Spirit and getting ashore by tender ...

[Sumdumgi]

Hi All

 

We so enjoyed our first ever cruise in the Canaries on the Celebration at the end of Janauary (despite some really bad weather). We are on the verge of booking the North Cape trip on the Spirit in June but a few of the ports of call involve using a tender. Any advice / information for the nervous :o

[davecttr]

If you can climb stairs there is no problem. The two aft lifeboats on each side of the ship are the tenders and they are used to ferry you to and from the shore. There is a platform/gantry half way along the ship which is lowered to water level and acts as the 'landing stage' which you get to by using one of the exits on the lower decks. There are plenty of crew there to give you a hand stepping on to the tender or back onto the ship. During the day the tenders will run a constant shuttle service to and from the ship.

 

In norway last year the water in the Fjords was always calm so using the tender was no problem.

[Sumdumgi]

In norway last year the water in the Fjords was always calm so using the tender was no problem.

 

Thanks for that. The only worry my wife has about the Cape trip is that the sea will be rough. She's not bothered about it being cool or even cold but the experience of bad weather on the journey from La Palma to Madeira in early February is still very clear in her mind !

[kruzseeka]

Thanks for that. The only worry my wife has about the Cape trip is that the sea will be rough. She's not bothered about it being cool or even cold but the experience of bad weather on the journey from La Palma to Madeira in early February is still very clear in her mind !

 

Has she tried Stugeron? I find it very effective even in very rough seas - for best effect though - take it a couple of hours before you think it may be anything more than a 'slight sea'. As a rule of thumb on sea days (unless the Capt has said it will be very calm) I take one as a preventative. You can buy them over the counter at Boots but if she takes other medication, it may be advisable to speak with the Pharmacist.

 

When we did the North Cape it's fair to say that it was a bit choppy round the Cape - but you can never predict sea conditions anyway. (As Dave said, the Fjords are lovely and calm though).

 

When I forgot to take my Stugeron in the Caribbean I felt dreadful when I woke up on our first sea day but after taking two and going back to bed for a couple of hours I was fine - but I didn't forget for the rest of the holiday!! :eek:

 

Hope that helps her though - happy sailing! :)