Blogs from Pacific, Oceans and Seas - page 8

On and around Arcadia Thought you would like some photos from around the ship There's been a full program of lectures and entertainment since leaving Southampton. Whilst we haven't seen the shows some of the lectures have been worthwhile. Eric Knowles from the Antique Roadshow gave three lectures and Carol Klein the gardener has been on recently. So there has been plenty to do, the cinema has had some recent movies and the cabin tv has had some good programs. The weather on the most part whilst at sea has not been the best, last night the 8th Feb we sailed through a Force 10 gale having left Papeete in 30 degrees C and flat calm. Two days till Auckland... read more

Monday 9th January: Perth to Sydney The day had finally arrived after all the planning with the bookings of trip, flights and hotel: obtaining the visa to Brazil and the Reciprocity for Argentina; the shore excursions + all the expectations of going to South America we were on our way. Up at 4am ready to leave at 5.15am for the airport. Meeting Vera at 6am we checked our cases in and wandered up to the departure lounge before boarding and flying out to Sydney. A bit rough going out of the airport and before coming into Sydney. We had deliberated about how to get from the airport into town so we decided the best way would be by train which would take us directly to Circular Quay with a short walk to our hotel - the ... read more

Well it’s been some time since I posted – mostly because I’ve been extremely busy on the Radiance. But I have managed to get off the ship a few times and both see the sights and spend some time with some friends. One of the most exciting things on the Radiance is that nearly every cruise is different – it is also the reason why I as the nav officer am so busy. Our first 2 cruises took us to New Caledonia, some place I had never heard of. It’s a group of French islands 600 miles due east of Australia. The 2 cruises were both chartered – one being a rock music charter, the other directed to some older clientele (ancient) and focusing on classical music. The group of islands has 1 port with an ... read more

10_ It’s not salt pork and hardtack I’m sure you have read of the dietary privations of a long sea voyage- food that starts out alright but soon degenerates into a daily ration of rum, with moldy salt pork and worm-eaten sea biscuits. And then come all the vitamin deficiency diseases- ricketts, scurvy, etc. I assure you we are not suffering from any of this. Ms. Amsterdam serves five main meals every single day. We have a buffet breakfast with offerings of Eggs Benedict (five varieties) waffles, crepes, omelets to order, fresh fruit, grapefruit halves, several kinds of sausages, German cold cuts, sweet rolls, smoked salmon with cream cheese and fresh baked rolls, and every day some surprise that we have not seen before. Then I go up to the library to read the New York ... read more

Friday, Jan. 29, 2016 181ºW Every morning when you go up to breakfast, the little blue rug in the elevator tells you what day it is. At midnight Monday, the rug stewards pick up the Monday rug and put down the Tuesday rug; etc. This is very convenient because one day at sea is very much like another, and people are apt to get confused. However, last night they picked up the Wednesday rug and put down a Friday rug. This prevents the Phineas Fogg confusion of arriving back in London with an extra rotation of the earth beneath you, so that your count of days is one ahead of everybody else in that majestic city. Still, rational as all this is, you can’t help being puzzled at the moment it happens, more or less 180º ... read more