Wk 11 OMG We're on fire !!

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Geo: 24.5495, -75.9835

Saturday 24/03/12 At Sea 25c Overcast

Overslept this morning for the first time so a late start and somehow you just know it's going to be one of those days, just had time for breakfast and get to the camera club meeting at 10:00. Ten minutes into the lecture we heard strange announcements over the PA to ship's engineering crew, after a couple of minutes we heard a fire detail being assigned to deck 3, now we're all concerned. After another minute or so there was a ship wide alarm to which Kerry our photographic manager who was giving the talk explained that it was a call for all ships personal to immediately man their assigned muster stations and with that she left!

The captain then announced that there was a fire down on deck 3 (decks 3 and below are non passenger decks where all the unseen ships business is carried out) the fire was in the ships incinerator it was contained and the fire crews were in attendance, there was no cause for alarm at this stage but he promised to keep us informed. Dad's Army immediately came to mind "Don't panic Mr Mannering". anyway I knew Linda was up on the sky deck so made my way up there all the time thinking if the worst came to the worst even though our lifejackets were in the cabin this was the best place to be having more options if things got worse.

After a couple of minutes the captain announced that all passengers were to return to their cabins and await further instructions. Throughout the ship the crew were at their assigned stations wearing their lifejackets and trying to put a brave face on things. As we descended down the stairs we met the girls from the health spa at their allocated stations, all had that rabbit in the headlights look, I'm sure that never in their wildest dreams did they think this was ever a possibility; just as I'm sure the crew of the Costa Concordia thought the same.

When we got to our cabin although not being told to, I removed our lifejackets from the wardrobe and put them on to ensure we both remembered and fully understood exactly how to both don and secure it. I know it may sound daft and yes we had attended the mandatory safety briefing concerned with the instructions and practical donning of the lifejacket, we didn't have a problem with the procedure but the current situation certainly focused the mind.

Thinking back to the original briefing I couldn't help but think that if it came to the crunch we'd see people bobbing upside down in the sea with their legs up in the air, lifejackets floating by with nobody in them, and some people strangled by the either the jacket or the webbing, such was the inability of a lot of passengers to take on board the simple procedure of donning the lifejacket. You must bear in mind that the majority of passengers were 65+ and not as able as we were and certainly in a life threaten situation would probably never remember the original briefing instructions.

The captain to his credit gave more or less continuous updates on the situation, which served to both inform and I don't mind admitting it calm strained nerves. After around 40 minutes ( seemed like a couple of hours) the captain confirmed the fire was out and although there was still a lot of smoke below decks the crew could stand down and the passengers continue their normal activities.

Eventually things returned to normal and the day went seamlessly by. Tonight was a black tie captain's gala night with free drinks so is always well attended, anyway there we were drinking, and eating the provided canapés when over the PA system came the announcement for the engineering crews and fire party to go to deck 3 immediately, the look on our collective faces must have been a picture and not a good one. The first thing that went through my mind was having to evacuate the ship and man the lifeboats, there we'd be all sitting inside looking for all the world like a boat full of penguins, only to be picked up by an American ship with them commenting “ only the Brits could abandon ship having dressed up for the occasion first.”

Being true Brits the captain came over the PA system saying “I'm sure as you'll have realised by now that I'm otherwise detained and won't be able to attend the Gala event, however please continue to enjoy yourselves and I'll keep you informed of events” ( reminiscent of the Titanic and the music played on). After around 10 minutes he came on again to explain that during the ongoing investigation into the initial cause of the fire whilst they were raking through the debris the fire burst into life again prompting the alarm system to activate and the necessary procedures to be invoked, however all was now back to normal, thanks to a couple of amply filled glasses of Whisky I was completely relaxed about the whole affair. (Note for next cruise, bring hip flask from home and keep filled for emergencies)

Sunday 25/03/12 Key West, Florida 33c Sunny with clear blue skies

We made our way from the ship and walked to the far end of the island approx. 1 mile to the southernmost point of America to have our photo taken at the marker buoy, unfortunately a coach load of French tourist arrived just before us so we had to wait the best part of ½ hour for the queues to clear before getting the photo we wanted clear of everyone else. There are plenty of scooters and electric cars for hire here and whilst walking past one hire company I noticed the pedals of the car were labelled stop and go, only the Yanks would have to label the pedals so they can look down and see which pedal to press whilst smashing into the vehicle in front.

Making our way slowly back we visited the old lighthouse and museum which affords great panoramic views over the island, as well as Hemingway's house, St Mary Star of the Sea Roman Catholic Church, and Audubon House which is an early 1800 3 story wooden framed house entirely held together by wooden pegs. Our final destination just outside the berth was the wrecker's museum allegedly the oldest house in Key West dating from the 19th century. We paid the entrance fee and were told the next tour was in 15 minutes, now normally we never take tours preferring to do our own thing taking as much time as we want over things; however this wasn't an option, so a bit miffed we waited outside.


