Question re: Gdansk --> Bornholm port-to-port travel time (Viking Homelands)

[SempreMare]

Question about Viking Homelands port-to-port travel time.  

 

My statement shows the Viking Jupiter: 

 

Friday May 5, 7:00 PM        departs Gdansk, Poland 
Saturday May 6, 12:00 PM  arrives Bornholm (Ronne) Denmark

 

Questions 

1) Why would it take so long (17 hours) to go what looks like such a short distance on Google Earth? 

I'd love to have more time in Gdansk.  

From YouTubes, it seems like the type of place I'd be smitten by... like the day in Belfast on British Isles Explorer.

 

2) Is there a website that shows nautical travel distances between ports? 

 

I don't see a way to force Google Maps to travel by ship between those 2 ports.

(,,, though when I was in Port Angeles, Washington eons ago, I thought Google Maps showed the nautical travel time to Victoria BC.)

 

 

[duquephart]

That's how it was for us. Then we just sailed around the island because it was "too windy" to enter the port.

[duquephart]

We did spend a couple of hours doing "twirls" (practice?) just beyond the mouth of the port at Gdansk. Ship was clearly in no hurry.

[loriva]

On the same sailing as you, @SempreMare.  Since we only have one sea day on this 15-day itinerary, wondering if some of the later arrivals (or early departures in Stockholm and Oslo) are to provide some additional daytime sailing time?  It will be our first time on Viking Ocean as well as our first Baltic (albeit a modified one), so just speculating.

 

Many thanks,

 

 

[duquephart]

I think you stand a pretty good chance of having more than only one sea day.

[Heidi13]

11 hours ago, SempreMare said:

Question about Viking Homelands port-to-port travel time.  

 

My statement shows the Viking Jupiter: 

 

Friday May 5, 7:00 PM        departs Gdansk, Poland 
Saturday May 6, 12:00 PM  arrives Bornholm (Ronne) Denmark

 

Questions 

1) Why would it take so long (17 hours) to go what looks like such a short distance on Google Earth? 

I'd love to have more time in Gdansk.  

From YouTubes, it seems like the type of place I'd be smitten by... like the day in Belfast on British Isles Explorer.

 

2) Is there a website that shows nautical travel distances between ports? 

 

I don't see a way to force Google Maps to travel by ship between those 2 ports.

(,,, though when I was in Port Angeles, Washington eons ago, I thought Google Maps showed the nautical travel time to Victoria BC.)

 

 

Best guess is the distance from Gdansk to Ronne is about 190 to 200 n/miles. Using 195 nm at 15 kts requires 13 hrs steaming, to which you also need to add an hour for departure and 1 hr for anchoring and set-up. Total time required at 15 kts is about 15 hrs.

 

Therefore, with even more speed available (costs more fuel) they could easily stay later in Gdansk. However, there are additional factors we are not privy to, such as longshoremen/tug/pilotage costs, which can significantly increase with overtime, or if an additional shift is required. We also are not privy to berth availability, tides, etc.

 

The other potential factor is wanting to further reducing the transit speed, as this requires less fuel, which is the largest operational cost. They are also operating in an Emissions Control Region, so that may also factor into the fuel cost equation.

[duquephart]

On our Homelands between Stockholm and Gdansk (Mariehamn was skipped) the ship reversed course and did a big circle like a plane in an elongated holding pattern. Clearly killing time/delaying arrival. Didn't strike me as efficient.

[chengkp75]

1 hour ago, Heidi13 said:

Best guess is the distance from Gdansk to Ronne is about 190 to 200 n/miles. Using 195 nm at 15 kts requires 13 hrs steaming, to which you also need to add an hour for departure and 1 hr for anchoring and set-up. Total time required at 15 kts is about 15 hrs.

I use "Seadistances.org" and this shows Gdansk to Ronne as 185 nm (pretty close, Andy).

 

1 hour ago, Heidi13 said:

However, there are additional factors we are not privy to, such as longshoremen/tug/pilotage costs, which can significantly increase with overtime, or if an additional shift is required.

I suspect this is one major thing.  Leaving after 1900 from Gdansk, would likely lead to overtime for line

handlers.  Similarly, arriving before noon in Denmark would likely require a morning shift, and an afternoon shift (neither one of which actually works a full shift, but they get paid for a full shift).

1 hour ago, Heidi13 said:

They are also operating in an Emissions Control Region, so that may also factor into the fuel cost equation.

Yep.  The entire Baltic region is an ECA, so they have to burn 0.1% sulfur "super low sulfur diesel" fuel the whole time, which is about 3 times the cost of residual fuel they burn outside the ECA.

[Cienfuegos]

Good thread, I've  learned a lot.  I suspect the cost of providing overtime for dock workers, port staff, etc may be a substantial amount for each port visit.  Leaving two hours earlier and saving $20,000 will add up quickly.

