The port was constructed on a low area at the mouth of two rivers – Mhlatuzana River and Umbilo River. It consists of an almost land-locked sheltered harbor entered via a single channel, marked by buoys.

The Container Terminal is located at Pier No 2 and it includes 6 berths, with the longest one of 305m.

Our vessel, ALS Fauna, visited the port of Durban three times, during the months of October, December and January, berthing mostly in the morning and leaving after 4-7 days, during nighttime.

ALS Fauna always came portside alongside, approaching the berth inside the container terminal with the help of two tugs, both pushing in the starboard side.

Upon departure, a 180˚ swing to starboard was performed with the help of two tugs, one pulling in the starboard bow and the other pushing in the starboard quarter.

You can watch the entering maneuver video here.

Unfortunately, not so many foreigners choose Durban as a holiday destination because the city is known to be one of the most dangerous places in the country, with a high criminality rate – targeting especially the white people.

This warning was given to us the minute we arrived in the port – first by the pilot who brought the ship in, then by the agent. Everybody was advised to be cautious when going out, to keep all precious things under constant surveillance – especially the documents – not to engage in any contradictory discussions with the locals (in the restaurants, in the shops or anywhere around)  and to avoid walking the streets at night time. Extra vigilance was required from the white members of our crew and officers, as a long lasting hatred is known to exist between the blacks and the whites in this country which sometimes turn into real street fights, with white people becoming victims, mostly for no reason at all.

I am a huge admirer of Mahatma Gandhi and I do not agree with violence as a way of showing a point or of drawing attention towards any problems the local black community might have. I know Gandhi wouldn’t agree with violence as a response to anything, but probably the concept of passive resistance he was advocating during his 20 years in South Africa can no longer apply today. People get more and more violent nowadays – regardless the colour of their skin – and during this ‘war’ only the innocent ones are to suffer.

With all these warnings in mind, I was quite excited about my arrival to Durban and willing to take the risks in order to experience the South African thrill. I had visited more dangerous places before – for example, Karachi in Pakistan – and I just hoped to find a driver who would take us around the city of Durban and allow us to have a stroll along the beach. It was my first ever arrival on South African soil and I was looking forward to adding a new country on my visiting list.

This had been my plan before arriving, but it was cancelled the minute Immigration came on board and denied me the shore leave permit, due to a visa issue. A slight hope of receiving the permit was offered instead, if we were willing to talk to a certain lady – who was some kind of a boss in the Immigration office and would probably grant me the permit if … if …

I certainly don’t like these things and would never accept to take advantage of my ‘privileged’ position on board – as the captain’s wife – and be offered ‘escape’ solutions like those offered to me in the port of Chennai (India) or Pusan (South Korea). I refused them then and I refused them now as well. One thing I know, for sure. Next time I come to South Africa, my passport will hold a valid visa – if there will be time to apply for one – and I will be as excited as now to explore the city, but with all legal papers on hand.

Our port stay in Durban lasted for seven days and it was the longest port stay ever for both me and my husband. We didn’t go out, but most of our crew’s members and officers did it, despite the rainy weather which stayed with us almost the whole period. So, after talking with the guys about their visit and seeing the photos they took while in town, I decided to write everything down and share it with whoever might be interested. Thank you, guys, for all the tips and infos you gave me and for the photos, as well.

Going out of the port

*Walking inside the terminal is not allowed, although walking on pier – close to your vessel – is permitted with the obligation of wearing the personal protective equipment – helmet and high visibility vest.

*In order to reach the first exit gate, you will need to rely on the shuttle bus service – which can be called upon. In less than ten minutes, you arrive at the first gate from where you have to pick up a taxi to take you to the city. The taxi driver will first take you to the second gate, to the Immigration Office where your passport will be stamped, then he will take you to the city for no more than 20$.

*If you intend to go out more than one time during your stay, you will have to stamp your passport only once upon exit and only once upon returning, in your last day. You must not stamp your passport everyday, but make sure that you stamped your passport for entering the port at least 5-6 hours before your vessel is leaving the port.

*If you visit only the Seaman’s Mission, you do not need to go to the Immigration Office to stamp your passport.

*Places of interest:

– Open Market

– uShaka Marine World

– Waterfront

Recommend:

*John Dory’s Fish and grill Restaurant

My first visit into the city lasted only 3 hours, but it introduced me to this beautiful country, opening my eyes towards its endless beauties and offering me many reasons to return.

