Day 18 Tortola Re-Visited

We arrived in Road Town, Tortola around 08.00 this morning, with the weather looking a little uncertain.  Although the sun was shining through the broken cloud, there was a high hazy cloud that just took the heat out of the sun.

After a light version of a full English, we decided to take a walk into Road Town as we only drove through it last week when we were here.  It’s not a sprawling town and does not give an appearance of being overly wealthy, although more so than places like Dominica.  In contrast, one of the many marinas we walked through was packed with very expensive yachts and motor cruisers highlighting the opinion that the islands future lies in boat charter/tourism.

We returned to the ship around 11.00 and retired to the Costa Coffee shop for a sit down before a lie down on the sun deck.  By this time the sun was showing its face less frequently as the cloud had gathered throughout the morning.  The temperature was down a couple of degrees as a result of the gathering cloud, but that was no real problem as a day of hazy sun was quite welcoming.

Shock of the day came as I was lying on my back watching the frigate birds circling overhead on the thermals and the pelicans that were flying at low levels before plummeting into the sea to get a mouthful of fish.  As one of the pelicans was flying over the ship at low level I suddenly thought of the devastation that would occur if it were to relieve itself over the sun deck!  Judging by the mess on the quayside I reckon a single pelican could take out about 6 sun beds in one dump.  I made sure I kept my mouth firmly closed whilst napping on the sun deck  after that thought.

No lunch today as we were still feeling the after effects of our fantastic dinner in the White Room last night.  Well just a small ice cream to cool us down mid afternoon.

We slipped away from the quayside around 5.40 with the clouds looking blacker and rain almost inevitable overnight.  We are now en route to St Kitts, an island we have never visited, so we hope that any rain will cease by the morning.

At 6.45pm we have covered 9 nm since leaving Road Town Tortola and have122 nm to go before arriving in Basseterre, St Kitts. We are currently enjoying a cooler temperature of just 26 deg C whilst cruising at 11 knots with a wind speed of 19 knots.  The sea state is pretty much flat calm as it has been for days.

It’s Tropical dress code this evening, so an opportunity to show off the new shirt.  I think that the Welsh eating machine has regained his place in the Olympic team tonight by managing two main courses; one roast lamb and another of sirloin steak.  Joanna had ordered the steak, but it did come with a most peculiar curry butter sauce, not what you would expect with a steak.  Joanna doesn’t do spicy so her plate was pushed to one side. The hawkeyed waiters almost take it personally if you don’t eat your dinner as they think they must have got something wrong with the order.  Our waiter immediately pounced to find out what was wrong and offered a fresh steak with no sauce.  I thought that Vincent the waiter was going to have his hand pinned to the table with a fork as he attempted to remove Joanna’s original plate of food from under Glyn’s nose.  That steak was going nowhere!  The head waiter also walked into the trap of trying to remove the offending plate of food.  Once Glyn had finished his Roast lamb with all the trimmings, he promptly devoured the sirloin steak with all the trimmings.  I could understand why he declined the cheese and biscuits this evening.

After a few photographs of the new shirt we decided to pass on the evening entertainment which was a choice between an after dinner speech by Lembit Cheeky Girl or a song and comedy act by Linda Lucardi’s husband, Sam Kane . Pity I thought she was on board for a bit of page 3 work in the photographic dept.  I must remember to cancel the courses with Fifi le Snapper tomorrow.

Day 17 My Birthday at Sea

Tea in bed – what better way to start your birthday?   I opened my birthday cards and set them out on the windowsill before stumbling down to the FE club for breakfast.

We made a quick dash for the sun beds as this is the first sea day for the poor, unsuspecting, first timers who boarded at Barbados.  They will have no idea what a shortage of beds there will be by 09.30.  We were in luck and found two beds on the upper sundeck, which is where the unofficial topless sun bathing appears to happen.  No sign of Linda yet, but it early days and the camera is ready for action.  The weather remained fine with the occasional fluff of cloud giving a welcome break from the blazing sun.  Temperature today was a cool 28 deg C, but the sun still felt absolutely intense even through the partial cloud. 

Maureen slipped away at lunchtime to watch the film being shown in the theatre, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, whilst I continued to worship the sun god.  Definitely getting worried about you know who from Wigan as one minute the sun was on the right (starboard) and I must have just dozed off for a few minutes and it was on the left (Port).  That meant we were going in the opposite direction!!

Later on it reversed again.  What on earth was the skipper up to??  The problem for professional sunbathers, is that you have to continually relocate the sun bed to face the right direction.  There were bodies and beds all over the place today, trying to keep up with the direction of the ship.

Around 3.30 a shower of rain appeared from nowhere and cleared all but the pros from the sundecks.  It had turned very humid and the wind had dropped after last night’s chicken Madras, so I decided to retire from the sundeck, take back my library book and get another.  I don’t ever remember reading so much as I have on this trip – I’m on book number 6 - That’s Janet and John go sailing.

It was now late afternoon and time for afternoon tea, so we decided to have it in the self service restaurant.  The problem with self serve is it’s easy to have eyes bigger that your tum.  Our eyes are really huge at present.

Maureen enjoyed a cat nap whilst I went to the promenade deck to start book 6.  No disrespect to the author, but I only managed 3 pages before nodding off and not waking up until after the sun had gone down and the army of ants had materialised to secure all the chairs back to the bulkhead.

Time to dress for dinner, as it’s a formal evening and we were having drinks in the Metropolis bar with our Welsh companions again.  Whilst in the bar we sailed past St Maarten on our way to Tortola.  Glyn and Joanna had bought me a birthday card, which was really kind of them, but it was time to eat and we were dining in the White Room this evening, which is Marco Pierre White’s restaurant on board.  Unfortunately they were not joining us, but we agreed to meet up for the show later.

The food in the White Room was absolutely fantastic and by the time we were on desserts – Créme Brulé to die for, it was past 10.00pm and we still had coffee and Rennies to go.  By the time we finished, not only were we too late to meet Glyn and Joanna, we were absolutely pigged out and had to get back to the cabin for a lie down. Well- it is my birthday!

Day 17 Dominica

Dominica sits midway between Guadeloupe at the tail end of the Leeward Islands and Martinique at the head of the Windward Islands.  Dominica is roughly 29 miles long, 16 miles wide and has a population of around 80,000.  Again, like most islands, the economy is becoming more dependent on tourism, although they still export bananas, coconut oil, cocoa and limes.  In 1930, the principal export was coffee, but diseases in the coffee trees all but finished off the crops.  Dominica was the principal supplier of limes to the Royal Navy, which gave rise to ending scurvy on HM ships.  As a result, it became the world’s largest producer of lime concentrates. This place is like one giant rain forest.  Very fertile and has the highest rainfall of any Caribbean Island.

