Sailing off west Africa

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We will be sailing for two weeks. I am told that the ship can go about 14 miles an hour.

We started our departure from Pointe-Noire with a call to muster on deck 7 at 06:30 on Sunday. Everyone was accounted for, so the gangway came up. After that, the whole crew was divided into teams and we began the stowaway search. The search is important. Carrying stowaways can result in a fine and can present problems when trying to enter ports in the future. To make it interesting for the crew, a few “pretend” stowaways were hiding during our search.

It was a rough start on the waters. It is still rough today. Apparently, there is bad weather down south which is sending waves our way. The day before we left, we broke 7 mooring lines in port. The deck crew was very busy replacing them. A port tugboat also came to our assistance.

Friday, I made waffles in the café for 100 people. I started making the batter at 08:00. The rolling made it a bit of a challenge. But I managed to keep the batter from spilling. There were a few small spills that trailed in different directions. Between 09:00 and 11:00, crew members come to the Café in mid-ship during their breaks for the special of the day, coffee and snacks.

There are 50 children on the ship ranging in age from babies to 18 yrs. old. When not in their cabins, they are in mid-ship playing, or using computers. Sometimes, some of the pre-teen girls set up a lemonade stand. The boys like to throw a ball against a high wall between two stairways. It is a lively place.

In the evening while sailing, there are games (trivia, puzzles, chess, open-mike, sock golf, etc.) for those who are not on duty or sleeping. And the Café and Ship Shop are open. We make lots of popcorn. The best part of the sail for me is sitting on the bow.

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Photos

This is a drill. This is a drill. This is a drill.
Photos taken by fellow crew members.