Erika Monet Butters’ ‘Melodies At Sea’ may soon be a Covid-19 memory after 56 days, if all goes according to plan.  Erika and her two year old son, Ezra, are scheduled to depart the Emerald Princess this weekend, just in time for Mother’s Day! With some discretion of proper social distancing,  Key West awaits a glorious family reunion.  Erika keeps her fingers crossed that she will be allowed to disembark.  As we post this article, Emerald Princess is steaming at 11.5 knots due west toward Fort Lauderdale.

SOUNDING OF THE SHIP HORNS

At 7:30pm every evening, the ensemble of ships would all blast a shared sentiment, announcing “We’re all in this together”!  Then the sunset would arrive with a glorious view.  Erika always welcomed it as its awesome beauty calmed her nerves.  She made it her mission to foster a sense of renewal every day.  Thinking of how the rest of the world was spending their days, Erika is grateful that her social distancing experience might realistically have been a lot different back in Florida.  In some ways, she’s grateful for winding up in a healthy, clean environment for the past six weeks.

BREAKING IRREGULAR AQUATIC PATTERNS

But there are others who are still left floating on an uncertain future.   Chaos in the Cruise Industry pretty much sums up what is going on in Covid waters.  Earlier this week, Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) was forced to secure a two billion dollar loan to carry them into the Fall Season.   Ninety-nine cruise ships that terminated operations while sailing routes in North and South America anchored in a triangular zone between Fort Lauderdale and the Bahamas.  However, the eerie ring of idle ships slowly breaks formation as Repatriation efforts continue.  In total, 80,000 crew members were reportedly stuck at sea,  approximately 1000 of them U.S. citizens.

ENTANGLED  CONNECTIONS

The aquatic dance continues as crew members move from one ship to another in the middle of the ocean.  Erika was originally on board Holland America Lines’ Nieuw Statendam with her husband who serves on the bridge.  NYHC reported the situation back on April  22nd.   Crew, like the corporate negotiations between the liners and the CDC, were going in circles.   We learned of harrowing stories posted on social media on personal pages.  Charter flights and private shuttles were purchased and paid for by the excited crew.  As ships pulled alongside the dock, hopes were suddenly dashed when officials withdraw their offer.  Erika watched as several Canadians serving aboard Empire Princess were denied exit. These poor souls could only stare at the lowered gangplanks and watch another routine refueling as rations were loaded onboard before the ship pulled up their lines and slowly returned to anchor once again.

On Day 50, Erika offered a parody that pleaded to government officials to hear the ships cry.  She used Moana’s “How Far I’ll Go” and changed the lyrics to her own rendition that she titled “Song To America: We Want To Come Home” which sheds light on the crew all being healthy and just wanting to get home to their loved ones.  But the legal struggle between the cruise industry and the CDC continues, mostly in court proceedings in Miami.  It is inconceivable to ask these U.S. Citizens to remain captive aboard ships for the entire duration of the U.S. ‘No Sail” order.

U.S. PORTS AWAIT THE RETURN TO NORMALCY

Back on the U.S. eastern seaboard, NCL has made arrangements to dock three ships in Norfolk Harbor for the next two months.  As far as we know, the American crew aboard are still prohibited from disembarking.  Meanwhile, here in New York, NYHC reports not a single ship returning to port.  The last spotting was February 10th when Coronavirus-tested passengers were allowed to board RCCL’s Anthem of the Sea at Cape Liberty Marine Terminal.   The only ship to visit New York’s waterfront was the USNS Comfort, the Navy Hospital Ship that we covered extensively during the month of April.

MELODIES AT SEA:   ERIKA AND EZRA’S FAREWELL SEGMENT

When asked about returning to the sea, her response was “I am not jaded!  The ships did take good care of us.”  And how will her music continue?  She indicated that Melodies At Sea will have an easy transition into an anticipated weekly series with a temporary working title of “Melodies On Land’.

Erika’s final post from sea will be “Time to Say Goodbye” by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman.  She and the others awaiting departure tomorrow, are saying their final farewell as their ship was finally approved to disembark after what will be 56 days out at sea.  How will history look back at this imposed marooning of crew?    We would like to think Erika’s soothing vocals eased the tension back in Miami.  Dry land is afoot!

