Volendam Stuck in the Mud

[ComputerTravelGuy]

1 hour ago, AmazedByCruising said:

 

Huh, didn't the hospital understand you'd be sailing on the Amazon?

And why would you need to smuggle anti-malaria drugs? They're not restricted are they?

When visiting Zimbabwe with my (then) girlfriend, we decided to not take the pills for the side effects en were religiously using Deet all the time.😀

 

 

Well, I was amazed (but being amazed is my middle name 😀) that I couldn't simply buy antacids on the ship (whereas they did sell toothpaste), I was referred to the infirmary. Luckily my cruise mate could supply me from her magic purse.

On a cruise like that I'd expect the ship to have loads of Deet in stock and the CD to say daily that you need to protect yourselves. Ships do provide you with (even free) meds for seasickness, and food for being hungry. I'd expect them to bring Deet and not just Tonic.

 

BTW - There wasn’t any Insecticide with Deet on the Volendam for sale.  But you can buy “essentials” like diamonds, luxury watches, booze, and t-shirts on our cruise ship. Seriously, passengers have to plan for their own protection (shots, pills, Deet). A few upset folks who didn’t bring Deet were fussing at the Cruise Director who suggested passengers buy it in an onshore, Brazilian Pharmacy. 

[rkacruiser]

Those who "fuss" when one travels to a country/region that USPHS have identified has health issues and do nothing proactive to protect themselves before they depart lack my sympathy for their plight.  Researching where one is traveling should be part of one's planning.  

[ComputerTravelGuy]

6 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

Those who "fuss" when one travels to a country/region that USPHS have identified has health issues and do nothing proactive to protect themselves before they depart lack my sympathy for their plight.  Researching where one is traveling should be part of one's planning.  

Traveling is a skill set and planning is essential. Several from the ship expected to walk around Manaus like it was a sleepy tourist town. Manaus is a major industrial port city - not really walkable by travel novices. HAL or Private Tours are essential to safely hop from site to site. The best sites were along the river near Manaus that our private tour showed us (pink dolphins, Indian village, floating village, jungle walk, and seeing the colder muddy water (22*C) alongside with clearer warmer water (30*C) near Manaus. 

[chengkp75]

2 hours ago, AmazedByCruising said:

Huh, didn't the hospital understand you'd be sailing on the Amazon?

This was the Tropical Disease hospital in Manaus, Brazil.  We smuggled them to prevent having to pay any import duty.

 

3 hours ago, AmazedByCruising said:

I'd expect them to bring Deet and not just Tonic.

Lots of people don't want to use DEET because of the side effects, and in fact the CDC has approved two botanicals:  lemon eucalyptus and picaridin as DEET alternatives.

[AmazedByCruising]

59 minutes ago, ComputerTravelGuy said:

BTW - There wasn’t any Insecticide with Deet on the Volendam for sale.  But you can buy “essentials” like diamonds, luxury watches, booze, and t-shirts on our cruise ship. Seriously, passengers have to plan for their own protection (shots, pills, Deet). A few upset folks who didn’t bring Deet were fussing at the Cruise Director who suggested passengers buy it in an onshore, Brazilian Pharmacy. 

 

I completely agree with the upset folks. Obviously, people have their own responsibilities but isn't it obvious that people would expect to be able to buy Deet on the ship? I guess it's not the first time HAL sailed on the Amazon, and they must have had complaints before. Easy to fix, and a bigger profit than the $10 watches.

 

[AmazedByCruising]

46 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

This was the Tropical Disease hospital in Manaus, Brazil.  We smuggled them to prevent having to pay any import duty.

 

Lots of people don't want to use DEET because of the side effects, and in fact the CDC has approved two botanicals:  lemon eucalyptus and picaridin as DEET alternatives.

 

OK, but apart from duty, why  "oh, you're at the city, there is no malaria in the city, only outside the city"?

 

[Wehwalt]

When I was on the Grand South America three years ago, bug spray was included in one of the early pillow gifts. Given the alternatives, it might not have been such a bad idea to hand out at least some bug spray wipes or sell them on a subsidized basis in the shops.

 

I did a long walk on the second day and Manaus did not seem terribly unsafe to me. That being said, I'm not a novice traveler, it was daytime and I'm younger than the average cruiser. 

 

[Btimmer]

I'm on this cruise and was just pointed to this thread.  I appreciate chengpk75's technical insights and wewalt's and ConputerTravelGuy's contributions to this thread.  
 

