would probably have resulted in the loss of all of the ports after that.

 

Captain Gundersen joked that he gets his weather information from CNN, but the weather lady always has her ample fanny blocking the view of the area he's trying to observe. I hope this whole thing wasn't because Capt Albert was distracted by a fanny blocking his view of that part of Scotland... :eek::D

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Kween Karen

Kween Karen

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Posted

This is a very interesting report Grumpy. Thank you so much. I will be on the Prinsendam beginning January 5th....and am glad to hear she is so seaworthy.

I have never experienced anything more that mildly rough seas......I think I would be much more frightened than you. I hope I can spot an "old salt" like you did to gage my reactions by should I need to!!! For now...I will be very happy with just reading the stories and adventures of others...no need to experience them myself!!

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