Like I said, I forgot to remind myself to get up, & due to the late bedtime, I only surfaced in time to chat with Amanda at breakfast, after she'd changed into her whites (which she has to pay for herself!!!).
She said it was her 1st job with Star Clippers, & told me some other surprising things about her terms of contract!
We chatted until gone 10, & as a result I missed the sign-up for the mast climb. Boo.
It wasn't great weather, but I went on deck with Book 2 anyway. It was Blue Horizon by Wilbur Smith.
After a bit, Peter from Guildford (Heretofore just known as Peter!) stopped by my lounger & we swapped stories until the French Buffet lunch time which I spent with Christine & a German lady Chemist, Yvette.
I had veal, fish, salad, chips, chocolate tart, cheese pudding, & bread & butter pudding.
OK. Call me a pig!
After all that lunch I lay down & read on the aft deck until 3, & then walked for 45 min as fast as I could on the treadmill. I'd put Wolfstone in the gym CD player before hanging onto the bar for more or less grim death. The ship was heeling a bit!
The steam room (Hamman) was again too hot for even my rhinoceros hide soles, & as Book 2's spine would melt in there, I donned my bikini & took it up on deck. Wrapping myself in towels, I read until it was time to change for Erik's Abs at 6. I hadn't read the schedule properly & it was actually Pilates with Lidija. No worries. Any calories burned were a blessing given all the food I was putting away ;-p
 |
| Lidija having a stretch on the port side of Aft Deck Taken by Daniel (Switzerland) |
Most bits duly worked, I showered, read a bit more on my bed, had a quick kip, & got ready for dinner.
This was more restrained than lunch (well, that wouldn't be hard, would it? ;-q), & I had the sea-bass followed by chocolate tart.
 |
| Not sure, but this may be sea-bass? Taken by Andreas (Germany) |
I'd chosen to eat late as I didn't fancy the Line-dancing on offer in the Tropical bar.
I can & will do most types of dance. However, I am wont to say ~ I draw the line at Line-dancing ~ pun intended ;-)
I joined Patrick & Steve later on & had another Laphroaig (pronounced La-Froyg, btw). It was Ginormous!
I opted to go to bed shortly after midnight.
And if you're wondering why this bit of writing is different from the stuff above (well, you might be?) ~ I have no bloody idea :-/
Sea Day 4 ~ Wednesday April 16th
Erik was on mast duty, & he got me safely into my harness.
Amanda was at the top near the platform. I say top, but it was only one climb/platform up. I'd've liked to go higher.
I spent ages up there, mostly trying to get a pic of the back/side of my head with something interesting in the background.
I think it may have been easier with longer arms?
I managed some decent(ish) ones. Eventually!
On the way back down ~ before I got all the way to the bottom, I passed my camera to one of the men watching, & asked him to take a pic.
He was obviously even less technologically with-it than me, as he couldn't work out how to use my camera %-\
Happily, Andreas (AKA Andy) was on hand & took these two on his camera.
I really like them. Thanks, Andy x
I'd been carrying little cards in my purse with my E-address on, but, as luck would have it, my purse was in my cabin, so I resolved to catch Andy at some point & ask him to E me copies.
Which he obviously did :-)
Back in the midships lounge, those of us who'd been up swapped cameras & stories of our 'time up the mast' :-)
I opted to go to bed shortly after midnight.
And if you're wondering why this bit of writing is different from the stuff above (well, you might be?) ~ I have no bloody idea :-/
Sea Day 4 ~ Wednesday April 16th
I managed to get up for Amanda's class, did breakfast, & went to stake out the bit for the mast climb sign-ups. I didn't want to miss out today, as well.
It was quite a nice day, but the wind mustn't've been in the right direction as most of the sails were furled.
 |
| Looking aft |
Amanda was at the top near the platform. I say top, but it was only one climb/platform up. I'd've liked to go higher.
I spent ages up there, mostly trying to get a pic of the back/side of my head with something interesting in the background.
I think it may have been easier with longer arms?
