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THURSDAY 23.5.2013
Had an early night last night after dinner, it was so cold earlier in the evening that I had to get a couple of ports in our flasks to warm ourselves up!!, so after a couple of reds with dinner we were ready for bed, during the night we went past Bundaberg, Gladstone and are now heading towards the Whitsundays but will pass through there during the night. Busy morning seeing the ice carving on the deck, also a trivia session and then after lunch went to a Lecture "Navigating the Great Barrier Reef" hosted by Reef Pilot Captain David Richardson, very funny, dry sense of humour, we both thoroughly enjoyed his talk and before we knew it, an hour had gone by, he was an ex ship captain but now does the Great Barrier Reef stints on big ships, he will be getting off somewhere up near Bamaga or around the tip of the Gulf day after tomorrow. Formal night tonight - so we have to frock up!! Captains welcome and free champers!! Weather much improved but not HOT YET!! not for swimming anyway. We are sailing on the inner reef, so a lot of the way we can see land as we head north.
FRIDAY 24.5.2013
Fun night last night, Formal night, with the Captains Champagne Waterfall Party, champers all round and a nice talk from the Captain! Food is very good quality, lobster bisque last night and fillet steak. We have been sailing very close to shore all the way up passing Cairns, Port Douglas, Cape Tribulation, Cooktown (Joy we could nearly see your old house on the point as we sailed about 2km out to sea), passed coloured sands, Cape Flattery and heading north. Dolly Parton Show last night - was excellent the girl doing the show very good singer and also an entertainer, we are not particularly Dolly fans but was terrific. It doesn't matter where you are you run into someone, walking the deck tonight (trying to do our 10,000 steps a day) I thought I recognised this lady, it was Rosemary who used to work in bed bookings at Cabrini who had retired last year. She is doing the Sydney to London leg (dover). She didn't have a clue who I was but remembered after we got talking! We mainly talked by phone negotiating beds for patients. We have asked to change our dinner table as our buddies only turn up every second night so we don't fancy eating on our own all the time, see how we go. Weather is definitely picking up around 24 today and perhaps 30 tomorrow, so maybe a pool day tomorrow!
SATURDAY 25.5.2013
Had a sleep in today after a late night show. This morning we passed the last kilometres of Australia as we sailed to the tip of Cape York, what a terrific, scenic site it was, lots of islands and outcrops of rocks, really pretty. We had to drop our pilot off at Booby Island once we had reached the Torres Strait - very clear day could see New Guinea, passed Horne Island and Thursday Island and could see the townships on these islands. Very delicate manoeuvre to get the pilot off our ship onto the Great Barrier Reef pilot boat - also two guests had to be evacuated as as not well!!! Its hard to believe how they got them off, had to be chained to a bar attached to the boat and then had to walk around outside of boats with no rails!!! It was a sight to see as the old fellow could only just walk with the aid of the doctor and helper from pilot boat. Then after all the drama (which took about an hour stopped in the middle of the sea) had a very relaxing afternoon by the pool on the upper deck, a movie at 2.00p.m. on the huge big screen above the deck and then a music video of George Michael, there is always something happening in the every nook of the ship!
SUNDAY 26.5.2013
Well had a great dinner last night with our new dinner buddies, pretty good group, a retired fireman from Tatura (ex Melb) and his wife, two pharmacists from Cairns and a bit of a winger of a pom from the Dandenongs, had a fun time with these guys and had yummy orange duck for dinner. Marge from Tatura had a bit too much vino I think and fell over as we were leaving dinner!! Another day at sea today, they had a lazy Sunday brunch in the restaurant today which was nice had another nice bunch of people of our table, a couple of Americans, and daughter and mum from Melb - then had a go at Bingo, lecture about what to see and do in Singapore and a laze by pool and swim. Heading up around East Timor this afternoon. Have booked the steakhouse restaurant tonight, they are doing it out on the pool deck under the stars weather permitting - its a bit cloudy but very humid.
PHOTOS COMING
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SUE McBAIN
non-member comment
Sounds Greaat
I am jealous. Hope the rest of the trip is as good as this. Stay well, stay safe. Sue