 

I believe it was in Aruba that I was waiting for the ship's departure. The booths, towels, etc had been brought aboard. But there was no sign of dock workers to release the hawsers, etc.

 

Suddenly a truck and a beat up old car raced around the corner and onto the dock. Eight to ten guys jumped out and ran to their stations. The gangway was pulled up and stowed. The ropes were released, the ship pulled away.

 

The guys jumped back into their vehicles, and were gone. I'm sure they were home before the ship was properly pointed toward the channel.

[SempreMare]

5 hours ago, duquephart said:

I think you stand a pretty good chance of having more than only one sea day.

 

::sniff::

[SempreMare]

5 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Best guess is the distance from Gdansk to Ronne is about 190 to 200 n/miles. Using 195 nm at 15 kts requires 13 hrs steaming, to which you also need to add an hour for departure and 1 hr for anchoring and set-up. Total time required at 15 kts is about 15 hrs.

 

Therefore, with even more speed available (costs more fuel) they could easily stay later in Gdansk. However, there are additional factors we are not privy to, such as longshoremen/tug/pilotage costs, which can significantly increase with overtime, or if an additional shift is required. We also are not privy to berth availability, tides, etc.

 

The other potential factor is wanting to further reducing the transit speed, as this requires less fuel, which is the largest operational cost. They are also operating in an Emissions Control Region, so that may also factor into the fuel cost equation.

Thanks Andy for the cool insider detail.

 

Plan B:   I shall convince the Jupiter Captain to join me at that chic Gdansk bar that opens at 7:00pm and serves that Goldwasser polish liquor I MUST try while in Gdansk.

https://goldwasser.pl/en/product-category/gift-sets/

 

[loriva]

6 hours ago, duquephart said:

I think you stand a pretty good chance of having more than only one sea day.

 

Thanks @duquephart.  Which ports historically are skipped on the Viking Homelands' itinerary?  All times of the year?  Or more likely some months?  (We are sailing in May.)

 

Many thanks,

 

[CDR2001]

1 hour ago, loriva said:

 

Thanks @duquephart.  Which ports historically are skipped on the Viking Homelands' itinerary?  All times of the year?  Or more likely some months?  (We are sailing in May.)

 

Many thanks,

 

We sailed Homelands last August, and no ports were missed.  (Although of all on our itinerary, I would have gladly missed Bornholm as it wasn’t as interesting as the other ports.) 

Edited February 7, 2023 by CDR2001

[sugarside]

We sadly had to miss Gdańsk in September due to a Baltic storm.

Captain had a choice of having to miss Gdańsk or Berlin so I think it was a fairly easy decision to make.

[janetcbl]

13 hours ago, CDR2001 said:

We sailed Homelands last August, and no ports were missed.  (Although of all on our itinerary, I would have gladly missed Bornholm as it wasn’t as interesting as the other ports.) 

We sailed last year in  June-July with no ports skipped. Could have skipped Bornholm…least interesting stop IMO.

[Azulann]

Both ports will be on  my cruise in June: Scenic Scandinavia. this cruise has no sea days, so I might just decided to have one anyway. But being Danish , I hope to see all the Danish ports including Bornholm.😍

[loriva]

20 hours ago, Azulann said:

But being Danish , I hope to see all the Danish ports including Bornholm.😍

 

Også mig!  My sister and I are following our Viking Homelands cruise with a Danish Heritage tour to see where our Mormor was born (Vejle) and where her family lived (Grenaa).  Despite solidly Danish surnames--both ending in -sen--we've learned part of the family came from Sweden in the early 1800s.  And then ended up just south of you--in Winona--when the family immigrated to the United States in the early 1900s.

 

[Azulann]

1 hour ago, loriva said:

 

Også mig!  My sister and I are following our Viking Homelands cruise with a Danish Heritage tour to see where our Mormor was born (Vejle) and where her family lived (Grenaa).  Despite solidly Danish surnames--both ending in -sen--we've learned part of the family came from Sweden in the early 1800s.  And then ended up just south of you--in Winona--when the family immigrated to the United States in the early 1900s.

 

Is your Danish Heritage Tour an organized one or are you  doing this on your own? I know all the towns of my Danish great grandparents but  those towns are not near Copenhagen  where we will  overnight on ship and do the post extension. I figure just being in Denmark  being among " my people "  will be great experience.

[loriva]

8 hours ago, Azulann said:

Is your Danish Heritage Tour an organized one or are you  doing this on your own? I know all the towns of my Danish great grandparents but  those towns are not near Copenhagen  where we will  overnight on ship and do the post extension. I figure just being in Denmark  being among " my people "  will be great experience.

 

Sorry to go off topic for the OP.  A woman in Copenhagen does genealogical research and then leads personalized tours.  Just search for "Danish Heritage" plus the word "tours"--all together.