Galaxy off Kobba Klintar, 24 June 2012

Apologies for posting some of the pictures from the same day in two parts. The previous Galaxy entry was of the ship arriving in Mariehamn on 24 June, this one is of her departing from the same port.

Galaxy

IMO 9333694
Built 2006, Aker Finnyards Rauma, Finland
Tonnage 48 915 GT
Length 212,10 m
Width 29,00 m
Draught 6,40 m
Ice class 1A Super
2 800 passengers
2 138 berths
420 cars
1 130 lanemeters
4 Wärtsilä diesels, combined 26 240 kW
2 propellers
2 bow thrusters
Speed 22 knots

About an hour after the photos posted in the previous Galaxy entry, the ship (and her running mate Silja Europa) departed Mariehamn again, to continue towards Stockholm and Turku, respectively. Photographed, again, from the Kobba Klintar ex-pilot station island outside Mariehamn. As always, click on the images to see in larger size.

This photo gives you some idea of how busy Mariehamn is during the mid.day Turku-Stockholm ships' calls: the Galaxy and Silja Europa depart in tandem, having passed the Amorella and Isabella which are inbound - you can just see their funnels above the trees between the Galaxy and Silja Europa.

The Galaxy is, thanks to her unusual livery, one of the few ships that actually photographs better against a clouded background than clear skies.

Very neat red granite the foreground. This photo also gives you a good view of the details of the unsual livery: notice the five-legged cow below the lifeboats (I'm fairly certain it used to have six legs...) and the stange winged beast below and aft of the bridge wing.

Art imitating life: painted sky versus the sky.

Sailing onto the short stretch of open sea before the Stockholm archipelago.

Next time: Silja Europa