We were alongside just before 08.00 this morning and the sun was blazing.  After breakfast, we decided not to take a tour as we have been here before and we think we have seen all the major attractions that are available in a tour lasting 3-4 hours.  Instead, we went ashore fairly early, before the sun got too hot and had a look round the relatively small capital town of Roseau as well as the dockside market stalls that popped up whilst we were at breakfast.

Dominica comes across as one of the poorer Caribbean islands and as a consequence, the goods on sale in the market were considerably cheaper than any of the other islands we have been to.  Buying in the dockside market was the only option today as all the shops were closed as it’s Sunday!  It was an opportunity to get a new sundress for Maureen and a new shirt for me, in anticipation of the forthcoming Caribbean dress code for dinner.  

After the shopping expedition, we returned to the ship and retired to the sundeck for the rest of the day, until we sailed for a return to Tortola, just after 5.00pm.

At 6.30pm we have travelled 9nm from Roseau, Dominica and have some 256 nm before arriving in Road Town Tortola.  The current air temperature is 29 deg C and the wind is a gentle 5 knots.  We will have a day at sea tomorrow so we are currently cruising at 10 knots arriving in Road Town on Tuesday.

We’re deeply concerned about Glyn, this is the second night running that he has missed the cheese course and if he doesn’t watch out he’ll be dropped from the Welsh Olympic eating team.  It could be that he’s passed the worms now and it’s just himself to feed.

After dinner we went to the Havana bar to watch a brilliant Freddie Mercury tribute act complete with moustache and protruding teeth.  He was a superb singer and piano player as well as being very witty.

Stop Press – It’s been reported that we have Linda Lucardi on board - not sure why, but I’ll be down to see FiFi le Snapper tomorrow and get signed up for whatever photographic courses are coming up, just in case Linda is featuring in any of them.  Apparently Lembit whatsit, the ex MP and he of Cheeky Girls fame is also on board.  Must remember to lookup what he’s on here for and avoid it.  We also think there is a secret film crew on board as a large number of stars from My Big Fat Gypsy wedding seem to have boarded in Barbados. 

Day 16 Back to St Lucia

It’s Saturday, so apart from the fact there was corned beef hash on the breakfast menu, not a lot has changed since we were here a couple of days ago.  We had planned to take a trip with the same party of people with whom we were with here last time, but allegedly, the fun older lady seems to like a few sherberts, and we’re not talking the ones that come in a yellow tube with liquorice in, so everyone dropped out prior to our meeting up. 

We decided to take a taxi ride up to Pigeon Point, which is towards the north end of the island.  We shared a minibus with a group of people who were going to Rodney Bay beach and another couple who were going on the segway vehicles.  Once the driver had dropped them all off we continued for another 15 mins or so until we reached Pigeon Point.  We hadn’t planned to stay that long, so the taxi driver said he would wait and take us back. Pigeon Point is a local National Trust site and had we realised what a stunning place it was, we would have spent much longer there looking around and taking pictures.  The beach was empty and it looked out over Rodney Bay a beautiful long sandy beach, which is apparently one of the best on the island.

Heading North from Castries is completely different to going the other way, in that the northern route is much more developed with beachfront hotels and shops, whereas southbound is mountainous and lush rain forests.  We’re beginning to like this island and I could see us returning here one day for a holiday.

We spent the afternoon back on board ship doing a bit of sun worshipping on the top sun deck but around 4.00pm a gaggle of gobby people arrived to break the happy quietness.  Sad thing is they looked as though they didn’t have twopence between them, so we were wondering if this was some new government initiative to get rid of the great unwashed.  Give them some extra benefit and send them to sea. 

We departed St Lucia just after 5pm and at 6.15pm we have travelled just 9 nm with 74nm to go before we arrive at Roseau, Dominica and we are currently cruising at 10 knots.  The temperature is a balmy 28 deg C and the wind is 17knots.

Anyway, it’s Glyn, the Welsh eating machine’s birthday today, so we’re meeting for pre dinner drinks in the cocktail bar on deck 18 at the top of the ship.   But before that we had to call for emergency rations to be delivered to the cabin – we ran out of tonics this evening!!

Glyn’s wife Joanna surprised us tonight by wearing a dress that she had on before.  Up until now she has worn a different outfit every night.  We were wondering if she had 21 outfits in her suitcase!  In fairness they have all been very glamorous and helped her to look the consummate professional cruiser.

Yet another superb dinner menu with 5 courses to delight our taste buds and to make things worse for the waistline, our waiter has taken to giving us all Devonshire clotted cream ice cream with whatever we have for dessert.  It tastes absolutely delicious, but we dread to think of the calories – so we don’t!!  I’ll probably have to wear the new trousers every night until we finish the cruise now as some of the other slacks are getting uncomfortable.  Slack they are not!

Dominica tomorrow, arriving around 08.00, but I suspect we may be alongside somewhat earlier.

Day 15 Barbados

Barbados is the most Easterly Island of the Leeward and Windward islands.  It is roughly 21miles by 14 miles, covering an area just a smidging larger than the Isle of Wight.  The temperature experiences a slight variation throughout the year usually between 24 -27 deg C, although today has topped 30 degrees.  During the afternoon a pleasant north easterly breeze had made it feel quite comfortable.  Barbados claimed full independence from the UK in 1966, but remains a member of the Commonwealth.   Barbados is an almost flat island compared to its neighbours of St Lucia, Grenada and Antigua, with the highest point, Mt Hillaby, some 1089 feet above sea level. The capital of Bridgetown accounts for 95,000 of the 250,000 inhabitants.

By the time we woke up this morning, the ship was already alongside and had been so for some hours.  After breakfast, which was packed due to the fact that disembarking passengers had to be out of their cabins by 08.00, so breakfast was a good way of wasting time before they were called for their flights.  We decided to take a walk into Bridgetown before the temperature became too unbearable for walking.  Sticking to the waterfront, we survived the initial wave of taxi drivers wanting to relieve us of some dollars in return for a trip around this beautiful island, then the second wave of taxis, who want to whisk you downtown. 

After about 20 minutes and a quick nose into the fish market we arrived at a trendy marina, which housed proof that pirates are still active in this area.  We have photographic proof that the Jolly Roger actually exists.  They we recruiting crew members, by promising them rum rations in return for sailing with the ship.  No sign of Jack Sparrow, we suspect he was below with some wench.

We mooched around some of the backstreets, taking in some of the plethora of churches that abound here and some of the local culture in the street markets, before making our way back to the ship.  The temperature was rising as we walked back along the seafront, then into the dock area to make our way back aboard.  By the time we were back in our cabin we were in need of putting some water back into our bodies.

