Cracker of a voyage for cruise liner’s ‘best mate’
It has been a cracker of a voyage for Perler – a parrot and the captain’s “best mate” – who arrived perched in a commanding position on the bridge of the stately Saga Pearl II cruise liner when it docked in Port Elizabeth on Wednesday.
Proving to be a jewel among the sparkling array of luxury cruise liners to berth in Port Elizabeth over the 2018-2019 cruise season, the Pearl II brought more than a hat-trick of reasons to commemorate its arrival in SA waters, and the Bay in particular.
Not only was it the vessel’s maiden voyage to the Port of Port Elizabeth, but it was also its last.
The arrival in SA represents a homecoming for the 164mlong cruise liner – which served under the original name Astor, when it was acquired by South African company Safmarine in the mid-1980s.
Constructed in Germany in 1981, the Astor cruised the south Atlantic for Safmarine between 1984 and 1985.
And for Perler – the brightly coloured young Macaw who, ably assisted by the Pearl’s captain, Kim Tanner, boasts his own blog – the 54-night roundtrip voyage between Maputo in Mozambique and the UK represents his first trip on the high seas, aptly on the shoulders of a ship’s captain.
Perler, according to his blog, joined the ship’s crew just one day before the vessel departed from England in mid-February.
Saga Pearl II is the fourth name to be given to the vessel since it was constructed, having undergone a number of refits during more than 28 years of operation.
During its final voyage, the ship attracted a unique market, with the majority of passengers – at a maximum capacity of 449 – required to be 50-plus.
The vessel is manned by about 252 crew members.
Despite that, this is a curtain call for the ship and its sister ship, the Saga Sapphire, both of which will be withdrawn from the Saga fleet on the Pearl’s return to Portsmouth. The ship’s berthing in Port Elizabeth attracted a courtesy call.
This included a visit and warm “friendly city” welcoming by representatives of the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality, Transnet National Ports Authority and the Port of Port Elizabeth’s harbour master, Brynn Adamson.
Met by Perler – who kept a beady eye on proceedings – and junior officers Adamson, in line with the tradition of commemorating the maiden call of a foreign vessel, presented the Pearl’s staff captain, Richard Lambert, with a plaque to mark the vessel’s arrival.
Adamson, in his welcoming remarks to the senior officer, expressed the city’s hopes that the vessel’s crew and passengers would enjoy their visit to the city – and would return when Saga introduces its two new ships, the Spirit of Discovery and the Spirit of Adventure, later in 2019 and in 2020 respectively.
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