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Published: January 9th 2008
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Our cruise into California was all about the weather. The state is in the middle of a drought but you couldn’t have proved it by us. We happened to catch one of the strongest storms in years which set records all up and down the state.
Prior to our arrival in Los Angeles the Captain bid farewell to all of the holiday travelers. The crew staged another excellent show, with Manny in great form. We docked in LA the following morning and all was still calm. It took several hours for the ship to be cleared by local authorities and then it was off to the shopping center. This was our supply stop and so we stocked up on essentials. Some passengers went to the Getty Museum or toured Hollywood, but most stayed pretty close to home (the ship) due to the inclement weather. We got our last fix of Mexican food before returning to the Voyager. A few passengers left the ship in Los Angeles and five boarded. Our friends, Mike and Sherry, decided it was easier to board there than driving or flying up to San Francisco. From the travel stories we heard later on it was
very difficult to get to the Bay area by plane or car due to the foul weather.
When we cruised out of the Port of Los Angeles we were serenaded by the Norwegian Seamen’s Association. They extend the courtesy whenever a ship’s captain is from Norway.
Once in the open sea, we started encountering the heavy swells generated by the powerful Alaska storm. The Voyager handled the 30-40’ waves quite well. Since we were 25 miles off shore, we couldn’t pick out any landmarks as we passed Big Sur and the Monterey Peninsula. We went up to the bridge to take pictures of the mountainous seas crashing against the bow of the ship. It was quite a beautiful sight. We had hoped to get to San Francisco by mid-afternoon since we were to attend a Cruise Specialists party at the Fairmont Hotel on Nob Hill. We arrived at the pilot station at 1:30pm but unfortunately, due to the weather, the pilot did not board the ship for three hours. So we wallowed around in the big swells all afternoon. The ship lost lots of china and glassware as well as cases of wine, fresh fruits and vegetables. Many
suites were in shambles. We had packed up our belongings since we were scheduled to change cabins the next day. So we had no problems.
Finally, at sunset we cruised under the Golden Gate Bridge into the calm waters of San Francisco Bay. The city looked beautiful as we docked directly below Coit Tower. We could see Sausalito off in the distance and wished we would have gone home for a few hours to check on our boat. But between changing cabins, visitors, farewells and welcoming new passengers, there just wasn’t time to get across the bay. We talked with some of our neighbors and they reassured us that our boat had weathered the 75mph winds that whipped through our marina. We got a call from our tenant in Pacific Grove who reported that our house was leaking as the rain was being driven sideways by the hurricane force winds. Much of the Monterey Peninsula was without power for several days.
Susan Rios and Kelli Surdell, from Cruise Specialists, brought aboard six boxes of travel bags, fleece jackets and supplies from the home office. We toured Susan and Kelli around the ship and had a nice dinner in
the Compass Rose dining room. The next day, our friends from Pebble Beach, John and Jeannie, came on board the ship as did Adele and Mimi. Adele takes care of our mail while we are gone. So now we will have a whole batch of Christmas cards to enjoy as we cross the Pacific to Hawaii. Mimi cruised on the Voyager two years ago and she enjoyed seeing many familiar faces. Jeannie and John gave us a “lucky bamboo” plant which will ensure a good trip. By lunch time all of the world cruisers started boarding the ship. It is like a college reunion with friends greeting friends with hugs and kisses. Many of these cruisers have circled the world together year after year and have developed very strong ties with their fellow passengers.
We had a sail-away party for our group in the Observation Lounge, so we had a bird’s eye view of the city and the Golden Gate Bridge as we headed out to sea and the beginning of our world cruise adventure. Once a passenger told me that her favorite day of the world cruise was the first, because on that day the whole world is before you like a present waiting to be opened. Then the promise of the voyage can be savored as you finally settle into your cabin, done with all the preparations, planning and packing. Look out world, here we come!!
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Louise
non-member comment
loved your blog!
Will keep in touch via blogging for the next six weeks. You have friends aboard the Mariner?? We'll say hi to them next week.