We had decided not to do a tour of Barbados, so it was up to the sundeck for a few hours of tan boosting.  Throughout the afternoon people were being shipped off to the airport and a little later the coaches would return with fresh inmates.  Although the temperature had topped 30 degrees C, there was a pleasant breeze blowing across the top sundeck, making it more than bearable.  We opted for a pizza for lunch, which was freshly cooked in Frankies Grill & Pizzaria.  It’s a joint venture between Frankie Detori & Marco Pierre White – Strange combination!  Anyway it tasted great and filled a gap formed by our walk into town.

Sunset this evening was pretty spectacular, but we are not sailing for St Lucia until 8.30 this evening, so plenty of time for the new intake to familiarise themselves with the ship.

Not sure if we will get two new people on our table this evening, as we have established that the young couple who were with us to start with have requested a table for two.  Their loss!!

The place settings had been removed from our table when we went in to dinner, so no new passengers for us.  Glyn was slowing up this evening, but then it came to light that he had been up to the BBQ at around 6.00pm and tucked into kebabs and chicken, before coming into dinner.  Only the one sirloin steak this evening and no cheese.  I bet his Olympic eating trainer will have words to say about that.

I had to pay an unscheduled visit to the menswear department yesterday evening, as with still best part of a week to go my chinos will no longer meet round my waist, let alone do up, so a purchase was required.  I’m hoping to last out with the remaining pairs of trousers.

We were all feeling somewhat cream crackered after dinner, so we decided to have an early night and forego the evening’s entertainment. 

We have only just departed our moorings in Bridgetown, which is some two hours behind schedule and are now en route back to St Lucia some 115nm away.  The temperature at 10.30pm is 27deg C and the wind is a mere 10 knots.

Day 14 Grenada

Grenada – known as the Spice Island - is the southernmost of the Windward Islands and is located 90 miles north of Trinidad and 68 miles south west of St Vincent.  It covers an area just 4/5 the size of the Isle of Wight, measuring 21miles long and 12 miles wide.  Its main industry like many other islands is tourism, but bananas, coconut, mangos, cocoa beans and of course various spices such as nutmeg, cinnamon etc are important exports for the economy.

By the time we woke and got out on deck it was around 7.30 and the ship was pretty much alongside the new jetty that has been built to accommodate cruise ships in St Georges.  Previously passengers would have to go ashore in tenders, making it a long a tedious process to get everyone off and back on the ship. 

It’s been a few years since we were last here, so we thought we’d do a short trip round just to see what has changed and whether there was any aftermath of hurricane Ivan, which devastated the island in 2004.  After the statutory full English, we were away early and into a minibus just after 09.00.  Driving through St Georges, the capital of Grenada, it was clear that some houses have simply been left to go to rack and ruin after the hurricane but most show signs of having been repaired or rebuilt.  Lots of buildings have clearly had new roofs.  St Georges itself has had some major building work done, mostly by some extensive land reclamation to build a new dock are for cruise liners and duty free shopping areas.  Having said that, the area around the old harbour, the Carenage, looks just like it used to, but with new shiny roofs on many of the old buildings. 

Our tour took us through dense forests, which have clearly re-grown after Ivan ripped many trees and shrubs out of the ground and up to Annandale Falls.  Strangely enough, we have never been here before.  Whist this is the rainy season in the Caribbean, Grenada has not had too much rain recently, so the waterfall, whilst impressive, was not at its best.  What was impressive was the young guys who climb to the top of the waterfall, probably 50-60 feet up then jump into the pool at the bottom.  Complete nutcases!

From the falls we went back into the rainforest to Grand Etang, where a green lake has formed in the crater of the volcano that once formed the island.  Again, there had been a lot of damage done by Ivan, but there was little or no sign of it as the forest had rejuvenated itself.

We headed back to St Georges then drove down to Grand Anse beach, which is about 2.5 miles of light golden sand.  Along the length of the beach are housed some of the premier hotels on the island, which according to the driver have been very under occupied this year.  He also reckons that La Source hotel, where we used to stay, is going to be sold out to Sandels Group.  We would have liked to go back to La Source, but the prices have been ridiculously high this year.  Perhaps that’s why occupancy has been low. Perhaps also, we should have done what we have done in the past and dealt directly with the hotel.  Too late now, we’re cruising, but Grenada is still remains our favourite Caribbean island.

We arrived back on the ship around 1.15pm and after cooling off we decided to do a bit of afternoon sun worshipping.  The temperature today has been just over 32 deg C (90F in old money), so it was bordering uncomfortable on the sun deck, but hey – we’re British, we can lay there and suffer in silence.

Captain Carr from Wigan’s words must have worked as all passengers were on board by 5.30 pm and we were soon casting off and heading into the sunset bound for Barbados.  This is the last port of call for the cheapskates who are only on board for two weeks.  It also means there will be a fresh intake of anaemic, pasty bodies wondering around the ship trying to work out where the hell the dining room is.  Then, after dinner, making the lifts work overtime trying to find the appropriate club or theatre for their evening’s entertainment.  However, it does seem strange getting to the end of two weeks, then finding you have another one to go – great.

At 7.20pm we have travelled 42 nm from St Georges, Grenada and have 133 nm left before arriving at Bridgetown Barbados at around 08.00 tomorrow.  We’re cruising at 12 knots and have just a 14 knot wind and 28 deg C.  The sea is pretty much flat calm.

After another sumptuous 5 courses, we headed off to the theatre for another dazzling display by the ships song and dance troupe, The Headliners.  The alternative entertainment this evening was the final of the passenger talent contest, Simply Red tribute act, which we were none too enamoured with earlier in the week or Karaoke in the pub.  Bit of a no brainer really.  The only problem with the show this evening was that the temperature in the theatre was rather warm and all 4 of us were imitating nodding dogs at various times throughout the performance.

Day 13 St Lucia

St Lucia is the second largest of the Windward Islands with a population of some 170,000 with 30,000 of them living  in Castries, the main town, it is one of the more populated islands that we have visited.  Although independent since 1979, St Lucia remains a member of the British Commonwealth.   Like many other islands, tourism has taken over from sugar production as the islands main source of income. However, bananas are still an important export.  When we were last here in Nov 2010, just after the last major hurricane had swept through, the banana plantations were decimated, but they have now returned to full production. 

 We were awake around 7.20 this morning, but there was little to see of the ship entering St Lucia as the rain was sheeting down making for very poor visibility, so we stayed in bed until the ship had berthed, just before 08.00.

After the customary breakfast we were unsure as to what to do as we had done island tours before on our previous visit.  However, by the time breakfast was over the sun was shining and as we departed from the ship we decided to take a tour.  As luck would have it, the lady and her friend from Scunthorpe were on our tour, so we knew it would be fun.  The other 6 passengers were also full of beans, not the baked variety I’m pleased to say.  We couldn’t have had a better driver either and this was surely one, if not, the best tour we’ve done from the ship.  Our driver was an ex St Lucian policeman and had also been a policeman in America.  Better still, his minibus worked properly, was very clean and best of all the air conditioning worked.  Unlike yesterdays where the a/c was an open window and not all those functioned.