And so I did during the following years. Many times. During other voyages at sea, on board other vessels, but during holidays as well, I returned to Singapore together with my husband and we will keep on returning to it. Singapore became one of our favorite places in the entire world – a country as big as a city (and a city as big as a country) – which never ceases to amaze us, regardless the outside temperatures, the humidity, the rains, the restrictions of different kind, the high prices for accommodation or the crowds of people who are sometimes taking over the streets.

There are two ports in Singapore – PSA and Jurong Port – including five terminals – Tanjong Pagar, Keppel, Brani, Pasir Panjang, Sembawang and Jurong. There is a cruise terminal as well, close to Marina South Pier Metro Station.

If your vessel takes you to any of these terminals, you have to take this opportunity and venture yourself into the city of Singapore, even if this visit will be short and brief. You will be amazed by this beautiful, clean and colourful city which has become – especially in the last 20 years – one of the safest cities/countries in the world and a very popular tourist destination, as well.

Going out of the port is usually a simple task, requiring only a little time. Walking inside the port is not permitted, so you have to rely on the shuttle bus service, which carries seafarers – to and from the vessels – on a fixed schedule.

In some terminals, the shuttle bus takes seafarers to the gate in less than 10 minutes, in others more than half an hour is needed for that (for example, in Brani Terminal).

Once you reached the gate, the formalities will take only a few minutes and you will find yourself in the city.

Depending on your available time, you can choose your itinerary and start exploring the city. You do not need much to do this, but be sure you won’t lack a city map, a metro map and a camera (phone).

Getting into the city is easy and cheap as taxis are cheap and very reliable. Public transportation is also very cheap and convenient, although moving from one place to another by metro can require a longer time (comparing with the taxi), due to the fact that most of the metro lines go in circles, in order to cover all the city. There is a metro station (MRT) close to every important tourist attractions and a single metro ticket costs between 0.80 SG$ and 2.06 SG$, depending on the distance. The most convenient type of ticket is Singapore Tourist Pass (EZ- Link) card which will allow you unlimited travel for one day (10SG$), two days (16SG$) or 3 days (20SG$). This card is available only in some metro stations and can be bought only from the Ticket Counter, not from the vending machines. You will have to pay a 10SG$ deposit for the card, but you will receive the deposit back when you give back the card (cashing the deposit is available only in some metro stations).

Tourist Attractions:

Most of the popular tourist attractions are located around Marina Bay Sands and on Sentosa island :

Marina Bay Sands

• Marina Bay Sands Sky Park – Observation Deck – offering a panoramic view over the city, from the 57^th floor of the Marina Bay Sands 3^rd Tower (MRT Bay Front).

Ticket Price – 23SG$, offering unlimited time on the roof, between 9:30 am and 10 pm (open until 11 pm during the week-ends).

**Entry to the Infinity Pool is reserved exclusively for the hotel guests.

• Marina Bay Harbour – offering a wonderful view towards the Marina Bay Sands Hotel (MRT – Raffles Place)

• Esplanade – Concert Hall

• The Merlion – the Singapore’s most popular landmark

• Gardens by the Bay – which includes the Super Trees, The Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest (MRT Bay Front)

Gardens by the Bay is one of the most beautiful garden in the world and it can be visited for free, every day between 5 am and 2 am. Cloud Forest and Flower Dome are two big flower conservatories which can be visited everyday, between 9 am and 9 pm (ticket 28SG$ for access to both conservatories).

• The Flyer – the giant wheel – the second highest wheel in the world (165m) Admission ticket costs – 33SG$

Sentosa Island

• SEA Aquarium  – one of the biggest aquariums in the world ( open every day between 10 and 19, ticket price 32SG$ for each)

• Universal Studios

• Palawan Beach

Other attractions:

– Singapore Zoo

In Singapore, there are three zoological gardens – River Safari, Singapore Zoo and Night Safari – hosting lots of animals belonging to different environments, climates and altitudes.

River Safari is the only Zoo in the word which hosts animals living in the rivers, lakes and in the forests around them. But it hosts also 2 Panda Bears which are the most popular inhabitants in the whole garden ( open every day, between 9 am and 6 pm, ticket price 28SG$, Location – MRT Choa Chu Kang and bus 927)

• Jurong Bird Park – one of the biggest bird park in the world, hosting more than 5000 birds, belonging to 400 different species ( Location – MRT Boon Lay and bus 194, ticket price – 18SG$

• Botanical Garden can be visited for free, every day between 5 and 21. It includes one of the biggest collection of Orchids in the world (ticket – 5SG$).