I managed some decent(ish) ones. Eventually!
 |
| Peter & Dirk (Germany) on deck |
 |
| Peter (USA) took this one then told me peeps were waiting to come up! Oops. I'd been up ages, but it was awesome up there. |
 |
| Looking forward |
 |
| Various peeps, incl Tom & Andreas, looking up |
 |
| Someone climbs the rat-lines while Andy stays out of the sun in the sails' shade |
On the way back down ~ before I got all the way to the bottom, I passed my camera to one of the men watching, & asked him to take a pic.
He was obviously even less technologically with-it than me, as he couldn't work out how to use my camera %-\
Happily, Andreas (AKA Andy) was on hand & took these two on his camera.
I really like them. Thanks, Andy x
I'd been carrying little cards in my purse with my E-address on, but, as luck would have it, my purse was in my cabin, so I resolved to catch Andy at some point & ask him to E me copies.
Which he obviously did :-)
 |
| Bruce & Peter (both US citizens) checking out mast pics |
Back in the midships lounge, those of us who'd been up swapped cameras & stories of our 'time up the mast' :-)
US Peter was a retired cop, & it was quite entertaining to listen to him & Bruce putting the world to rights ;-p
Part of lunch was a very yummy lemon meringue pie.
I didn't write down what else I ate,
but here're pics of one of Andy's puddings.
In the afternoon I read on the aft deck, turned a page, & there was blood on it. Yuk :-(
Part of lunch was a very yummy lemon meringue pie.
I didn't write down what else I ate,
but here're pics of one of Andy's puddings.
It looked like blood anyway?
The mind boggles?!?!?!?
As usual, I had a kip in the sun, but set my alarm to wake for massage number 2.
A Hawaiian this time.
After my pummel I went in the Hamman again, & it was much cooler. So much so, I risked a bit of Wilbur while I lay there.
I got engrossed enough I missed Afternoon Snacks, but not so engrossed I missed Erik's Abs.
Dinner was with the two David's, Yvette, & X number of people whose names I can't read in my notes.
Then it was time to go aft to the Tropical Bar for the Music Quiz.
I ended up in a team with Cindy & Charlie (the 2 Americans at breakfast on Sunday), Gabi, Marcel & Harry from Switzerland, & 3 others who I hardly ever spoke to apart from that evening.
The idea was that Lidija would ask a question, & if you knew the answer you had to go into the middle and ring a ship's bell before answering.
The rule was:
No
bell.
No
answer.
I answered a couple over the next 1/4 hour, & then went towards the bell to answer one about Star Wars. Unfortunately, so did a bloke from a team to my right, & Harry who was next but one to me on my left in our team.
Talk about a frankfurter out of a roll! ! !
As I reached forward to ring the bell - standing on 1 leg to do so, the bloke & Harry sandwiched me, & I shot forward & onto the floor. Fortunately, years of Ju Jitsu, riding & skiing means I fall well, & I just did a sort of Ukemi and came back to my feet.
Poor Harry was mortified & kept apologising all evening. What a gent.
The other bloke barely said anything.
What a gent (not).
Anyway, the upshot of being in a big team with Gabi in it (she knew Lots about music) was ~ we won the bottle of champers. It didn't go far between 9 of us, mind you, but we all got a sip ;-p
Quiz over, Harry insisted on buying me a drink, & I chatted to him & Helmut until the dancing music came on & it was time to boogie.
Harry did all sorts of dance classes in Switzerland, but had never danced on his own - how bizarre. I did though, & they played my Enrique again. I didn't take the Pitbull to Monica & Arpad - too many swear words in the lyrics. Oops. I hadn't noticed until Lidija had pointed it out to me on Sunday evening ;-p
They aren't actually that bad, but given the age & general 'society' aboard, it was better to keep them in my cabin.
Monica & Arpad also played some stuff Harry could dance to, so we got up a few times. I was pretty crap, though. It had been 2009 & pre-hip replacement the last time & done Cha-cha, Jive, Quickstep etc.
Still it was a nice end to the evening, & I'd made some new friends.
Before sleep, I finished off Wilbur.
Sea Day 5 ~ Thursday April 17th
There are no pics for days 5, 6 & 7. Manky weather & manky memory to blame :-0
Anyway ~ The dancing must've energised me as I was up for Yoga with Lidija at 7, did Pilates at 7.30, & Amanda at 8.
Phew. Plenty of calories burnt before breakfast :-)
After breakfast I knitted in the Forward Lounge as the weather was too windy to be on deck.
