Well, today seemed to be the carbon copy of yesterday with light showers, choppy seas, and deep swells. The temperature has dropped to about 76 degrees at 8am. While eating our breakfast, one of the sister ships to the Zuiderdam, the Noordam, passed us going the opposite way. Having just come from Rarotonga, Cook Islands, she was heading towards Nuku'alofa, Tonga. We're trying to find out if the Noordam really made it into Rarotonga, and if they did, we may have a chance.
This morning we each received a certificate for crossing the International Dateline….the first one skipping Monday, October 17th, then repeating Saturday, October 29th. They were signed by the Captain and Hotel Director, Henk. They are not the first ones we have gotten, and hopefully, not the last.
Taking our walk this morning was challenging as the winds had picked up and the rolling of the ship made walking difficult. While having our sodas in the Ocean Bar, we listened to Captain Frank's talk. He said the winds were currently 37MPH, an 8 on the Beaufort scale. As well as rain, we had 10 foot swells. The chance of tendering tomorrow pretty much evaporated in our minds. It would be iffy at best, although the Captain never put that in words. He did, however, plant that idea with the guests and crew that it would depend on what the local officials recommend tomorrow.
We took the time to catch up on the port talks given by Ian and Kainoa with both Rarotonga and Aitutaki. We know Rarotonga well, since we have visited many times, but the other Cook Island, Aitutaki, we have never seen. After reading The Happy Isles of Oceana written by Paul Theroux, it was one place we would like to visit. It's still two days away, so maybe…….
In the meantime, we have noticed fewer people walking outside and also far less at dinner in the dining room. The rougher it got, the more cautious some people got, which is a good thing. Dinner was good tonight with starters of lettuce wraps, a Caesar salad, and an arancini cheesy rice ball with a red sauce. Cheese raviolis were one of the mains, and fish and chips with haddock was the other entrée. It has been really nice having so many various entrees offered, instead of a seven day rotation, like what they served on the Alaska runs. Desserts were one serving of butter pecan ice cream and another butterscotch panna cotta . Last night it was chocolate, but made differently. They are getting creative in the dessert department as well.
Then we had to turn the clocks ahead one hour. Hate losing that hour of sleep, so will wrap this up. You never know, it might be a busy day in port tomorrow, or not……
Bill & Mary Ann
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