Blogs from North Atlantic, Atlantic, Oceans and Seas - page 5

Still 3 days at sea to go… I think the entertainments team are running out of things to host. We happened to gatecrash a Grandparents get together whilst waiting for trivia to start. This was actually advertised in the 'Patter'. There were not many people in attendance. The crewmember who was allocated this ‘gig' must have felt sorry for one old lady who was desperate to share her photos of her grandchildren with someone. She was trying to show some interest but it was obvious (to me, anyway!) she was inwardly screaming ‘Get me out of here!!' If that was a trifle lame, the following day there was an iPad get together!! 3:00pm Calling all iPad owners. Come meet your fellow passengers with your devices for an iPad get together! Crooners lounge, Deck 7 midships. Just ... read more

Sep 30, 2011 to Jan 13, 2012 nautical miles travelled: 150 Gibraltar to Rabat, 450 Rabat to Grasiosa, 27 Grasiosa to Puerto de Naos, 18 Puerto de Naos to Playa Blanca, 95 Playa Blanca to Las Palmas, 870 Las Palmas to Mindelo (Sao Vicente), 2200 Mindelo to Guadeloupe total: 3810 nautical miles (30 days of sailing)... read more

Crossing back across the Atlantic sailors largely have two choices; go direct from the Caribbean to the Azores or go via Bermuda and skip around the western edge of the Azores High to get a better wind angle for the Azores. By choosing to head to Bermuda additional miles are added to the crossing but rather than facing an upwind slog all the way to the Azores with retching children (and adults!) it seems sensible to head the 850 miles to Bermuda. In addition Bermuda is not a place that one might usually travel to. It sits 500 miles from the coast of America and is a beautifully sculpted and manicured island with pastel coloured buildings and white sand beaches encircled with vicious reefs. It is not a centre for yachting but is a transit point ... read more

My family and I are headed to St. Thomas in the British Virgin Islands on 08 Aug 2012. I'm still in the planning stage now. I have booked air fare and hotel accomodations, but still need to make dinner & daily excursion reservations. Stay tuned for an exciting trip!... read more

6thJuly 2012 As promised, here is a little description of the wildlife we’ve encountered in the past few weeks, and we’ll start from the bottom up. First and foremost, there are the algae and the virus. I know some of you might think “What? That’s wildlife??” but yes, to me it is. These organisms are just as amazing as any other, and the more we learn about them the more I’m struck by how sophisticated they are and how little we actually know about their intricate life cycle. The fact that you can’t see them with the naked eye just makes them all that bit more intriguing, and our job here that bit harder. Here is a picture of the virus I took back home at the electron microscopy unit at Weizmann. All it is, is ... read more