The post AFTER 56 DAYS STUCK AT SEA, MOTHER AND SON MAY FINALLY BE COMING HOME appeared first on New York Harbor Channel.

As Spring arrives, New York Harbor marine terminals, ferry landings, and tour boats are closed tight.  Walking along the waterfront is a pastime that usually signals outdoor recreation activity.  Kayaking, sailing, and cruising are all signs of a budding season.  Street musicians usually fill the parks,  But now, the ‘Stay at Home” order has defined the arrival of Spring, 2020.

What a difference eight weeks can make.  Our January 20th post of ‘Music On The Water’ celebrated the beauty and accomplishment of Holland America Line’s Lincoln Center Stage aboard the MS Nieuw Statendam.  Music of any description has been a definition of New York City’s energy and creativity.  Indeed RWS Entertainment generates the source of greatness found on the dozen of HAL’s Music Walks.  Our countdown clock started marking the days till MS Zaandam would arrive in New York Harbor on its way to Canada on September 7th,2020.  We were hoping to capture the sounds of its ensemble to herald the event.  Little did we know the true impact that was brewing the week we posted the article.  Now we know.  This is the new normal.

CRUISE SHIPS AFFECTED BY GLOBAL PANDEMIC

The global pandemic has shut down port entry to every harbor city in the United States.  The Center for Disease Control (CDC) witnessed the last cruise ship to discharge infected passengers as well as remove those who died from Holland America Line’s (HAL) Zaandam two weeks ago in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  The industry lock down had begun.

This was the end of a three month long horrific odyssey for more than two dozen cruise ships, starting with the first case of Covid-19 fatalities on the Diamond Princess in Japanese waters.  Helicopter airlifts of medical supplies and emergency equipment became a daily scene on the news channels, but what must have been worse to those was the sight of intensive care unit patients being medivacked off the ship.

CDC ORDERS A ONE HUNDRED DAY ‘NO SAIL’

The CDC reported that approximately one hundred cruise ships were outside U.S. ports.  Approximately eighty thousand crew members were still aboard.  Crew members including ship physicians who treated infected passengers were part of those who perished from the virus.  On April 9th, the CDC put a one hundred day ‘No Sail’ order into place that was effective immediately.  New York Harbor marine terminals are completely empty.

UNPRECEDENTED ANCHORAGE

Cruise ships such as Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas will not return to its’ home port until July at best.  So where did the ships go?  According to Marine Tracker, the global GPS app that identifies ships at sea, Anthem has joined a ghostly anchorage of more than two dozen liners that dot the ocean waters in an unprecedented configuration pattern from the Bahamas to Florida.

Our video taken on April 11th shows the incredible number of moored cruise ships that made up the historic assembly.  Under normal conditions, the temporary anchorage is called a “warm lay-up” mode.   Of note, is an eerie ring of HAL ships comprised of the MS MS Nieuw Statendam, MS Nieuw Amsterdam, MS Zuiderdam, MS Zaandam and the MS Rotterdam.  It’s shocking to see, since these ships were once riveting with excitement and pleasure and now they are sitting idle waiting in limbo.

MAROONED

Once moored, engineers and maintenance employees implemented a complete disinfecting regiment while the ships silently rest idle.  But what about the crew still stuck on the ship?  Why are they still aboard?

A catch-22 forced most of them to remain.  When Zaandam was finally allowed to offload in Fort Lauderdale, many crew members had a tough decision to make.  They could break their contract and possibly loose employment with Holland America, or they could ride out the term of the contract to ensure their option of a renewal.  Most only had nine days left and gambled they would quickly find travel arrangements back home.

The greatest majority of crew are Filipino or Indonesian; however, a small minority are American.  Within days of leaving Fort Lauderdale, these U.S. citizens learned the severity of the ‘No Sail’ order and what it meant to them.  The U.S. Coast Guard stated that anyone left aboard these ships would not be allowed entry or access to any U.S. port in the southern Seventh District for treatment and the responsibility for care would be left to the ship’s operators.  Would it come as a surprise that there are reports of complaints of covid-19 symptoms?  The tragedy of MS Zaandam is too horrific to describe with four dying on the ship before passage was granted through the Panama Canal.