Singapore offers a wonderful sight by day, but a mesmerizing one during night when it lights up in a rainbow of colours.

There are three light and music shows taking place in Singapore every night – two around Marina Bay and one on Sentosa Island.

• Spectra Light and Water Show – a beautiful symphony of music, water and light powered by lasers and fountain jets. Known as the ‘Musical Fountains’, the show lasts for ~ 15 minutes and starts at 8 and 9 pm (with a 10 pm show during the weekend and special holidays).

Entrance is free.

Location – Event Plaza, along the promenade, at Marina Bay.

• OCBC – Garden Rhapsody – Light Show at the Garden by the Bay – the giant metal Super Trees are light up every day at 7:45 and at 8:45 pm.

Location – MRT Bay Front (exit B, across the Dragonfly Bridge)

• Crane Dancing – a light and sound show on Sentosa Island , performed by two steel cranes measuring over 30 metres tall (Admission – free, show time – 8 pm)

You will need more than a few-hour port stay to enjoy all the attractions this city has to offer, but, at least, you have a start. Make your pick, enjoy the ride and come back for more! As Singapore is one of the busiest ports in Asia, there will be more chances for you to return here and make another pick from the list. You may not be able to fully enjoy the city and admire all its beautiful attractions in one visit, but you may be able to return and pick up from where you left. After 3 or 4 visits, you can be quite satisfied with your accomplishments and only wish to return again when some new attractions are open … and this is happening often in Singapore. So, prepare yourself for more!

Tips and recommendations:

• Tanjung Pagar Terminal is the closest one to the city, being located near Marina Bay – Tanjung Pagar Metro Station (Green Line) or Marina Bay Metro Station (orange Line). Brani Terminal is located on Brani Island, the closest to Sentosa Island. Keppel Terminal is located opposite Brani Island. Both Brani and Keppel are close to Harbour Front Metro Station (Orange Line and Purple Line).
• The exchange rate for SG$ is:

1US$ = 1.35SG$

1EUR = 1.54SG$

• Internet is available in most restaurants in town, but it is not as widely spread as it is in Hong Kong.

A very convenient SIM is StarHub Prepaid Internet SIM – 18SG$ valid for 5 days, with 2GB/daily of usage (you can save the SIM for your next visit and you can top up – via internet or prepaid card).

Another kind of SIM is M1 Tourist Card  – 12SG$, valid for 7 days, including 100GB of data (this SIM is of no use after the 7 days, you cannot top it up).

You can buy these local Sim cards from any 7/11 shop and you will need your passport to register.

• Eating in Singapore : If you love Asian food, you will find lots of small restaurants where you can have a decent meal for only a few dollars. Food is visibly more expensive in the big malls and close to tourist attractions. European food is quite expensive. China Town is one of the best choices for Asian food. Here you will find lots of small restaurants and street vendors where you can taste and enjoy a Chinese dish for less than 2$

• Shopping in Singapore

Singapore is one of the most vibrant shopping hubs in all Asia, a haven for shopping lovers, a paradise for millions of tourists.

If you are interested in luxury shopping, you should have a walk on Orchard Road where you can find some of the most famous brands. The most luxury shopping malls are: The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, Ion Orchard Mall, Mandarin Gallery, Ngee Ann City Mall.

If you like shopping, but you do not want to spend too much money on it, you have to know that Singapore is famous for budget shopping, as well.

The cheapest malls in Singapore are: Mustafa Centre (open 24/7, MRT Ferrer Park – purple line), Lucky Plaza (Orchard Road, MRT Orchard – red line), Far East Plaza (MRT Orchard), IMM Outlet Mall (closest MRT – East Jurong), Anchor Point Shopping Centre.

At Lucky Plaza you can find a small Manila Town – Little Manila – which include lots of Filipino stores and restaurants.

For a great shopping experience, you can also visit China Town.