Another guest came forward too - she was crocheting, & we had a chat.
Lunch was with Amanda again, & I asked her about the Talent Show. I'd remembered one on the Star Clipper in Aug '6 when Rob & I had done a Martial Arts turn, & also got some unsuspecting folk up to do a Strip The Willow!
Amanda said it would be on the last night, so I thought about what I could do which may be vaguely entertaining.
After lunch I switched Wilbur for Ian (Rankin) ~ Standing In Another Man's Grave. I'd seen the Rebus telly progs, but never read a book, so as Rankin (Robert) was an old favourite, I thought I'd give another Rankin a go.
It was still pretty manky on deck, but I grabbed a lounger under an awning, & joined other readers not content with the midships lounge.
After a bit, I added another towel for warmth, & covered my face for a kip. Well, I was on holiday.
Sadly the wind & rain picked up, came sideways under the awning, & my towels got wet. So before I did, I repaired to my cabin.
Today, instead of Erik's Abs, we had a Latin lesson. The dancing, that is, not the language. Mind you, I can still conjugate the verb To Love, & decline nouns, despite my last Latin lesson being with Mr Huss at Fleetwood Grammar school in the 70s. Some stuck obviously ;-)
Lidija was in charge with help from various Carribean crew ~ mainly Armando & Oscar, & we all had a go at Merengue, Bachata & Salsa.
Afterwards I went straight into dinner, sat with Patrick & Steve, & had steak again.
Incidentally, I forgot to mention that I had told Steve & Patrick about having synaesthesia at breakfast with them the other morning, & Patrick knew what it was. I had been impressed. Not many do know what is is, & when you explain they look at you like you've got 2 heads. Or are bonkers.
I'm possibly bonkers, but have the correct number of all the usual bits (apart from a cobalt, chromium & manganese hip, anyway).
After dinner, some of us happy dancing campers (Hi De Hi! ;-p ) went to the Tropical Bar for the Latin night, & put our lessons in Merengue, Bachata & Salsa to the test.
The 1st 2 are authentic dances from the Dominican Republic, but Salsa is a bastard from New York with a Cuban origin.
As well as Oscar & Armando, quite a lot of male crew had turned up: Arrigo, Santiago, Michael, Gustaf, & even Capt Sergey. That meant because Harry, the 2 Davids & Jack were having a go, we ladies were outnumbered for a change.
¡Qué divertido!
After the Latin bit there was more 'normal' dancing, & I danced quite a bit with Harry again. In between I chatted with Marcel & Gabi. Gabi worked with Harry & they were all travelling together. Marcel & Gabi were on an early honeymoon, & due to marry in May.
Harry was staying in an aft cabin which costs loadsamoney! Helmut commented about them being expensive, & Harry said "Only if you can't afford it". I had to turn away so Helmut didn't see me trying not to laugh.
It turned out that Harry owned an international business in Zurich, so I guess he could.
I also met Tony for the 1st time that night. He is an Englishman from near Stratford who had become friends with the 3 Swiss. He is a lovely guy and we both had fun helping the 3 Swiss with their English. After that night we sort of became a fivesome & often hung-out together - despite Tony being in his 80s & Marcel (the baby of the 5), being about 40 years younger. They are all totally lovely people, & going on the RC was worth it just to meet them :-D
Bedtime called eventually, & it was time for another clock change, & another lost hour in bed. Good job I could catch up during the day ;-p
Sea Day 6 ~ Friday April 18th: Good Friday
Despite losing an hour in bed, I got up for Sergey's Tai Chi at 0700, followed by Amanda at 8.
Breakfast was the, by now, "oats, nuts & fruit, a mug of coffee & a cute little black tea-pot of English Breakfast" breakfast.
Awesome ;-q
Afterwards I went looking for a broomstick as I had decided to make up a Jo Kata for the talent show. Oscar was in the Tropical bar & he gave me a nearly new, if slightly bent, broom handle.
After 1/2 an hour putting the bones together, I stayed in the Forward Lounge & read some more Rankin. While I was there, Jack from the US came up from below & we had a chat about Martial Arts, Bojutsu & Jojutsu.
I chose to not go in for lunch, even though it was a seafood buffet ~ what did I miss?????
