We're not in Kansas anymore... Topeka sails

The autocarrier Topeka sailed at 0800 this morning after cancelling last night's scheduled departure. The ship arrived yesterday afternoon at Autoport and after discharging it was ready to sail at 2100. It had tugs alongside, the lines boat was ready to cast off head lines from the mooring buoy and the pilot was aboard (he had arrived on one of the tugs.) However, due to zero visibility in Eastern Passage and the harbor, the departure was scrubbed.

Topeka outbound in clear conditions this morning.

A reversal from the frigid conditions of last week saw air temperatures soar up in the +5C to +7C range, and with water temperatures still hovering around +2C, fog was the inevitable result.
As a trough passed over Nova Scotia over night, the infamous polar vortex covering the rest of North America made its way toward Halifax. Between 0600 and 0800 the temperature plummeted from +4C  to 0C and the fog vanished as daylight arrived. Temperatures are expected to keep falling to the -5C to -10C range today. If the air temperature gets that low we could see the "polar" opposite: sea-smoke. (see January 1 posting).
Topeka was built in 2006 for Wilhelmsen Lines Car Carriers (and its name starts with the Line's traditional letter "T') and sails for the Wallenius-Wilhelmsen joint venture. It came from the Mhi Nagasaki Shipyard and Engineering Works and measures 61,321 grt. It has a capacity of 6,354 cars. Its next port is New York.

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