• To reach Sentosa Island you can choose one of the following options:

Walking the 1000m wooden bridge connecting Vivo City Mall with the island ( Sentosa Broadwalk – free entrance);

The Monorail – suspended fast train – from Vivo City Mall (4SG$ return ticket);

Singapore Cable Car – connecting Harbour Front MRT with Sentosa Island – Admission Return Ticket – 25SG$

Filipinos sing while they are at work – in the department stores, in the fish market and in the kitchen of a big container vessel – and music makes them feel good and alive, with a permanent mood of happy-go-lucky even if life does not treat them always very nice. On board, the karaoke ‘department’ always include a few good singers and one or two very good ones. During my voyages so far, most of the barbeque parties ended up with a karaoke session – where more or less singers showed their abilities to my greatest pleasure and content. Sometimes, when there were numerous singers involved, real karaoke competitions were organized where lots of applauses and real prizes were offered.

I usually do not sing – as my voice does not help me at all – but I sometimes take part in a duet or a group singing if I up to it. I did it a few times and I had a lot of fun. In the end, the real fun comes with sharing good vibes, not only with a high quality performance.

Apart from singing, Filipinos are very good at playing different musical instruments – mostly acoustic and electric guitars. They are doing this without a proper musical education, but with a great passion which helps them improve themselves through a lot of practice and also from teaching one another.

For this reason, on all the vessels I have been so far there were always at least one guitar and at least one Filipino good at playing it – mostly strumming. On some vessels, there were different instruments – good enough to make up a real band – but not enough musicians to put the idea into practice, although some were trying hard.

Most of the guitar players I met so far on board were good at strumming and playing along with other singers, like they did for a Christmas party two years ago, while playing Christmas carols.

I can say that, in terms of playing the guitar, I had the pleasure of listening to some good songs played by some guys – mostly Filipinos – but nothing quite extraordinary, until last night, while attending our outside barbeque dinner, on board ALS Fauna.

My husband had already told me about two guys playing the guitar on board and I was looking forward to hearing them. I was hoping to watch them perform for our New Year’s Eve party, but this didn’t happen. After so many voyages at sea, I learned that Filipinos can sometimes be very shy and that they need at least one week to adjust to a new face on board, especially if that face belongs to a woman – a passenger or an officer’s wife. So, if the guitar performance was not included in our New Year’s party, it was surely included in our next barbeque party.

Unfortunately, the two guitar players decided to bring the guitar when most of the crew members had already left the party, leaving only a few of us there, but making the performance nevertheless beautiful and quite emotional, at least for me. Andrew and Dominique played some of our favorite songs – belonging to our favorite artists (Bon Jovi, Scorpions, and The Eagles) – and the rest of us accompanied them with soft voices, singing the verses we knew well or just humming the ones we didn’t. I really loved listening to these guys who were playing so passionately, with their bodies physically on board with us, but their hearts far, far away, together with their loved ones whom they miss dearly.  I felt happy and grateful again for taking part in such an emotional evening, among beautiful, kind and good people. Grateful for having the chance of breaking down cultural and language barriers through music. Two hours passed in no time and we would have stayed there for two more if rained hadn’t come to put an end to our party and send us all to sleep.

Thank you, guys, for another memorable evening which I will cherish forever.

Holidays and celebrations are meant to be spent at home, surrounded by family and friends, but seafarers have to adjust to their life at sea and find the strength to enjoy beautiful moments like these ones even if they are thousands of miles away from home.

In the Christian world, Christmas is the most important of all holidays and celebrations. It’s that special day of the year when everybody needs to feel loved and cherished, when everyone should feel like belonging to a family, sharing love, joy and happiness and receiving them, at the same time. It’s that special day when nobody should be left alone because loneliness destroys the spirit of Christmas, ruining its divine meaning, bringing in sadness, nostalgia and even tears.

On board a vessel, Christmas can never bring the same spirit of joy and happiness you always find in the safe and loving environment of your home, but you have to find a way to enjoy the day as much as you can. You only need some friends to spend some time with, a glass of good wine to enjoy and some beautiful Christmas carols to listen to. And, since your real family is not by your side, you have to be grateful for the other family you have on your vessel – your friends and colleagues.  During your voyage, they are the ones you spend your time with, sharing difficult moments, heavy seas, busy working nights, but pleasant moments as well.  Things are getting even better if you are surrounded by a bunch of merry-go-lucky guys who are ready to throw even a party to celebrate the event.

