to Australia and New Zealand December 2008 |
Tilbury, UK (Day 1); Rotterdam, Holland (2), Dunkirk (3) and Le Havre, France (5); New York, NY (13); Savannah, GA (15); Kingston, Jamaica (19); Manzanillo, Panama (21); transit the Panama Canal (22); Papeete, Tahiti (31); Lautoka, Fiji (37); Noumea, New Caledonia (40); Sydney (46) and Melbourne, Australia (48); Napier (53) and Tauranga, NZ (54); Panama Canal (69); Manzanillo (70) and Savannah (74) 2nd calls; Philadelphia, PA (76) and Tilbury (84). |
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The CMA CGM La Tour, Manet, Matisse and Utrillo
Passengers: 6 Deadweight: 30,508 tons Containers: 2,262 Length: 195.6 m Speed: 20.5 knots Built: 1999-2002 Owners: CMA-CGM, French Officers & Crew: International |
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CMA CGM Utrillo transiting the Panama Canal |
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The Owner’s forward-facing twin-bedded cabin, bed sizes 2.00 x 1.10 m each, has an area of 26 sqm - €110 per person double, €145 per day, single occupancy. Two double bed cabins, one facing forward the other facing aft, bed size 2.00 x 1.40 m, each having an area of 22 sqm - €110 per person double, €120 per day, single occupancy. Each cabin has a fridge and private facilities with shower, and all are located on “E” deck, one below the Captain’s. The dining room, library and exercise room are located on “B” deck, lounge on the Captain’s deck and a small indoor swimming pool (Matisse and Utrillo only) on the Main deck. |
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Passenger cabins and shared facilities, such as the dining room, lounges, exercise room and swimming pool are located on various decks. There is no elevator on board and passengers must be fully mobile and able to negotiate the stairs. Front and aft views may be obstructed by the containers stowed on deck. Self service laundry facilities are available. The electrical current is 220/50 AC. A two-prong round adapter and converter are needed for North American appliances. A steward will clean the cabin once a week, or more often if necessary. |
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A small onboard shop provides a limited selection of beverages, cigarettes and toiletries at duty free prices. Onboard expenses may be paid for with cash in €/US$. Tipping is at the passenger’s discretion; $/€3-5 per person per day is recommended. Telephone, fax and email connections are available through the Captain’s office. The average port time is one day. Reservations can be made by completing a Registration Form and providing a 25% deposit. The balance of the fare is payable 70 days before departure. The fare may be paid for by check or wire (by exception only, credit cards may be accepted) in either the basic tariff currency, as quoted by the steamship line, or one of the following major currencies EUR/USD/GBP/CAD at the prevailing exchange rate, subject to a final adjustment at the time the ticket is issued, a few weeks before departure. Passports must be valid for at least 6 months beyond the anticipated return date, and a visa for the USA and Australia must be obtained, depending on the citizenship and voyage. A Medical Statement of Good Health and International Health and Accident Insurance are required on all voyages, as is a vaccination or exemption cerificate against yellow fever. The age limit is 79. Cancellation fees are as follows: over 60 days, loss of deposit; 30-59 days, 50% of the fare. No refund will be made within the 30 days from departure. To protect your investment, Cancellation and Interruption Insurance is highly recommended. Travelex Insurance packages, covering you from the moment you buy the policy, are available to all Maris customers, worldwide, on our website page "Before You Sail". And if you buy the Travelex policy within three weeks of your initial trip deposit, pre-existing conditions are waived. Please contact us through the Inquiries page. |
Passengers Mr. and Mrs. Lilly, Mr. and Mrs. Doerr and Mr. and Mrs. Hanekroot with Capt. Zunic of Maris Freighter Cruises on board the CMA CGM La Tour |
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From the book Su Un Cargo Attorno Al Mondo, kindly translated for us by its author Massimo Brandinali. The line-crossing ceremony - a seafaring tradition dating back to the Middle Ages - commemorates a sailor's first crossing of the equator and is still practised - to an extent - aboard some freighters today. Traditionally presided over by King Neptune and his Royal court, the ceremony was part of an initiation into The Solemn Mysteries of the Ancient Order of the Deep. In the 19th century and earlier, it was quite a brutal event and would sometimes involve sailors being beaten with wet boards and ropes, and then occasionally throwing these men overboard. |
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| "…The mood onboard the ship is very relaxed today. After the Manzanillo call and repeated stops and maneuverings while transiting the Panama Canal, the crew enjoys a day of well-deserved peace and quiet. At noon, after a nice aperitif in the officers’ lounge, we have our lunch served in the dining room, where a large table is set for officers and passengers together. |
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Sunday menu offers refined dining, unique to the CMA CGM vessels flying French flag: paté de fois gras, steamed prawns and a delicious quarter of roast stuffed capon flavored with one of those exquisite sauces for which the cook, Harlein, never reveals the secret recipe. We abstained from the cheese tray offered in a very professional way by the diligent steward, Gabri, and we finish with a generous slice of lukewarm Napoleon cake. We then move to the lounge for coffee as the chief engineer, Dominique, comes with a bottle of whisky to seal this lavish meal. |