After leaving Castries, we followed the coast along past the new oil terminal and across the first of many banana plantations, which was just a pile of fallen plants and leaves on our last visit.  We stopped and the driver gave us a crash course on how bananas are grown. We knew that banana plants only bear one lot of fruit, but were not aware that a single plant can bear 150 or more bananas.  No wonder the poor plant only gives one lot of fruit.

From the plantation we carried on down the west side of the island and through the fishing village of Anse La Raye.  The island is like Antigua in that it is volcanic, so there are lots of steep mountainous roads, with continuous hairpin bends.  The vegetation is very lush and as we pass through Canaries, on the coast, we head inland and through the rainforests, gaining our first views of the tip of one of the famous Pitons.  As we dropped down into Soufriére we got a spectacular view of the town and the two pitons.  Our driver, Jean Baptiste, knew his stuff and stopped at every Kodak spot on the tour.  Just the other side of Soufriére we stopped at the botanical gardens and Diamond Falls.  On our last visit, the gardens and falls were closed, so this was our first chance to look around.  Fortunately at this time of the year the flowers are all in bloom, so the gardens were quite beautiful.  Unlike in Madeira, where the gardens were drab, as the flowers were not in bloom.  We had a guide to take us around and again he was pretty knowledgeable, but his Caribbean accent took some understanding.  Back in the minibus, it was not long before we stopped at some roadside vendor for local made biscuits which the driver paid for.  Then just a short hop back to the beachfront at Soufriére for a glass of rum punch dispensed from the back of a friends minibus. 

Because of the geography of the island we pretty much retraced our steps from this morning except we stopped at a lookout point over Marigot Bay, a stunning little inlet on the coast, made famous in Dr Doolittle.  From then on it was downhill and back along the coast before entering Castries and returning to the ship around 3pm.  Definitely one of our better trips, especially as we had pretty much decided not to bother, having done it before.

Back on board it was time for afternoon tea before popping up to the sundeck for a quick read before setting sail just about 5.45.  Captain Carr from Wigan was seen without his satisfaction beads today as there were a few passengers who tested his patience by not arriving back on board by 5.30.  It’s only a short hop to Grenada, our next stop, so I doubt that he was pushed for time as he would be on other occasions.  However, lateness on board  did feature in his pre-departure speech and his tone was definitely frosty.

It’s Caribbean evening dress code this evening, so time to break out the shirt I bought in St Marten last time round. Maureen will be in the designer number she picked up in Tortola.  Only problem is we don’t know who designed it!

At 7.30pm we have travelled some 15nm from Castries in St Lucia and just 116nm to go before arriving in St Georges, Grenada.  We are currently cruising at just 10.5 knots with a temperature of  27 Deg C.  The wind is a respectable 12  knots.

Another fantastic dinner this evening, but we’re convinced that Glyn is sickening for something as he only ordered one lamb shank for dinner and no ice cream on the golden syrup & lemon pudding!  We were again serenaded by our waiter Vincent from Goa.  Both he and his assistant have been fantastic and their attention to detail has made dinner most enjoyable and no doubt will continue to do so.

Entertainment in the main theatre was supplied by a singing, impersonating, comedian, who’s best talent was impersonations and in particular; Billy Connolly. There was also a party up on the sun deck this evening, but we decided that bed was beckoning.

Day 12 Antigua

One of the British Leeward Islands, roughly 12 miles in diameter and boasting over 350 beaches, it was not colonised by the British until 1632 and is the place where Nelson refitted his fleet chasing Admiral Villeneuve, which ended at the Battle of Trafalgar.  Antigua gained full independence in 1981.  Like many Caribbean islands, sugar is no longer a major export item, it’s now tourism and to a lesser degree bananas and pineapples.

Up early again to watch the ship slide up the channel and berth in the port at St John’s.  Somehow or another the German ship that left Tortola after us was already alongside and to make matters worse there was a huge Tui liner berthed up as well.  Anyway Captain Carr from Wigan did another magnificent job of bringing us alongside without so much as a nudge – top marks.

We were also relived that we had not been boarded overnight by Jonny and the pirates – Depp that is, not Kidd – I think he died long ago. 

It was time to attend a meeting of the full English club in the restaurant, before going ashore for a tour around the island.  We were soon accosted by a buxom Antiguan lady taxi driver, with whom you would not want to say no to her offer of a tour round the island.  You may just as well go with the first one that verbally grabs you as they all have similar vehicles and all charge the same price and all go to the same places.  However, this one turned out to be very different.  Having press ganged the appropriate number of passengers; we head off to a back street where all the minibuses are parked.  We all get in and that’s as far as we got – it wouldn’t start.  There was either a flat battery, a loose terminal on the battery or the starter motor was stuck.  The temperature in the minibus was increasing rapidly as we were parked in full blazing sunshine.  She seemed to have a way with words and soon had some of the other taxi drivers asking how high, when she asked them to jump.  A set of jump leads materialised from another taxi and yet another one pulled up alongside us, ready to connect up. Regrettably, this was not going to happen as he was blocking the road and an emergency ambulance wanted to get through.  Our driver’s way with words carried no weight against the wailing sirens and the taxi had to back away from us. Eventually he managed to connect the jump leads, but still no life in the engine. The unanimous diagnosis was a sticking starter motor, so a number of taxi drivers were seconded into pushing duties, whilst we, in true British tradition,  just sat there getting hotter .  Bingo, after a short push the engine roared into life and we were on our way.  Whether we would get back before the ship sailed was another matter.  It has to be said that the passengers on this tour were a great bunch and in particular a widower from Scunthorpe, who I’m convinced owns a B&B.  Her repartee and quick wittedness was second to none.  Anyway, we got as far as Nelson’s Dockyard and a group of 5 Germans suddenly became additional passengers. One of them had an excellent command of English and our sense of humour.  He and the widower kept us in stitches, until 4 of them got out at one of the stunning beaches en route.  We’ve done the tour before, but Antigua is one of our favourite Islands.

Arriving back on board about 1.30, we popped in for a buffet lunch before heading back out into St John’s for a short walk.  The temperatures topped 30 degrees C today, so the walk was perhaps not quite as long as we had anticipated.  Maureen had her usual afternoon nap and I opted for an hour or so on the sun deck, before a sharp shower of rain stopped play.  We then both went up on deck to see us sail off into the sunset, leaving the two German ships alongside.

At 7.30pm we have travelled 24 nm from Antigua and have some 209 nm to go to Casteries in St Lucia.  The temperature is a healthy 28 deg C and the wind is blowing at 28 knots.  The sea state is slight and we are currently steaming at 16 knots.