A couple of minutes later whilst looking around I was aware of someone talking behind us and then realised this guy dressed in scruffy old attire was addressing us and trying to persuade us to join his wrecking crew! He said he had doubts about our ability to sustain hard work but with bit of practice we may just scrap through (cheeky sod). He went on to explain that they were recruiting lumbers (people who move good s from one place to another) and divers who could hold their breath for up to 6 minutes! I tried to explain that Linda couldn't keep her mouth shut that long but he said he'd train her (some hope I said) at this point I realised that this was all part of the wreckers adventure.

He went on to explain the philosophy of wrecking and how hard the life could be but the rewards were good with an average of one wreck a month. A Mr Taff was the man who oversaw everything from provisions, to warehousing the numerous goods salvaged, to selling off the goods to the highest bidder, as well as the hiring and firing of wrecking staff. He went on to explain that Mr Taff was a real task master paying very little whilst demanding the very highest performance from staff and the highest prices at sale, a real task master loathed by all. When all of a sudden there was a voice from the veranda of the store (museum) it was Mr. Taff asking what he thought his employee was doing wasting his time talking to the likes of us, our guide went to explain that he was considering hiring us as potential divers. Mr Taff said he had never seen such unworthy specimens and didn't think we could handle the work (cheek) Our guide jumped to our defence (you have to remember he's being paid to recruit) Mr. Taff was having none of it with that he came down to inspect us (bloody cheek) after which he said he thought that with training we may just be acceptable and guided us into the museum.

Once inside he went on to explain the life of the wreckers and how it was alleged but never proved that they moved the reef markers so that schooners and the like came to grief on the notorious reefs surrounding the islands. He went on to explain that lookouts were posted around the island 6 days a week looking out for ships coming to grief on the reefs, once a ship was seen aground on a reef the shout would go out across the town”Ship Ashore” to which every able body man would immediately drop everything to go out and rescue the stricken seafarers and claim salvage rights over the vessel with the first master claiming the greater percentage.

He cited one recorded incident on Sunday with all the seamen were in the local church, the vicar was giving his usual powerful sermon when he noticed a ship perilously close to the reef, as he was in the pulpit the congregation couldn't see the spectacle unfolding, rather than finish at the end of the sermon as normal he continued all the time watching the ship, when it finally ran aground on the reef he descended the pulpit preaching fire and brimstone as he walked down the aisle between the gathered congregation getting ever closer to the front door where he then shouted out “SHIP ASHORE” and legged it to his boat whilst the congregation scrambled over each other in an attempt to be first on the scene. Needless to say the Vicar who was also a ship's captain was first on site and claiming the greater percentage of salvage rights, after which the lookouts were posted 7 days a week.



Monday 26/03/12, Port Everglades, Florida 30c hot and sunny

We just had to book the iconic air boat ride across the everglades and whilst it was in some ways it was just what we expected in other ways it was a disappointment, let me explain. The airboat seated some 30 people rather than the 12 or so I was expecting (that's progress and profit motive for you) so if you were seated in the middle the experience was somewhat muted, that said we were fortunate enough to be on the end of the second row so managed a few decent shots. The biggest disappointment was the sheer numbers of craft taking to the waterways there were 4th in line which meant that although they left at 1 minute intervals being 3rd in line meant that most of the wildlife had long since disappeared by the time we got there, the only exceptions being the Alligators and Egrets.


In the afternoon we went on a tour of Miami and was totally amazed by the Art Deco district the building were fabulous, our guide went on to explain that the state wouldn't allow anymore of the art deco buildings to be demolished to make way for high rises in an attempt to preserve what little heritage they had, they would allow buildings to be gutted and upgraded internally but the exterior facade had to remain intact, with such exorbitant costs involved in his sort of upgrade builders declined to get involved, as a result with the buildings falling into disrepair the state finally agreed to grant reduced interest loans in an attempt to both retain and upgrade these iconic buildings, and I have to say it's worked from an aesthetic point of view. It's now a magnet for the young and beautiful with on street cafés and bistros second only to the magnificent marinas.

Our guide told us of an exchange visit of architects from Eastern Europe who came over to specifically study what's recognised as some of the best architectural examples of the Art Deco period only for them to have a real problem looking up at the amazing buildings when there were so many nubile young women walking the sidewalks and in the numerous cafes, personally it wasn't a problem for me as a dig in the ribs brought me back down to earth! The tour ended with an hour's cruise along the river taking in the riverside frontages of the rich and famous millionaires such as Naomi Campbell and numerous pop and movie stars.