On most vessels, Christmas is celebrated with a special dinner or lunch during which all officers and crew are spending time together, socializing, relaxing and having fun. If time and duty allow it, Christmas can be celebrated with an outside barbeque, accompanied by music, karaoke and guitar playing. Sometimes, even Santa Claus can visit the ship and bring smiles and presents to everybody on board.

– Christmas party on board HS Columbia, 2016 –

– Santa Claus on board HS Puccini, 2011 –

Something similar had happened on board ALS Fauna, but with a slight different scenario – due to the vessel’s delay in Durban and late arrival in Singapore, which prevented Santa from joining the ship on time

Nevertheless, Christmas on board did not pass unnoticed. Preparations had started a few weeks in advance – with decorations around the ship and Christmas carols in the kitchen.

One day before Christmas, special dishes were prepared by the cook (with the help of captain, deck cadet and some other members of the crew).

– Captain and the Cook –

Few hours before the Christmas Eve dinner, most of the crew got involved in setting the tables and chairs and decorating the Officers’ Messroom, where the party was held.

So, while I was experiencing the first (and hopefully, the last) Christmas alone on the streets of Singapore, the officers and crew of ALS Fauna had their share of fun, enjoying good food, pleasant conversations, music and karaoke.

For me, spending Christmas in Singapore was something I will never forget and hope to experience again (but not alone). Surrounded by happy people belonging to different religions, races and colors, I realized (again) how lucky I am for all the Christmases I spent so far – in different environments – and for all the others which are to come.  Christmas has the same meaning for all the Christian world – regardless of the outside temperatures – but you can only feel its divine spirit when you have your loved ones by your side. And I didn’t.

So, no matter how hard I tried to find the Christmas spirit while walking on Raffles Street or on the colorful island of Sentosa, I couldn’t breathe the spirit of Christmas, at least not the one I was used to.

But, I knew that I would catch a glimpse of it as soon as I would step on the vessel, although with a few days of delay. And, so it was. Moreover, I was so happy to be Santa’s representative on board and deliver the long expected presents.

In my country, during the communist times, our leader wanted to destroy the religious meaning of Christmas and he succeeded in some ways. Christmas trees were very difficult to find before the 24^th of December, Santa Claus was called Frosty Man and he usually brought presents to the kids on New Year’s Eve. In some other countries in the world, Santa Claus is still called by different names and he brings presents on the 6^th or on the 31^st of December. So, ‘Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year’, cherished and loved by different nations around the world and celebrated in different ways, as well.

As I couldn’t attend the Christmas celebration on board, I was very happy to take part in preparing the New Year’s Eve party, 3 days after I came on the vessel.

ALS Fauna was underway to China and expecting some bad weather while crossing the Luzon Strait – due to a tropical depression and a typhoon which were both just a little ahead of our route.

So, in order to fully enjoy the party and for the safe keeping of glasses, plates and bottles on the tables, we had to ‘advance’ one day and celebrate the coming of 2019 before reaching the Luzon Strait.

For this event, captain, me and Peter, the deck cadet, put our skills and imagination to work and managed to prepare some special dishes – salads, cakes – bringing some new flavors (and colors) to the very tasty dishes prepared by our cook.

All the other Filipinos on board brought their own contribution to the final arrangements and preparation required for the party – fixing the tables and chairs, decorating the walls, preparing the musical equipment, bringing the food from the galley and the beer from the freezer.

At 8 o’clock, when all the European officers arrived in the Officers Mess room, everything was ready to the last detail – the food, the drinks, the setting of the tables, the decorations and the music.

The food was displayed as an open buffet and included different types of dishes to choose from – a few salads, salmon, shrimps, beef, pork roulade, stuffed eggs, rice, sausages, garlic bread and cakes.

Everything was very tasty and highly appreciated by everyone.

At 10 o’clock, I had to play the role of Santa’s elf and deliver the presents to each and everyone on board (we thank the company Asiatic Lloyd for making this possible), according to the lucky numbers they had extracted earlier, from the bingo machine.

After that, the hours went by at a high speed rate. We welcomed the New Year with cheers and smiles, raising our glasses to wish each other ‘happy new year’ in 4 different languages and enjoying a piece of cake before some of us retired to their cabins for resting (as they were on duty in the early morning).

Until 2 o’clock – when we went to bed – the party continued with some funny and interesting games I had never played before and some karaoke singing.