I had 2 bananas instead.
Post lunch I went aft & finished Rankin; did some Sudoku; chatted to Harry; & had a kip. Then I went to watch the film Deep Ocean in the Piano Bar/Midships Lounge.
Erik's Abs was slightly later than usual, but the usual suspects were there.
After Erik, I went to get a DVD from the Purser, & chose Hansel & Gretel with Gemma Arterton & Jeremy Renner. I watched it while getting ready for Dinner ~ ie watched it while my hair dried!
Dinner was with Harry, Marcel & Gabi, & afterwards I danced with Harry & Jerry to Monica & Arpad, & with myself to Enrique.
It was another late one, & I didn't get to bed until 0115.
Sea Day 7 ~ Saturday April 19th
Then it was breakfast with Ian & Conrad ~ both English. Conrad told me he was a magistrate, & seemed to know a lot about everything. He also said everything in a very 'far-back' voice, & quite loudly. Ian was the opposite: Quietly spoken, & quietly knowledgeable. He also had a face like an old sea dog ~ all tanned & wrinkly. Nice man.
After brekkers I had a walk round deck & somehow managed to get oil on my white jeans. Bugger! Fortunately I met Glenroy from St Vincent who said he'd be able to get it off, so I nipped back below to exchange the jeans for shorts.
As was becoming a daily ritual, I went to the Forward Lounge for my Bo practice. I decided I should stop adding techniques, & concentrate on making it better technically. But with no Sensei to yell at me, & no mirrors to self-correct, it was difficult to get it right ~ especially when the ship was pitching & rolling!
After that it was back on the Aft Deck & the next book. This time, Stephen King's Song of Susannah, the 6th of his Dark Tower series. I hadn't read any of the previous 5, but it was very absorbing all the same. So much so, that I got the 1st 5 from the Library when I got home, read Susannah again, & finally completed the series earlier this year (2015).
I had lunch with Harry, then we both went back to the Aft Deck, where I read some more Susannah, did some sudoku, & slept a bit.
Having missed the 0700 class, I then went down to the gym with a Pitbull CD ~ while it was quiet & his language wouldn't offend ;-p. I did 5.5K on the treadmill, & I'd've done more, but peeps started arriving, so I took Pitbull out of the D player, & did 20min of weights followed by 10 min in the Hamman.
Had to burn off some food!
On the way back up to my cabin I got propositioned by one of the crew who shall be nameless in case someone from the RC crew reads this blog!
Needless to say, I tried to say "Not on your Nelly" as politely as possible!
Back in the cabin I read & slept, & woke up cold, so I wore a jumper to dinner. Hardly surprising, really, we had been heeling a bit all day, & the portholes at lunch had looked like a washing machine. Shame I never got a picture :-/
Unfortunately, down in the dining room, Conrad saw me looking for a seat & I ended up on his table again. At least Ian, Christine & 2 Americans were also there so I didn't just have to listen to Conrad spouting off about politics, religion, & dodgy geography :-(
He seemed to think Hobart was further south than Dunedin, & I was pretty sure it wasn't, so once I'd escaped from the table I went to look at the atlas on the mezzanine deck & it turned out I was right. Wrong again, Conrad!
While I was wandering around other pages in the atlas (I love maps), Harry came up, said something about calmar, which I didn't understand, & he dragged me aft to show me what he meant.
I'm so glad he did :-D
It was magical.
Aft of the RC, floating around in the wake were thousands of bio-luminescent squid. All bluey-green & twinkling in the dark water.
I ran back down for my camera, but it was too dark in the water & the aft light gave off too much light pollution. Maybe a camera like Daniel's would've coped, but my little 'point 'n' shoot' Panasonic couldn't.
Still, I know to watch out for them next time. Amazing :-D
We stayed out there chatting for ages, peering over the aft rail, & talking about allsorts. It turned out that Harry's into Pratchett, Potter, Gemmel, & fantasy in general, but hadn't read Lord of the Rings, though he'd seen the films. George R R Martin came up in conversation too, & Harry's a GoT mad person as well :-)
Eventually, by about 10.45, most of the squid had gone, & we went back to the Tropical Bar for a dance. As I went to get a warming cup of hot chocolate, I spotted 'Proposition Man" lurking & trying to catch my eye. I pretended I hadn't seen him.
