Thursday, 8 August

Although there was no land to see in looking out from our cabin window when we woke up at 06:00, I knew we must be in the Irish channel.  After I made coffee I went out on the starboard deck and did see land a few miles away.  I bumped into Ruth on the way back in, and she told me that land was Wales. Our morning position was 53-24-19 N, 4-46-32 W.

After breakfast the ship began doing what appeared to be “Gator Squares,” as we said in the Navy.  By that I mean, it started going around in a big square – or perhaps a big circle – to stay in one place.  I presumed that we were early, and that we needed to stay away from the pier until the tide and availability allowed us in.  This was the equivalent of an airplane taking up a holding pattern while waiting for permission to land.

A while later we started heading north again, and we began seeing the first of the many, many windmills we were to see in and around Liverpool.

Windmill farm in the Irish Sea

At about 14:00 pm we started heading towards Liverpool channel.  At that point I thought that we were going to arrive several hours ahead of schedule, but little did I understand that layout of the port of Liverpool.

As we approached the port, we could see four giant new red cranes on the river, with only one ship tied up.  Naturally we all assumed that empty pier spot was for the Atlantic Sky.

First glimpse of Liverpool's docks

Nope.

It turned out there was a veritable rabbit’s warren of canals, slips, docks, and so on stretching about half a mile or so parallel to the river behind the various quay walls.  The only way in and out was a small lock gates at each end that looked way, way too small for our vessel.  But damned if that wasn’t where we ended up going.

The canal leading back to the "hidden" dock areas

Here is an overhead Google Maps shot that shows the position of the red cranes, the canal just behind it, and the vast collection of docks and such that make up Liverpool's "hidden" port.

The port of Liverpool is a tugboat company’s dream come true.  Things are so tight and small that tugs rule the place.  And even though we were “there” at about 17:00 pm, it took another 90 minutes to get through the lock and then positioned at our pier by the tugs.

Liverpool tugboats

Dinner was a somewhat strange affair as David and Ruth had apparently decided they wanted nothing more to do with any of us and stayed in their cabin.  I went by their cabin after dinner to see what was up, and I mentioned that we should at least exchange emails so that when Ellen and I visit Scotland we could look them up.  “We won’t be there,” David replied.  Dourpuss.  But they agreed to let me take a photo, and Ruth and I exchanged cheek kisses.

Wilke also departed at Liverpool, but before he left, he agreed to help us by making a phone call to our hotel in Hamburg and telling them that we would be arriving on Monday morning.  Our reservation was actually for Sunday, but we were willing to keep with that so that we could check in upon arrival.  The hotel was OK with that, which meant that little bit of stress was alleviated.

So David and Ruth and Wilke departed for good in Liverpool.  Chris and Sebastian decided to take an Uber into town for a few hours.  That left Ann, Hans, Roland, Ellen and me onboard for the evening, and four of us worked on the jigsaw puzzle in the passengers’ lounge while Roland played solitaire nearby.