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The "Right Let's Do This Properly" Round the World Club, what!


SeanG

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A Halifax with a net to snare aerial beer!  I love it!

 

Dave Britzius

(Cape Town)

 

The crew hastily wove it out of excessive cabling that they ripped off the Halifax.

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I believe that the average condition of our party is somewhere between "feel like death" and "actually dead".... too much drinking, not enough sleep... 

 

that hurts just to read -lol-

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On 10/28/2017 at 11:22 AM, kalizzi said:

A Halifax with a net to snare aerial beer!  I love it!

 

The crew hastily wove it out of excessive cabling that they ripped off the Halifax.

 

That would explain the radio silence after the transfer!

 

SeanG

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Well not much to report over the past couple of days, just lots of open ocean.  We have come to within a few miles of land a few times, but sadly the visibility has been bad so we've still to sight any!

Anyhow, we've made good time, passing through the Malacca Strait and are now a mere 17NM from our first stop;  Singapore!

 

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Since the vis has been so bad this is the best view of our progress that I could get!  The ships navigator assures us that it is Singapore ahead.... and that we should be in Raffles by dinner time!

 

SeanG

 

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Ahh, Singapore!  That mixing pot of cultures from East and West, where traders and mariners from across the globe have met for hundreds of years.  

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Here we a steaming slowly past Changi Airport, that iconic Asian Airline mega-hub.  A place I have spent far too much time in real life ;-)

 

A wee jaunt in the Captains launch, and it's a quick cab ride to Raffles, because, well, it just wouldn't be right to pass Singapore and not stop in for a Gin and Tonic...   "perfect drink for the tropics!"

 

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Raffles;  the most perfectly English escape from the hustle and bustle of Singapore!

 

Chin Chin!

 

Now, sadly it's back to the ship, but not before acquiring some supplies, in case we run into a fellow traveller in need of a tasty, local brew......

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SeanG

 

 

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Trip update, November 2nd.

 

Since the last update we have steamed across the South China sea without much to see at all.  Visibility has remained pretty poor, with heavy rain for nearly 2 straight days.  The sun did pop out for a bit and we managed to get a couple of nice photos.

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This was a rare sight, as most of the time it looked more like......

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This afternoon we slowed as we closed on Hong Kong due to the myriad of vessels around us, and for the first time in days we sighted land!

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We had to keep a close eye on the local traffic which appeared, to the untrained eye, to be moving in completely random directions!

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Finally, we turned into our anchorage, dodging the ever-present Star Ferries which criss-cross the bay!

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Now that we have dropped anchor, we have to wait for the tug to take us in to dock. 

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The team are getting spruced up, and as soon as the Captains Launch is swung on it's davits we'll be aboard, and heading for the delights of Nathan Road, a fine feast, and then of to The Peninsula!

 

SeanG

 

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Ahh the view from Victoria Peak!   I took this photo on my first R/W visit to Hong Kong, back in 2008...

 

Anyway, back to the story!

 

We all mustered aboard HMNZS Canterbury this afternoon, preparing for the quick transit to Yokohama.  Everyone enjoyed their time in Hong Kong, but now it's time to move on again.

 

 

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Tugs came alongside at 1600Hrs, and moved us from our berth into the main channel, narrowly avoiding the Star Ferries, junks and all manner of vessels!

 

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Soon we had cast off the tug's tow lines, and made our way slowly Eastwards, towards the heads, and the open sea beyond.  Hong Kong is a spectacular harbour from almost any angle!

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To say a keen look-out was kept is an understatement.  Threading the frigate through all of the marine traffic was a stressful task, luckily the look-out was supplemented by the radar-watch being kept down in the CIC

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Amazing amount of air and sea traffic in the area!

 

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The view back up towards "the Peak", as the sun dips towards the Western horizon.

 

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 Steaming past Kai Tak Airport (remember, in my world it's 1991... so Kai Tak is still open...)

 

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At a shade after 1730 we had left Hong Kong harbour behind, and started navigating our way around some of the outlying Islands, before turning for the open ocean, and accelerating to our cruise speed.  We are now set for a quick, 80 hour transit to Yokohama.


As the sun set we were making excellent progress towards Taiwan, then on Northwards to Japan

 

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Goodnight from the team aboard HMNZS Canterbury!

 

SeanG

 

 

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2 hours ago, kalizzi said:

Welcome back Sean, lovely update to your awesome diary! Upvoting! May you have fair winds and following seas, and keep the wet side down! :cheers_s:

 

Why thank you sir!

 

We looked for you in Hong Kong, but it would appear that you skipped on by before we could deliver some good Tiger Beer from Singapore!

 

See you in San Francisco!

