Back In Business

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Wow - its been awhile.

Sorry about that. Not sure whats been happening. LOTS by the way.

Thomas Cook Canada did another restructure. Air Canada almost went on strike with two of its unions. Costa had some major issues and its only the 2nd quarter of the year. WOW - you gotta love the travel business. Sometimes.

Anyway - my wife and I finally made it to Tahiti on the Paul Gauguin and back. The trip is absolutely amazing. If its on your bucket list - dont wait. Try it!

Moorea was probably our favourite island. Bora Bora gets all the attention - but Moorea is actually better. The scenery is stunning. There is more to do. All around the best time!

Now - whats the cruise line industry up to?

NEWS FROM CLIA:

CRUISE Lines International Association (CLIA) and the European Cruise Council have announced that the cruise industry has adopted three new safety policies to be implemented immediately.

The three policies will be reported to the United Nations International Maritime Organization for consideration at their next session in May.

The three policies govern:

1) Passage Planning – It will now be a mandatory minimum requirement and enhanced by endorsement of the best practices contained in the International Chamber of Shipping’s Bridge Procedures Guide. Furthermore, under this policy each passage plan is to be thoroughly briefed to all bridge team members well in advance of its implementation and it is to be drafted by a designated officer and approved by the master.

2) Personnel Access To the Bridge - To minimize unnecessary disruptions and distractions on the bridge, there will be a policy that bridge access is to be limited to those with operational functions during any period of restricted manoeuvring or when increased vigilance is required.

3) Lifejackets – In addition to the statutory requirement of carriage of lifejackets for each person on board, a policy of carrying additional adult lifejackets onboard each cruise ship in excess of these legal requirements so that the number of additional adult lifejackets to be provided must not be less than the total number of persons berthed within the ship’s most populated main vertical fire zone. This ensures that the number of lifejackets carried is far in excess of the number of persons actually on board the ship.

CLIA is working to review and improve safety measures along with a team of maritime and safety experts. They plan to develop best practices for industry-wide implementation and provide formal submission to the International Maritime Organization



SO - thats good news. I always thought that everyone should be doing the lifeboat drills within 24 hours. Now - they have to.

Thats it for today. Happy Travels!

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Photos

Bora Bora
A view from our balcony

Bora Bora
From their private motu