It was increasingly rougher last night and it kept us awake periodically throughout the night. It is what we expected for sailing in this part of the Pacific Ocean, and we can say we have seen it worse. Captain Frank has done a good job at down-playing the motion of the ocean, with the exception of many warnings to be careful out and about the ship. Don't need to tell us twice.
The day began cold with temperatures in the high 30's, humidity 77% and 21 mph winds with overcast skies. The ship has maintained a speed of 18 knots and when possible, the stabilizers were out to help with the motion. Today was also the repeat of yesterday with two days the same, since we have successfully crossed the International Date Line.
We noticed fewer of the regular breakfast folks were present this morning and guess that the frequent clock changes has something to do with it. One of us notices it is harder to fall asleep before midnight, and much harder getting up for the 8am breakfast time. And that is one reason we never chose to do an eastbound world cruise. And probably never will.
Back to the "salt mines", or computer time, we worked this morning trying to figure out the glitch that turned the computer into a monster-gone-rogue. Everything on the computer switched to a different format, one that we are not familiar with. The saying that you cannot teach an old dog new tricks applies at least to one of us. One solution is to take a break and go for a promenade deck walk for an hour. It sort of clears the mind at least for one of us who is trying to figure out why a man using a walker insists on running with it around the promenade deck. Yes...running. Hard enough with no walking aids such as canes or walking sticks, this is an accident waiting to happen. But what do we know?
Captain Frank returned at noon for his updated nautical talk. And once again, 12pm went to 1pm for the hour ahead, making us 3 hours past Alaska time now. He hoped everyone felt well (no seasickness) which was wishful thinking at best. We would be entering the Bering Sea area this afternoon with 1334 nautical miles to reach Kodiak. The Captain predicted near gale force winds of over 35 knots and mostly overcast skies with the seas topping at 13.5 feet. In fact, he said to expect gale force winds for the next two days. What he did not say was that a stop at Kodiak may be "iffy" due to the fact that we will be tendering to shore. That was news to us since it was not written in the itinerary that we would be tendering. Reading between the lines, if it is too rough to dock, then tendering may be impossible as well. We hope for the best because after a 7 day stretch in open waters, we will all be ready for solid ground. We understand that the Volendam may be one of the first ships of the season to arrive at Kodiak. Captain Frank shared the news with us that there had been a 7.7 magnitude earthquake in northern Japan on Monday. We do not know the exact location, but we were there on Friday, the 17th. No mention of a tsunami, which is always a possibility. The "ring of fire" reared its ugly side.
We skipped lunch today, snacking on some pistachios we brought from home. By losing that hour at noontime, we don't think about lunch until closer to 3pm which is too late. So today, we were plenty hungry for dinner which was on the Mexican side, a favorite of ours. Starters were tostadas with chili con carne, lettuce, cheese and a spicy sauce. Caesar salads came next with the better dressing on the side. Mains were the enchilada dish barbacoa-style with rice, guacamole, sour cream and extra sauce. The beef was shredded and very tasty. Very filling although we saved some room for one Paris brest or cream puff and a plate of assorted melon.
The team of White Magic 2.0 was the show this evening featuring new contortions and sleight of hand tricks. At least their performance was not cancelled due to the rough seas. We doubt we see the singers and dancers (definitely not the dancers) until we leave these turbulent waters.
And so much for day #4 at sea.....hump-day to be exact.
Bill & Mary Ann
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