Another superb menu at dinner this evening and we thought that the Welsh eating machine was in trouble and he was going to fall at the consumé course.  However, he swiftly made up for it by devouring two sirloin steaks, but faltered again at the cheese and biscuits.

After dinner we all went to watch a Simply Red tribute band, but regrettably Mick Hucknall was not a patch on Elton John the other evening.

Another early start tomorrow as we will be picking up the pilot at 07.00 for the run into  the port of Casteries on the island of St Lucia.

Day 11 Tortola

Tortola, one of the British Virgin Islands, tucked up in the north east corner of the Caribbean, just 50 miles east of Puerto Rico and just a mile from the US Virgin Islands.  BVI comprises some 50 or so small, volcanic islands with Tortola its main island, which has a population of around 17,800.  Road Town is the capital and where the ship docks. Tortola has less than half the land mass of the Isle of Wight, so it’s possible to see a good bit of it in the few hours that we have.   Once a sugar producer and exporter to the UK, but the cane industry has long gone and there remains just one small rum distillery.  Tourism is now the main industry with most of the revenue coming from boat charters and of course the cruise ships.

We were awake early this morning and after a quick cup of tea we were out on deck to watch the ship navigate through the islands and into its berth at Road Town.  It really is quite amazing how they manoeuvre the ship alongside, given that it’s about the size of three football pitches.  On the opposite side of our birth was a German cruise ship and you know what?  There was not a single towel on any of their sun beds!!! 

From where we were standing on the sun deck, we could see right into the flying bridge where Captain Carr from Wigan was conducting the crew to berth the ship.  He was playing with his ‘satisfaction’ beads, which apparently are the opposite to a set of worry beads. He reckons that he plays with them when he is satisfied that everything is ok.  The time to be concerned is when he stops playing with them.  No sign of the whippet, but he looked quite smart in his flat cap with all the scrambled egg round the peak.

Once alongside we went to breakfast and refuelled for the day ahead.  We have never been to Tortola so a getting ashore and booking a tour with a taxi was our first priority.  Once clear of the dockside the tour busses were in abundance and we opted for one of the air conditioned minibuses rather than the open sided vehicles.  This was mainly because the weather forecast was not particularly good andt the temperature was still 28 deg C.

Wayne was our driver for the trip and like most tour bus drivers we have encountered,  he was a gem.  Excellent commentary, friendly banter and ended up well over an hour longer than we expected for our US$20 each.  From the port we headed round Baughers Bay past the container depot (almost everything has to be imported) and the marina to the museum.  It used to be a sugar mill and distillery, but is now compulsory tour stop as it is suspected that Wayne’s sister works there.  From the museum we climbed up a very steep incline that is Belle Vue Road leading to Ridge Road, which strangely enough runs along the central ridge of the island.  Stopping at various points for Kodak moments, the scenery would have been stunning had the clouds not obscured the sun.  However it did poke its head out from time to time and when we reached Cane Garden Bay on the NW coast is was almost sunny.  From there it was a short hop to the remaining distillery on the island.  No conducted tours, just the opportunity to buy firewater.

On then to Frenchman’s Cay, which necessitates going over a bridge from the mainland, which must be all of about 5 yards wide!  However, Frenchman’s Cay has a pretty little marina, home to some expensive looking catamarans,  trendy shops and  a number of restaurants.  Returning over the ‘bridge’ to the mainland, we then hug the coast, heading back to Road Town.  We passed an interesting beach front bar called the Bomba Shack which has various items of ladies and gents knickers nailed to the roadside of the bar.  Apparently it’s a fairly wild bar in the evening and it’s customary to leave the premises commando fashion, having enjoyed the local rum.  It is also alleged that at midnight, they brew tea – but not as we know it.  Theirs is brewed with mushrooms!  It must be a popular place as it seems to have expanded onto the opposite side of the road.  Could be fun being the official photographer at that place.

The run into Road Town was the flattest part of the journey and some of the nicest scenery as we hugged the coastline with smaller islands just offshore.  We walked the last half mile to the ship passing through what could be described as a tented village, which was the local market selling all he necessary tot for tourists to take home. 

Once back on board we were just in time for a late lunch before the self service restaurant closed, then a sit down before getting ready to set sail for Antigua.  The German ship was not leaving until 6pm apparently, but there were a significant number of people lining both our ship and theirs as we pulled away from the quay.  Loud music, cheers and Mexican waves were the order of the day.  Captain Carr from Wigan even had a huge hand on a stick which he used to wave to the German passengers and to the German Captain who was on their bridge. 

At 7pm this evening we have travelled 19 nm from Tortola and have a further 158 nm before reaching St John’s in Antigua.  We are currently cruising at 13 knots and the wind is blowing a moderate gale at 23 knots.

I think we’re pretty safe from the icebergs now and I’ve never heard of a U boat attacking anyone in the Caribbean, but we mustn’t get complacent, as the new worry is - Pirates.  I bet Jonny Depp has had his eye on this ship since we arrived in the Caribbean and for all we know, the Black Pearl is right behind us, just waiting for the right time to come along side and board us.

Dinner tonight was just magnificent, smoked salmon with eggs Benedict, baked pumpkin soup, and breast of partridge followed by Irish cream souflette with molten chocolate centre.  Had to pass on the cheese tonight it was just too much.

No show this evening as we’re all cream crackered, so an early night instead.  Need to be up and about early if we want to see the ship dock in Antigua.

 

Days 9 & 10

Saturday 9^{t h} Penultimate Sea Day

We were out of breakfast by around 9.45 this morning and straight up to the sun deck, only to find that we had been invaded by Gerry again as there were no sun beds available due to the number of towels strewn over them.  The only thing that cheered us up was that whilst we were at breakfast it must have rained really hard for a short while as the sun beds plus exposed towels, books etc were all soaking wet.  That’ll teach them for reserving sun beds -something that is apparently not allowed but never policed. However, quite by chance we went up to the topmost sun deck only to find a couple of spare beds, but not next to each other.  There was a reasonable breeze blowing, so it was quite comfortable.  So much so, we spent the whole day there till about 3.30, after which Maureen and I respectively retired for a nap and spent an hour or so reading on the promenade deck.

We were Billy no mates at dinner, as our Welsh companions had obviously dined elsewhere.  We cannot imagine Glyn going without food! 

After dinner we went to the theatre to watch a comedian who was excellent.  He didn’t swear once and his humour was a little like Peter Kay in that he simply related to everyday events and situations, such as piles!

Another late night before getting into bed and no extra hours sleep tonight.

