VOYAGE ON THE ILSABE OLDENDORFF

THE VOYAGE OF THE ILSABE OLDENDORF

The Ilsabe Oldendorf is a bulk tramp freighter. It is owned by Egon Oldendorf in Luebeck Germany. I traveled as a passenger from Long Beach, California to Vancouver, British Columbia. This is an account of that trip. To take a trip like this going to the Oldendorff website at www.oldendorff.com

JOURNAL 2

Sunday 18 April 2004 (continued)

Today the pilot came by helicopter. Just before the helicopter came, the helicopter pilot's voice blared over the radio:

"What is your speed and position?"

Oleg, the Chief Engineer, was there taking photos with his digital camera from the flying bridge. I did multiple shots from within the bridge. The pilot was let gently down on a rope to the hatch cover of hold number two. This was one of the highlights of the trip.

One of the first nights out on the Pacific, I received a knock on my door. A crewman was there asking me to close my window curtain facing the bow. I told him that I would do it later when I went to bed. He then explained that the light from my cabin window was causing a glare on the bridge. This glare impaired their night vision.

The pilot who came by helicopter kept giving course directions to Angel, the helmsman. If the pilot said 005, Angel would repear it as a confirmation -- just like in the movies. I pointed to the machine that signals the engine room to stop, speed up, slow down or go in reverse. The captain said it was pretty much all automated now. This pilot stayed with us for the 96 mile trip up the Columbia River to Vancouver WA. The captained stayed up too until we docked at 0100.

JOURNAL 4

Tuesday 20 April 2004

Today the hatch inspectors came and approved the holds we are going to load with grain in Portland. The inspector was hung on a rope by a crane along the walls of the gigantic hold. The captain was happy to have a holds approved. Then a pilot boarded and directed us to middle of the Columbia River where we anchored again. We are waiting in line to load grain in Portland.

JOURNAL 3

Monday 19 April 2004

In a light drizzle they unloaded the plywood using 1/2 ton forklifts which took longer than those in Long Beach. I spent the day listening to an all classical radio station. I also took morning and afternoon coffee breaks with the officers and walked on the boat deck and accommodation deck for an hour.

After the unloading was done, a pilot took us into the middle of the Columbia River and we dropped anchor. A Foss tug came by and this made me think of Orville and Leonard Sund who worked for Foss years ago. They were my father's cousins from Tacoma who came east for duck hunting.

It is Monday night and we are sitting in the middle of the river. Tomorrow the hatch or hold inspectors to approve our readiness to take on grain in Portland.

The second engineer came down and showed me photos of his beautiful wife and family. We talked for some time about his country, Sri Lanka, which had once been Ceylon and a British colony. Before that it was called Siam and they made a movie about it called the "King and I".

JOURNAL 5

www.oldendorff.com _If you want to take a trip like this, click on this link!

Wednesday 21 April 2004

We are still anchored in the middle of the river. The bridge watches have been extended from four to six hours. They have this watch at anchor in case of problems. There is no tender or launch so we are all required to stay on board until we get to Portland.

Captain Jan Konecny

Jan is 43 years old and is from Slovakia. He grew up in a village close to Vienna. He likes Vienna and showed me photos on his laptop of his trip there with his wife and children. They stayed in a hotel across from the Stefansdom (cathedral).

He likes:

opera
classical music
classic rock
bluegrass

He told me he is a "cosmopolitan" man. He lived two years in China supervising the building of a ship. Part of his maritime studies took place in Hamburg. He has sailed all the way to Norway's North Cape, been up the fjord to Trondheim and visited Oslo. He is an interesing supper table conversationalist. He says the average wag in Slovakia is $200 a month and that is why he is on board and not home with his beautiful wife. Without communism he must now pay for health insurance. I asked him if he wanted communism to return and he said "no".