Next evening, as the vessel was moving and shaking its way through the Luzon Strait, we had the chance of celebrating the real coming of the New Year, in the Crew Recreation Room, together with all the Filipinos. Until 2 in the morning, we had a lot of fun playing bingo and different types of charades which involved most of the Filipinos and only two Europeans, us. I had never imagined myself laughing till tears came out of my eyes, while playing charades and mime games on a vessel, but I am most happy I had the chance of doing this.

So, I had a good start of the year. Being at sea – together with my husband and surrounded by beautiful and good hearted people – is all I want for now … and for the next months to come. I hope this year will bring us health, joy and a few more steps closer to accomplishing our dreams. I wish this to all of you out there – seafarers or not.

Stay healthy, positive and never stop chasing your dreams! Expand your mind and explore the immense beauty that surrounds you! Find joy in small things and smile often! Be kind to people around you and be open to new challenges – try a new food, take up a hobby, travel to new places, talk to strangers and make friends everywhere you go!  Never be afraid to play and have fun like a kid! May all your wish come true in 2019 and in all the years to come!

Approaching the port is direct from the open sea, through a buoyed channel, 140 m wide. The port of Dar es Salam consists of 4 berths.

During my voyage on board CV Centaurus, we visited the port of Dar es Salam three times – this port being my embarkation as well as my disembarkation port.

All our three entering maneuvers took place during night time, but I was able to record the departure maneuver once, on a wonderful day, in February.

In the port of Dar es Salaam, our vessel usually came starboard side alongside. Upon departure, the vessel had to perform a 180˚ swing to starboard side, with the help of two tugs – one pushing in the portside bow and the other pushing in the starboard quarter.

After the swing was completed, the vessel proceeded outside the port and through the channel into the sea – passing by the city of Dar es Salaam on the left side and by the rocky and sandy peninsula on the right.

It was a wonderful experience for me to watch the amazing colours of the shallow waters on both sides of the channel and the crowds of people buzzing around in the fish market or just walking along the shore.

On top of it, I was quite amazed by the beautiful city skyline, one of the most beautiful skylines I have ever seen… looking forward to coming back to Dar es Salam.

You can watch the Departure maneuver video here.

The port consists of 2 terminals, with a biggest one of 1200m in length.

Approaching the port is direct from the open sea. Entry is through a buoyed channel, across a bar extending between reefs. The vessel passes by the picturesque skyline of the city of Mombasa and continues towards the port.

In the port of Mombasa, our vessel usually came starboard side alongside – sometimes at the end of the pier, sometimes just in the middle position, between other vessels. The berthing maneuver was simple, but it could require a longer time when the vessel had to fit into a limited space – with ~ 50 m clearance from the other vessels. Two tugs – one in portside bow and the other in portside quarter – slowly pushed the vessel alongside.

On departure, the 2 tugs were pulling the vessel away from the pier and then, by pulling or pushing helping the vessel swing 180˚ to starboard side or portside – depending on the tide.

When the swing was complete, the tugs were cast off and the vessel continued on its own, following the navigating channel out of the port.

You can watch a time lapse video of the entering maneuver here.

You can watch a time lapse video of the departure maneuver here.

It is accommodated in the biggest man-made harbor in the world and it includes terminals for container and cargo vessels, a freight station and a refrigerated storage facility.

Our vessel CV Centaurus visited the port of Jebel Ali twice, during the months of January and March, on both occasions coming portside alongside, after completing a 180 degrees swing to starboard, with the help of two tugs.

One of the berthing took place during night time, while the other took place in a foggy morning, offering me good conditions for recording and photographing.

When pilot boarded the vessel, at 8:30 in the morning, the fog was so dense that we couldn’t see the mast. But, when the tugs came, after half an hour, the fog was slowly dissipating and the visibility started to improve.

Still, with visibility far from being perfect – and with the sun shining bright just in front of us –  I managed to record our entering maneuver, this being the first time when I film a maneuver in the port of Durban (after visiting it for 5-6 times).

You can watch the Entering maneuver here.

After that, I had the privilege of taking part in more ceremonies of this kind – for crossing the Equator or for the first voyage at sea – but from the position of an organizer, adviser or on board photographer. I have to admit that I always felt the nostalgia of my own baptism and I always got emotional seeing the candidates, curious and excited before the ceremony – for not knowing what to expect,  a little scared – during the process and happy and proud in the end. It is a feeling every real seafarer must experience at the beginning of his/her career at sea, but unfortunately, not all of them are lucky enough to do so.