 

Day 10 Last Sea Day

Sunday 11^th started bright and early as we were determined to get into breakfast early to beat the buggers reserving the sun beds.  All was in vain as the weather was not looking good.  Grey ominous clouds and a foreboding looking sea, coupled with a howling gale probably meant that there would be no problem with the sun beds today.  Instead of adopting the now customary horizontal position, we opted for three revolutions of the promenade deck.  There was a distinct break in the clouds and it was heading our way, so we braved the gale force winds and settled into a couple of beds facing the right direction for when the sun would materialise.  Trying to read was almost impossible as the wind almost took the book straight out of your hands and the anemometer on the top of the ship was dam near taking off.  However, the cloud soon broke up and we were facing the sun as predicted.  At 11.00 I had to go and book our seats for the return flight to Gatwick, which also coincided with the 2 mins silence that the ship remembered.  It took almost an hour to queue and get the seats sorted out and I wouldn’t mind but it also cost us £30 for the privilege.

The wind has been positively ferocious up until about 3.00 pm and it has now abated to just a measly 16 knots.  If this had been the North Sea we would have endured a very rough ride this morning, but in the deep ocean it can take a good day or more to work itself up and equally as long to die down.  But that shouldn’t worry us as we will be in Tortola early in the morning.

At 6.20 pm we have travelled some 2444 nm from Madeira and have just 270 nm to reach Road Town Tortola.  The wind is just a moderate breeze of 16 knots and we are enjoying a comfortable 28 deg C on a slight/moderate swell.

Tonight is our fourth formal evening of the cruise and the last before we ditch the cheapskates in Barbados, who are only with us for two weeks.  There will then be a further two before we return to Barbados again.

We had pre dinner drinks with our Welsh table partners this evening in the Ramblas bar, so to keep up the pretence I settled for a San Miguel and we all sat and watched the world go by, just like in Barcelona.  The choice for dinner this evening was superb and as a Sunday special it was 6 courses. We both settled for Atlantic prawns for starters followed by chicken consumé, then Champagne sorbet.  For main course we had a good size portion of beef Wellington and for desert, flambé baked Alaska.  Just to make the waiter’s job worthwhile I finished with cheese & biscuits followed by coffee.

We were a little concerned about Glyn tonight as the Welsh eating machine left a couple of potatoes on his diner plate and passed on the cheese board tonight.  Still I’m sure he’ll be better by tomorrow.

After dinner it was into the main theatre to watch the song and dance troupe pay tribute to the movies.  As always, an excellent and energetic performance by all of them.

Clocks go back again tonight so an extra hour in bed before we berth in Tortola at 08.00.  This is our first visit to this island, so we’ll be taking a trip round just to get a feel for the place.

Day 7 Still at Sea

Despite the clocks going back again; we seem to be waking up later and later, but there’s still time for tea in bed before breakfast.  Getting into a transit routine now of having a good full English, then retiring to the sundeck for a few hours of sunshine, then a light lunch another short spell of sunshine then retire to the cabin or the promenade deck for a read.  If we can slip in a short nap, before dressing for dinner,  then so much the better. 

By then, it’s time for a G&T and preparing the bulk of the day’s blog, before heading off to dinner sometimes via the pub to have a pre-dinner drink with our Welsh table companions.

On day 7 at 6.20pm we have travelled 986 nm since leaving Madeira with a further 1721 nm to go before arriving at Tortola on 12^th Nov.  The crew must still be peddling for all their worth as we’re still cruising at 20 knots.  The sea state has reduced to ‘slight’ today and the wind has dropped to 16 knots with the white horses disappearing again.  For the first time since leaving Southampton, the horizon is almost flat as opposed to looking like the edge of a serrated knife.  Apart from the odd lurch, the ship is now as smooth as silk.

We’re off to the art gallery this evening to view some original pieces of art – well actually it’s to get a free glass of bubbly and view the art.

A quick G&T in the pub then off to dinner.  Only 4 courses this evening, as, despite its name - cold pina colada soup – did nothing for me.  The rest was delicious and still no gravy on Ken’s tuxedo!  We rounded off the evening with our table companions at one of the clubs where an Elton John tribute act gave a pretty good impression of him.  The only problem was that it was so popular we all had to stand.

Day 8 Over Half way there

The clocks didn’t go back last night, but we were a little late getting into breakfast.  Conversation round the table was flowing, despite the lady sitting next to me being deaf as well – more sign language. 

I thought that the U boat threat was diminishing with the icebergs, but it would appear that Captain (Charisma) Carr from Wigan must have let his guard down as we seem to have been boarded by a U boat crew.  We can’t think of any other explanation, as when we went up to the sun decks, just after 10.00, there were hundreds of towels on the sun-beds, but no bathers.  As this is an English cruise ship with English passengers, we can only assume we have been infiltrated and as we are half way across the Atlantic they can only have got here by U boat!

After a short spell on the shady side of the ship, Maureen spotted a couple abandoning their sun beds, so like a commando attack we captured the beds before anyone else could muscle in.  It has been hot today with temperatures rising to 26 deg C and the added inconvenience of the sun reflecting off the glass wall behind the sun beds made it even hotter.  A few hours was long enough, but a welcoming breeze was available when you stood up and looked over the side.  We have not seen any aquatic life since the porpoise some days ago, but today saw the first flying fish skimming away from the bow waves.

At 6.00pm we have travelled some 1455 nm since leaving Madeira and have some1251 nm to go to Road Town Tortola.  That means it’s downhill from now on in.  The wind is a fresh breeze at 26 knots and the sea state is still slight, but the swell is definitely gathering again.  The peddles are still being used, as we continue to cruise at 20 knots.

No drink in the pub tonight as we went in search of our formal photograph.  Dinner was up to scratch and I’m pleased to report a return to all 5 courses plus coffee.  Again we went into the main theatre to watch the song and dance troupe do a tribute to boogie music of the 70’s and 80’s.  They really work hard as this is their 4^th different show in 8 days and their pretty good as well.

Clocks back another hour this evening, so extra time in bed.

Day 6 At Sea

The extra hours sleep was gratefully received , but we still didn’t wake up until 7.30.  Overnight the wind had increased to 40 knots and the white horses were back dancing on the tops of the waves.  The sea state had also returned to moderate and the ship was just gently rolling to match the Atlantic swell.  Best of all the sun was showing through the grey clouds giving periods of sunshine.  After breakfast we did the regulation 3 laps of the promenade deck, which probably didn’t even burn off the calorific value of a breakfast pork sausage, at least it’s a token gesture. 

By now the sun was frequently showing through the clouds, so we retired to the sundeck for most of the day.  Lunch was skipped again in preference for afternoon tea with cakes, tea cakes, crumpets and scones with jam & clotted cream and yes we had them all!!!

With a bit of luck the weather will start to warm up and the sun will shine more as we head south west towards the Caribbean, which means our days will focus on eating and sunbathing, so don’t worry if the blog is missing for a day or so as we are in transit.  Also, pictures seem to take an eternity to upload, even small ones, so don’t expect to see any in future blog entries.

