Carnival Freedom Dry Dock 2019

[chengkp75]

11 minutes ago, roundrockhorn said:

Thanks Cheng! Old salts like you and me, understand how that stuff works, how to calculate Kn to MPH, etc. I think the best explanation, is to say that these sites give last reported position and are based on available data at the time. Looking at the last course and speed reported, one could reasonably extrapolate an estimated ETA or a change therein, based on what was reported and what some of us know based on experience. I'd like to think that I predicted it pretty close to the mark, give or take an hour. 

 

Question though. Do the Cruise ships get close, such as off the coast of Galveston, and jog for a bit before getting clearance to enter the channel? I've always wondered about that. 

The shipping fairways are not straight into the mouth of Galveston, I don't remember what the headings are.  There are two fairway junctions with the inshore and offshore coastwise fairways, and I seem to recall that there is a direction jog in there somewhere.  The ship will start to slow down probably an hour or so before picking up the pilot, around the inner Galveston Fairway anchorage, so that they can complete the necessary safety tests (steering/propulsion), and be down to "maneuvering speed" (about 12 knots) when nearing the pilot station.

 

They may also "stooge" around, killing time, until the assigned pilot time.

Edited March 11, 2019 by chengkp75

[roundrockhorn]

3 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

The shipping fairways are not straight into the mouth of Galveston, I don't remember what the headings are.  There are two fairway junctions with the inshore and offshore coastwise fairways, and I seem to recall that there is a direction jog in there somewhere.  The ship will start to slow down probably an hour or so before picking up the pilot, around the inner Galveston Fairway anchorage, so that they can complete the necessary safety tests (steering/propulsion), and be down to "maneuvering speed" (about 12 knots) when nearing the pilot station.

 

They may also "stooge" around, killing time, until the assigned pilot time.

Thanks for the info. Maneuvering speed is 12 knots? Is that to compensate for tides? I would have guessed a bit slower, like under 10.  Still, it's knowledge I didn't have before, and quite interesting too. Thanks again!

[chengkp75]

Just now, roundrockhorn said:

Thanks for the info. Maneuvering speed is 12 knots? Is that to compensate for tides? I would have guessed a bit slower, like under 10.  Still, it's knowledge I didn't have before, and quite interesting too. Thanks again!

"Full Maneuvering" is about 12 knots.  Typically port restrictions limit ships to Full Ahead (full maneuvering) within the harbor limits.  There are other "bells" or commands from the bridge to the propulsion system that are fairly standardized:  Half (8 knots), Slow (6 knots), and Dead Slow (5 knots) in both ahead and astern directions.  With electric propulsion, they can actually infinitely vary the speed of the propellers, to account for local conditions, but generally the pilots will deal with these fixed commands.

[Lottacruises]

10 hours ago, roundrockhorn said:

Thanks Cheng! Old salts like you and me, understand how that stuff works, how to calculate Kn to MPH, etc. I think the best explanation, is to say that these sites give last reported position and are based on available data at the time. Looking at the last course and speed reported, one could reasonably extrapolate an estimated ETA or a change therein, based on what was reported and what some of us know based on experience. I'd like to think that I predicted it pretty close to the mark, give or take an hour. 

 

Question though. Do the Cruise ships get close, such as off the coast of Galveston, and jog for a bit before getting clearance to enter the channel? I've always wondered about that. 

 

Oh goodness, a chance to show my ignorance here based on an assumption.

 

It seems the cruise ships have "appointments" with the pilots and are almost always there at their given time. It seems they are able to enter the  channel at nearly a set time every turnaround day. They must have priority. 

 

I don't mind being wrong, and I would also like to know how it really works!

[chengkp75]

7 hours ago, Lottacruises said:

 

Oh goodness, a chance to show my ignorance here based on an assumption.

 

It seems the cruise ships have "appointments" with the pilots and are almost always there at their given time. It seems they are able to enter the  channel at nearly a set time every turnaround day. They must have priority. 

 

I don't mind being wrong, and I would also like to know how it really works!

It's not so much that the cruise ships have priority, but that since they are back every week at the same time, the pilots have a permanent "reservation" for them.  They know how long it takes from the pilot station to fully tied up, so they have set the pilot time for the itinerary "arrival" time minus the harbor transit time.  Other ships are scheduled around the cruise ships based on pilot availability.  One complicating factor is that both the Galveston and Houston pilot associations handle ships arriving at the Galveston Bar pilot station, so traffic must be coordinated between the two, Houston of course getting the more traffic, though the Galveston pilots also handle the ships going to Texas City.