Recovering from all the excitement

A lively sea

Like so many other evenings in recent weeks, we were fairly tired even though we had not strayed far from our cabin. The view sailing by all day was just so exciting and I think we were both overwhelmed by the sights and sounds of the Panama Canal transit. We showered and went to Anderson’s for a glass of something nice and then on to the restaurant for another fairly mediocre dinner. Neither of us wanted what was on the menu and we felt we were getting dining room fatigue! It’s hard to raise enthusiasm for the food when it’s either overcooked or poorly presented … or both. However, we look to the positives: the plates are always hot (even when you have salad) and the portions are not huge. So, we headed back to our lovely cabin and stargazed on the balcony for some time and then had a read before turning in. 

The sea had been getting lively even during dinner time and there was the occasional lurch as we hit a trough or a roll as the wind caught us broadside. Overnight, those effects both increased and we’ve ended up with a very lively sea and 40-knot winds, meaning that the ship is pitching and rolling. We’ve been unable to walk the promenade deck as it’s just too weather-y out there, but in actual fact it’s a beautiful day and, in the lee of our balcony, we can enjoy the sight of the rough sea, the white horses and the spray whipped off the top of waves by the gusty wind. The ship has been crawling along at around 9 knots to keep the journey reasonably pleasant for passengers. 

Today has been a work day, with duties for ExtraMile calling us away from our holiday and so we have worked at board notes, where our office has been the balcony, as we traverse the Caribbean Sea. That’s the beauty of technology, enabling you to share in work remotely and to communicate over the Internet with colleagues far away. 

The rest of the day has been relatively quiet as we head for our next stop of Cartagena tomorrow. Then the pace quickens, with Aruba, Barbados, St Lucia, Antigua and St Maarten in rapid succession before we head out of the Caribbean and across the Atlantic to the Azores - our last stop before home. We have slept most of the afternoon because the excitement of the past two days has really taken it out of us … and also the heat … and also the motion of the ship.

Tonight is formal night and, looking for some quality food and drink, we’ll be heading to the Glass House once again.