On the bridge
An “open bridge” on a small ship is an opportunity not to be missed. Â Some expedition cruises, which usually have less than 100 passengers on board, offer the chance for everyone to visit the bridge and talk to the captain or first mate – or any other crew members who happen to be there – and find out more about the navigation of the waters you are in and the running of the ship.
It’s fascinating. So if you are on a ship that has an open bridge, do take advantage of it.
Aboard the Island Passage last December, I did just that. With a maximum of only 24 passengers, Island Escape Cruises has an open bridge policy, and Captain Vincent Maurice and first officer Georgina Micet make everyone welcome. Â On this cruise, we were sailing New Zealand’s fiords in the south-western corner of the South Island but Island Escape Cruises also operates seasonally from Port Vila in Vanuatu and in New Zealand’s Bay of Islands.
Starting in George Sound, we sailed north along the west coast, overnighting in Bligh Sound and ending the cruise in Milford Sound. These photographs were taken during an afternoon in Bligh Sound.
Passengers and crew on the bridge.
Captain Vince Maurice on the bridge
First Officer Georgina Micet with Rodger, one of the passengers on my cruise.
Passengers Rodger and Audrey study one of the navigation charts.
A Glass Half Full 
5 Responses to “On the bridge”
Sounds like a great opportunity!
It’s really interesting…much more so than I had expected.
That would be a thrilling opportunity. But afterward, I’m not sure if I could stop thinking about what’s going on in the bridge. When I went sailing for a few weeks, I couldn’t stop checking all the controls and maps. I suddenly felt like part of the crew. (The part they didn’t need. ;) )
I say – that was a very handsome cap’n you had on your boat, Lee! ;-)
From: A Glass Half Full <comment-reply@wordpress.com> Reply-To: A Glass Half Full <comment+p681z6wa_y583hltkwrx3tk@comment.wordpress.com> Date: Sunday, 9 March 2014 2:50 PM To: Penny Scown <pscown@scholastic.co.nz> Subject: [New post] On the bridge
A Glass Half Full posted: “An “open bridge” on a small ship is an opportunity not to be missed. Some expedition cruises, which usually have less than 100 passengers on board, offer the chance for everyone to visit the bridge and talk to the captain or first mate – or any other cre”
Not sure quite what happened there with your comment Penny – some other weird stuff attached to it! But yes, he was a good-looking captain and a very nice bloke as well. He looked a bit like the actor Gary Sinise, I thought.