Aboard the Rickmers Hamburg

Well, it has been some time since I updated this blog simply because we had no Internet access aboard the ship.  Needless to say the ship finally arrived in Philadelphia and we were finally able to board.

Philadelphia skyline from the ship.

My cabin was quite nice.  I had my bed, bathroom, a desk and a sitting area.  There was also a television with a DVD player.  In order to pass the time (I had a LOT of it) I watched CSI: Las Vegas seasons 1 & 2.  It was the only DVD on the ship.  I also read about four or five books including Dan Brown's Demons and Angels.  Make a note to yourself to not start a Dan Brown book unless you have at least three days to spare.  I literally could not put the book down until I finished it.  Sleep deprivation would set in.  Reading his books are exhausting!

My desk and work area

The sitting area with television and DVD player

My sleeping area

The bathroom.

As you can tell from these photos my cabin was simple, but quite adequate.

The first day on the ship I spent mostly in my room or on the pilot deck watching the loading operations.  Loading a ship like this is like watching a choreographed dance between cranes, trucks and people.  Everything had to happen at just the right time and the cargo had to be moved efficiently. 

The Rickmers Hamburg moored in Philadelphia

The ship has its own cranes

Loading the Rickmers Hamburg.

Finally on Monday evening the tugboat arrived and we were to set out to sea.  The trip down the Delaware River takes about six hours to the Atlantic Ocean.  We departed Philadelphia at 10:30PM so that meant that when I woke up the next morning we would be at sea!

The tugboat arrives!

This part of the trip will have to be broken into several posts.  Our entire voyage from Philadelphia to Hamburg took 17 days.  Over the next several days I will post some more about this once in a lifetime (at least for me) experience.  Stayed tuned!