During my voyages at sea, I organized Baptism ceremonies for young cadets – who were for the first time on the vessel and for senior officers – who either hadn’t had the opportunity of receiving a ceremony at the beginning of their career, or had to sail for many years until crossing the Equator. I also organized ceremonies for some passengers who embarked on our vessels and who asked for such a ceremony during their trips. It was a real pleasure for me to do so, and a great privilege. During these ceremonies, I usually had to arrange ‘Baptism certificates’ for one, two, even 5 candidates.

On board CV Centaurus, I broke all my personal records because I had to arrange/organize a Baptism Ceremony for 11 crew members – almost all the Filipino Crew, except one – the second officer.

Our intention to organize a Baptism Ceremony was announced on board, 2 weeks before crossing the Equator. At the beginning, our plan was to baptize only one of the galley boys – the youngest person on board who was for the first time on a vessel. After a few days, another guy told us that he would like to get baptized as well. We couldn’t say ‘no’. The more candidates, the happier the gang. After one week, the list got bigger, more and more names enlisted – some admitting that they had never had a ceremony before (although sailing for many years), others saying that they had a ceremony, but no certificates were given to them and how they can prove to their families that they actually had one.

So, in a wonderful afternoon at the end of January, two weeks after my embarkation, my husband – having the role of Neptune, and I – as his assistant and photographer offered these brave sailors the ‘rituals of cleansing and re-birthing’ , the ‘most wanted’ Baptism Certificates and the well-deserved barbeque party with excellent food and good music.

The ceremony was fun and emotional, at the same time, everybody was happy in the end, except the European members of our deck and engine departments who either didn’t bother to show up, or kept their distance during the process. Unfortunately, most of the officers ( Especially Europeans) consider these kind of ceremonies only children games and refuse to take part in them. I don’t understand where is the harm in any of ‘these children games’ especially during long and difficult voyages where there are few occasions of having fun, socializing and disconnecting from work.

Everybody has the right to do as he/she feels regarding these ceremonies. As for me, I will always look for any opportunity to organize Baptism Ceremonies on board, I will always take ‘my work’ seriously and I will always enjoy them to the fullest.

I started my day early in the morning with my usual walk around the vessel, always going anti-clockwise – from starboardside to portside.

The water was crystal clear and I could see its beautiful blue colour more than 30m down. The sun was sending its rays deep down and I felt like I could count them by jumping over each and every one. With air temperature rising up to 35˚, breathing became more and more difficult to handle and the desire to jump for a swim more and more acute. But, as I am always complying with the company’s rules and regulations about staying safety on board, I give up my first instinct and decide to postpone my swim for a more adequate environment.

For the next 2 hours I continued my walk around the vessel, but this time I was not alone. A family of beautiful dorada fish – Golden Dorada – decided to join me and started to swim around the vessel at a certain distance. Their swim was not following any pre-established plan, it was just a careless- go- with- the- flow- kind of swim, coming close to the surface then going deeper and deeper until disappearing from sight only to reappear a few seconds later, a few meters away. Their blue fins were sparkling through water like lights and their elegant tails were moving like in a dance. I kept on following them for a while, trying to see the differences between them, but all I could notice was that one was definitely bigger – looking like ‘the father’ – and the others were smaller and always keeping themselves closer to each other as if they were afraid to get lost. Probably they were just practicing ‘surviving ‘on their own, catching smaller fish and staying out of troubles.

I could spend my whole day watching these beautiful creatures, but soon I discovered the nature prepared another kind of show around me. The weather was slowly changing, more and more clouds were forming close to the land and the scenery became more and more interesting. Here and there I could spot rains pouring over land and amazing ‘tower’ like clouds growing bigger and bigger.

‘When the clouds look like rocks and towers, the earth will be shaken by frequent showers’

I have always enjoyed watching the clouds – especially on a hot summer day and in a tropical area – and I have always tried to imagine that the different shapes could resemble some animals or other creatures. Today, my imagination went wild and I had to put an end to it after a while for fear my camera will melt in the sun.

Today was supposed to be just an ordinary day of drifting, but what an amazing day it was! No day is ordinary if we have eyes to see the beauty that surrounds us, anywhere we might be. Today we just happened to be in front of the port of Dar es Salaam …but tomorrow?

I am looking forward to my tomorrow and to all my days to follow …