 

SeanG

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It's amazing how consistent travelling at slow (ship) speeds compares with regular but shorter time periods of air travel. I am nowhere near Hong Kong yet (Still in VietNam) and yet I am travelling in a fast single-engined Turboprop (Kodiak)!

I do enjoy your blog. 

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On 11/10/2017 at 10:57 PM, DaveLTB said:

It's amazing how consistent travelling at slow (ship) speeds compares with regular but shorter time periods of air travel. I am nowhere near Hong Kong yet (Still in VietNam) and yet I am travelling in a fast single-engined Turboprop (Kodiak)!

I do enjoy your blog. 

 

It'd the old "Tortoise and the Hare" story.  The best part of all is that there is an entire crew (well virtually...) to look after the actual sailing of the ship, so all I have to do is take photographs and enjoy the scenery, scant little there has been!

 

If you make it to Yokohama before the 'off' on the 14th I'll shout you a Tiger beer from our unopened stash!

 

SeanG

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Yokohama Harbor entrance, fine on the Starboard bow.

 

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The final turn towards the Yokohama Bay Bridge

 

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Finally, tied up alongside.  This will be a very short run ashore, with the impending departure less than 48 hours away.

 

This is Canterbury's first visit to Japan, despite sailing around the Pacific a lot in the past year or so.  I can see a return to Japanese waters in the near future!

 

Now, with the serious stuff out of the way, we make our way to the street and hail a taxi.  Taxi's in Japan are truly splendid, clean and modern, with immaculately tailored drivers, and ours is no exception, dressed impeccably and wearing a natty looking hat!   Riku had a wonderful grasp of Queens English, and  had us on our way to the Hotel New Grand with no fuss or wasted energy.

 

Taxi rides can be "challenging" in some countries, but in Japan they are always a pleasure.

 

At the New Grand we are met by immaculately presented bell boys, and are quickly checked in to our rooms at this wonderful historic hotel.

Now the hunt is on for some Sapporo Black Label.... 

 

SeanG

 

 

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Another Day, another leg!

 

At precisely 1556 or so, we slipped our mooring lines, and steamed towards the Yokohama Bay Bridge once more.

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Much more traffic around today, could be because we are leaving during daylight, but most likely because I have installed a new global shipping scenery....

The additional traffic means a little more work making our way out of the harbor, dodging massive cargo vessels.

 

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As we join the Southbound traffic the weather closes in and the rain starts.

 

2 Hours into the leg, and we are working our way up to cruise speed, and we expect to be in the open ocean in the next hour or so.

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Tomorrow morning we will be well and truly settled in to our most boring leg, sailing across the vast, and empty Northern Pacific Ocean.

 

SeanG

 

 

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Hey Sean great going, safe crossing you will probably catch up with me somewhere on the firth of the Clyde. I went fast track because I will be away from my flight sim rig for a month. Will be holding off at Prestwick and leave the last hop to London till the 21st. of December. Will continue to monitor the club and contribute silly stuff every now and then, though. Hope to catch up for a wee dram and a chaser if you stable your man o' war somewhere at the Clyde shipyards for refits and repairs, -she is Clyde built, isn't she? Best wishes. NB keep that Tiger crate cold for me, stashed at your larder where no one can see :cheers_s:

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On 11/14/2017 at 9:41 PM, kalizzi said:

Hey Sean great going, safe crossing you will probably catch up with me somewhere on the firth of the Clyde. I went fast track because I will be away from my flight sim rig for a month. Will be holding off at Prestwick and leave the last hop to London till the 21st. of December. Will continue to monitor the club and contribute silly stuff every now and then, though. Hope to catch up for a wee dram and a chaser if you stable your man o' war somewhere at the Clyde shipyards for refits and repairs, -she is Clyde built, isn't she? Best wishes. NB keep that Tiger crate cold for me, stashed at your larder where no one can see :cheers_s:

 

Looking forward to the "Silly Stuff", and I'll defend your Tiger Beer to my last breath.   The Clyde would be an excellent place for a catchup for, as you correctly assessed, Canterbury is 'Clyde Built'!

The only kink will be if Canterbury can't make the connection to New York in time, it does have to make it all the way to Panama, then back up the East coast!

 

SeanG

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Not much to report, weather is a little "inclement" to say the least!   Based on the North Pacific Weather reports, we have been forced a little further South than we had planned, just to avoid the worst of the weather!

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  Don't much like the bit about "Developing Storm"... but we should be South of that point before it really develops!

 

At least we are on the right side of the Date Line now, and making steady progress towards San Francisco!

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As I said... "inclement" is the correct description for what it is we are sailing through!

 

SeanG

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Hmmm!  Very nice great circle you have there:)  It is likely I passed directly over you on my flight on Friday night.  You may have missed me, I was at 30,000 feet.  I shall keep and eye out for you steaming in below the Golden Gate Bridge.

 

Jeff

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