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The air conditioning is working at the maximum capacity maintaining comfortable temperature in our quarters, while outside it’s quite unbearable. Only in the late afternoon we get out on deck for our habitual walk consisting of a few rounds fore and aft, while for dinner both Rita and I plan just a brief appearance. And so time flies as we leisurely spend our days in the tropics; swimming in a small indoor pool and relaxing in deckchairs, often moving between the sunny side and shade, depending on the sun’s intensity … |
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Today we have crossed the Equator. Captain Broi, Victor, was kind to phone us in the cabin five minutes in advance so we could walk up to the bridge and observe on the GPS screen the change in latitude from North to South. Shortly after, we have been invited to join the christening ritual. First we met with all other passenger and crew neophytes on the main deck. From there we were led in ‘chains’ to the forecastle, escorted by the Neptune’s court. Some crewmembers were dressed as a policeman and doctor, others as a dignitary of the Ocean Chasms King and Great Prosecutor (Dominique, wearing a long white tunic crossed diagonally with a black sash, a multicolored hat and the face made up so heavily that, at first, I had difficulty to recognize him). There under the awning spread between two anchor winches stood Neptune (Harlein), with his enormous body, the face framed with a long white beard, made of tow used to clean the engine, wearing a snow-white tunic and a golden crown on his head, brandishing authoritatively the classic trident, had the appearance of the true God of Abysses. On his right, the peaceable Gabri, also wearing long white hair, acted as his assistant. |
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We were drawn up between the bulwark and winches, and Victor was standing near us, the transgressors, performing his own role of the master, dressed up as a purple drunkard, wearing worn out shorts, a filthy dirty shirt with two enormous cardboard epaulets painted with the Captain’s stripes, and an extra large pair of work shoes. Although the master is the supreme authority aboard the ship, now he had to share his power with Neptune. A large heavily dented pot holding the ‘magic potion’ of the Ocean Chasms King, and a ladle to sip the potion, was placed in front of us. Next to the Great Prosecutor was standing the Executioner, wearing a large blue apron, swinging a large spatula like a shining blade and a flat brush in one hand, while in the other hand holding a can of shaving foam. Now I was starting to see the punishment the offenders would be submitted to! The Doctor was the engine foreman, Boedec. He was wearing a full white coat with a red cross painted on the breast. His duty was to check the good health of the offenders using the big plunger as a stethoscope, and to determine the verdict. With a pomposity befitting a skilled actor, Dominique, facing Neptune, read the charges against each of us in the group who had had the impudence to penetrate his kingdom, crossing the Equator line. The sentences should be exemplary, at best violators would be forced to drink the magic potion to raise them to the rank of subjects of the King Neptune. But if their wrongs were found unforgivable, they would be discharged straight into the ocean. |
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The first defendant to be submitted to the trial was the young Emilie. The pretty cadet-girl knelt in presence of the King to hear the accusation delivered by the Prosecutor. Doctor intervened examining her with the ‘stethoscope’, and the judgment was passed and executed: the head and the face were abundantly foamed and ‘shaved’; the foam spread by the blade over the shoulders, and finally Emilie was compelled to drink the filthy brew. When she stood up, the grimaces of disgust appearing on her face made me think really how bad that was (in fact the potion was made of water, caramel and flour) … |
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Rita and I were charged for depraving the local tribes with our outrageous way of life while traveling on our previous voyages. As an alleviation of our responsibility the Great Prosecutor told Neptune that Rita had no competitor in her good Italian cooking and that she would be honored to offer him her delicious spaghetti, ravioli and much more. While Massimo was an inexhaustible mill of words, and this balanced Rita’s cooking virtue. We were sentenced to foaming and drinking the magic potion … |
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As usual, the cocktail party offered by the master in the evening was very rich, offering a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic aperitifs, fruit juices, plentiful range of canapés and appetizers. Before going to bed I showed Rita a phenomenon related to the earth’s rotation. I filled up the washbasin, then removed the plug; the eddy formed by the water was turning anticlockwise, whereas in the northern hemisphere it turns clockwise …". |
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MARIS of Westport, CT Freighter Travel Club Int'l (Since 1958) Freighter & Specialty Cruises (Since 1993) 1 800 99-Maris (-62747) & 1 203 222-1500 (-9191 fax) www.freightercruises.com
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