There Americans cannot return to their home states.  They remain on the boat until an alternative plan can overcome this regulation.  To every extent of the word, they are ‘marooned’.  According to the FreeDictionary, marooned means, ‘To abandon or isolate with little hope of ready rescue or escape’.

Most crew have been restricted to less than an eight square meter cabin with no  window.  For the few hours they spend above deck, the ship is relatively empty with all services and amenities shut down.  The remaining kitchen staff is forced to ration food as there is no guarantee of food being delivered to the ship.

Bedsheets cover tables and chairs.  The casino is dark.  For a morale boost, the pool remains open.  Now that the HAL contracts expired this week, most of the crew is now jobless with future prospects unknown.

CREW MEMBER STORIES OF THEIR PAST MONTH’S MEMORIES MEMORIALIZED

Not unlike those of us in New York City who observe and adhere to the “stay at home” order, crew members have taken to social media to communicate and correspond with their loved ones and the outside world.

There are cabaret singers and dancers on MS Volendam.  Erika Monet Butters, singer on MS Nieuw Statendam is spending her days on the ship continuing to do what she loves through Facebook. She uses this outlet to continue to stay connected with others. Resorting to her performing roots, she posts daily “Melodies at Sea” videos where she sings different songs each day. It’s reassuring to see music on the water continuing on during this pandemic. We’re sure, Butter’s will continue to post daily videos to entertain her viewers, until she has a live audience once again.

Holland America Line has taken to Facebook also.  In hopes of keeping the music alive, they are posting members of Lincoln Center Stage performing from living rooms.  It is called HAL At Home and the performers offer their recent contributions through videos of solo work or duets.

MASSIVE REPATRIATION OF CREW MEMBERS TO THEIR HOME COUNTRIES.

This week, it was announced that HAL will sail a few of their ships to Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa to deliver their employees back home.  The Bahama ring of moored ships has broken.  MS Zuiderdam and MS Zaandam are under way and presently due east of Fort Lauderdale.  Will the U.S. authorities grant an exception?  The Governor of Florida has allowed its beach-going population to return to the sea.  Perhaps the American crew members will be allowed disembarkation in Florida?

MS ZAANDAM COUNTDOWN CLOCK FOR NYC

New York Harbor Channel will keep its fingers crossed that MS Zaandam will be able to keep the September 7th, 2020 arrival date into New York Harbor.  We will keep all of you posted on every update.  Until then, we hope the ships safely return the crew members home and music will once again fill the streets and venues of New York City in time for Autumn.

The post AS SPRING ARRIVES, COVID-19 PANDEMIC CRIPPLES THE CRUISE SHIP INDUSTRY appeared first on New York Harbor Channel.

We remain optimistic that this will be the only case of Coronavirus fears in New York Harbor.  Four guests that arrived on the ship Friday night were sent to a local hospital in New Jersey for screening and observation to detect if they had contracted the Coronavirus.  Anthem Of The Seas so far has been the only cruise ship on the East Coast of the United States to be affected with screenings and/or quarantine.  All passengers were advised there was no threat of infection.  Three cruise ships in the China Sea have quarantined passengers or have been denied access to dock.

The post Royal Carribbean’s Anthem Of The Seas Finally Leaves appeared first on New York Harbor Channel.

QM2 departs Brooklyn on December 8th for a trans-Atlantic crossing to Southampton, England.  The menu will consist of a variety.  Musical performances are featuring a quartet.

This past year, the QM2 has logged ______ nautical miles.

December 22nd return to Brooklyn.

By Spaceaero2 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32401982

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The philosophy of the Hurtigruten Cruise Lines is for its passengers to truly experience the natural beauty of their destinations. The more remote, the better! Outdoor expeditions are an integral part of the Hurtigruten fleet. Not only by boat, but by foot! Snowshoeing on Arctic ice is certainly encouraged. Sport, fitness, and good living is in abundance.