I would add to the facts of the case that we were approximately 1/4 to 1/2 mile to the right of the shipping channel.  The Captain indicated that he was doing a 6 on and 6 off schedule with the staff Captain but I don't know who was on duty at the time of the grounding.

 

I have been doing a daily blog of this trip and on the day in question I have a minute by minute account from the time of the emergency announcement until our freeing around 11:30.  My blog address is https://timmerbrazilplus2019.blogspot.com.  For pictures, I post a few on my Almost Live thread in this section.

We're having a great time with more than just the grounding incident.  How about running out of gas on a tour boat on an Amazon River in the dark?  

 

 

 

[chengkp75]

10 hours ago, AmazedByCruising said:

 

OK, but apart from duty, why  "oh, you're at the city, there is no malaria in the city, only outside the city"?

 

Not exactly sure what you mean, but it was because they didn't want to admit there was a chance of malaria in the city.

[chengkp75]

2 hours ago, Btimmer said:

I would add to the facts of the case that we were approximately 1/4 to 1/2 mile to the right of the shipping channel.  The Captain indicated that he was doing a 6 on and 6 off schedule with the staff Captain but I don't know who was on duty at the time of the grounding.

This is typical, in prolonged periods of pilotage, also why there are two pilots.  Legal requirements require a minimum of 10 hours of rest for all crew, even the Captain, every 24 hours.  Did the Captain say they were "to the right" of the channel?  Because as I've said, there are no channel markers anywhere on the Amazon, so they "channel" is where the deep water is that week.

[Btimmer]

48 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

This is typical, in prolonged periods of pilotage, also why there are two pilots.  Legal requirements require a minimum of 10 hours of rest for all crew, even the Captain, every 24 hours.  Did the Captain say they were "to the right" of the channel?  Because as I've said, there are no channel markers anywhere on the Amazon, so they "channel" is where the deep water is that week.

The Captain never said we were to the right of the channel; he, in fact l, said we were in the channel per the pilot.

 

However a large cargo ship passed on our port side coming down stream and their pilots apparently knew where the channel was.  I, by no means, want to deprecate the value of the pilots and the difficulty of their task of keeping a ship on course in the dark with no channel markers.  I felt from a passenger's perspective the Captain handled the entire situation with highest professionalism. 

 

The only channel markers or buoys I noticed were near and around Manaus.

 

 

[chengkp75]

1 hour ago, Btimmer said:

The Captain never said we were to the right of the channel; he, in fact l, said we were in the channel per the pilot.

 

However a large cargo ship passed on our port side coming down stream and their pilots apparently knew where the channel was.  I, by no means, want to deprecate the value of the pilots and the difficulty of their task of keeping a ship on course in the dark with no channel markers.  I felt from a passenger's perspective the Captain handled the entire situation with highest professionalism. 

 

The only channel markers or buoys I noticed were near and around Manaus.

 

 

And that container ship was even more constrained by draft than the Volendam.  That ship most likely had at least 4 meters more draft than Volendam, so it had the right of way in the deepest water.  And, passing close alongside in a channel with a strong current is a recipe for disaster, as the venturi effect can suck the two ships together quickly.  From what I remember, the markers around Manaus were to delineate the anchorage area, and keep the ships away from there when transiting.

[SargassoPirate]

11 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

Those who "fuss" when one travels to a country/region that USPHS have identified has health issues and do nothing proactive to protect themselves before they depart lack my sympathy for their plight.  Researching where one is traveling should be part of one's planning.  

 

Agree.  I remember a boss who had a poster on his wall that said "Poor Planning On Your Part Does Not Constitute An Emergency On My Part"

 

Those who fussed are trying to trying to transfer accountability to the cruise line since somebody else must be responsible - not them.

[Floridiana]

 It would indeed be desirable to have one of the shops on board sell things like bug spray, sun lotion, toothpaste etc. I have been on ships where it was available. We are now booked on a small expedition ship that has provided a 30 page booklet "Board ABC". 3 pages are dedicated to clothing, 'pharmacy' products, useful items to bring etc. Obviously, they also get guests that come unprepared and need written recommendations 3 months ahead. 

 

I am glad that Btimmer has a great time.

[Wehwalt]

I'm also of the opinion that the shops onboard should stock a variety of personal items such as those mentioned upthread. Most do, some have more than others.

 

The idea of a cruise is to travel in an enjoyable way, not to be dealt hard life lessons because you didn't foresee some contingency.