I called it an early one at 11.30 as the clocks were due to take away another hour of sleep overnight.
Before I left the Tropical Bar for my cabin ~ as Harry had told me he usually saw the sunrise when he did his early morning exercises on the Aft Deck, I asked him to bang on my door & wake me so I could get some sunrise pics.
He forgot!
OAO
The mind boggles?!?!?!?
As usual, I had a kip in the sun, but set my alarm to wake for massage number 2.
A Hawaiian this time.
After my pummel I went in the Hamman again, & it was much cooler. So much so, I risked a bit of Wilbur while I lay there.
I got engrossed enough I missed Afternoon Snacks, but not so engrossed I missed Erik's Abs.
Dinner was with the two David's, Yvette, & X number of people whose names I can't read in my notes.
Then it was time to go aft to the Tropical Bar for the Music Quiz.
I ended up in a team with Cindy & Charlie (the 2 Americans at breakfast on Sunday), Gabi, Marcel & Harry from Switzerland, & 3 others who I hardly ever spoke to apart from that evening.
The idea was that Lidija would ask a question, & if you knew the answer you had to go into the middle and ring a ship's bell before answering.
 |
| Brass rubbing! The bell for the Music Quiz was a lot smaller Taken by Daniel |
The rule was:
No
bell.
No
answer.
I answered a couple over the next 1/4 hour, & then went towards the bell to answer one about Star Wars. Unfortunately, so did a bloke from a team to my right, & Harry who was next but one to me on my left in our team.
Talk about a frankfurter out of a roll! ! !
As I reached forward to ring the bell - standing on 1 leg to do so, the bloke & Harry sandwiched me, & I shot forward & onto the floor. Fortunately, years of Ju Jitsu, riding & skiing means I fall well, & I just did a sort of Ukemi and came back to my feet.
Poor Harry was mortified & kept apologising all evening. What a gent.
The other bloke barely said anything.
What a gent (not).
Anyway, the upshot of being in a big team with Gabi in it (she knew Lots about music) was ~ we won the bottle of champers. It didn't go far between 9 of us, mind you, but we all got a sip ;-p
Quiz over, Harry insisted on buying me a drink, & I chatted to him & Helmut until the dancing music came on & it was time to boogie.
Harry did all sorts of dance classes in Switzerland, but had never danced on his own - how bizarre. I did though, & they played my Enrique again. I didn't take the Pitbull to Monica & Arpad - too many swear words in the lyrics. Oops. I hadn't noticed until Lidija had pointed it out to me on Sunday evening ;-p
They aren't actually that bad, but given the age & general 'society' aboard, it was better to keep them in my cabin.
Monica & Arpad also played some stuff Harry could dance to, so we got up a few times. I was pretty crap, though. It had been 2009 & pre-hip replacement the last time & done Cha-cha, Jive, Quickstep etc.
Still it was a nice end to the evening, & I'd made some new friends.
Before sleep, I finished off Wilbur.
Sea Day 5 ~ Thursday April 17th
There are no pics for days 5, 6 & 7. Manky weather & manky memory to blame :-0
Anyway ~ The dancing must've energised me as I was up for Yoga with Lidija at 7, did Pilates at 7.30, & Amanda at 8.
Phew. Plenty of calories burnt before breakfast :-)
After breakfast I knitted in the Forward Lounge as the weather was too windy to be on deck.
Another guest came forward too - she was crocheting, & we had a chat.
Lunch was with Amanda again, & I asked her about the Talent Show. I'd remembered one on the Star Clipper in Aug '6 when Rob & I had done a Martial Arts turn, & also got some unsuspecting folk up to do a Strip The Willow!
Amanda said it would be on the last night, so I thought about what I could do which may be vaguely entertaining.
 |
| The Greek Buffet Taken by Daniel |
After lunch I switched Wilbur for Ian (Rankin) ~ Standing In Another Man's Grave. I'd seen the Rebus telly progs, but never read a book, so as Rankin (Robert) was an old favourite, I thought I'd give another Rankin a go.
It was still pretty manky on deck, but I grabbed a lounger under an awning, & joined other readers not content with the midships lounge.
