Half Moon Cay
The Tender Stop
It is one of the numerous Bahamian islands (the Bahamas comprises over 500 islands) inhabited by absolutely no one, save for a few maintenance workers employed by the company. Whatever the case was, known to me or not, we were preparing for another stop. Once again, eager to learn more about the docking situation, I received a few surprising answers. Half Moon Cay is a deserted island?
It is what it is. I had already learned to keep my mouth shut, ask no questions, and silently “file away” all new information in my head. However, this time our trainer informed us that the landing itself would be completely different. Half Moon Cay has no built-up port or pier, so the entire operation unfolds quite differently from our previous stops in Nassau and Jamaica. The ship anchors roughly a kilometer or two from the shore, at a spot the captain deems close enough yet safe enough. During such stops, waves can cause significant problems. Once the ship anchors, the so-called TENDER process begins.
This involves using the lifeboats located on both sides of the ship to ferry passengers to the shore. Why these boats are called “tenders” is beyond me, but it doesn’t really matter. Here, I realized another of my assumptions was wrong. I thought lifeboats were rarely used, that they were there more for regulation than necessity. I was very wrong. They are used almost every other day. The tender process is just one opportunity to put them into action. Not all boats are used for this operation; the number depends on the passenger count and the capacity of the shore landing. All this means that a tender landing takes much longer than a standard port docking. In “normal” ports, the gangways are lowered, and guests simply flood the exits. Within an hour or so, most tourists are outside, and the ship is left almost empty. Here, it is a completely different story.
Boarding problems
The exit rate is limited by the number of seats in the boats, the speed of the guests themselves, and the aforementioned waves. If the swell and currents cause trouble, boarding can become a major physical challenge for the guests, so much so that the stop might be canceled entirely. Although everything looks calm around the ship to the naked eye, the boats can bob up and down by two meters under the influence of the swell. For any guest not in good physical shape (which describes the majority on cruises), this can be an insurmountable and very dangerous obstacle. The decision to abort the landing is at the sole discretion of the captain, who can make the call if he deems passenger safety compromised. Each boat can carry a maximum of about 150 guests. This means the boarding process must be repeated at least 15-20 times, plus the time it takes for a boat to clear the side and for the next one to dock safely. Consequently, the disembarkation of guests, instead of the standard hour or two, lasts at least four hours here. Since tourists always have priority over the crew, this means workers are not permitted to leave the ship as long as the tender process is ongoing. They can head to shore only when passenger disembarkation is winding down, some 3-4 hours after the operation begins, only after the main rush has passed, and most guests are already outside.
Photographers are among the rare crew members exempt from this rule. IN EVERY PORT (whether “normal” or tender), we always had to leave the ship before the guests to set up our markers and props before they reached the shore. It was another element of our job. We had to go out first, set up the port signage, and persuade as many of them as possible to take a photo.