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Open water Zodiac to tender transfers


MIT72

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After he read my review, my husband shared some comments with family that I thought would be of broader value. In my review, I did not mention that he had slipped and fallen during the frightening transfer, because we had differing perceptions to the seriousness of the fall. Here are his comments: A non-stick surface placed on the walkway part of the tender deck (glued down grit, etc.) would have meant no fall and would have been a simple/inexpensive/long-lasting way to enhance safety; however, see below for another reason for my fall, one that represents a basic failure of seamanship on the part of the crews of the boats. When it comes to transfers between the tenders and the Zodiacs, though, much more important, from a sailor's point of view, the main dumb thing I noticed (which I pointed out to the Captain and the Excursion Head) was that none of the drivers of the tenders nor any of the drivers of the Zodiacs appeared to know that the way to make a boat-to-boat transfer in open water is for both boats to head directly into the waves (at very low speed -- enough power on to make sure the bows keep pointing directly into the waves by adjusting one's steering). If this is done, those making the transfer have to deal with a pitching motion (bow and stern going up and down), but both boats pitch up and down in synch (both bows go up together, both sterns do down together, AND, since the transfers are made midway between the bow and stern of each boat, the pitching motion is especially small at that point along the hulls of the boats). As a result of failing to follow this basic rule, the transfers from tender to the Zodiac and vice versa was often done with the sea on the beam of both boats (that is, the waves were coming from the left or the right, not from directly ahead) or, worse (since the constant turning produced a rapidly varying set of motions) with both boats joined side to side but with a constantly changing heading (from into the waves, to a beam sea, to a sea from the stern, back to a sea on the other beam, etc.). This not only producing a serious rolling motion (moving the sides of both boats up and down) in waves as small as 1-2 feet high, but a rolling motion that is Much more pronounced (for the same size waves) than the pitching motion that comes from from keeping the bows of both boats directly into the waves (There is a reason why ships have stabiliser fins to dampen the ROLLS from a beam sea, but no such stabiliser fins to dampen the PITCHING from a head sea -- the up and down motion of the bow and the stern: for a given size sea, the pitching motion (bow into the waves) is much much less than the rolling motion -- waves on the beam). What makes the situation much worse, is that the rolling motion in question (from neither boat being bow on to the waves) affects one boat first (the one the wave reaches first when the boats are beam on to the seas) and then the other a second or two later (when the same wave reaches the side of the other boat). Thus, when making a transfer from say, the starboard side of one boat to the port side of the other boat, the starboard side of one boat is going one way (down or moving down, for example) while, at the same time the port side of the other boat is going the other way (up or moving up for example). Even if you know to wait for the best second or so to make the transfer (both sides about even, but one side going up fast and the other side going down fast, rather than the sides of both boats not moving much but with a large vertical gap between the sides of the boats since one boat's side is up when the other boat's side is down), this makes moving from one boat to another much much more dangerous. You either have to deal with a large vertical gap from one side of one boat to the other side of the other boat or deal with not much gap but with one side of one boat going up fast and the other side of the other boat going down fast. This was a major failure of basic seamanship -- a mistake that none of the operator(s) of either of the boats appeared to have a clue about during any of our numerous transfers from tender to Zodiac or vice versa. [i note in passing that there is a one right way to go up and down a ladder (or stairs) on a ship -- by far the safest way to do so (I had a letter published in the NY Times once explaining the right way and why it is the only right way) -- but that none of the passengers on the cruise had this explained to them. I've never noticed ANY cruise ship crew explaining this is any passenger, however, whereas the way the tender-Zodiac transfers were done on the Star Flyer (see above) was simply beyond belief. . .]