Edited December 6, 2019 by Wehwalt

[AmazedByCruising]

9 hours ago, Wehwalt said:

I'm also of the opinion that the shops onboard should stock a variety of personal items such as those mentioned upthread. Most do, some have more than others.

 

The idea of a cruise is to travel in an enjoyable way, not to be dealt hard life lessons because you didn't foresee some contingency.

 

While we hardly can get more of topic, I don't understand why ships don't have simple things for sale that people need. Needles, antacids, deodorant, chargers for phones, OTC medicines. Women might like some products as well.  Nobody cares about paying twice as much as in their local supermarket when they need it it now. It's such a simple way for the ships to make money combined with making things easier for their pax.

[rkacruiser]

2 minutes ago, AmazedByCruising said:

 

While we hardly can get more of topic, I don't understand why ships don't have simple things for sale that people need. Needles, antacids, deodorant, chargers for phones, OTC medicines. Women might like some products as well.  Nobody cares about paying twice as much as in their local supermarket when they need it it now. It's such a simple way for the ships to make money combined with making things easier for their pax.

 

Just a guess, but it may have to do with storage capacity before they are sold of such commercial items on a ship.  I surely do agree that such a change would be a guest-friendly move. 

[ComputerTravelGuy]

On 12/6/2019 at 9:09 AM, Btimmer said:

The Captain never said we were to the right of the channel; he, in fact l, said we were in the channel per the pilot.

 

However a large cargo ship passed on our port side coming down stream and their pilots apparently knew where the channel was.  I, by no means, want to deprecate the value of the pilots and the difficulty of their task of keeping a ship on course in the dark with no channel markers.  I felt from a passenger's perspective the Captain handled the entire situation with highest professionalism. 

 

The only channel markers or buoys I noticed were near and around Manaus.

 

 

Two Updates:

1) Confirm what Btimmer stated that the Captain indicated we were “in the channel” per the pilot. Also, a few hours after we ran aground, I noted a large container ships go up river on our starboard side (even closer to the Northern bank). BTW - visit Btimmer’s blog which gives great info on our cruise (near daily updates). 
2) Fascinating to see the dark blue ocean water change color to a greenish color as we pass the mouth of the Amazon River. The Amazon fresh water extends miles into the ocean (we’re well over 12 miles from Brazil) pumping 55 million gallons Of fresh water per second into the Atlantic (according to Wikipedia). The Amazon River is massive force of nature! 

[rkacruiser]

3 hours ago, ComputerTravelGuy said:

Fascinating to see the dark blue ocean water change color to a greenish color as we pass the mouth of the Amazon River.

 

Your observation is one of my most vivid ones during my cruise to Manaus.  We crossed the "Bar" late at night; I stayed on deck to watch whatever I might see.  The change of the color of the water was so obvious even at night!  (The exterior lights of the ship certainly helped me see this.)  

[ComputerTravelGuy]

3 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Your observation is one of my most vivid ones during my cruise to Manaus.  We crossed the "Bar" late at night; I stayed on deck to watch whatever I might see.  The change of the color of the water was so obvious even at night!  (The exterior lights of the ship certainly helped me see this.)  

Near the city of Manaus, the muddy brown water (from the Amazon River) met with the blue somewhat acidic water (from the Rio Negro). On our river excursion, our guide had us place our hand in the water. We went from warm blue water 30*C (about 86*F) to 22*F muddy brown water. Very well defined interface that didn’t mix until many miles downstream. And as previously stated, the volume of water is 55 millions of gallons per second according to wiki which alters the ocean blue color to greenish color miles out to sea. Stunning. 

[rkacruiser]

On 12/8/2019 at 8:46 PM, ComputerTravelGuy said:

Near the city of Manaus, the muddy brown water (from the Amazon River) met with the blue somewhat acidic water (from the Rio Negro

 

Well remember this as well!  A cruise up the Amazon to Manaus  offers many, many diverse and unusual experiences.  One of mine was a night shore excursion from Manaus searching for crocodiles in small boats in a small tributary stream emptying into the Amazon.  When our guide spotted one, he got a hold of it, pulled it into the boat, and we could touch and hold the creature while keeping a firm grip on the animal's jaws.  At another of the ports, I booked an opportunity to fish for piranha.  That excursion had to be canceled because of our late arrival at the port (thanks to the very long delays for the ship to be cleared by Brazil's Customs/Immigration Officials when we entered Brazil).