Port or Starboard, Valparaiso to Tahiti?

[bzv143]

For any of you great Oceania past pax who cruised in December from Valparaiso to Tahiti--

I always figured that Port side would get the sun when going west, but have been presented by the Great Conundrum: if the sun is below the equator in December, and if cruising from South America, would the Port side still get more sun, or would the Starboard side? Don't think I am too picky--I just like sun streaming through my windows as much as possible!

Thanks for any helpful answers. :-)

[Stickman505]

bzv143-

I've had this same question but in reverse - Tahiti to Lima - I found a website that I think answers our question: (http://csirouniverseblog.com/author/hlsim/page/2/)

If you scroll down through the page (almost to the bottom) you'll eventually find a caricature of a man holding a briefcase behind him and facing north. The sun is pictured in the northern sky. I believe this shows that the port side of your ship would be the shaded side. Hopefully my comment will spark more comments. I'd like to know if I'm correct.

Have a great cruise.

[airheadfan]

Not sure if this will help you, but here goes. We had a PH1 on the port side leaving last December on the Marina on the same itinerary. The PH1 cabins have the overhang, so the amount of sun you get will depend on which deck you are on - the overhang tends to shade the veranda.

 

I do not recollect getting enough sun to ever be a problem - lots of outside spaces, frequent deck activities, and there were always lounge chairs available. On hot days finding shade was more important than finding the sun. We tended to use the veranda in the mornings and before dinner and spent the rest of the time in the rest of the ship.

 

Of course, once you get to French Polynesia you will find it is the rainy season and then sun becomes scarce, except when it comes out is is intense. Really appreciated the overhang then as it (mostly) stayed dry.

 

For this trip I do not think port or starboard matters - it is a wonderful itinerary and you get wonderful times ashore in between lots of relaxing sea days. Odds are you will not get off at Pitcairn due to the intense swells, but not a great disappointment. Hopefully no problems tendering at Easter Island which is worth the whole trip. Make sure you have a good camera and consider taking an underwater camera for Bora Bora.

[bzv143]

Thanks to both of you for your answers. Right now, we are booked on Port side. Debating changing.

 

Airheadfan, is Pitcairn the "Robinson Crusoe Island" that is listed on the itinerary? And what activities were offered on this intense sea days cruise?

[Hawaiidan]

South of the equator Jan will be their July. The ship will be sailing on a slightly North North western course about 290 to 310 degrees ( west it 2700

 

the SUN will rise and set thus in a 45 degree arc over the ships relative course for much of the trip. That will ease to almost 15 degrees of the ships stern as you pass Pitcairn.

THe prevailing winds will be out of the South South East so the port side will be a tad more windy.

 

The starboard will have this oblique morning sun and the port will have the oblique sunset. Only the stern cabins will have sun all day. and the pool deck too.

 

So , morning sun or sunset.... which excites you most and remember you will only have that for 50% of the trip unless in a stern cabin. A good astro program like " the SKY level4" will be able to give you a daily visual 3-d picture of what each day will be line

[airheadfan]

I presume they have not changed the itinerary, but we stopped at "Robinson Crusoe" (really one of the Juan Fernandez Islands owned by Chile), Pitcairn and Easter Island before going to the islands in French Polynesia. Pitcairn is the home of the mutineers from the Bounty.

 

Landing in Pitcairn is tricky and apparently few ships manage to tender there. I watched the swells break at the dock through my binoculars and knew before it was announced that we were not getting off that day. However, the locals manage to launch their boats and come out to the ship and set up a market selling locally made goods, and the sought after Pitcairn stamps. In our case, the captain sailed around the island while one of the locals gave a running commentary about the history of the place.

 

Not much on Robinson Crusoe - the less fit walked to the hotel to get a bottle of the local beer. We chose to walk up the hill to see the lookout, which is a bit strenuous but you get a fantastic view of the ship. You can stop at the first lookout or continue to the very top - it is a great alternative to lounging on the ship. Look for the rare Firecrown Hummingbird - I was fortunate to get a photo of one as we walked through the village - it is so rare that a few people accused me of taking a picture of a postcard, but I actually saw it sitting on a power line.

 

Easter Island is the highlight - make sure you get a tour that not only takes you around the beach area and all of the huge statues, but takes you to the top of the volcano and a visit of the house remains.

 

Enjoy this wonderful itinerary.

[CruseKrazy]

P = port

O = out

S = starboard

H = home

 

This was the rule of thumb in the 1890s on the way out to India and back from Britain. In this case it would seem, people preferred the shady side of the ship. Enjoy your voyage.

 

Dave

[Hawaiidan]

P = port

O = out

S = starboard

H = home

 

This was the rule of thumb in the 1890s on the way out to India and back from Britain. In this case it would seem, people preferred the shady side of the ship. Enjoy your voyage.

 

Dave

 

Works going to India and Africa from England That's north to south and return

 

South America, North America to the Pacific and Asia is east to west.

The sun comes up astern and sets off the bow pretty much

 

Its the course of course and it changes everything...:

[JimandStan]

Works going to India and Africa from England That's north to south and return

 

South America, North America to the Pacific and Asia is east to west.

The sun comes up astern and sets off the bow pretty much

 

Its the course of course and it changes everything...:

 

I'm afraid that you are over simplifying the direction thing, Dan.

 

When sailing to or from India, a ship from Britain would sail East/West much more often than North South.

It would be primarily East/West across the ENTIRE width of the Mediterranean and the Arabian Seas, for example.

The "Starboard Home" part of the acronym actually applies rather well to the Valparaiso to Tahiti voyage, provided that one allows that it defines the side of the ship which gets afternoon shade.

[bzv143]

Hey, Dave. I always thought that POSH referred to traveling to America and back, thus the sunny side of the ship was preferred. (?)

[JimandStan]

Hey, Dave. I always thought that POSH referred to traveling to America and back, thus the sunny side of the ship was preferred. (?)

 

No he is definitely correct about that part.

POSH was coined for Passage on Peninsula & Oriental Line (P&O) Ships sailing to and from India as well as to the Far East in the bad old days before Air Conditioning.

They designed those ships to be as open air as possible, and many of the interior walls flipped up like Garage Doors, but the shady side of the ship was usually still a few degrees cooler and hence accommodations on that side of the ship were VERY IN DEMAND.