After a bit, I added another towel for warmth, & covered my face for a kip. Well, I was on holiday.
Sadly the wind & rain picked up, came sideways under the awning, & my towels got wet. So before I did, I repaired to my cabin.
Today, instead of Erik's Abs, we had a Latin lesson. The dancing, that is, not the language. Mind you, I can still conjugate the verb To Love, & decline nouns, despite my last Latin lesson being with Mr Huss at Fleetwood Grammar school in the 70s. Some stuck obviously ;-)
Lidija was in charge with help from various Carribean crew ~ mainly Armando & Oscar, & we all had a go at Merengue, Bachata & Salsa.
Afterwards I went straight into dinner, sat with Patrick & Steve, & had steak again.
Incidentally, I forgot to mention that I had told Steve & Patrick about having synaesthesia at breakfast with them the other morning, & Patrick knew what it was. I had been impressed. Not many do know what is is, & when you explain they look at you like you've got 2 heads. Or are bonkers.
I'm possibly bonkers, but have the correct number of all the usual bits (apart from a cobalt, chromium & manganese hip, anyway).
After dinner, some of us happy dancing campers (Hi De Hi! ;-p ) went to the Tropical Bar for the Latin night, & put our lessons in Merengue, Bachata & Salsa to the test.
The 1st 2 are authentic dances from the Dominican Republic, but Salsa is a bastard from New York with a Cuban origin.
As well as Oscar & Armando, quite a lot of male crew had turned up: Arrigo, Santiago, Michael, Gustaf, & even Capt Sergey. That meant because Harry, the 2 Davids & Jack were having a go, we ladies were outnumbered for a change.
¡Qué divertido!
After the Latin bit there was more 'normal' dancing, & I danced quite a bit with Harry again. In between I chatted with Marcel & Gabi. Gabi worked with Harry & they were all travelling together. Marcel & Gabi were on an early honeymoon, & due to marry in May.
Harry was staying in an aft cabin which costs loadsamoney! Helmut commented about them being expensive, & Harry said "Only if you can't afford it". I had to turn away so Helmut didn't see me trying not to laugh.
It turned out that Harry owned an international business in Zurich, so I guess he could.
I also met Tony for the 1st time that night. He is an Englishman from near Stratford who had become friends with the 3 Swiss. He is a lovely guy and we both had fun helping the 3 Swiss with their English. After that night we sort of became a fivesome & often hung-out together - despite Tony being in his 80s & Marcel (the baby of the 5), being about 40 years younger. They are all totally lovely people, & going on the RC was worth it just to meet them :-D
Bedtime called eventually, & it was time for another clock change, & another lost hour in bed. Good job I could catch up during the day ;-p
Sea Day 6 ~ Friday April 18th: Good Friday
Despite losing an hour in bed, I got up for Sergey's Tai Chi at 0700, followed by Amanda at 8.
Breakfast was the, by now, "oats, nuts & fruit, a mug of coffee & a cute little black tea-pot of English Breakfast" breakfast.
Awesome ;-q
Afterwards I went looking for a broomstick as I had decided to make up a Jo Kata for the talent show. Oscar was in the Tropical bar & he gave me a nearly new, if slightly bent, broom handle.
After 1/2 an hour putting the bones together, I stayed in the Forward Lounge & read some more Rankin. While I was there, Jack from the US came up from below & we had a chat about Martial Arts, Bojutsu & Jojutsu.
I chose to not go in for lunch, even though it was a seafood buffet ~ what did I miss?????
I had 2 bananas instead.
Post lunch I went aft & finished Rankin; did some Sudoku; chatted to Harry; & had a kip. Then I went to watch the film Deep Ocean in the Piano Bar/Midships Lounge.
Erik's Abs was slightly later than usual, but the usual suspects were there.
After Erik, I went to get a DVD from the Purser, & chose Hansel & Gretel with Gemma Arterton & Jeremy Renner. I watched it while getting ready for Dinner ~ ie watched it while my hair dried!
 |
| Another Andy pudding pic ;-q |
Dinner was with Harry, Marcel & Gabi, & afterwards I danced with Harry & Jerry to Monica & Arpad, & with myself to Enrique.
It was another late one, & I didn't get to bed until 0115.
