Cruise ship doing 360 degree turn in the Solent

[dragoon]

Coming past Stokes Bay earlier I saw the Cruise Ship Arcadia pointing across the channel at the mainland. Checking the AIS track on line, I can see it turned a full 360 degrees in the Solent.

Any ideas why it might do this? There were no other boats around and it seems a very narrow (risky) place for a practice manoever?

Cheers Paul

 

[Bav34]

Italian Captain? Ex submarine navigator ?

 

[Poignard]

Coming past Stokes Bay earlier I saw the Cruise Ship Arcadia pointing across the channel at the mainland. Checking the AIS track on line, I can see it turned a full 360 degrees in the Solent.

Any ideas why it might do this? There were no other boats around and it seems a very narrow (risky) place for a practice manoever?

Cheers Paul

Swinging the compass? Not sure where to go? Giving the punters a panoramic view?

 

[dabsolute470]

maybe he feft his shore power lead behind

 

[SolentPhill]

Was setting up his autopilot

 

[dragoon]

Italian Captain? Ex submarine navigator ?

The Italian Captain idea did cross my mind. I didn't see anyone falling into a lifeboat though ;o)

 

[dragoon]

Giving the punters a panoramic view?

Of Gosport?! Must be a very low cost cruise!!

 

[VicS]

I'd guess there must have been other vessels in the vicinity that you did not see. Perhaps doing a little dance of their own and forcing the Arcadia to take avoiding action.

Could they have seen something that required investigation?

Could they have been changing Pilots?


Imagine the effect of doing that on a busy summer weekend

 

[Jim@sea]

perhaps they needed to know the size of the turning circle

 

[mlines]

"Watch this guys!, this will fool them on the AIS"

 

[henryf]

I wonder if they had to perform a helicopter extraction and so turned the ship into the wind ?

Henry

 

[dragoon]

Imagine the effect of doing that on a busy summer weekend

It's bad enough trying to turn a 34 foot boat at times in the summer )

 

[dragoon]

I wonder if they had to perform a helicopter extraction and so turned the ship into the wind ?

Henry

I wondered the same, but there was very little wind, and according to my friend who's a coastguard pilot, when they've similar requirmennts in the past they've had to wait until the ship is clear of the Solent.

It's still a bit of a mystery to me.