=DF wrote:
> Have you lost your mind ?
> Or are you nuckin' futs ?
>=20
> Why in the world would anyone sail on a freighter ?
> Can't even imagine the service from the white gloved concierge !
>=20
> B.
>=20
B.- Mrs. Nonnymus and I mistakenly took a cruise on a Tuna=20
boat, thinking it was the MS Celebration, last year. While=20
there was a bit of a need to adapt to a Tuna boat instead of=20
the cruise ship, we had a great time. I am reposting our=20
experience in the hope that you can expand your horizons and=20
include freighter and Tuna boat cruises in your vacation plans.
Nonnymus
My wife and I recently returned from an Alaskan cruise that=20
turned out to be somewhat different from what we expected. I=20
accept some of the responsibility for not having opened my=20
confirmation or ticketing information that out travel agent=20
sent. However, I still place a good deal of weight for the=20
mistake on the agent.
When we called the agent, we requested that he make=20
reservations for the MS CELEBRATION, out of Vancouver. When=20
we got to the pier and began filling out our forms, we=20
discovered that he'd made reservations on the MS Salivation-=20
a 93' tuna boat. It was quite a shock when we had to take=20
yet another taxi from Canada Place and go to the fishing=20
pier instead.
The MS Salivation was tied up to the dock, taking on bait=20
when we arrived. The wife was first to board. Since the=20
ship had no gangway, they tied a rope under her arms and=20
hoisted her aboard. It was windy that day, and the breeze=20
let everyone see her bloomers. It was embarrassing for her,=20
but she got to quickly know the crew, at least. I rode on a=20
bait box onto the deck and we were shown to our stateroom by=20
one of the engine crew. The Salivation only has one=20
stateroom for guests, and it's located between the fish hold=20
and engine room. Since the hold is iced down to reduce tuna=20
spoilage, and the engine room is approximately 185f degrees=20
during operation, the stateroom's temperature ranges from=20
one wall being approximately 25f to the other being 185f. We=20
found this very convenient during the few times we were=20
permitted to sleep, since by choosing which hooks to place=20
our hammocks on, we could adjust our temperatures accordingly.
We were pleased to find that our travel agent had supplied=20
us with a complimentary bottle of his favorite wine-=20
Thunderbird Red and a delicious plate of Tuna and bread,=20
with onion. He tells us that it's a favorite appetizer in=20
Pennsylvania. The choice of wine was enhanced by its=20
aluminum screw cap, since our traveling corkscrew had been=20
confiscated from our luggage by TSA out of concern we might=20
hijack a ship with it.
Departure from the pier was scheduled to be at 3:00p, but=20
our captain was still drunk from the previous evening and=20
didn't arrive at the boat until Noon. I found it necessary=20
to help out the crew in loading in ice and bait so we could=20
depart before sunset, at least. This is a great time to=20
leave Vancouver, since the winds are traditionally out of=20
the West and pick up before sunset. This, coupled with the=20
boat's speed and direction helps to blow away the smell of=20
the slightly spoiled squid, used as tuna bait by the vessel=20
during its week long excursion.
As previously mentioned, our stateroom was located directly=20
below the main deck, between the fish storage hold and the=20
engine room. Access was by a straight ladder, carefully=20
placed in the storage hold and tied off to a metal beam. The=20
stateroom was decoratively painted in a dark brown color,=20
which we later discovered was called "rust" by the crew.=20
Besides a folding chair and card table, we had two=20
generously sized hammocks, one blanket and a bath robe=20
bearing the Holiday Inn logo. I inquired about towels and=20
was told that since there were no shower or bath facilities=20
aboard the vessel, they were not needed.
The only complaint we had about the stateroom, was that=20
lighting was quite poor. There were no windows, so all we=20
had was a 15 watt bulb hanging from the ceiling. I brought=20
this to the attention of our steward (who also was the=20
primary hook baiter when fishing) and he replaced it with a=20
more generous 60 watt bulb. He explained that the stateroom=20
we had was primarily used for squid bait storage, so a=20
larger bulb wasn't necessary. However, since our travel=20
agent had booked it for our Alaskan excursion, they were=20
storing the squid on deck in 55 gallon barrels for this=20
trip. That also explained the salty, nautical "air" we had=20
noticed in the stateroom upon arrival.