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After he read my review, my husband shared some comments with family that I thought would be of broader value. In my review, I did not mention that he had slipped and fallen during the frightening transfer, because we had differing perceptions to the seriousness of the fall. Here are his comments: A non-stick surface placed on the walkway part of the tender deck (glued down grit, etc.) would have meant no fall and would have been a simple/inexpensive/long-lasting way to enhance safety; however, see below for another reason for my fall, one that represents a basic failure of seamanship on the part of the crews of the boats. When it comes to transfers between the tenders and the Zodiacs, though, much more important, from a sailor's point of view, the main dumb thing I noticed (which I pointed out to the Captain and the Excursion Head) was that none of the drivers of the tenders nor any of the drivers of the Zodiacs appeared to know that the way to make a boat-to-boat transfer in open water is for both boats to head directly into the waves (at very low speed -- enough power on to make sure the bows keep pointing directly into the waves by adjusting one's steering). If this is done, those making the transfer have to deal with a pitching motion (bow and stern going up and down), but both boats pitch up and down in synch (both bows go up together, both sterns do down together, AND, since the transfers are made midway between the bow and stern of each boat, the pitching motion is especially small at that point along the hulls of the boats). As a result of failing to follow this basic rule, the transfers from tender to the Zodiac and vice versa was often done with the sea on the beam of both boats (that is, the waves were coming from the left or the right, not from directly ahead) or, worse (since the constant turning produced a rapidly varying set of motions) with both boats joined side to side but with a constantly changing heading (from into the waves, to a beam sea, to a sea from the stern, back to a sea on the other beam, etc.). This not only producing a serious rolling motion (moving the sides of both boats up and down) in waves as small as 1-2 feet high, but a rolling motion that is Much more pronounced (for the same size waves) than the pitching motion that comes from from keeping the bows of both boats directly into the waves (There is a reason why ships have stabiliser fins to dampen the ROLLS from a beam sea, but no such stabiliser fins to dampen the PITCHING from a head sea -- the up and down motion of the bow and the stern: for a given size sea, the pitching motion (bow into the waves) is much much less than the rolling motion -- waves on the beam). What makes the situation much worse, is that the rolling motion in question (from neither boat being bow on to the waves) affects one boat first (the one the wave reaches first when the boats are beam on to the seas) and then the other a second or two later (when the same wave reaches the side of the other boat). Thus, when making a transfer from say, the starboard side of one boat to the port side of the other boat, the starboard side of one boat is going one way (down or moving down, for example) while, at the same time the port side of the other boat is going the other way (up or moving up for example). Even if you know to wait for the best second or so to make the transfer (both sides about even, but one side going up fast and the other side going down fast, rather than the sides of both boats not moving much but with a large vertical gap between the sides of the boats since one boat's side is up when the other boat's side is down), this makes moving from one boat to another much much more dangerous. You either have to deal with a large vertical gap from one side of one boat to the other side of the other boat or deal with not much gap but with one side of one boat going up fast and the other side of the other boat going down fast. This was a major failure of basic seamanship -- a mistake that none of the operator(s) of either of the boats appeared to have a clue about during any of our numerous transfers from tender to Zodiac or vice versa. [i note in passing that there is a one right way to go up and down a ladder (or stairs) on a ship -- by far the safest way to do so (I had a letter published in the NY Times once explaining the right way and why it is the only right way) -- but that none of the passengers on the cruise had this explained to them. I've never noticed ANY cruise ship crew explaining this is any passenger, however, whereas the way the tender-Zodiac transfers were done on the Star Flyer (see above) was simply beyond belief. . .]

 

I don't get the point of what you trying to say.??????????????

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I totally get what you said because my husband, a retired ship Captain, had the same complaint. He sat in the tender during transfers and was sometimes beside himself with frustration and very concerned for passenger's safety at times. The greatest scare was the ridiculous notion of boarding the ship on the windward side with the tender violently crashing in to the gangway as passengers attempted to leap without being crushed. Yes, we had some very persistent windy weather on this cruise which made for some very dramatic sailing, which some loved and some hated, but everyone disliked the transfers and the potential for serious injury. My husband ran tugboats alongside tankers and will verify every word you said. We love Star Clippers and will happily sail with them again however, I do agree that the tender and zodiac operators need more training.

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