En route to India

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<strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Thursday 5^th April 2012:



After so much sight-seeing in the last week it’s been bliss today just to bum around the ship. But it’s been a very interesting day. After our – nearly daily – grind in the gym and a lovely breakfast (and I’m sorry but I really did say the words “I can’t face any more smoked salmon today”), we went to peek at the bridge. You can’t go on to the bridge but there’s a special viewing area right behind it. The ship is over 1100 feet long, weighs 148,528 tonnes and the wheel is about 8” in diameter. And even then, no-one was touching it as it’s all driven by computers, and very impressive they are too. As you would expect, there are lots of computer screens and a reassuring number of humans too … just in case!



As we said yesterday, we’re getting very close now to pirate waters so the security is being stepped up significantly. We have a Royal Navy Liaison Commander on board now and he won’t leave us until we’re safely out the other side. He delivered a brilliant lecture this afternoon on the behaviour of the Somali pirates, why some ships get hijacked by them and why others don’t. He also talked very reassuringly about the international force of about 42 vessels that work together to minimise the chances of the pirates getting lucky. But he was also very realistic about what they’re up to right now including the fact that the latest pirate attack happened yesterday in an area we will be going right through. There are 3 active pirate cells operating at the moment and they carried out 4 attacks last month. But he talked about all the measures Cunard is taking to protect us including taking on armed guards tomorrow (ex-Royal Marines guys), fixing up water hoses pointing seaward, darkening of all outside decks from sunset to sunrise for the next 10 days plus we all have to attend a pirate awareness drill tomorrow. We’ve already been told what to do and where to do it in the event of an attack and although it helps to know, he was very good about informing us how the QM2 is such a very low risk vessel – size, speed, freeboard and armed guards all on our side.



Other than that it’s been a day of swimming, sunbathing, reading and getting ready for a dinner in one of the à la carte restaurants – tonight it’s a Carvery with promises of roast Gloucester Old Spot pork. And we really do like piggies. Cute to look at and gorgeous to eat. Sorry all vegetarians!!

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