Tuesday 27/03/12 Nassau, Bahamas 32c very hot and sunny

In view of the predicted high temps of 35c today we decided to walk to the furthest most point of interest which was the 80 step Queen's Staircase cut into the hillside by slaves in the late 18th century (nothing compared to the 200+ steps we climb or descend everyday as we decided at the start of the holiday to avoid using the lifts on board) the stairs lead up to Fincastle which is a ship-shaped fort built in 1793. We also took in the balcony house built in 1837 which is the oldest residential building in Nassau, the pink & white Government house, and the straw market which is a large indoor market with stacks of goods as the name implies made of straw, in addition to plenty of other tat.


Wednesday 28/03/12 Little San Salvador Island, Bahamas 36c Very Hot & Sunny

Today we're calling in at the exclusive Half Moon Cay, on Little San Salvador Island, the island is privately owned by the Holland America cruise line which is part of Carnival group and as such we're allowed to berth there and use their facilities. This coral island comprises 2400 acres and was bought in 1996 for $6 million; only 50 acres have been developed with the rest of the island left undisturbed and as such is a significant nesting area for waterfowl.

The bay is approx. 1.5 miles of pristine white powder beach set in a turquoise sea with gently breaking surf, the only thing missing is the iconic palm trees, which is a shame as there's very little shelter from the glaring sun. In developing this part of the island they built a small secluded inlet and quayside to accommodate the tenders running out to the cruise ships, along with a network of footpaths connecting all the areas, restroom facilities, misting stations where you can get away from the excessive heat and cool down, covered eating areas with picnic style table and chairs surrounding a central BBQ cooking area which is designed to cater for the 3000+ passengers who may descend on the island from visiting ships, as well as a purpose built wrecked galleon on the beach which serves as the bar, a nature walk, a contained area where you can swim with stingrays, tropical fish, as well as lobsters and larger fish including some a couple of feet long. In addition to all this there are hundreds of beach recliners, plus around 100 clam shelters with recliners for two people and about a dozen cabins designed for 4 people. As a quite secluded getaway destination it really doesn't get much better than this.

Despite the overpowering heat the beach isn't a problem to walk on unlike sand which soon heats up and is then unbearable to walk on, being a coral island the white powdered coral is full of minuscule air pockets which keeps it cool, it's just like walking in flour it's that fine, down at the waterline where the powder is wet it's like mud but none cloying.


The catering team spent most of the morning ferrying across stores from the ship for the lunch time BBQ for round 700 passengers and crew, a great time was had by all. In the afternoon a great number of crew especially, waiters and restaurant staff spent their free time playing on the beach and in the sea, it was great to see them letting their hair down they normally have so little free time, and what they do have is usually spent in the cramped crew quarters so today must have been fantastic for them; indeed when we finally returned to the ship it was self evident who had been ashore and who hadn't by the look on their faces.


Thursday 29/03/12 At sea 25c with a cooling wind and heavy seas.

Well that's it now holiday nearly over as we make our way ever northwards back across the pond for the 6 day sea journey to the Azores. So for the next few days we'll settle down into a ship bound routine.

Today there's a special dinner for all those 450 passengers who are doing the whole voyage. We'd previously asked to be seated with Michael the executive purser who has been great throughout the voyage despite the fact I'd recently spent nearly an hour and a quarter with him having a constructive discussion about some problems I'd been experiencing with repeated breakdowns of equipment on board.

Friday 30/03/12 21c Overcast

I thought I'd give you an insight into this cruise and some of the background information as well as the routine that develops whilst at sea. The cruise is for 87 nights calling in at 36 different ports in 17 countries. Dining is as you'd expect is first class with a choice of either self service buffet, 5 star restaurant or alternatively 2 specialist restaurants for which a supplement is charged. Dressing for dinner; there are 44 casual nights (no shorts, T shirts, football shirts, tracksuits, or trainers) 22 smart nights (shirt, trousers and jacket, tie optional) and 21 black tie nights (dinner jacket, tuxedo, dark lounge / business suit or national dress i.e. highland dress / kilt)

There are numerous on board activities from learning or improving hobbies such as the camera club, art classes, dance instruction, card games i.e. bridge, canasta, cribbage to deck games quoits, deck shuffleboard, golf practise nets, table tennis as well as quizzes, a vocal group, gym classes. In addition to all this there are specialist guest speakers giving talks and lectures on such things as canal building in the UK as well as the Kiel and Panama Canals and the current construction of its third set of locks, to criminal investigation, the true stories of the pirates of the Caribbean, and numerous other topics.

For my part my average sea day goes something like this. Gym at 07:45 for an hour, shower, breakfast, camera club, hosted lecture ( dependent on topic) lunch at 12:00, out on open deck ( dependent on weather) tea at 15:00, catch up with writing this blog and emails for an hour, get ready for 1st sitting dinner( 18:30 ) aperitifs, dinner, then either a show or a drink up in the crow's nest. All in all believe it or not there's very little time left in the day so boredom despite what some may think is never a problem.

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