Maris is the agency I use to book ships, and this is their monthly newsletter. The cruises described herein ARE NOT the type of cargo freighters I'm scheduled to board. This is just FYI.
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NORWAY PREPARES FOR FIRST SHIP TUNNEL that will help coastal vessels avoid rough seas.
When navigating around Stadlandet peninsula would become too difficult, Vikings would haul their boats ashore and carry them over land until they would reach water again. Centuries later, Norwegian engineers became renowned tunnel experts, designing hundreds of tunnels through the country’s rugged terrain.
It's an area north of Bergen slightly southwest of Ålesund where a combination of ocean currents and underwater topography creates complex and unpredictable waves.
The design calls for a tunnel 1.7 km long, 50 m high and 36 m wide that would reach a depth of 12 m below the sea surface. A tunnel that size will require the removal of more than 3 million m3 of rock from the tunnel. The rock, once drilled and blasted, will be placed near the tunnel’s entrance and exit to create breakwaters and piers at which travelers could dock their boats and stretch their legs in nice weather.
The tunnel is not to save time. It will take as long to go through it as it would take to go around. But taking the weather out of the equation will improve safety and trade links in the area.
Preparations and construction is expected to last 8-10 years.
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THE UNSPOILED BEAUTY OF THE NORWEGIAN COAST has earned it the ranking of the world's top vacation destination by National Geographic Traveler magazine. And the Hurtigruten voyage heads the Lonely Planet Guide's Blue List for classic voyages.
Yes, this is indeed a trip for sophisticated travelers, for those who have experienced the best the world has to offer. Which may be why passengers so often end up making lasting friendships with those they meet on board.
A selection of voyages is available during all four seasons, with the ever-changing backdrop:
WINTER -- Hunting the light. See Mother Nature’s electric lights. (I'd love to do this with someone. cTd)
SPRING -- The Arctic awakening. Three seasons in one.
SUMMER -- The Midnight Sun and 24 hours of highlights.
AUTUMN -- The autumn gold. The stunning display of fall colors.
MARIS
of Westport, CT
Freighter Travel Club Int'l (Since 1958)
Freighter & Specialty Cruises (Since 1993)
1 203 222-1500 & 1 800 99-Maris
www.freightercruises.com
Maris USA
84-1320 State Route 9
Champlain, NY 12919