The DFDS customer services were very helpful and welcoming at the check-in terminal on our arrival, after which we boarded the lovely Princess Seaways and were shown to our respective cabins, both spotless and spacious.  We then prepared ourselves for the survey, familiarised ourselves with the ship, and then presented ourselves at the onboard Customer Services desk and requested if we would be able to access the Bridge to commence our first survey for this route.

Captain Danial Vang welcomed us to the bridge and showed us the ship’s instrumentation that we could use for the survey.  The weather was clear and mild with some wind, and the sea was relatively calm with good visibility as we headed towards Ijmuiden.  We had approximately two and a half hours before the sun set, when we ended our observations, and during this stage of the survey we saw Kittiwake, Razorbill, Guillemot, Gannet, Fulmar, and a mixture of gull species.

The following morning at first light, we undertook the second stage of the survey from the Sky Bar area on Deck 11 as we headed into Ijmuiden.  The glass shelter gave us much appreciated protection from the elements of the wind and light rain for the next 2-3 hours of survey, and while the DFDS crew were busy cleaning and hosing down the decks, they kindly cleaned the windows from our viewing platform for us so that we had the best visibility that was possible.  As we did not have access to the ship’s instruments, we were using the SeaPilot app on our phones and tablet to get the essential data on our position and speed that we needed for our data set.  We had clear sunny skies for this part of the survey, and as we approached the port of Ijmuiden we were surprised to see a Blackbird as it flew past the ship – most unexpected!  Generally, our observations were of Lesser Black-backed Gull, Tern species, and Herring Gull.

As the ship docked, Judith and I prepared ourselves for departure from the ship, and we made our way onto the provided coach and into Amsterdam city centre in search of coffee and some breakfast.  We walked over many of the bridges and canals, admiring the beautiful array of boats and the historic architecture as we passed by and saw a couple of Grey Heron standing statuesque and still in between some moored up boats.  Tulips of course were in full bloom, and we heard and saw a pair of Egyptian Geese with their 4 goslings looking very cute indeed.

On our return to the ship, we set up and prepared for the ship’s departure from Ijmuiden again from our position by the Sky Bar on deck 11, where we were treated to the tremendous sound of bagpipes being played by a group of what we presumed to be bagpipe competitors and their fellow groupies!

While we were preparing for the survey a few curious parents and children came over to ask about what we were doing.  It was really nice to be able to engage with these passengers and to promote the work that we are part of as volunteers.  As the ship departed the port, we caught sight of several Oystercatcher and what we believe to be Yellow-legged Gull.  Once on the open sea, we recorded Brent Geese, several auks, Kittiwake, Gannet, and various gull species.

After nearly 3 hours of surveying and as the sun was lowering in the sky, a crew member from the adjacent Sky Bar came over with a welcome coffee for each of us, and as the sun disappeared over the horizon, we concluded the survey for the night.

After another smooth overnight sailing, we once again donned our uniforms and equipment and were escorted to the bridge for the final survey on route home to Newcastle as the sun appeared. Our survey efforts captured more Kittiwake, Fulmar, Gannet, and various gull species.

However, despite the excellent weather conditions and sea state, cetaceans were very elusive to us, and we did not on this occasion record any sightings.  On a more positive note, we also did not record any flotsam!

This was the first time that I had undertaken a survey with DFDS on this route and I found it to be a very welcoming and comfortable ship to travel on.  The crew and staff were all very courteous, helpful, and friendly to us.  Once again, our thanks go to the staff and crew of the Princess Seaways who made this a very enjoyable crossing.

Louise Williams and Judith Tatem, Research Surveyors for MARINElife (Registered Charity No. 1110884; Registered Company No. 5057367)

Weather

Outward – slight cloud; good visibility; sea state averaging 4.

Return – overcast; good visibility with no glare; sea state averaging 3.