Thankfully the risk of icebergs diminishes with every day that passes, but you still can’t help but worry about the U boats.  We’re safe at the moment as the sea state is such that if Gerry was to let a torpedo go it would be in the water one second then in the air the next, plus the fact that Captain Carr from Wigan must have all the off duty crew peddling like mad, as we have been cruising at 20 knots since leaving Madeira.

At 6.30pm we have travelled 488 nm since leaving Madeira and have a further 2222 nm before we reach Tortola.  The wind speed has now dropped to 27 knots and the temperature has also dropped to 20 deg C.

Looks like we have definitely lost the couple from Eastbourne at the dinner table - so it’s just the four of us now.  Glyn the Welsh eating machine is also deaf so you can imagine what it’s like trying to have a conversation on our table.  Most of it is with signs between him and me, but the ladies seem to get on OK.

We all went to watch another show this evening, in the main theatre, which was about west end shows.  The song and dance troupe on board certainly earn their money as this is the third different review in 6 days and they have all been excellent.

Clocks go back another hour this evening, so time to take advantage of the extra hours sleep.

 Day 5 Madeira

The Madeiran archipelago lies in the Atlantic Ocean, west of Morocco and north of the Canary Islands, some 600 miles south west of Lisbon.  The largest of this Portuguese archipelago, is the Ilha de Madeira (Island of Timber), famous for flowers and wine.  It is approx twice the size of the Isle of Wight and has a population of about 280,000.  The only other inhabited island is the tiny Porto Santo. (Info courtesy of P&O Guide to Madeira)

We woke up around 7.00am to see land for the first time since Friday evening, but it was a further one and a half hours before we were safely tied up alongside in Funchal as there was only one pilot on duty and we had to wait whilst he parked another ship.  The weather was grey, miserable and the forecast was for showers, which turned out to be very accurate!

After an early breakfast we decided to walk into town and visit the indoor market, which sells all sorts of things, but predominantly flowers, fruit, veg and fish.  An interesting place; full of vibrant colours and different smells.   From the market we strolled back to the waterfront and took a ride on the cable car, taking us up the side of the mountain overlooking Funchal.  Unfortunately, by the time we reached to top, we were in the clouds and when we got out it was pouring with rain, with visibility to the port area next to non-existent.  In anticipation of some bad weather we had taken our macs, so on they went and we walked round to where the nutcases whizz down the hill in wicker baskets.  Unfortunately it was raining quite hard by this time and the drivers were all sheltering from the it, so we never got to see them in action.  Bunch of sissy fair weather drivers!  From there we went into one of the many churches, mainly to seek shelter rather than forgiveness.

The rain was pretty steady, so we decided to invest another 5 Euros and take the gondola back down to the town.  By the time we reached the bottom, the rain had stopped, so we walked through the centre of town before heading back to the ship, dodging the intermittent showers.

After a late lunch on board, the sun came out, so up to the sundeck for a quick hour of reading al fresco.  Then the showers returned, so we retired to the cabin for a late afternoon nap, before watching the quayside disappear at 6.30 pm.

The clocks go back an hour tonight and every night until we reach Tortola.  That means an extra hour in bed every day!

At 6.35pm we have deg 20C, although during the day it has been 23!  We have covered some 1343nm since leaving Southampton and have 2716 nm to go before arriving in Road Town, Tortola. The wind is a steady 16 knots as we pull away from Madeira, let’s hope it doesn’t get any stronger, otherwise it may be an interesting 5 days at sea!!

Dinner was fabulous again tonight, all 5 courses, including bread & butter pudding to die for.  The couple from Eastbourne have not appeared for dinner for the past three nights, so we’re not sure if we’ve offended them or they’ve fallen overboard.  Either way, we’re unlikely to see them again, so it’s just the four of us.  Just as on our previous cruise, the Welsh couple are good fun, which makes dinner time that much more enjoyable. 

After dinner we all went to the Tamarind Room to enjoy a new singer on board belt his way through an eclectic mix of songs.  But now it’s time for an extra hours sleep.

Day 4 Even More Sea

The weather had calmed considerably last night, so no creaking cabin and no banging bilge keel meant a good nights sleep.  Didn’t even open our eyes until after 7am.  The sun had risen and upon drawing back the curtains there was no sign of it as it was hidden behind a blanket of grey cloud and it never showed itself all day long! 

After breakfast we did a few circuits of the promenade deck, which was now open all the way round for the first time this trip.  The front section leading to the bow of the ship has been closed due to the waves occasionally coming over the top.  Three times round is about a mile, but  it can be hazardous at certain times of the day when some of the more mature passengers stop dead in their tracks to gather an extra lungful of air to get them on their way again.  Conversely, there are the racers who must time every lap and consider it a failure to have a lap slower than the previous one.  These people just have to get past you whatever the risk involved. 

We decided to divide and conquer today as Maureen continued with the Doctors history of the Caribbean and I opted for a night time digital photography talk given by one of the many ship’s photographers.  I should have known better as he started with ‘this is my first presentation’ and followed with ‘this is not my specialist subject’  After a lighting tour of some night pictures and a few brief comments lasting about 15 minutes, he was as surprised as we were when the next slide said any questions and we had reached the end.

Morning coffee preceded a quick one course lunch and a single hours read on the sun terrace, minus the sun.  Again we divided and conquered, Maureen taking to her bed for a nap and I went to the Rolf Harris presentation in the art gallery.  By the time I got there all the seats were taken and had to stand for over an hour, but it was an interesting talk about his life and how he got into painting.

At 6.05 pm on Monday 5^th, we have covered 1127 nm from Southampton and have 215 nm to go to Madeira.  The sea still has a decent swell running, but the wind dropped earlier, so the white horses have disappeared from the crests of the waves.  It was down to 4 knots earlier but has picked up a little to 16 knots this evening.  We currently have 18 deg C and the sun has just set.

It’s now past 6pm and the sun has gone down, so in true British Maritime tradition, I’m just about to pour the G&T so we can toast a Happy Birthday to Tim and welcome home to Kath & Ken from the grips of Hurricane Sandy.

It’s the Captains Gala evening this evening, so it’s dress up time again.  Not sure if Captain Carr from Wigan will bring his whippet or whether he leaves it on the bridge, just in case it goes for some old ladies fur trim.  As it happens he didn’t bring the dog, neither did he bring any charisma with him.  He mumbled his way through his speech and in my opinion did not come across as master of the ship. 

We were then late into diner, which was the best so far.  Difficult decision whether to go for sea bass, lobster or rack of lamb.  Glyn from the valleys managed to have rack of lamb and lobster on the same plate!!  I reckon he’s in the Welsh eating team and he’s using this cruise as a training exercise.

We should be berthing in Madeira around 08.00 tomorrow and it will be good to get off the ship and have a look round.  It was 1971 when I was last in Madeira laying a cable from Funchal to Lisbon: wonder if it’s changed much?