Dinner that evening was on deck, and quite festive. The=20
crew had placed a sheet of plywood over two squid barrels,=20
covered it with a checkered oilcloth and it became our=20
table. . . table #1, in fact. Dinner consisted of Tuna,=20
Wonder Bread and catsup. Because of our political beliefs,=20
the crew removed the Heinz catsup at our request and=20
replaced it with Hunt's, which we now prefer. My wife had=20
her tuna blackened, while I had mine fried. Other choices=20
were boiled, braised, breaded, raw, grilled, baked and=20
roast. The bread and catsup were excellent accompaniments=20
and the loaf of bread was sealed tightly between meals to=20
prevent salt spray from softening it.
Sleep the first night was a bit difficult, since the 93'=20
boat encountered 85' waves. The hammocks were both a=20
godsend and problem. The best part was that they permitted=20
us to sway side-to-side as the boat rolled, and they could=20
be adjusted toward the hot or cold stateroom walls for=20
temperature control. The downside was that they were placed=20
9' above the cabin floor, up toward the ceiling and we were=20
continually pounded against the ceiling as the boat pitched=20
and rolled in the 85' waves. During the night, I climbed up=20
out of the fish storage hold and requested some additional=20
rope to permit them to be lowered. The captain had sobered=20
up some, and told me that the only rope on a ship was the=20
rope for the ship's bell. Other than that, it was called a=20
LINE. I then requested about 30' of LINE and was handed an=20
entire skein of clothes line. That really helped to reduce=20
the number of times we were banged against the ceiling and=20
made climbing into our hammocks much easier, since they were=20
closer to the stateroom's floor.
I mentioned that the ship had no shower or bathing=20
facilities. Our stateroom DID come equipped for our=20
personal needs, however. Over in the corner was a 5 gallon=20
drywall bucket, on which the ship's engineer had placed a=20
toilet seat. It was quite convenient and could be scooted=20
around to either the hot or cold wall for more comfort when=20
in use. A few nights into our cruise, we did request that=20
it be emptied on a daily basis, since it had a tendency to=20
turn over during several of the storms we encountered. There=20
was also a slight learning curve to using it, since the seat=20
had a tendency to slide off- much to the distress of my wife.
It was great being able to access both the engine=20
compartment and bridge during the cruise. The captain had a=20
bit of a drinking problem and after Happy Hour, which began=20
about 1:00p, he would permit and even encourage anyone to=20
take the helm. The Chief Engineer was a large gent named=20
Mordo, who never seemed to leave the engine compartment. I=20
asked the captain about this and was told that Mordo had his=20
own hammock and 5 gallon bucket down below, and preferred=20
the warm temperature and scents of his beloved engine=20
compartment to the spray and breeze of above deck. Mordo=20
was also concerned about several arrest warrants, and feared=20
being spotted if he was on deck. It worked out well for the=20
ship, since the crew would merely toss down some Tuna for=20
Mordo to eat and occasionally haul his 5 gallon bucket out=20
for dumping overboard in the Alaskan waters. My wife and I=20
were offered a tour of the engine room, but respectfully=20
declined.
Since this was a Tuna boat, the entire 7-day Alaskan cruise=20
had no ports of call. We were "at sea" the entire time. At=20
first we had some concern about why this was called an=20
Alaskan cruise, but the captain explained that we would be=20
presented with a wooden train whistle that said, "Skagway=20
Alaska," a polyester tee shirt saying, "Juneau Alaska" and a=20
surprise Taiwan-made trinket bearing the Ketchikan moniker=20
when we completed the cruise. We considered this, and felt=20
that it adequately conveyed the Alaskan experience well=20
enough that we were satisfied.
During our days at sea, the captain hosted a daily contest=20
called "Who can bait the most hooks?" We were placed on=20
folding chairs on deck with a 55 gallon drum of warm squid=20
beside us. At the count of 3, we began baiting hooks with=20
the squid and after 8 hours, the person who had baited the=20
most hooks won a prize. During the first three days of the=20
cruise, I easily won. However, as the squid "softened" in=20
the warm barrels, my wife's greater dexterity prevailed and=20
she began winning. She also reported that the combination=20
of "squid squeezings" and squid water from the barrels did=20
wonders for her hands. The MS Salivation had no spa, so=20
this was their substitute for Steiner's. It also saved us=20
quite a bit of money that would have ordinarily been spent=20
at another ship's spa.
