 On our sailing trip north this year, we encountered a lot of cruiseships. They are gigantic (nearly 1000 ft/300 m long). There is really no land vehicle equivalent to a cruiseship. It is intimidating to encounter one on the water. Imagine for one second that you're driving on the road, then a big ass thing on wheels suddenly arrives behind you, fast. Because it has the right of way, and that it has limited maneuverability, you have to make sure you're not in its path. Scary. 19 comments
I drew these on our way to Alaska this summer, in my handwritten logbook, which I hope to share online very soon ^__^ @planeth They affect cities. A lot of the stores in Ketchikan exist solely for the cruiseships(we saw 6 jewelry stores on the same street). Such businesses belong to people who don't live in Ketchikan, they employ people who don't live there either... it doesn't benefit locals at all, it destroys the culture of a place. @rek in Brittany, not yet. But I know it affects a lot of place in mediterrannée. And don't get me started about the massive pollution and destruction they generate. In Venise the council has put a ban on massive cruise ship as their wake wave is distroying the old buildings. @ZhangBenKong ooh yea in the fog is definitely not fun. We had that happen this year, when near Sitka, a bit disconcerting when you see it emerge from a fog bank near you *___* @rek I'm not sure how cargo ships compare with cruise ships as far as maneuverability, but I once saw a large cargo ship do a 360 turn in the shipping channel near Foulweather Bluff, WA. I didn't think they were capable of that. Anyway, judging speeds on the water certainly feels different than on land. Those big ships sneak up on you FAST. @tuxinator depends how loaded the cargoships are, I'd say. Maneuverability also depends on conditions, if there's wind, if they're in a narrow fairway, harbor etc. They can make tight turns, but big ships can't react as quickly as a smaller ship.  @openbuddha Sure, but a big ship has lower maneuverability than us, keeping our course might be dangerous, most times I prefer not to assume they'll divert (it depends on where we happen to be when this happens, like if we're in a narrow channel, for instance.) |
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To make matters worse, these intimidating beasts always have very cutesy names.
Like... Sapphire Princess.