Day 3 Still at Sea

We woke fairly early again due to the hammering on the ship’s hull which we have since found to be the bilge keel being battered by the sea, which only happens when it gets a little rough.  Having said that, the official sea state is a moderate swell with 40 knot winds from the north west, so, not bad at all really, especially in a ship this size.  However we certainly wouldn’t want to be sailing across here in a 50 foot yacht.

Having woken from our slumber we drew back the curtains only to be confronted with a wall of white outside the cabin window, which without any glasses on resembled the dreaded iceberg.  Our hearts missed another beat, but fortunately the iceberg dissolved before our eyes as it was just a wall of foam being pushed up by the bow of the ship and meeting the crest of a wave.  What a relief!

The other noticeable thing was the lack of other shipping around us.  At the same time yesterday we were surrounded by them.  Had the U boats been active overnight or had we just moved that much further away from the entrance to the Channel?  We’ll never know!

Anyway, it’s Sunday so a little lie in before a FE in the dining room.  Having a slightly later breakfast meant that there was less time to hang around before lecture 2 on the history of the Caribbean.  This time Dr June Goodfield managed to go through an interesting history of Nevis Island without a single hitch in her PowerPoint presentation.  Jolly good show.

Time for morning coffee before going to the pub to watch the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, live on Sky.  The place was heaving as the Sunday football was still on when we arrived there, but we managed to get a seat before the race started.  It was just like being in the Saracens Head at Sunday lunchtime, I had a pint of Speckled Hen and the place was packed – home from home.

By the time the GP had ended, there was just time for a comfort break before going to the art gallery to learn about one of their featured artists, Fabian  Perez.  A most informative discussion was given by the gallery consultant and tomorrow he is featuring Rolf Harris. (Hope I’ll be able to see what it is) Maureen on the other hand had decided that her bed was more important than the gallery lecture.

After my lecture and her nap we decided to go for afternoon tea as we made cruising history today and skipped lunch completely.  After tea we felt guilty and decided to get some air and do a few circuits of the promenade deck.  Whilst the wind was still blowing at gale force, the air temperature had increased significantly, so it was much more enjoyable that yesterday.  The sun was just starting to set, so we sat down to take in what looked as though would be a stunner of a sun set.  At that moment I noticed a black cylindrical object moving away from the side of the ship and thought that the U Boat that had got all the other ships had fired on us and the torpedo had gone straight through our hull and out the other side!  It wasn’t until the object leapt out of the water that I realised it was a porpoise that my heart began beating again. 

If the weather warms up even more tomorrow, it could be time for shorts and even a sun bed!!

Rather hoping for roast lamb on the menu this evening as it’s Sunday, but whatever it is I’m sure it will be delicious.

At the time of typing this (6.38pm), we are off the west coast of Portugal, some 750nm from Southampton and 590nm from Funchal Madeira, our first port of call.  Air temp is 14 deg C, the wind has slowed to 31 knots and we’re heading 208 deg at 16 knots in a moderating swell.  Little or no movement of the ship now and the bilge keel has stopped clanging.  Peace at last!

Pot roast for dinner – absolutely melt in the mouth, but only managed 4 courses this evening.  Must try harder tomorrow.

After dinner we joined two of our table guests at the late performance by Jimmy James the R&B singer famous for hits such as ‘I’ll go where the music takes me’ & ‘red red wine’ amongst others.  Absolutely fantastic performance definitely warranting his standing ovation.  Ship now steady as a rock not sure if we’ll sleep without some gentle rocking.

Day 2 At Sea

After a restless night wondering if Captain Wigan had enough of the bridge crew awake and alert looking for icebergs we finally managed to drop off, only to be rudely awakened from our slumber by a loud banging on the ship’s hull.  For that fraction of a second we thought Poseidon!  It must be the rescue divers sounding out for signs of life.  As it happens, it was just the waves hitting the bow of the ship and sending a thumping noise along the hull.  I guess it’s a problem with being in the cheap seats.  We can only hope they don’t drop anchor in the middle of the night, otherwise there could be some funny smells and a bit of explaining to do to Crossby, the cabin steward regarding the state of the bunks.

Sorry if yesterdays pictures have not published, I’ll investigate that later.

Having recovered from the pseudo iceberg attack, we launched into breakfast, doing a full English as proud as we could.  After breakfast we donned our fleeces and did three revolutions of the Promenade deck.  Not sure how far it was, but the windproof fleeces barely kept out the biting, gale force winds that were blowing.  On one revolution the sun was shining and the skies were blue, the next it was impossible to distinguish between the black, rain sodden sky and the sea.  A real mixed bag.

One thing that was clear was the amount of shipping that was accompanying us on the high seas.  They were coming in all directions and in all shapes and sizes.  Our attention was distracted from the icebergs and focussed on not hitting another ship.  Due to the close proximity of all the ships in this area of the North Atlantic our minds instantly focussed on another threat ........U boats!!!!!!   A ship this size would be a sitting target for them.  Fortunately we had bought the binoculars, so we rushed to the cabin to retrieve them and started scouring the sea, looking for tell tale signs of bubbles and periscope wake.

The ship was obviously prepared for U boat attack as on the boat deck there were depth charges. Although Captain Charlie Carr, from Wigan, tried to assure us that these were actually life rafts.  But I didn’t spend 8 years at sea to have the wool pulled over my eyes.

We couldn’t spend too long looking for the perishers as it was soon time to go to the cookery demonstration by the chefs in the Marco Pierre White and East restaurants.  Unfortunately there were no free samples, so we have to wait until November 19^th when we’re booked into Marcos’s restaurant for my birthday.

 

Cookery was then followed by a talk from an old lady about the history of the Caribbean, but unfortunately, she got tripped up by her PowerPoint presentation seizing up, just as she was getting into full flight.  Regrettably, it took a member of the audience, who was well versed in the ways of Apple Macs, to dig her out of the hole that she was rapidly disappearing into.  Once out of the hole she was clearly shaken by the experience, but soldiered on to the end in true British tradition.  Let’s hope she can stay out of the clag tomorrow for part 2 of 8 talks.

 

Time for lunch, so we decided to have a light salad in the Beachcomber restaurant, as opposed to three courses of cooked in our main restaurant.  You have to know when to pace yourself – three weeks is a long time.

 

After a short sit in the sun, but in the shelter of the still howling gale, we retired for a brief nap before I went to the art gallery to hear about how they produce limited edition prints for artists like Rolf Harris etc.  It was most interesting and I’ll probably attend some of the other presentations over the coming days on various artists and who are the up and coming artists to invest in.

 

Dressing up night tonight, so time for a G&T before seeing if Ken’s tuxedo still fits me.

 

All fits so it’s off to second sitting.  Managed all 5 courses tonight, so not sure how long everything will fit for!  Sea state still has a long Atlantic swell running so will get rocked to sleep tonight.