Meals aboard the Salivation were generally informal, with=20
only one formal evening. Breakfast consisted of Tuna, bread=20
and catsup (Hunt's). Lunch was Tuna, bread and catsup=20
(Hunt's). Dinner was at 5:00p sharp, immediately following=20
the hook baiting contest, and consisted of Tuna, bread and=20
catsup (Hunt's). There was one exception to this, however,=20
During the first breakfast of the cruise, we were offered=20
the choice of Tuna, bread and catsup (Hunt') or Calamari,=20
bread and catsup (Hunt's), Since the squid was not chilled,=20
it would have not been a good idea to have selected Calamari=20
following the first day of the cruise.
As previously mentioned, meals were served on deck at our=20
squid barrel and plywood table. During formal night, the=20
captain joined us on deck and we found our tablecloth had=20
changed magically to a barely soiled furniture pad cleverly=20
labeled, "North American Van Lines." This was quite nice=20
and when soaked with spray, prevented the paper plates from=20
scooting around as the ship pitched and rolled in the waves.=20
The captain had his own beverage, which he drank from a=20
hip flask, but he presented us with a second bottle of wine=20
from his private stock. Unlike the Thunderbird Red given us=20
by our travel agent, this wine had a genuine synthetic CORK.=20
We asked that it be chilled, so the steward placed it into=20
the Tuna hold for a few minutes. Since the ship had no=20
corkscrew, we were forced to break the bottle's neck off. We=20
filtered the wine through our steward's a tee shirt, and it=20
was delicious- having a salty, fishy flavor.
Dinner that evening consisted of Tuna, bread and catsup=20
(Hunt's), which was served by our steward. For formal=20
night, he washed both his good hand and the one with only a=20
thumb on it, and also changed into a fresh tee shirt and=20
boxer shorts.
Our Alaskan Cruise's success was naturally measured in part=20
by the number of Tuna caught. In the 7 days we were aboard=20
the MS Salivation, over 1500 tuna were hooked, brought=20
aboard and gutted. We were offered a choice of whether we=20
wished to participate in the Hook Baiting contest or its=20
Tuna Gutting alternative, but both chose the Hook Baiting=20
for its simplicity. It was a vacation, you understand. I=20
have to admit that by the time we finished our cruise that=20
we would have become quite handy with the gutting knife.=20
However, the prize for winning a gutting contest was that we=20
could keep the knife, and we realized that despite its=20
sentimental value, TSA would confiscate it at the airport.
Our ship returned to the fish dock in Vancouver at 1:00a,=20
but we could not disembark until the Tuna had been off=20
loaded. This was accomplished by 5:00a and we were=20
permitted to go ashore. I rode ashore in one of the empty=20
squid barrels from the deck. The captain and crew were all=20
on deck to wish us well and possibly to see a rerun of my=20
wife's bloomers, as she was hoisted ashore. She has a great=20
sense of humor and since she realized that they were all=20
standing there to see her bloomers, she played a trick on=20
them and didn't wear any that morning.
In all, our Alaskan Cruise was somewhat different from what=20
we had expected aboard a Carnival ship. As mentioned=20
earlier, I blame myself as much as the travel agent, since I=20
never opened the cruise ticket package until we were at the=20
docks. However, we salvaged what we could of our vacation=20
and made the most of what we were handed. The MS Salivation=20
is a bit small for cruising Alaskan waters with 85' waves,=20
and being the only paying passengers aboard the ship has=20
both benefit and drawback. On one hand, we had the full=20
attention of our steward when he wasn't placing squid on=20
hooks, but we missed having other passengers to visit with=20
while competing in the daily squid baiting contest. With=20
the whistle, tee shirt and trinkets given us at the end of=20
the cruise, we felt we really didn't miss much of the=20
Alaskan experience, but it would have been fun to at least=20
go ashore once to see a Totem Pole or visit the Red Dog or=20
Red Onion saloons.
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