Sea Day 7 ~ Saturday April 19th
I missed Lidija's Yoga & Pilates, but managed Amanda. At the end, Jack offered me some clothes to wear when I performed the Bo Kata, but I declined. I had plans to wear my Langkawi suit: it was oriental looking & would be OK.
Then it was breakfast with Ian & Conrad ~ both English. Conrad told me he was a magistrate, & seemed to know a lot about everything. He also said everything in a very 'far-back' voice, & quite loudly. Ian was the opposite: Quietly spoken, & quietly knowledgeable. He also had a face like an old sea dog ~ all tanned & wrinkly. Nice man.
After brekkers I had a walk round deck & somehow managed to get oil on my white jeans. Bugger! Fortunately I met Glenroy from St Vincent who said he'd be able to get it off, so I nipped back below to exchange the jeans for shorts.
As was becoming a daily ritual, I went to the Forward Lounge for my Bo practice. I decided I should stop adding techniques, & concentrate on making it better technically. But with no Sensei to yell at me, & no mirrors to self-correct, it was difficult to get it right ~ especially when the ship was pitching & rolling!
After that it was back on the Aft Deck & the next book. This time, Stephen King's Song of Susannah, the 6th of his Dark Tower series. I hadn't read any of the previous 5, but it was very absorbing all the same. So much so, that I got the 1st 5 from the Library when I got home, read Susannah again, & finally completed the series earlier this year (2015).
I had lunch with Harry, then we both went back to the Aft Deck, where I read some more Susannah, did some sudoku, & slept a bit.
 |
| Harry the smiler :-D Taken by Daniel |
Having missed the 0700 class, I then went down to the gym with a Pitbull CD ~ while it was quiet & his language wouldn't offend ;-p. I did 5.5K on the treadmill, & I'd've done more, but peeps started arriving, so I took Pitbull out of the D player, & did 20min of weights followed by 10 min in the Hamman.
Had to burn off some food!
On the way back up to my cabin I got propositioned by one of the crew who shall be nameless in case someone from the RC crew reads this blog!
Needless to say, I tried to say "Not on your Nelly" as politely as possible!
Back in the cabin I read & slept, & woke up cold, so I wore a jumper to dinner. Hardly surprising, really, we had been heeling a bit all day, & the portholes at lunch had looked like a washing machine. Shame I never got a picture :-/
Unfortunately, down in the dining room, Conrad saw me looking for a seat & I ended up on his table again. At least Ian, Christine & 2 Americans were also there so I didn't just have to listen to Conrad spouting off about politics, religion, & dodgy geography :-(
He seemed to think Hobart was further south than Dunedin, & I was pretty sure it wasn't, so once I'd escaped from the table I went to look at the atlas on the mezzanine deck & it turned out I was right. Wrong again, Conrad!
While I was wandering around other pages in the atlas (I love maps), Harry came up, said something about calmar, which I didn't understand, & he dragged me aft to show me what he meant.
I'm so glad he did :-D
It was magical.
Aft of the RC, floating around in the wake were thousands of bio-luminescent squid. All bluey-green & twinkling in the dark water.
I ran back down for my camera, but it was too dark in the water & the aft light gave off too much light pollution. Maybe a camera like Daniel's would've coped, but my little 'point 'n' shoot' Panasonic couldn't.
Still, I know to watch out for them next time. Amazing :-D
We stayed out there chatting for ages, peering over the aft rail, & talking about allsorts. It turned out that Harry's into Pratchett, Potter, Gemmel, & fantasy in general, but hadn't read Lord of the Rings, though he'd seen the films. George R R Martin came up in conversation too, & Harry's a GoT mad person as well :-)
Eventually, by about 10.45, most of the squid had gone, & we went back to the Tropical Bar for a dance. As I went to get a warming cup of hot chocolate, I spotted 'Proposition Man" lurking & trying to catch my eye. I pretended I hadn't seen him.
I called it an early one at 11.30 as the clocks were due to take away another hour of sleep overnight.
Before I left the Tropical Bar for my cabin ~ as Harry had told me he usually saw the sunrise when he did his early morning exercises on the Aft Deck, I asked him to bang on my door & wake me so I could get some sunrise pics.
He forgot!
OAO