The more I researched, the more obvious it became that the voyages through the scenic fjords of the Norway Coastline might be the least demanding. There is a higher caliber for the healthier world traveler. I became interested in the Svalbard in the High North.

We are not only talking Northern Lights and the Midnight Sun! Here is Hurtigruten’s advertisement blurb….”The gem of Arctic Norway is fascinating and challenging. Polar Bears roam the wilderness, seals dive, and birds swoop. Longyearbyen snuggles up and hunkers down against the cold Arctic air, just 840 miles from the North Pole.”  My heart just skipped a beat! I have no doubt even the calmest voyage will offer snowmobiling in the middle of July.

The modern Hurtigruten fleet consist of 14 exploration vessels. These ships are designed  for polar expeditions. As MS Fram entered New York Harbor last week, I knew there was something special about the construction. It was magnificent in its sturdy appeal. The strength and beauty of the ship was unmistakable. It actually felt like it just pulled in from the Arctic, leaving a few chunks of ice off its stern.

For those in the know about Norwegian history, Roald Amundsen is credited with being the first man to reach the South Pole. He was the last of the three Norwegian explorers whose successive expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctica were aboard the original MS Fram, the trusted, wooden schooner built in 1893. Amundsen’s voyage to Antarctica started in 1910 and lasted three years.

The explorers knew the safest way to travel to the Poles was to purposely allow the ship to be frozen in the ice. Being one with the moving ice shelf, the ship would float up over the Pole. The original MS Fram was built with no keel and extremely hard Greenheart wood to withstand the force of pressing ice. Surprisingly, Greenheart isn’t from the forests of Norway. This untreated lumber hailed from the Venezuela forests of South America as it is resistant to water rot. The width of the hull was exaggerated to allow the ship to lift up on the encroaching ice sheets.

If you are planning a trip to Norway, this 125 year old wooden schooner has its own museum in Oslo. Btw… Fram means “forward” in Norwegian. Like Amundsen’s schooner, The Hurtigruten Company is also celebrating its 125th year in business. The first ship was a steamer that cruised the coast of Norway. Hurtigruten is now the largest cruise operator in polar waters.

How reliable are these ships in such extreme climate? Truth be told, Antarctica has proven to be a challenge. In December, 2007, three hundred explorers were on board MS Fram. Leaving the tip of Argentina, MS Fram powered through the Drake Passage. Here are some accounts of the following days…
“In its most turbulent seas, it is referred to the Drake Shake. Othertimes, on serene days, it is referred to as Drake Lake!”
“Imagine spending a night on the ice shelf of Antarctica camping out in a tent!”
“One of the most beautiful passages in Antarctica is the Lemaire Channel. Talk about a photo-op. The wildlife and sea creatures were amazing!”
“December 29th, 2007, just six months after being christened, on the fourth night, the ship engine temporarily lost power. All the passengers were summoned above deck. In the cold, silent, stillness, the ship drifted backward.”
“I actually saw the wall of the ice coming up the starboard side.”
“Yes, we kissed an iceberg!”
“Within forty minutes, the engine was running again. Aside from minor damage to the railing and one of the suspended life rafts, MS Fram has been back to Antarctica on its regular itineraries.”
“This company is rugged, sea-worthy, and very competent. I am ready for another adventure on any of their exploration ships!”

The current MS Fram is configured for 400 passengers. Well appointed staterooms support ample amenities. There’s plenty of good times over good food and drink. Attendance to the on-board lecture series are encouraged if you are not busy working out in the gym. This year, Hurtigruten announced the banning of plastics aboard all ships. All bio-degradable materials The company’s commitment to the environment includes operating the first hybrid-electric powered ship, the MS Roald Amundsen. “Plastic pollution is the single biggest threat to our oceans.” said Daniel Skeldam, Hurtigruten’s CEO. He continued, “We are committed to be a global leader in green adventure travel.”

“MS Fram is presently taking a well deserved vacation en route to Port Everglades with lots of warmth and sunshine. The only ice is in my tumbler!”

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